KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (AP) - U.S. military successes in Iraq have forced sophisticated and well-trained insurgents to pour into Afghanistan instead, the Afghan defense minister said Tuesday.
In a demonstration of the increasingly deadly attacks unleashed by militants, a roadside bomb exploded near a civilian taxi packed with passengers, killing nine Afghans, including two children, a provincial police chief said.
The defense minister, Gen. Abdul Rahim Wardak, said terrorists who would have once fought in Iraq have been "diverted" to Afghanistan.
"The success of coalition forces in Iraq and also some other issues in some of the neighboring countries have made it possible that there is a major increase in the foreign fighters," Wardak told a news conference. "There is no doubt that they are (better) equipped than before. They are well trained, more sophisticated, their coordination is much better."
The top U.S. commander in eastern Afghanistan, Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, told The Associated Press last month that he is seeing a spike in the number of foreign militants _ including Arabs and Chechens _ flowing into Afghanistan. He said militant Web sites have been encouraging fighters to go to Afghanistan instead of Iraq.
"I can't prove they are coming from Iraq to Afghanistan, but I've seen it on Web sites that that's what they're being told to do," Schloesser said.
The bomb attack that killed nine Afghan civilians was apparently intended to hit NATO troops, said Juma Gul Himat, the provincial police chief in Uruzgan province.
Himat blamed the Taliban for the attack and said the road where the bomb exploded is often used by NATO troops. The taxi had been traveling toward the provincial capital.
Most bomb attacks in Afghanistan target Afghan or NATO soldiers, but the blasts are far more likely to kill ordinary civilians.
Violence has risen steadily in Afghanistan since late 2005. More than 4,700 people _ mostly militants _ have been killed in insurgency related-violence this year, according to an Associated Press count of figured provided by Afghan and Western officials.
U.S.-led troops killed five insurgents in central Ghazni province on Monday during a raid to disrupt a foreign fighter network, the coalition said Tuesday.
The coalition also said one of its service members was killed and several others were wounded in southern Afghanistan on Monday when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. No other information, including the service members' nationalities or precise location of the attack, was released.
#2
Little do the Iraqis know what a shiathole Afghanistan is. In Iraq, they could get a whole bunch of support from friends and family, live in houses, eat regularly, etc.
In Afghanistan they are going to freeze to death in caves, alone. And if they start a fire...
#3
The Iraqis got tired of being killed by carpetbaggers and stopped making them welcome. Now it's the Afghanis' turn to have the same realization. After which the Pakistanis can go through the same process, then...
#4
TW, you're right, the jihadi's tend to wear out their welcome once they get enough of them to be a PIA. It's similar to the drunk that pee's in the corner and won't leave the party. Once he leaves he comes back with a gun.
#6
This is good news. More proof of victory in Iraq.
As for Afghanistan, it's going to remain a brutish place during our lifetimes, as will Haiti, Sudan and Somalia. I remain, however, hopeful that North Korea and Cuba can be rehabilitated and reintroduced into the fraternity of nations.
#7
"Diverting ...Encouraging fighters to go to Afghanistan instead of Iraq" . Again, the US etal. is now engaged in a de facto WAR FOR CONTROL OF ASIAN MAINLAND + Perpipheral Enclaves vv Radical Islamism and aligned.
E.g. INDIA > Militants in Afghanistan-Pakistan includ JK = LOC, + NORTHERN INDIA + NE TIBET-NEPAL + SRI LANKA + via BANGLADESH.
*WAFF.com > CHRISTIANS FEAR THE [Hindu]FIRE AND SWORD IN INDIA.
Again, IMO INDIA's HINDU's may not desire to convert to ISLAM/ISLAMISM, but neither do they desire to see a return of European domination and infleunce in INDIAN + PAN-ASIAN AFFAIRS.
IOW, IMO the US = US-Allies are dealing wid FACTORS OF ANTI-FOREIGN/WESTERN LOCAL NATIONALISM, not just Radical Islamism.
D *** NG IT, MORIARITY, THEY MAY BE MUSLIMS + ISLAMISTS, BUT THEY'RE OURS + ASIA'S MUSLIMS + ISLMAISTS, NOT AMERICA'S OR EUROPE = JUDEOCHRISTIANS!?
Remember, COLD WAR > Osama Bin Laden was once "OUR MAN", or one of them for the US-NATO agz the Soviets, as was NORIEGA and even SADDAM, etc.
Security forces of the northeastern Somali region on Tuesday freed an abducted ship carrying commercial goods for Somali businesspeople after a gun battle with pirates off the coast of Somalia, local official said.
"After long gun fight, our forces were able to overpower the pirates and take over the ship which is now heading for the port of Bossaso," Farah Ali, regional deputy minister for national security, told Xinhua. Ali said that there were casualties on both sides but declined to give figures.
The ship, laden with commercial goods for local businesspeople, was abducted this week off Somali coast as it tried to dock at the port of Bossaso where piracy and hostage taking has been rampant. Somali pirates do not usually target at locally chartered shipscarrying goods for the war-torn Horn of Africa country.
This is the second time the local security forces were able to free an abducted ship from pirates who are often better trained and well equipped than the local forces.
NAIROBI, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan government on Monday maintained that it will not negotiate with Somali pirates who are demanding 10 million U.S. dollars. "Kenya has stated and will continue to insist that it will not pay the ransom since doing that will only encourage a continuation of such acts," Foreign Affairs minister Moses Wetangula said in Nairobi during celebrations to mark the Spanish Independence Day.
The minister said he is confident that the pirates will not carry the threat to blow up the ship, adding that the economies of countries along the Indian Ocean shoreline have been seriously affected by piracy.
Not that you guys can do anything about it except bleat ...
Wetangula urged the international community to urgently assist in patrolling the unsafe waters near Somalia which has been without a proper government for decades. "The cost of doing business alone particularly along this region is going up. Insurance is going up. Some shipping lines fear coming here and this is affecting us all the way to South Africa," he said.
He pointed out that most countries along the coastline lack the necessary naval resources to adequately deal with the pirates. "We are appealing to those with naval ships deployed on the waters such as France, the United States and Britain to assist us. We should work together so that we can combat the pirates that are lowering the level of business along the Indian Ocean coast," he said.
Sure, but then you have to be quiet while we clean up ...
The remarks came as the hijack of a Ukrainian ship carrying military cargo entered its third week with no end in sight. The Somali pirates over the weekend issued 72-hour deadline for the ransom to be paid or else they blow up the Ukraine ship but analysts say it was a negotiation gimmick. They have since extended the deadline.
BBC News last week revealed what it said was a copy of the freight manifest aboard the hijacked ship, MV Faina. The alleged manifest showed contract numbers for 33 T-72 tanks, grenade launchers and anti-aircraft guns containing the initials GOSS, which is an abbreviation commonly used in the region to refer to the government of southern Sudan. The manifest named Kenya's defense ministry as the consignee.
The developments came as Sudan summoned the Kenyan and Ethiopian ambassadors on Monday to protest against what it said were illegal shipments of arms to its semi-autonomous south. According to state-owned Sudan News Agency (SUNA), Khartoum was protesting over "violations" linked to an arms shipment seized by pirates off Somalia's coast that Western diplomats said was bound for southern Sudan, and a plane-load of weapons from Addis Ababa.
Meanwhile, Somalia's Ambassador to Kenya Mohamed Ali Nur said the transitional government negotiators had not been able to re-establish contact with the pirates since Saturday. "We know that elders have been speaking with them and telling them to come to their senses but up to now we have not had any good outcome," Nur stated.
He also expressed confidence that the situation would be resolved peacefully, adding that the piracy crisis had led to a rise in the price of basic goods in the country. "Food prices in Somalia have really skyrocketed. Ships that used to go to Somalia such as those carrying humanitarian aid cannot do so. Even those that do have increased their insurance premiums and that it is affecting the Somali people," the ambassador said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/14/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
(And also we a'int got ten mil USA)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/14/2008 18:14 Comments ||
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A High Court (HC) bench yesterday sent back a writ petition that challenged the legality of the constitution of Jamaat-e Islami Bangladesh. The HC bench of justices Syed Mahmud Hossain and Quamrul Islam Siddiqui said the petition involves political matters.
Barrister Tania Amir, who appeared for the petitioners, took back the petition for moving it to another HC bench.
Some 17 leaders and activists of Bangladesh Tarikat Federation, including its Secretary General Md Rezaul Haque Chandpuri, yesterday filed the writ petition saying Jamaat-e Islami is a religion-based political party.
The petition also said the Jamaat constitution has discriminatory rules regarding religion and sex which are against the spirit of the constitution of the republic, Representation of People Order (RPO), 2008, and section 20(1) of Special Powers Act 1974.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
See also TOPIX > THE RISING MILITANT THREAT TO INDIA FROM BANGLADESH. The Militants' NEW OLD FRONT.
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) restored access for international inspectors to its Yongbyon nuclear facilities for further verification.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
See also FREEREPUBLIC > NORTH KOREA WINS AGAIN! NOKOR is not only effec iff imperfectly achieving its agenda, but - like IRAN - is steadily NUCLEARIZING.
Ankara has been in secret talks with the Iraqi Kurds to fight Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants holed up in northern Iraq.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2008 00:00 ||
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OTOH, see also TOPIX > AL QAEDA'S INFLUENCE IS RISING IN TURKEY + WHY THE NEO-TALIBAN IS WINNING + TURKEY MOVES TOWARDS SEAT ON UNSC + IRAN CLAIMS TO BE MIDDLE EAST'S MOST PWERFUL STATE.
HMMM, HMMMM, at the rate Radical Islamism is rampaging in ASIA gotta personally wonder iff OSAMA, ZAWAHIRI, or MOUD have any [future]ambitions as UNO Secretary General???
#1
Compare wid WAFF.com > CS MONITOR - IS AMERICA's FIGHTING FORCE BIG ENOUGH? Some Analysts warn or advise that Amer's armed forces must becom bigger in order to successfullly fight anticipated INTENSIVE COUNTERINSURGENCY WAR(S) scenarios ala AFGHANISTAN + IRAQ, as well as to SUPPORT WEAK OR UNSTABLE NATIONS FROM DEVOL INTO DE FACTO MILITARY THREATS. WEAK NATIONS, NOT STRONG ONES, ARE THE LIKELY REALISTIC GREATER MILPOL THREAT TO AMER NATIONAL AND GEOPOL INTERESTS. USDOD must be large enuff to support US Policies and Allies, and contain/isolate Hostile or Enemy States, + any in-betweens.
Lawyers from Swat district said on Monday that majority of the people of Malakand division wanted their cases decided under the existing laws of the country and not under the Shariah law as being demanded by the Swat Taliban.
The NWFP government has finalised the draft Shari Nizam-e-Adl Regulations 2008 for its implementation in Malakand which the provincial governor has approved and sent to federal government for approval of the president. "Eighty per cent people of Malakand are in favour of the present Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) law," Yousaf Khan Yousafzai, a Peshawar High Court (PHC) lawyer from Swat district, told Daily Times.
"We (Swat lawyers) have witnessed hundreds of cases in which parties from Malakand division did not want to get their cases decided under Shariah law and declined Qazi courts offer for the same," he said, adding that the problem of the people of Malakand was delay in disposal of their cases and nothing else.
Opposing NWFP government's proposed Shari Nizam-e-Adl Regulations 2008, he said that it will cause judicial complications as one party in a case might demand decision under Pakistani law and the other might want it under Shariah law.
Shaukat Khan, a lawyer from Malakand division, said that it was practically impossible for a judge to decide a criminal case in four months and a civil-nature case in six months (the time frame mentioned in the proposed Shariah law). "If deciding a case in such a limited period is possible, then why thousands of cases have been pending for the last 10 to 15 years in the country courts?" he said.
Another PHC lawyer from Swat district, Mazullah Bar Kundi, said 70 per cent cases in the provincial high court are brought from the Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (PATA) and a case took 10 to 15 years in its disposal. He said that majority of people of PATA are in favour of the existing Pakistani law and are only demanding quick disposal of their cases and not Shariah law.
Shaukat Khan, a lawyer from Malakand division, said that it was practically impossible for a judge to decide a criminal case in four months and a civil-nature case in six months (the time frame mentioned in the proposed Shariah law). "If deciding a case in such a limited period is possible, then why thousands of cases have been pending for the last 10 to 15 years in the country courts?" he said.
He said that under Islamic law, either the accused should plead guilty or at least two Muslim adult male witnesses should be called as eyewitnesses. He said the witnesses should be truthful people and should have abstained from major sins. "In this era, such witnesses are difficult to find," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2008 00:00 ||
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The Qaumi Aman (peace) Jirga on Monday presented a seven-point formula to security officials to restore peace in the restive areas of Swat. The jirga held at Kanjoo vowed to continue striving for the restoration of peace in the area.
The formula proposed to the security officials includes ceasefire in the entire district, withdrawal of troops from Imam Dheri Markaz and its handover to the grand jirga, withdrawal of troops from all schools and practical steps to resume classes there, consulting the jirga before the launch of any military operation, release of all prisoners, a declaration of general amnesty and practical steps for rehabilitating the affected people.
The peace jirga was convened following negotiations with Taliban leader Mullah Fazlullah on Sunday, locals said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2008 00:00 ||
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(CNSNews.com) -- Twelve years after Iran put forward its name for a seat on the United Nations Security Council for the 2009-10 period, its candidacy comes to a vote later this week, at a time of disquiet over Tehran's anti-Israel rhetoric and nuclear activities.
Iran is one of a group of countries vying for five of the council's 10 non-permanent seats. Two are earmarked for Western nations (currently held by Belgium and Italy), and one each for Asia (held by Indonesia), Latin America (Panama) and Africa (South Africa.)
#1
ION IRAN > BUSHESHR PLANT TO BE OPERATIONAL IN 2009 [ as projected]; + AHMADINEJAD WARNS ABOUT US PLUNDERING OF WORLD RESOURCES [read, US = US-Western Imperialism + NWO]. Warns WORLD NATIONS MUST UNITE AGZ USA TO SAVE THEIR LOCAL-NATIONAL RESOURCES.
(AKI) - Al-Qaeda in Iraq has denied responsibility for the recent killings of Christians in the northern city of Mosul, which have driven hundreds of families from their homes. "We honour the agreement signed in Mosul by Abu Hamza al-Muhajir and prominent Christian tribal chiefs in 2007," said the Islamic State of Iraq's spokesman in Mosul, Abu Uthman al-Ansari.
The Islamic State of Iraq is made up of a number of insurgent groups, including its predecessor, the Mujahideen Shura Council and Al-Qaeda in Iraq, whose leader is said to be al-Muhajir. The Islamic State of Iraq has undertaken not to attack those who signed the accord with al-Muhajir, who have paid the Jizia (a tax payable by non-Muslims) in the area we control," said al-Ansari.
Peshmerga militias in Iraqi Kurdistan have rejected charges by Sunnis that they were responsible for the recent murders of Christians in Mosul, which is located in neighbouring Nineveh province. Sunni groups have accused Kurdish militias of seeking to alter the ethnic composition of northern Iraq.
The Iraqi Interior Ministry on Sunday sent two troop battalions to protect Christians in Mosul and secure their churches. The troops are also tasked with stemming any attempts at 'ethnic cleansing' in the area. At least 12 Christians have been murdered in Mosul over the past two weeks and a number of Christian homes destroyed.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
TOPIX > IRANIAN FM: US HEGEMONY IS COLLAPSING; + WAFF.com > HINDUS IN INDIA TELL CHRISTIANS TO CONVERT OR DIE!?
Not that al Queda might not be responsible for a series of killings. I was talking with a former roommate who's getting ready to deploy to the sandbox and he was saying something interesting about the bloodshed and chaos masking a large number of garden-variety serial killers who had been running amuck in the disorder of the insurgency.
I'm just boggled by al Queda piously insisting that they were above randomly slaughtering infidels.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
10/14/2008 13:11 Comments ||
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#3
Mitch,
The same thing happened in Northern Ireland: Several dozen of the murders there were the result of serial killers who made the murders look like acts of the IRA.
As far as Kurds doing it, the Kurds are actually paying Christians to move into the Kurdish region, so I doubt it's them.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
10/14/2008 16:25 Comments ||
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Gaza Maan Egyptian security forces destroyed eight tunnels under the border between Egypt and Gaza on Tuesday morning. Eyewitnesses in Rafah said the explosions were heard across the district.
The eight tunnels were located between the Salah Addin Gate and As-Salam neighborhood in Rafah city. No injuries or deaths have been reported by Egyptian or Palestinian officials.
According to Egypt, security services warned Egyptian-Rafah residents before the tunnels were destroyed.
#3
Couldn't the Egyptians just get Israeli agreement on turning a strip of land on the border into an artillery / bomb range for the Egyptian Military?
I can't imagine that those tunnels would stand up very well to an Arty barrage over head.
#4
Fill any tunnel found with a mixture of concrete and barbed wire, after flushing it with pure chlorine (disinfectant, yeah, that's what it's used for... disinfectant). Eventually the entire border area will be a series of concrete-filled tubes. That'll make a great ballast for a thick, high, razor-wire-encrusted wall. Eventually the paleos will get the message that the rest of the world has nothing but contempt for people who revel in killing women and small children.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/14/2008 15:35 Comments ||
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#5
I think this was along the lines of "youse better do as we say or youse are going to be sleeping wit da fishes in da tunnels".
Or something like that.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/14/2008 20:12 Comments ||
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#6
you'll never get that smell outta ya, I tells ya
/Jimmy Hoffa, Luca Brasi, et al; direct from hell
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/14/2008 21:02 Comments ||
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#7
Frankly, LOL, ahem, load up a Q-ship and have it escort 3 elements 3 A54 Assault dredges from the Med to the Red, the resulting new ditch to be filled with thousands and thousands of tiny MOABS. QUID PRO QUO
Israel security forces sealed off the West Bank early Monday, allowing Palestinian movement out of the area only in special medical cases, ahead of the first day of the Jewish Sukkot holiday.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2008 00:00 ||
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Preparing for the eventuality that Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah is assassinated or kidnapped, the movement held elections for a new secretary general, according to the Iranian newspaper Khorshed.
According to the Monday newspaper report, Hizbullah expects Israel to attempt to assassinate their leader after their success in killing Imad Moghniyah in February 2008. The paper said the elections were intended as a "clear step" telling Israel that the movement will not be affected by any targeted assassinations.
To succeed Nasrallah in case of death or kidnapping, will be Hashem Safi Ad-Din, a prominent member of Hizbullah currently working as head of executive office. The same position had belonged to Nasrallah before he became secretary general in 1982. So what happens if Hashem Safi Ad-Din is assassinated or kidnapped before Nasrallah? Does Nasrallah appoint yet another successor? But what happens if Hashem is kidnapped, another successor named, and then Hashem's released? Do they have to shoot one of them? Or do they shoot Nasrallah? I'm so confused.
The Israeli paper Ma'ariv, which re-printed the Iranian article on Monday, noted that Israel had also assassinated former Hizbullah secretary Abbas Al-Mousawi in 1992.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
I hope Israel somebody goes for a two-fer....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/14/2008 0:03 Comments ||
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#2
Meanwhile, the USA is becom worried over increasing ties bwtn ARMED ISLAMIST MILITANT GROUPS + CENTRAL-SOUTH AMERICAN DRUG GANGS + MAFIAS [e.g. Mexico].
#4
I think you're all missing the point here, and the point is any of those two guys who will get snuffed first will have a street named after him in teheran.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (AP) - U.S. military successes in Iraq have forced sophisticated and well-trained insurgents to pour into Afghanistan instead, the Afghan defense minister said Tuesday.
