The new governor of an embattled province in southern Afghanistan has confirmed his intention to negotiate with "second- and third-tier" Taliban to achieve greater security.
In an interview with RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan, Helmand Province Governor Golab Mangal insisted that his call for talks enjoy the support of President Hamid Karzai. "From the authority point of view, I can say that I'm the representative of President Karzai in the province and the highest-ranking official," Mangal said. "What I do in Helmand is always according to the guidance of President Karzai and the independent regional organ. Under the law, there is no problem regarding [my] authority [to conduct such talks]."
The central government in Kabul has at times struggled to reconcile its stated desire to rehabilitate militants who disavow armed resistance with its effort to counter terrorism and deliver stability to beleaguered regions.
Mangal stressed that the invitation to talks excludes what he called top-tier Taliban, whom he described as "foreign-affiliated" and Al-Qaeda militants.
Helmand is among the country's most violent provinces, and lies in what is frequently referred to as a "poppy belt" that contributes to Afghanistan's massive opium trade.
Mullah Abdul Rahim Taliban, a Taliban militant who also claims to be the rightful governor of Helmand, insisted to Radio Free Afghanistan that the central government is divided over its approach to negotiations.
Abdul Rahim Taliban cited a difference of views between Karzai's closest political allies, on one hand, and officials with strong links to former mujahedin allied under the former United Front (aka Northern Alliance). "As the respected governor of Helmand says that they are ready to conciliate with moderate or second- and third-ranking Taliban, I would like to say that we are one group, we have one leader and one voice," he said. "On the other side, they have no authority to negotiate freely with us. Even inside the government, they are separated in two groups -- one is Northern Alliance and the other is Karzai group. The Northern Alliance is absolutely opposed to talks with Taliban."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/22/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Taliban
An Islamist group called al-Shabab, which literally means "the lads" in Somali, has been added to the United States' list of "foreign terrorist organisations". Its name stems from its first incarnation as the youth and military wing of a group of Sharia courts who controlled much of southern and central Somalia in 2006. When, at the end of that year, the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) was driven from power by Ethiopian troops supporting Somalia's weak transitional government, al-Shabab melted away into remote and distant parts of the country. But it did not disappear.
Pattern
It re-emerged as a radicalised group of young fighters, who, for the past 18 months have been conducting an insurgency against the interim government and its Ethiopian allies and attacking African Union peacekeepers. Unlike many UIC leaders, who fled into exile in Eritrea, al-Shabab stayed behind to fight. It has its own website and has become increasingly active, not only fighting in the capital, Mogadishu, but carrying out hit-and-run attacks throughout central and southern Somalia. In the past few weeks, al-Shabab has attacked a number of strategic towns, including Dinsor in the south-west and Bur Hakaba, near the seat of parliament in Baidoa.
A pattern is emerging whereby the militia briefly occupy the town, often killing a number of people, then withdraw with arms, ammunition and military vehicles seized from Somali government and Ethiopian troops. Last week, a Somali soldier was beheaded after the group issued a warning that it would attack checkpoints and behead those operating them.
Al-Qaeda
Al-Shabab has distanced itself from the Somali opposition based in Eritrea, saying it is too secular. What started as a purely Somali armed group has become a more serious threat. "Al-Shabab is a violent and brutal extremist group with a number of officials affiliated to al-Qaeda," the US State Department said in a statement.
Led by Aden Hashi Ayro, who is said to have trained with al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, al-Shabab is reported to have attracted members from Yemen, Pakistan and various African countries. It is this that worries the Americans. But ironically the fact that the US has repeatedly made statements linking al-Shabab with al-Qaeda may have made it more attractive to some of the foreign fighters.
A senior member of the al-Shabab, Sheikh Muktar Robow, told the BBC he welcomed the US decision. "Al-Shabab feels honoured to be included on the list. We are good Muslims and the Americans are infidels. We are on the right path," he said.
But he rejected the US's accusations that members of the group are linked to al-Qaeda. "We are fighting a jihad to rid Somalia of the Ethiopians and its allies, the secular Somali stooges," he said. After repeating that al-Shabab would not stop fighting or engage in reconciliation talks until Ethiopian troops withdrew from Somalia, he said: "We will continue to attack peacekeepers in Somalia, regardless of their nationality."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/22/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Islamic Courts
#1
Now we get to see if the Ethiopians have robust ideas about counter-insurgency.
#2
I keep repeating the truth that a little napalm will put a stop to most of this sh$$, but nobody listens. All that's necessary are a few drones doing surveillance and a half-dozen stealth fighters armed with napalm. As soon as you see an attack developing, keep an eye on it. When al-Shabab pulls out, you napalm their convoy and watch the secondaries. Do that three or four times, and NOBODY will want to attack anyone else.
Dying's one thing - frying's another.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/22/2008 20:18 Comments ||
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The optimism of the Austrian Authorities, in terms of releasing the two hostages, Andrea Kloiber and Aolfgang Ebner, seems fading away following the statements being delivered by the Austrian envoy to Mali last Thursday, saying they were likely to be released yesterday, while the Malian President has announced that experts in kidnapping issues are to back up authorities. The spokesman for the Austrian Foreign Affairs Ministry has excluded releasing the two Austrian nationals kidnapped southern Tunisia in 14 February.
However, the Italian Press Agency AKI quoted him saying: our Ambassador to France is still pursuing talks with different parties and mediators representative in Algeria, Tunisia and Mali, in the frame of efforts targeting to persuade kidnappers release safely and unconditionally the two hostages, excluding, implicitly, to pay any ransom.
As far as the period, negotiations are to last, Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman told journalists: contacts are to be pursued on different levels and with all the concerned parties, even in the Easter Day period. The same source further mentioned that experts from Austrian Foreign Affairs and Interior ministries are pursuing following up the development of kidnapping issue which enters its first month. However, Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman statements have come following reassurances of the negotiations leader from Bamako, the Austrian Ambassador Anton Prohaska while declaring to journalists that Easter Day is likely to be an occasion for releasing them, without giving further details.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/22/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in North Africa
(Xinhua) -- Chadian rebels Friday dismissed the new peace deal signed by President Idriss Deby and his Sudanese counterpart Omar Hassan al-Bashir, vowing to carrying on fighting unless Deby agreed to hold dialogue. The statement placed the implementation of the peace pact, which is aimed at ending cross-border rebel attacks in a region which includes Sudan's war-torn Darfur, in deep jeopardy.
The two presidents signed the peace deal, which is the latest in a series of peace agreements aimed at pacifying their troubled relations, here Thursday evening. The new deal commits both nations to implement past accords that have so far failed to end violence in the area. However, the rebels in Chad said they would fight on unless President Deby agreed to dialogue. "It doesn't concern us," Ali Gadaye, spokesman for the Chadian rebel National Alliance, said Friday. He said if Deby did not want dialogue, then they would chase him out by force.
The National Alliance was part of a rebel coalition that attacked the Chadian capital N'Djamena last month, besieging Deby in his presidential palace for two days. Thursday's peace deal pledged to ban the activities of all armed groups and to prevent the use of their respective territories to destabilize their neighbors. The rebels simply shrugged off the pact, saying they were in their own national territory and they had a clear objective of "liberating their people."
This article starring:
Ali Gadaye
Idriss Deby
Omar Hassan al-Bashir
Posted by: Fred ||
03/22/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Sudan
(Xinhua) -- Saudi King Abdullah met visiting U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney on Friday during which they discussed the latest developments in the Middle East region, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Abdullah and Cheney, who arrived here earlier in the day after winding up a surprise visit to Afghanistan, exchanged views on the Palestinian issue and the situation in Iraq and Lebanon, the report said. Their talks also dealt with prospects of cooperation between the two countries and ways of boosting them in all fields to serve the interests of the two countries and peoples, SPA added.
Before they started to hold talks, the king welcomed Cheney and the accompanying delegation to his ranch in Al-Janadriyah. Cheney is on the latest stop of a 10-day trip to the region after visiting Oman and paying surprise visits to Iraq and Afghanistan. He will also visit Israel, the West Bank and Turkey.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/22/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Global Jihad
TAIPEI - Taiwan went to the polls to vote for a new president Saturday in an election expected to turn on the slowing economy and hopes their new leader will mend damaged relations with China. Harvard-educated Ma Ying-jeou of the opposition Kuomintang is seen as the favourite against pro-independence ruling party chief Frank Hsieh.
While Chinas military crackdown in Tibet has allowed Hsieh to attack Mas calls for an economic common market and peace treaty with China, analysts do not expect him to bridge the gap.
Polling stations opened under grey skies and visibly tightened security at 8:00am (0000 GMT) and were to close at 4:00pm. Official results were expected within hours.
Taiwans 17.3 million voters were also being asked Saturday to vote on two rival referendums on joining the United Nations, although neither is expected to reach the required turnout threshold.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/22/2008 00:17 ||
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Top|| File under:
#1
IOn, BRUSSELSJOURNAL > WHY DOESN'T THE WEST GIVE TIBET THE KOSOVO TREATMENT; + THE ISLAMIFICATION OF FRANCE.
vari News footage > still showing Tibetan demonstr signs demanding "WHERE IS THE UN"?
POPE Benedict XVI has baptized one of Italy's most prominent and outspoken Muslim commentators at today's Easter Vigil service.
Magdi Allam has become a Catholic during the traditional night-time service that takes place between Good Friday and Easter Sunday at St Peter's Basilica.
Mr Allam, a columnist for a leading Italian newspaper, is one of Italy's leading commentators on Muslim and Arab affairs, the Associated Press reported.
The Vatican said anyone who wishes to convert to Catholicism of their own free will has the right to be baptised.
The Pope administered the sacrament "without making any 'difference of people,' that is, considering all equally important before the love of God and welcoming all in the community of the Church".
Mr Allam has been a long-time advocate of tolerance over extremism. His criticism of Palestinian suicide bombers reportedly earned him death threats from Hamas.
He has written books on living with those threats and on extremism in Italy and supporters say he is a fearless critic of intolerance. A pro-Israel book earned him the title "the new Salman Rushdie".
The Vatican announced the high-profile conversion shortly before the long Vigil service started with Benedict XVI blessing a solitary white candle.
#1
I understand the US has a prison that might just suit their needs - virtually all of the inmates are Muslim. They get halal meals, free Korans untouched by infidel hands, 5 times a day call to prayer, Muslim chaplains, all on a nice tropical island.
Posted by: Rambler in California ||
03/22/2008 16:17 Comments ||
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State corrections officials re-arrested Sara Jane Olson on Saturday - five days after she was released - and announced that they intend to keep her in prison for another year. hee hee .... April Fool's early
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesman Oscar Hidalgo said that officials miscalculated Olson's sentence and gave her a year's more time off her term than she deserved. she deserves a LOT more than this
"We're launching an investigation to prevent this from happening again," Hidalgo said.
Hidalgo said that Olson, the former Symbionese Liberation Army member who was convicted of killing Myrna Opsahl inside the lobby of a Carmichael bank in 1975 and of trying to bomb police cars in Los Angeles, was detained Friday night at Los Angeles International Airport as she was preparing to fly to Minnesota, where her family lives.
Treva Miller, a spokeswoman for LAX, said Olson was detained between 11 p.m. and midnight without incident.
She was officially arrested late Saturday morning after authorities examined her sentence, reassessed her time credits and determined that she still had more time to do.
Olson had been released Monday from the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla.
LOLz - that's gonna break her heart...life's a bitch
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/22/2008 18:43 ||
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#1
And so is she, Commodore Frank. She and the rest of the SLA bunch of criminals and terrorists that the leftists looked up to.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/22/2008 20:03 Comments ||
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#2
Tell ya what, Freedom Fighter. You can get out when Myrna Opsahl testifies at your parole hearing. Sound fair?
Attorney General Michael Mukasey has been taken aback by the scope and variety of potential terrorism threats facing the United States, he told reporters Friday at an informal meeting in his office.
"I'm surprised by how surprised I am," said Mukasey, who as a federal judge presided over terrorism-related trials in New York. "It's surprising how varied [the threat] is, how many directions it comes from, how geographically spread out it is," he said.
Mukasey issued no warnings, made no pronouncements and offered no suggestion of increased danger or newly detected plots. He would not discuss specifics of potential threats, which remain secret.
The attorney general said that after meeting with his European law enforcement counterparts last week in Slovenia, he understands their degree of anxiety as well. "They're all concerned, and they're all looking for ways to cooperate with the United States and with one another," he said.
The attorney general used the occasion to once again urge congressional passage of a measure to update the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. An initial update, termed the Protect America Act, expired last month. "I never thought I'd see that [expiration] happen," Mukasey said. "The danger doesn't fade." Pelosi and Reid think it does. Or maybe they figure it can't fade because it isn't there in the first place.
He also referred to the terrorism updates he receives in early morning national security briefings. "The people I hear about every morning, their fatwas do not have an expiration date," Mukasey said.
The House has refused to bow to administration pressure to pass a version of the law that exempts telecommunications giants from legal action for taking part in the government's program to eavesdrop without a warrant when one of the parties is inside the United States. Critics said the program violated the law, and phone and Internet companies face as many as 40 lawsuits related to their participation.
The Senate has passed a version that includes retroactive immunity for the telecom companies.
Mukasey said Friday that he is open to "a creative compromise" but that he has no "particular basis for hope." "I'm hopeful, but if someone asked me for a reason, I'd be stuck for an answer," he said.
When the law first lapsed several weeks ago, some intelligence may have been lost, but that the problem has been rectified, Mukasey said. "There were a couple of days where we weren't working as smoothly [with the telecom firms]. That has since been put back together," he said. "I don't know what intelligence we missed," he added. Pelosi and Reid don't think we missed anything.
Asked about the latest taped comments from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, Mukasey shook his head. "Am I alarmed? I'm alarmed, I guess. I wish he weren't in a position to issue them."
Former university professor Sami al-Arian wants to finish serving his prison sentence for a terrorism-related crime next month so that he can be deported to the Palestinian territories. But the Bush administration is threatening to keep him behind bars until he does something he has steadfastly refused to do: testify before a grand jury investigating allegations that Muslim charities aided terrorism organizations.
Arian, who taught computer engineering at the University of South Florida, said he is declining to testify against the charities because he thinks they were falsely charged, "and he doesn't want them to be persecuted the way he was," said Jonathan Turley, his attorney. As a result, Arian is to be held at the Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, Va., on civil contempt charges. Arian started a hunger strike early this month to protest his subpoena, and he was recently transferred to a prison medical center in North Carolina after losing six pounds in 36 hours. He went on a previous hunger strike that lasted months.
Arian was at the center of one of the nation's highest profile terrorism cases, accused of conspiracy to commit racketeering and murder and to aid a terrorist group, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, in 2003. Two years later, a jury acquitted him of eight counts and deadlocked on others, but Arian pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to "make or receive funds . . . for the benefit of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad" and was sentenced to 57 months in prison, which included time already served. As part of a plea agreement with U.S. attorneys in Tampa, he said he would serve an additional 12 months, with the understanding that the government would not seek his testimony in future terrorism cases, his lawyers said.
Arian's lawyers at the time said the deal was discussed but was excluded from the official agreement because it was mutually understood. Now the Justice Department says that the deal does not bar them from requesting Arian's testimony. Turley said his client's sentence should have ended a year ago. But a judge extended a civil contempt citation against Arian for refusing to testify before a grand jury investigating the charities. "The Al-Arian case constitutes one of the most disturbing abuses of the grand jury system in decades," Turley said. "You have a great injustice being perpetrated by the Justice Department. They've daisy-chained three grand jury investigations to prolong his incarceration."
But Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said immunity for Arian was not a part of the agreement. "The plea agreement is clear, unambiguous and does not grant Al-Arian immunity from future grand jury subpoena," he said. "Therefore, we hold that the government did not break the plea agreement by issuing a subpoena commanding Al-Arian to testify before a grand jury."
In January, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit agreed with the Justice Department, ruling that Arian could not rely on a complicit understanding that was not directly mentioned in the plea agreement. The department issued its third subpoena later that month. "It is certainly not uncommon for the government to expect a defendant to testify in the wake of a plea agreement," said Robert Chesney, an associate law professor at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. "In this instance, the agreement is silent on the question, and the court of appeals agrees with the government that this leaves the door open to subpoena his testimony."
Turley said the government and courts have laid a trap from which Arian cannot escape. "The government has called Dr. Al-Arian manipulative, and have made it clear that they don't trust a word he says," Turley said. "They're setting a perjury trap. They intend to secure a conviction . . . by hook or by crook. He just wants to be leave prison and be deported."
#3
Plea agreements can be incredibly tricky, almost unique enough to require lawyers specializing in them.
To be iron clad, they must cover all overlapping jurisdictions, they must be complete, not partial, and unlimited in the "subject", not just a single event.
In many ways, they can behave like a restraining order, in which immunity remains only as long as you refrain from any involvement in that "subject" in the future--which may be very hard to do.
#4
Of course he wants to go to Palestine, Raj. Think of all a computer engineering professor could do when unrestrained by professional ethics... or at least the appearance of professional ethics. And think how many others he could teach to do it, too. After which he could move to Syria, where he would be quite safe and comfortable until the invasion.
#5
Hell, send him to paleostein - from 30,000 feet.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/22/2008 17:00 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Just crush his right hand before you release him, wherever he goes. That's a major trauma for muzzies, I understand. And then again, being a muzzie is a daily trauma.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/22/2008 20:30 Comments ||
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#7
first put out lots of rumors that he cooperated with the US and Israel
then put out rumors about who he had testified against
The late Benazir Bhutto's party has named its candidate for prime minister, after winning last month's elections. The Pakistan People's Party nominated ex-Speaker Yusuf Raza Gillani for the post to lead a coalition government with ex-PM Nawaz Sharif's PML(N) party. Analysts say the appointment is widely expected to be a stop-gap measure and Ms Bhutto's husband, Asif Ali Zardari, may be poised to eventually take over.
The coalition is expected to try to curb President Musharraf's powers.
Saturday's announcement was the choice of Asif Ali Zardari, the party's effective leader and co-chairman, according to the BBC's Barbara Plett in Islamabad. He may try to become PM in the future, analysts say, but does not have a seat in the National Assembly and could run to become an MP in a by-election within months.
Lawmakers are now expected to endorse Mr Gillani, a party leader from southern Punjab, in a special session on Monday. Mr Zardari and his main coalition partner, Mr Sharif, have told the New York Times they are prepared to negotiate with the militants, reflecting a coalition consensus on the need for a comprehensive political approach to Islamist violence. Ms Bhutto's party has been in intense talks over the make-up of a coalition administration since winning the 18 February elections.
President Pervez Musharraf, a US ally who came to power as a general in a 1999 coup, suffered heavy losses in the polls and appears increasingly isolated, say analysts. The new coalition government has vowed to reinstate judges sacked by the president during a state of emergency in November. Correspondents say the judges, if restored, could overturn Mr Musharraf's re-election in a parliamentary vote last October, effectively ruling his presidency illegal.
Ms Bhutto was assassinated at an election rally in December.
Posted by: john frum ||
03/22/2008 12:54 ||
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Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen says she misses her friends in Kolkata on Holi on Friday. Im now in a hospital in a European city the name of which I am unable to disclose for security reasons, she said in an e-mail to PTI.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/22/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Global Jihad
#1
No doubt a nice change after having essentially been held in house arrest for months by the Indian government.
Investigations into the attempted mid-air bombing of a Chinese airliner on March 7 has thrown up evidence that a Pakistan-based Islamist terror group may have aided its perpetrators.
But the Paks and the Chinese are such good friends. Aren't they?
Wire service reports citing Chinese civil aviation sources say the two terrorists who attempted to blow up the China Southern flight CZ6901 from Urumqi to Beijing carried Pakistani passports, although their nationality still remains undetermined. A third member of the cell, believed to be a Pakistani national, is reported to have escaped.
That'd be the Mastermind, of course...
Legitimate Pakistani passports have long been used to facilitate transnational terror operations targeting India. Operatives of Pakistan-based Islamist groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba often use legal passports to fly into Bangladesh or Nepal, knowing it is easy and safe to cross their extensive and under-policed land borders with India.
The passports are easy enough to come by, since the Lashkar and ISI are pretty much one.
Several members of the Lashkar cell which executed the 2006 attack on the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, for example, were found to have possessed Pakistani passports. Mafioso-turned-terrorist Aftab Ansari operated out of Dubai using a Pakistani travel document, J 872142, which he later told investigators was obtained for him by the Lashkar.
Chinese officials say a woman, whose identity has still not been made public, had smuggled two soft-drink cans filled with gasoline on to the flight. She had intended to ignite the fuel in the Boeing 757 jets restroom, but lost her nerve at the last moment and was overpowered by crew.
Chinese officials say a woman, whose identity has still not been made public, had smuggled two soft-drink cans filled with gasoline on to the flight. She had intended to ignite the fuel in the Boeing 757 jets restroom, but lost her nerve at the last moment and was overpowered by crew. Flight CZ6901 was able to make a safe emergency landing at Lanzhou.
Although some media commentators have argued that the use of gasoline discredits Chinese claims that trained terrorists carried out the attack, aviation experts say the plot in fact demonstrated considerable sophistication. Airport security staff tend to look for guns and bombs, one Central Industrial Security Force expert told The Hindu, not at whats inside sealed soft-drink cans.
Noting that the terrorist would have locked the restrooms doors before lighting the fuel inside the cans, the official said the crew would have had little chance of putting out the blaze once it began. Fires spread with great speed inside the pressurised cabins on aircraft, and have claimed hundreds of lives in past accidents.
Interestingly, explosive-actuated incendiary devices have been increasingly used by terrorists, since the chemicals needed for their manufacture be it gasoline, iron oxide or aluminium powder can be easily purchased. Explosive-actuated incendiary bombs were used in London and Glasgow last year, as well as in the lethal attack on the New Delhi-Lahore Samjhauta Express.
Chinese authorities believe the bombing was attempted by the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), one of two major terror groups operating in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region. Both groups have been increasingly active in the build-up to the Olympic Games. Two terrorists were killed and 15 arrested during raids on a secret explosives facility in Urumqi in January.
Founded in 1993 by Muhammad Tuhir and Abdu Rehman, both residents of Hotan in Xinjiang, ETIM became a major force towards the end of that decade. Operating under the leadership of Afghanistan-based Hasan Mahsum, ETIM carried out a string of assassinations and bombings which led to its designation as an international terrorist group by the United Nations in 2002.
Xinjiang has also seen a succession of terror strikes executed by the East Turkestan Liberation Organisation (ETLO), which like ETIM operated under the patronage of the Taliban. Founded by Muhametemin Hazret in Turkey, the organisation is believed to have carried out several assassinations, including the June 29, 2002, murder of Chinese diplomat Wang Jianping in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
During the summer of 2000, ETLO terrorists killed several bureaucrats and policemen in Kyrgyzstans Kizilsu Autonomous Prefecture and adjoining Kazakhstan. ETLO members also participated in earlier strikes in Kyrgyzstan, including a series of bombings in the Oshskaya region in the summer of 1998.
According to Chinese investigators, much of ETIM and ETLOs funding comes from Pakistan and West Asia-based Islamists, as well as narcotics and weapons trafficking. Both organisations ran camps around Afghanistans Khost area until the destruction of the Taliban regime after Al-Qaedas September 11, 2001 strikes on New York and Washington.
This article starring:
al-Qaeda
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Posted by: Fred ||
03/22/2008 00:00 ||
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[8 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda
#1
Glad to see Chinese attempts to buy off the enemy have been as radically unsuccessful as ours.
Withdrawing US forces from Iraq would hand victory to Al-Qaeda, US Republican presidential hopeful John McCain said here Thursday on the fifth anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq.
McCain, speaking after talks in London, said the issue was "whether we withdraw and have Al-Qaeda win and announce to the world that they have won and things collapse there, or do we see this strategy through to success?" "Al-Qaeda is on the run," he said, but added: "They are not defeated. We're going to have to continue training the Iraqi military and do what we have been doing if we are going to achieve a stable situation in Iraq."
Speaking after a meeting with Prime Minister Gordon Brown, McCain said a "functioning democracy" in Iraq would have a positive effect on the entire region.
McCain, a member of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, also praised Brown as a strong supporter of the United States. "I appreciate very much his commitment to the continued, unique relationship between our two countries which will remain unique. I am a great admirer of the Prime Minister as well," he said. McCain, 71, has also visited Iraq, Jordan and Israel this week and is due to go on from Britain to France.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/22/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Iraq
#1
I read my crystal ball differently regarding a premature withdrawal from Iraq. I don't think it would hand AQ a victory; rather, it would enable a Lebanese-style civil war between AQ, Iran proxies, and 'the rest'. At this point I think AQ would finish third in that race. It would take several overtimes to decide first and second, and most of the neighboring countries would get involved in some way or another. Preventing THAT scenario, with all the impact it would have on global oil supply and economies, is the fundamental reason for the US to stay engaged. The rest of the world is in denial. Only Russia, of all 'civilized' nations, can possibly benefit from anarchy in Iraq - and they benefit only from anarchy, not from any specific winner.
#2
Only Russia, of all 'civilized' nations, can possibly benefit from anarchy in Iraq - and they benefit only from anarchy, not from any specific winner.
I don't know, Glenmore---I kinda like the idea of general MME "civil" war. I mean, short term harm to oil supplies, etc... But long term, curing the "West" of it's dependence on Muzzi oil (letting your deadliest enemies to hold you by the balls ain't smart by any standard).
#4
Seizing the oil fields and selling it at cost would not only bring the cost down quite a bit, but also make ME oil a stable resource for the future.
However, that will never happen so we must make sure democracy takes root in Iraq and keep up the pressure.
#6
Not a classic import tariff but a floating tariff that ensures a stable price floor ($40-50/barrel) so that OPEC can't crash the price of oil and drive alternatives (e.g. domestic production, CTL) out of the market.
Posted by: ed ||
03/22/2008 17:56 Comments ||
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Russia's foreign minister is making the rounds for talks on Mideast peace. Sergey Lavrov met with the exiled leader of Hamas (Khaled Mashaal) yesterday in Syria, according to a Hamas official. The official says the hourlong meeting focused on ways of reaching calm between Israel and Hamas, with the Hamas leader asking for Russia to put pressure on Israel to lift a blockade on Gaza.
Today, Lavrov visited Israel President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Israel's foreign minister. The Israeli officials say Russia shares "many common interests," like fighting terrorism, and ensuring peace in the Middle East.
Tomorrow, Lavrov meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Russia has offered to host a follow-up conference to the Mideast peace negotiations that were held in Annapolis, Maryland, in November.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/22/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
ION, BIGNEWSNETWORK - BREAKING - Russia's DUMA has voted to support INDEPENDENCE for GEORGIA's breakaway regions of ABSKHAZIA + OSSETIA in retaliation for Western suppor and recognition of independence for KOSOVO vv Serbia.
See various Net blogs for views on the potential for CONFLICT/WAR IN THE CAUCASUS vv ABSKHAZIA, OSSETIA, + KARABAKH/NOGORNO-KARABAKH regions.
Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip Ismail Haniyeh will expand his government in an effort to strengthen his hold on the coastal territory, an official close to the Hamas government in Gaza said on Friday.
Haniyeh's decision to cement Hamas's grip on Gaza opposes Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's demand that the Islamist group hand over control of the enclave as delegations from the rival factions meet in Yemen for reconciliation talks.
Hamas Islamists took over Gaza after routing more secular Fatah forces loyal to Abbas in June. "There are consultations to enlarge the government led by Ismail Haniyeh," the official told Reuters. "The prime minister in Gaza offered some Palestinian figures to participate in the government and they have expressed an initial readiness to participate."
Fatah spokesman Fahmi Zarir said: "This is illegal, this is against the legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority," adding that Haniyeh was "expanding the gap" between the factions.
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03/22/2008 00:00 ||
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Israel will within weeks begin outfitting its airliners with defense systems designed to thwart missile attacks, Israeli military officials said. The officials said the system fires flares that distract an incoming missile's heat-seeking mechanism. It will be installed first on planes flying to destinations considered dangerous, especially in Africa and parts of Asia.
Other nations, including the United States and Singapore, have said they also were working on similar anti-missile defenses for jetliners. Some systems use flares to deflect missiles and others use lasers to jam a missile's heat-seeking guidance equipment. The need was recognized in 2002, when an Israeli passenger jet was targeted after takeoff by Islamic militants using shoulder-fired missiles outside Mombasa, Kenya. The rockets missed, but spurred Israel to find a way to protect its airliners with a defense similar to that already used by its air force.
Test installations were conducted several years ago, but the widespread fitting of the country's commercial fleet was held up until this month by an argument over who would foot the bill, the government or El Al and Arkia airlines. But threats by the militant group Hezbollah to retaliate against Israeli targets for the assassination of terrorism mastermind Imad Mughniyeh last month prompted the government to agree to pay most of the cost, the military officials said this week. They agreed to discuss the decision only if not quoted by name because they were not authorized to discuss defense policy.
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03/22/2008 00:00 ||
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After months of delay, Russia agreed to Israeli conditions regarding the delivery of armoured vehicles to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's security forces, Israeli officials said on Friday. Israel agreed in November to allow the Palestinians to receive up to 50 lightly armoured vehicles but a dispute emerged over a Palestinian demand that they have guns mounted on them.
Israeli officials said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert during a meeting on Thursday that Russia agreed to shipping the vehicles without mounted guns.
It was unclear when the vehicles would be delivered to Abbas's forces. "We have been hearing about these armed vehicles for more than a year," said a Palestinian security official. "Hopefully we will be able to receive the shipment."
Russian foreign ministry officials were not immediately available to comment. Israel had agreed to an initial delivery of 25 armoured trucks and said an additional 25 could be authorised if Abbas's forces make progress exerting greater security control in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
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03/22/2008 00:00 ||
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An attempt by the Yemeni government to mend fences between Fatah and Hamas failed Thursday after the Fatah delegation walked out of the talks.
"That's it. We're outta here!"
Earlier this week, representatives of Fatah and Hamas were invited to Sana for talks on an initiative by Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to end the ongoing power struggle between the two parties. The initiative urges Hamas to end its control of the Gaza Strip and hand the area back to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah. It also calls for holding early elections in the PA-controlled areas and the establishment of another "unity" government.
'Cuz there's nothing like a Government of National Unity™ to bring your country peace and tranquility.
Prior to the talks, Fatah announced that it had accepted the initiative, while Hamas expressed reservations.
Yesterday it looked like all was peaches and cream, ham and eggs, crackers and cheese, peace and harmony...
The Fatah delegation is headed by Azzam al-Ahmed, head of the Fatah parliamentary bloc and a senior Fatah official. The Hamas team is headed by Musa Abu Marzouk, deputy chairman of Hamas's political bureau. Abbas's spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudaineh, held Hamas responsible for the collapse of the talks. He said Hamas refused to sign a draft agreement that was proposed by the Yemeni president.
Yep. That'll do it.
This article starring:
Ali Abdullah Sale
Azzam al-Ahmed
Fatah
Musa Abu Marzouk
Hamas
Nabil Abu Rudaineh
Fatah
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03/22/2008 00:00 ||
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(Xinhua) -- Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri reiterated on Friday that he would not call the house to legislate as long as Prime Minister Fouad Seniora's government remained in office, local Naharnet news website reported. "The absence of any legitimate authority prevents the convening of parliament in a law making capacity," Berri, a main leader of the opposition bloc, was quoted as saying in a statement released by his press office.
It was responding to charges by the March 14 majority alliance that Berri was rejecting efforts to convene parliament in a legislative capacity, thus blocking the house duties, said the report. The statement called the March 14 majority alliance to "implement the Arab initiative, crystallize partnership and agree on an election law."
This article starring:
March 14 majority alliance
Nabih Berri
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03/22/2008 00:00 ||
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Syria is ready to renew negotiations with Israel on condition that this move will not influence the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, the country's foreign minister, Walid Moallem, was quoted as saying Friday.
Regarding Russia's initiative for a conference as a follow-up to November's Annapolis summit, the Syrian foreign minister stated that his country could not allow itself to be absent from the conference, as the Golan Heights issue would again be discussed. "We attended the conference at Annapolis, it is only natural that we also attend the conference in Moscow," said Moallem, Israel Radio reported. However, on Thursday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that he was not even convinced of the utility of such a get-together for the Palestinian track. It followed Lavrov's announcement in Damascus that the touted peace conference would deal with the Golan. Olmert, who told Lavrov that he would be holding another meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the near future, said he was not sure of the need for another international conference.
This article starring:
Sergei Lavrov
Walid Moallem
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03/22/2008 00:00 ||
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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.
TAIPEI - Taiwan went to the polls to vote for a new president Saturday in an election expected to turn on the slowing economy and hopes their new leader will mend damaged relations with China. Harvard-educated Ma Ying-jeou of the opposition Kuomintang is seen as the favourite against pro-independence ruling party chief Frank Hsieh.
State corrections officials re-arrested Sara Jane Olson on Saturday - five days after she was released - and announced that they intend to keep her in prison for another year.
Former university professor Sami al-Arian wants to finish serving his prison sentence for a terrorism-related crime next month so that he can be deported to the Palestinian territories. But the Bush administration is threatening to keep him behind bars until he does something he has steadfastly refused to do: testify before a grand jury investigating allegations that Muslim charities aided terrorism organizations. 
Withdrawing US forces from Iraq would hand victory to Al-Qaeda, US Republican presidential hopeful John McCain said here Thursday on the fifth anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq.
An attempt by the Yemeni government to mend fences between Fatah and Hamas failed Thursday after the Fatah delegation walked out of the talks. 
(Xinhua) -- Lebanese Parliament Speaker 
Syria is ready to renew negotiations with Israel on condition that this move will not influence the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, the country's foreign minister, 
