US policy to win in Afghanistan must recognise the poor nation's limitations and its neighbourhood, especially its intertwined relationship with Pakistan, the top US military commander in the region said on Thursday.
"Afghanistan and Pakistan have, in many ways, merged into a single problem set, and the way forward in Afghanistan is incomplete without a strategy that includes and assists Pakistan," and also takes into account Pakistan's troubled relationship with rival India, Army Gen David Petraeus said.
He predicted a long war in Afghanistan, without quantifying it.
Petraeus told a Washington audience that a winning strategy in Afghanistan would look different from the one in Iraq. He offered few specifics as the incoming Obama administration assesses its options in the seven-year-old Afghanistan war that has gone much worse than anticipated, just as US fortunes have improved in Iraq. He also suggested the US and its partners might one day have common purpose with Iran, another Afghanistan neighbour, in stabilising and remaking that country.
"There has been nothing easy about Afghanistan, indeed nearly every aspect has been hard and that will continue to be the case in 2009 and the years beyond," Petraeus said in an address to the United States Institute of Peace.
The address was part of a conference highlighting world trouble spots at the moment of political transition in the United States. The institute released a sober outline of problems in Afghanistan as part of the session.
The report said the US and its partners have short-changed Afghanistan by focusing on short-term goals pursued without a cohesive strategy or clear understanding of how the decentralised country works. It suggested US president-elect Barack Obama should refocus the US war and rebuilding effort in Afghanistan and think of the project as the work of at least a decade.
Petraeus' own review of US strategy in Afghanistan is expected to be presented to Obama the week after he takes office. The plan would shift the focus from the waning fight in Iraq to the escalating Afghan battle.
US President George W Bush's in-house Iraq and Afghanistan adviser has already done a separate assessment; it has not been made public. The US is rushing 20,000 troops into Afghanistan to combat the Taliban.
US officials have warned the violence will probably intensify in the coming year. More US troops, 151, died in Afghanistan in 2008 than in any other year since the 2001 invasion to oust the Taliban.
A suicide bomber struck US troops patrolling on foot in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, killing at least two soldiers and three civilians and wounding at least nine others, officials said.
Iran: On Iran, Petraeus said he would leave the details to diplomats. But he suggested that the long-time US adversary could be part of a regional effort to correct Afghanistan's situation. Afghanistan's strategic location and recent history both as a cradle of terrorism and source of most of the world's heroin make it of interest to nations from the West to the Middle East and beyond.
"Iran is concerned about the narcotics trade - it doesn't want to see...extremists running Afghanistan again any more than other folks do," Petraeus said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
We need to get serious about some cultural issues in Afghanistan. First of all, pick a language and teach all children in all provinces in that language. Second, build out a national entertainment/news/TV/Radio infrastructure in that language. Kids from all parts of Afghanistan should be sharing a common cultural identity. Third, get serious about building serious transportation infrastructure that interconnects all the provinces. People need to share a common language, a common cultural identity, and be able to travel easily. Producers in one province should be able to get goods to other markets. Workers in one place, to jobs in another.
Use some cultural propaganda. Have TV shows where a young couple, maybe one Uzbek and the other Pashtun marry. The old people don't like it but they are portrayed as backwards hillbillies and the kids as hip modern movers and shakers who succeed despite the comical backwardness of their tribal elders.
The people need to become Afghans and blur the tribal lines. That will begin to reduce the influence of the Pakis and other outsiders and give them confidence in their own abilities. Language, culture, communications. Those are the keys.
#4
A common language is an excellent idea. English is necessary for success, not just in the West, as it is the international language of the scientific world, and would open up the 21st century to them. Back in the 80's, the US took quite a few Afghan refugees in and they have done well. I know a Pashtun US graduate that speaks English well, knows 3-4 regional dialects, is computer literate and currently serving covertly. We need many more or they will never give up the poppy trade.
#5
The new National Afghan Military Academy, modeled on West Point, is a start at producing leaders with a shared national rather than tribal identity. Gonna take time.
#6
We have no business civilizing the Afghans or establishing a single culture or language for them or the Paks. We would be pissed if someone tried to do that to us.
We should tell them that it's their country, if they want the Taliban, they should just wait and if they don't they better get cracking because we're going home. If bad things happen to us that come from there, we'll be back and bad next time.
We have no national interests at stake in either Pakistan or Afghanistan and we should get out toot sweet. Or recognize with whom we are really at war and call it a Crusade in South Asia.
SIX Somalian pirates have drowned on leaving freed Saudi-owned supertanker Sirius Star nearly two months after it was captured off the east African coast, their leader said today. "Six of our boys perished at the sea while coming from the released Saudi supertanker" Mohamed Said said.
The heart [urp] bleeds ...
Their boat had capsized after freeing the vessel and its crew, he said via telephone from Harardhere, 300km north of Mogadishu. Four other pirates had also gone missing after the kidnapping ended, he said.
"The small boat that was carrying those killed and eight who survived was overloaded and at high speed as we are told by the survivors; they were afraid of a chase from outsiders (foreign navies of the Combined Maritime Forces) who invaded Somalia waters," he said.
Part of the $US300,000 ($420,600) ransom paid to free the tanker had also been on the boat and was now missing.
Haradhere resident Mohamud Aden said the capsize was an accident. "The pirates were full of joy and partially frightened by the presence of foreign war machines and overspeeding," he said. "That was a tragedy for the pirates."
The 330m Sirius Star, owned by the shipping arm of oil giant Saudi Aramco, was seized far off the east African coast on November 15, in what was the pirates' most daring attack and largest catch to date. It was still moored off Harardhere today.
The amount of the ransom paid for the ship's release was not known. Pirates had earlier said days after seizing the tanker they wanted $US25 million ($35 million) for its release.
Sources close to the negotiations said $US3 million ($4 million) were delivered to the pirate group onshore on Thursday. A dispute briefly erupted between the pirates over how the ransom money should be distributed.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
01/10/2009 9:59 Comments ||
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#2
Slightly betterfunnier different version from The Mail Online:
"However things went badly wrong for the pirates soon after the drop - they squabbled over how to split the money and then a wave washed off their getaway boat and drowned five of them. . . . [A]s they made off they continued to row about the payout.
'Two of them swam and survived. One is still missing. The weather was so terrible that it blew the boat over, then sank it. We got five dead bodies and we are still searching for the missing one. The waves were disastrous,' said Farah Osman, an associate of the gang.
It is not known what happened to the money or those who survived."
Hee hee hee.
Re the "terrible" weather - the pictures of the money drop show clear day, calm sea. Maybe a submarine karma rose up out of the sea to smite them?
Life is hard. It's harder when you're an idiot drowning pirate stupid. May it happen to ALL of them. :-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/10/2009 10:29 Comments ||
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#3
are they their own worst enemy or what.... I think they are about to get some lessons in modern seagoing warfare
Posted by: Davey Jones ||
01/10/2009 10:35 Comments ||
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#4
Maybe the Saudis don't much care for paying ransom. I can think of ways to make a speedboat capsize, if I knew where and when it was going, so perhaps the Saudis could too. Personally, I think ALL the pirates should suffer fatal accidents when leaving, since nobody seems willing to cause them fatal on-purposes before that.
So where's the sympathy meter? Broken and at the shop?
Five Somali pirates were drown in the sea after having taken fabulous amount of money from a Saudi tanker they have hijacked some two months ago off the coast of Somalia.
“The pirates were coming towards the shore of Haradhere in Mudug region after having taken 3 million dollars from a Saudi oil tanker which they have set free on Friday afternoon they were on board two speed boats singing in colorful tone, and exchanging some ridiculous words unfortunately one of the boats carrying 9 Somali pirates capsized and five of the pirates who were not simmers were drown in the sea the while the other four swum to the shower” said Ali Yussuf a resident of the pirates invested town of Haradhere speaking to Somaliweyn radio shortly after the tragedy occurred.
The resident also added that there are some great swimmers in the ocean with their boats ransacking for the remains of their fellow pirates drown in the Indian Ocean before making us out of they gained through unlawful means (ransom).
On the other hand some reports we are getting from the ground says that pastoralists traveling along the shore have slowly collected dollars floating on the surface of the sea, and some brought by the ebb tide to shore.
Protestors clashed with hundreds of riot police in central London as an anti-war demonstration turned violent. I have gotten over the fact that I will probably not be able to visit Egypt in my lifetime. But ENGLAND?? WTF???
One officer was knocked unconscious and two others received facial injuries as the mood turned sour at what had been a mainly peaceful protest. SOUR?? In the US, that would be a shooting offense.
A small group of protestors turned on mounted police and riot officers on foot, throwing missiles and smashing windows in Kensington, close to the Israeli Embassy. Oh, Jooooos. That explains it.
A crash barrier set up to help control the crowds was hurled through the large windows of a Starbucks Coffee shop. I don't like to insult my ancestral country. But the UK is going to HAVE to get its sh*t together. FAST
#1
Speaking at the rally Ms Booth criticised brother-in-law Tony Blair over his attempts to bring about a successful ceasefire.
“Tony Blair’s only comment regarding the ceasefire has been to say that it can only take place after the tunnels in Gaza are destroyed," she said. “What he is suggesting means that after the massacre people will have no access to food, kerosene and medicines that came through those tunnels. That is not a ceasefire that is a slow agonising death.”
Wasn't she one of the Boat People shown trying to buy up every Snickers bar in a well stocked Gaza food store when the Israelis wouldn't let her out?
I have no problem destroying all the tunnels. Then let the Egyptians and Euros run the Rafah crossing as a business. No military stuff comes through, everything gets inspected, and there is a 'state' price for everything (the Euros will be particularly good at this; I'd get Brussels in charge).
The UN no longer is allowed to put cash into Gaza; the 'refugees' [cough] get vouchers for use at the Euro store in Rafah.
And then let the Euros work on building some basic infrastructure and business so that Gazookians can be employed. Maybe Nike could put a sneaker factory in there.
And one more thing: anyone fires a rocket at Israel, the Euro station at Rafah closes for a time: one day per rocket. You fire 30 rockets, you figure out how you're going to eat for a month.
Now if the Gazooks really want peace [hah], over time they'll figure out how to be peaceful.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/10/2009 19:14 Comments ||
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#4
I love a good bedtime story fantasy, Steve.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/10/2009 19:21 Comments ||
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#2
Just now I imagine the fines hit particularly hard. No doubt some will be out of the business for good, and with money tight all over, the rest will behave for a while.
OSLO (Reuters) - Oslo police detained at least 27 people on Thursday after pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian demonstrators clashed in one of the worst such outbursts in the Norwegian capital since the 1980s. Shop windows in the city centre were shattered and police repeatedly used teargas to break up groups of activists demonstrating over Israel's crackdown in the Gaza Strip.
The violence started when about 1,000 pro-Palestinian supporters showed up at a rally sponsored by Norway's largest opposition party in support of Israel. Television pictures showed they burnt Israeli flags and threw projectiles at police clad in body armour who separated the two groups.
"This has nothing to do with the situation in Gaza," Johan Fredriksen, chief of staff of the Oslo police, told the website of the daily Aftenposten. "These people came to the protest with knives, bats and Molotov cocktails," he said, speaking about the pro-Palestinian side.
You know, you have to wonder whether there's a glimmer of common sense here and there in Europe. Call me crazy but one or two of the multi-culti-multi-tudes might just be seeming to get it ...
"You have to go back to the early 1980s to find a similar situation in Norway," Fredriksen said, adding that police were still concerned about security across the city.
Clashes also took place near the Israeli embassy.
Tabloid VG on its website said that Oslo was the site of a "street fight" with groups of men throwing rocks and bottles at police. One police car was trashed and one officer injured.
Before the flare up, some 15,000 people walked through the city centre for a peaceful, torch-lit protest, police said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/10/2009 01:39 ||
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#1
These people came to the protest with knives, bats and Molotov cocktails
Italian politicians from right and left joined Jewish groups Friday in condemning a trade union's call to boycott Jewish-owned shops in Rome in protest at the Israeli bombing offensive in the Gaza Strip. While the union denied accusations of anti-Semitism, Rome's right-wing mayor Gianni Alemanno visited the city's ancient Jewish quarter known as the Ghetto and said the "criminal" proposal echoed the race laws under fascism in the 1930s.
"I am an Italian citizen and it infuriates me that people don't differentiate between the mentality and opinions of an Italian from what is happening in Israel," Jewish Italian shopkeeper Giuseppe Livoli told La Repubblica newspaper.
Italian newspapers reproduced handbills they said were dished out Thursday by the small Flaica-Cub union, linked to the retail and food sectors. The flyers urged a boycott of "shops in central Rome linked to the Israelite community." Why don't ya go down there and break lotsa shop windows? That showed them "Israelites" back in the thirties that ya meant business...
But the union's provincial president Giancarlo Desiderati said on its website Friday that "we never singled out Rome's Jewish community ... We condemn any form of anti-Semitism." Of course ya do...
"What we propose with our initiative is a definitive boycott of Israel because whoever uses military force against unarmed civilians, whether they are Palestinian or Israeli, commits a crime against human life," said Desiderati. Unless it's "resistance™". Then we're cool with it...
The head of Rome's Jewish community, Riccardo Pacifici, said he would be suing the union under Italian anti-racism laws.
Rome's Ghetto is home to what may be the oldest surviving Jewish diaspora in the world, dating from the 2nd century BC. Singled out by race laws under dictator Benito Mussolini in the 1930s and '40s, thousands died in Nazi concentration camps. You remember Benito, don't ya boys? He made the trains run on time.
Italy's main trade unions denounced the boycott proposal as "shameful" and suggested that Rome shopkeepers throw the Flaica handbills — which they said listed streets dominated by Jewish shops under the slogan "sales dirtied by blood" — in the trash.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I am guessing that I should not hold my breath waiting for this union to boycott Muslim owned shops...they wouldn't want to offend anyone, of course.
(AKI) - The separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has rejected Turkish estimates of the number of militants it claims to have killed by the military during 2008. "The statistics published by the Turkish government regarding the number of deaths and injured among the rank and file of the PKK during 2008 are totally unreal, " a source for the PKK's military wing told Adnkronos International (AKI).
The source claimed that the figures were "greatly exaggerated" to dampen the anger of Turkish public opinion and to cover up the "serious losses" suffered by the Turkish army in its conflict with the PKK.
The comments followed the release of statistics by the Turkish army showing that 670 PKK fighters were killed in 2008, while hundreds of others were detained and imprisoned by Turkish security forces.
The military source said the only correct thing contained in the Turkish government's estimates was the admission by the Turkish army that it launched 373 attacks against PKK bases. "As for the rest, the numbers they compiled are false and greatly exaggerated," he said.
"No, no, certainly not!"
"Turkish forces sustained more than a thousand deaths and hundreds of injuries in 2008, but the army leadership does not at all acknowledge these serious losses," he said.
Turkish warplanes and Iranian artillery are reported to have bombarded Kurdish rebel hideouts in northern Iraq on Monday.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2009 00:00 ||
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The incoming Obama administration will not abandon US President George W. Bush's doctrine of isolating Hamas, the chief national security spokesperson of the Obama transition team has told The Jerusalem Post.
Found out that the stove was hot, did they ...
US President-elect Barack Obama "has repeatedly stated that he believes that Hamas is a terrorist organization dedicated to Israel's destruction, and that we should not deal with them until they recognize Israel, renounce violence, and abide by past agreements," said Brooke Anderson in a statement to the Post. Those conditions match the international Quartet's longstanding demands from Hamas, shared by Israel.
The Obama spokesperson was responding to an article in Britain's Guardian daily on Friday, which asserted that three people with knowledge of discussions held in the Obama camp said that while the president-elect will not approve direct diplomatic negotiations with Hamas early on, his advisers are urging him to initiate low-level or clandestine approaches, in light of the growing recognition in Washington that ostracizing the terror group is counter-productive policy.
"The president elect's repeated statements [about not dealing with Hamas] are accurate," Anderson said. "This unsourced story is not."
#1
Obama spokesman telling the Jerusalem Post about President-elect Obama's response to a Guardian op-ed piece? Why was not communicate directly to the Guardian, with a copy to the Jerusalem Post?
#4
Don't be silly, Darrell, the MSM is never required to name its sources. It's 'senior advisor who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity' for as many sources as you need.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/10/2009 17:53 Comments ||
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#5
"his advisers are Bill Ayers is urging him to initiate low-level or clandestine approaches, in light of the growing recognition in Washington that ostracizing the terror group is counter-productive policy Bill's love of all violent, totalitarian groups that hate America.
There - fixed.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/10/2009 19:43 Comments ||
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U.S. President-elect Barack Obama said on Friday he views Iran as a "genuine threat" but still favors initiating a dialogue with the Islamic republic.
Asked about Iran at a news conference, Obama said he would not go into detail on his policy toward Tehran because of the principle that there is only one president at a time. But he said, "I have said in the past during the course of the campaign that Iran is a genuine threat to U.S. national security."
"But I have also said that we should be willing to initiate diplomacy as a mechanism to achieve our national security goals, and my national security team, I think, is reflective of that practical, pragmatic approach to foreign policy," said Obama, who takes over from President George W. Bush on Jan. 20.
Remind me, it was the pragmatists who told us to play footsie with Saddam. And with Gorbachev ...
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2009 00:00 ||
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#3
Neville Chamberlain was an appeasement PM, but after his fall from position, he worked in the Churchill war cabinet and had a key role in the formation of the Special Operations Executive. At least he saw the error of his actions and tried to contribute positively to the war effort.
When things go south for us, I would not expect any of our leaders to do anything but deflect the responsibility to others.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/10/2009 12:45 Comments ||
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#4
he views Iran as a "genuine threat"
Well then unleash your hounds of the MSM on them, demonizing the Iranian leadership at least as much as you had them demonize Palin and McCain. You know for that little leverage effect when the ambassador sends word back to Tehran that the Yanks are taking notice. Then we'll know you're serious.
Police rounded up three alleged would-be suicide bombers and six other suspects from various parts of the city after a tip-off about the plot to disrupt the processions on the 10th of Muharram in the provincial capital.
The capital city police got the tip that three would-be suicide bombers, Qari, Asad and Amjad had been tasked to carry out bombing during the Ashura processions. Security agencies were further alerted moments before an Ashura procession after reports that one of the bombers had reached Namakmandi.
Police later arrested the three would-be suicide bombers as well as six other suspects from different urban parts of the provincial capital, who were shifted to an unknown location. Security was at the highest alert in Peshawar, Hangu and Dera Ismail Khan during the last two days of Muharram.
A suicide bomber had struck in Dera Ismail Khan, killing seven people while curfew was clamped on Hangu after three cops were killed and as many abducted during a militantsÂ’ attack.
Peshawar remained quite peaceful as 4,000 cops were deployed across the city to thwart any untoward incident. It was for the first time in three years that no suicide bombing took place in Peshawar during 10 days of Muharram.
It is to be mentioned here that the first suicide attack occurred on seventh Muharram in 2007 in Dhaki Dalgaran wherein along with the then capital city police officer (CCPO), Malik Muhammad Saad, 16 other persons were killed.
The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan have been ranked among the 'most dangerous' places in the world, according to the Press Trust of India that cited a report by a US think-tank — which has called on the incoming Obama administration to declare the area part of the 'Afghan war theatre'. There goes the tourist trade... Maybe they should move to Edwardsville, Alabama ...
Observing that a "nuclear Pakistan as a base for international terrorism is a prospect that the world cannot afford", the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) asked the US government to redefine the territory of war in the region to include FATA.
It said this would help the US Central Command (CENTCOM) cooperate with the Pakistan Army in both military and economic development efforts as needed and agreed on by both the countries.
The observations were part of a report titled 'FATA: A Most Dangerous Place', authored by Shuja Nawaz — a Pakistani journalist who has just been appointed the first director of the South Asia Centre at the Atlantic Council of the US.
"FATA remains a most dangerous place, with the failure of governance and the rise of militancy affecting Afghanistan and Pakistan not only individually and separately but also jointly," Nawaz was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India in his concluding observations.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2009 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
I sense I will be reading about Edwardsville in the very near future.
#2
I've got an idea. Why don't all the folks in the FATA move to Ironton, CO (current year-round pop 0). If they can stand the "cruel Afghan Winter", they can stand Ironton (halfway between Ouray and Silverton). I'm sure the locals could use some help with the mines there. Might be a problem for a few of the folks - Ironton is at 12,028 feet (3667M) above sea level. While there are some high mountains to the north and west, most of the FATA doesn't get more than a few thousand feet above sea level. The lack of oxygen should keep 'em from gettin' too rambunctious.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/10/2009 21:00 Comments ||
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The Punjab Police have included names of four Jamaatud Dawa leaders, including Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, in a list of leaders of banned organisations, a private TV channel reported on Friday. The channel said police also issued a list of 30 suspected militants involved in extremist activities. Police sources said other Dawa leaders put on the list were Abdur Rehman Makki, Abu Hashim and Ameer Hamza, the channel added. Three people mentioned in the 30-name list were category 'A' - most wanted -- and carried Rs 40 million as head money.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2009 00:00 ||
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Former Director of Intelligence Bureau (IB) Ajit Doval will make a first-hand assessment of security scenario in Karnataka before suggesting fresh measures for its improvement. When asked by Deccan Herald about his role as security advisor to the state government, Doval sought not to elaborate on the issue before making an assessment of the task at hand.
“I have been advising some other state governments too,” he said. Besides Karnataka, Gujarat and Uttarakhand have also been seeking Doval’s expert advise on security issues.
IB Director from 2004-05, he has received a special compliment from Laldenga of Mizo National Front who claim that Doval has won over 6 of his 7 army commanders. Leading from the front, Doval spent long periods incognito with the Mizo National Army in the Arakan in Burma and inside Chinese territory. Besides, he is understood to have spent an estimated six years in Pakistan too.
Leading from the front, Doval spent long periods incognito with the Mizo National Army in the Arakan in Burma and inside Chinese territory. Besides, he is understood to have spent an estimated six years in Pakistan too.
An IPS officer of 1968 batch (Kerala cadre), the ex-IB chief was actively involved in the conflicts relating to Mizo, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir. He is the first police officer in India to get Kirti Chakra.
Supposed to be one of the best minds on counter-terrorism operations, he has participated in some of the most daring operations and dramatic crisis-management-negotiations in the country for over last two decades.
Posted by: john frum ||
01/10/2009 00:00 ||
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(AKI) - Six of the main insurgent groups operating in Iraq have vowed to carry out joint attack against US forces to avenge the deadly ongoing Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The Army of the Mujahadeen in Iraq, the Islamic Army in Iraq, the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas Iraq, Ansar al-Sunna and the Islamic Front for the Iraqi Resistance announced a campaign entitled "Against the Occupier - In Support of Gaza" in an advertisement published in pan-Arab daily Al-Quds al-Arabi. "We oppose the Israeli criminals who are carrying out genocide in Gaza. Our formations will wage a series of attacks against US troops in revenge against the Zionists," the ad read.
Radical Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr also published an appeal in the daily inviting "the noble Iraqi resistance" to carry out revenge attacks against US soldiers.
Give em hell, boys. I'll stay here and...think up inspiring Muslim stuff.
He'll eat a goat in their honor ...
"We must raise the Palestinian flag over Sunni and Shia mosques and also over churches in response to the Israeli attacks on Gaza.
"We must also respond with attacks against the Zionists' main ally," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2009 00:00 ||
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#4
oh, i doubt he will eat the goat. Islamic law allows the buggering of animals, but you cannot eat the meat of said animal and it must be sold in another village.
Posted by: Abu do you love ||
01/10/2009 15:44 Comments ||
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#5
"your goat - it looks....loose. Like a wymyn with bare ankles. Say! You're not from this village, are you?"
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/10/2009 15:53 Comments ||
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#6
Islamic law allows the buggering of animals, but you cannot eat the meat of said animal and it must be sold in another village.
How charming. Screw your livestock and screw your neighbors.
About three years ago, I celebrated my 30th birthday at my home. Among other people, I also invited Benjamin Netanyahu, who at the time was the leader of a small and defeated party with 12 Knesset seats. He sat down on a white sofa (he was suffering from back pains) and curiously looked around the room.
This was Kadima's heyday, yet Netanyahu tried to explain to anyone who was willing to listen that in the Gaza Strip Hamas was in possession of something called Grad. That word sounded strange to me back then.
So exactly do they possess? I asked. Grads, he said. They have Grad missiles. These missiles can reach Beersheba.
I looked at him and asked why he was so concerned. At the time, there was no hint of a flare-up in Gaza, or in the north for that matter. Why does he always have to be so grim, I wondered at the time.
Two days after my birthday I called Netanyahu to thank him for coming. I told him: Listen, Bibi, you know I love you, but why do you always have to be so depressing? Why scare people with this talk about Grads? Who cares about it? Why do you always think about the worst case scenario?
Netanyahu attempted to hear me out. What do you think I should to, he asked me – refrain from expressing the bitter truth just because people are incapable of hearing it? Perhaps this is what you should do, I told him. If the people don't want to hear grim predictions, perhaps you should keep them to yourself, even if it's the truth?
Meanwhile, I was thinking to myself that Netanyahu's concerns are exaggerated, of course.
And this, perhaps, may be Netanyahu's tragedy. He is too right. He sees too far ahead. He predicted the emergence of the axis of evil 20 years before George W. Bush, and also foresaw the establishment of the Hamas government in Gaza when everyone was still euphoric about Kadima and Sharon.
#1
Epicenter author Joel C. Rosenberg used to work for the Steve Forbes campaign and was asked to be in Netanyahu's government. He is very visionary with a unique perspective--check out his website of same name or read the book for an additional forecast of the future of Israel.
#2
As far as mea culpas go, I'd rate this one no better than a 5 out of 10. Points for keeping it short, as the writer usually takes pages to explain why the were right to feel as they did at the time. But he lost points with his lame, "nobody wanted to listen" excuse. Hey sonny, you were just too stupid to listen. It was more important to you that your dinner party not be ruined than to have a serious discussion about the future with Benjamin Netanyahu. Doh!
And I say that about sums it up for liberals in general. Facts and consequences be damned. Just don't upset the dinner guests.
The United States is seeking to hire a merchant ship to deliver hundreds of tons of arms to Israel from Greece later this month, tender documents seen by Reuters show. The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command said the ship was to carry 325 standard 20-foot containers of what is listed as "ammunition" on two separate journeys from the Greek port of Astakos to the Israeli port of Ashdod in mid-to-late January.
A "hazardous material" designation on the manifest mentions explosive substances and detonators, but no other details were given. "Shipping 3,000-odd tons of ammunition in one go is a lot," one broker said. "This (kind of request) is pretty rare and we haven't seen much of it quoted in the market over the years," he added.
And I'd get it done and delivered by the 19th ...
The U.S. Defense Department, contacted by Reuters on Friday in Washington, had no immediate comment. The MSC transports armor and military supplies for the U.S. armed forces aboard its own fleet, but regularly hires merchant ships if logistics so require.
The request for the ship was made on Dec. 31, with the first leg of the charter to arrive no later than January 25 and the second at the end of the month. The tender for the vessel follows the hiring of a commercial ship to carry a much larger consignment of ordnance in December from the United States to Israel ahead of air strikes in the Gaza Strip.
A German shipping firm which won that tender confirmed the order when contacted by Reuters but declined to comment further.
Shipping brokers in London who have specialized in moving arms for the British and U.S. military in the past said such ship charters to Israel were rare. A senior military analyst in London who declined to be named said that, because of the timing, the shipments could be "irregular" and linked to the Gaza offensive.
The ship hired by the MSC in December was for a much larger cargo of arms, tender documents showed. That stipulated a ship to be chartered for 42 days capable of carrying 989 standard 20-foot containers from Sunny Point, North Carolina to Ashdod. The tender document said the vessel had to be capable of "carrying 5.8 million pounds (2.6 million kg) of net explosive weight", which specialist brokers said was a very large quantity.
The ship was requested early last month to load on December 15.
I think the message is clear: neither the Bush team nor the Israelis think Bambi will stand by Israel.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/10/2009 01:43 ||
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#1
3000-odd tons is about 25 flights of a C5. Between Greece and Israel, that could be done with one plane in about 11 days figuring two trips a day. With 5 planes, in about two days.
In the 1973 war, I remember plane after plane after plane flying out of Dover headed for Israel.
So here we have a huge shipment that has been announced to the world ahead of time. Seems like a plan designed to attract at attack attempt to me.
#5
Perhaps the Army Corps of Engineers needs some tools for their tunnels inspection work on the Egyptian side of the Gaza border... or that moat concept that's been bruited about, running from the Mediterranean to the Dead Sea.
#6
"Shipping 3,000-odd tons of ammunition in one go is a lot,"
That's less than the average monthly amount destroyed by US forces in Iraq. How about transferring some of the 500,000 ton US war reserve in Korea to Israel?
Posted by: ed ||
01/10/2009 8:39 Comments ||
Top||
#7
I would be for giving Israel all the JDAM adapter kits, dumb bombs, rifle ammo, artillery shells, first aid kits, smoke rounds, and tank shells they want.
#9
In the 73 war, the US dipped deep into our reserve stocks of ammo. Israel was down to ammo stocks measured in DAYS.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/10/2009 12:48 Comments ||
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#10
Israel can supply its own small cal rounds, unless it is running out of brass and powder. But, I'd hate to see them short on the big stuff. They indicated to the towel heads that the worst was yet to come. This supports that. Keep those rounds outbound.
Well, it is a Day of Wrath...
Solidarity rallies with the war-battered Gaza Strip led to scuffles between dueling Palestinian factions on Friday, reflecting competing efforts to assert legitimacy over the fractured Palestinian political scene.
Police loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stood by while protesters allied with his Fatah Party struck demonstrators from the rival Hamas with flag sticks.
According to news agency AFP, the clashes erupted after the Hamas rulers of Gaza had called for a second week in a row for Palestinians to mark a "day of wrath" against the Israeli bombardments.
Fist fights erupted and security forces used teargas and batons to disperse the demonstrators who had taken part in rival protests. Thirteen people were taken to hospital and several others were detained, witnesses said. Police spokesman Adnan Dameiri said no one was detained, but that some protesters were removed from the scene.
West Bank police have suppressed Hamas rallies in recent weeks, preventing supporters from waving their flags and marching through city centers.
Simmering tensions between Hamas and the Fatah party burst into all-out street warfare in June 2007, when the Islamists seized the Gaza Strip and ousted forces loyal to the Western-backed president, who now only holds sway in the West Bank. Looks like that "Palestinian Unity™" thing still needs a little work...
(AKI) - Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini on Friday called the Islamist Hamas movement "a problem" and said the government would not enter into negotiations with it. "We cannot negotiate with Hamas," said Frattini during an interview aired on Italian television.
Frattini also said that the movement was to blame for the current Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip that has claimed the lives of 770 Palestinians and 14 Israelis in the past two weeks. "Hamas unfortunately uses human shields and uses children and civilians for cover," Frattini said.
Nevertheless, the foreign minister, who belongs to the conservative People of Freedom Party of prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, said Italy would send a humanitarian convoy to Gaza as part of an aid package.
In the medium term, Frattini said that a special session of the Group of Eight or G8 countries would be dedicated to conflicts in the region. The special session would also include what he called "moderate Muslim" countries, such as Egypt and Turkey.
Israel continued its air and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip on Friday despite the approval of a United Nations Security Council resolution that calls for an immediate, durable and fully respected ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2009 00:00 ||
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I hope they're not using their Dense Inert Metal Infrared Incendiary High Explosive Armor Piercing Anti Personnel Heat Seeking Depleted Uranium White Phosphorus Napalm Hollow Point Laser Guided Flame Throwing Thermobaric Nuclear Cluster Bomb Munition...
(AKI) - Mounting evidence is emerging that Israel is using non-conventional weapons against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in its latest offensive, according to an Italian research group.
The New Weapons Committee, an independent Italian group of academics, researchers and professionals, released a report on Friday raising questions about Israeli weapons use following a report in a British newspaper.
"It is happening again what we saw in Lebanon two years ago, when Israel used white phosphorus, dense inert metal explosives, and thermobaric bombs, against Hezbollah" said Paola Manduca, a genetics teacher and researcher at the University of Genoa and member of the committee in a media release. "(These) three types of offensive instruments, are known for the kind of wounds they cause," she said.
Evidence of the use of these white phosphorous shells and other weapons, including cluster bombs and depleted uranium cannot be directly verified due to the lack of access to the Gaza Strip, said the report.
However, the committee said there was "significant" evidence to cause concern. "The images and the testimonies that have resulted from the conflict, show significant resemblance with those gathered and verified in the July and August conflict in 2006 in Lebanon," said Manduca.
Hamas just dusted off the Hezbollah media playbook. Even using the same useless fools ...
The use of phosphorous or any other 'incendiary weapon' , used as a weapon, is banned by the United Nations' Geneva Convention on Conventional Weapons. It also bans the use of white phosphorous as an incendiary weapon against civilians and in air attacks against military forces in civilian areas.
However, neither Israel, nor the US are signatories to the UN protocol.
Earlier this week the British daily, The Times, published photos of Israeli artillery units on the Israeli-Gaza border taken on 4 January marked with a M825A1 designation, which, according to experts, indicates ammunition containing white phosphorous. However Israel responded to the claims published in The Times saying that the M825A1 round was not a white phosphorous shell but an empty shell that contained no explosives and was to mark a target before a strike.
The British defence think-tank, Jane's Missiles and Rockets, told the London daily that the M825A1 rounds contained white phosphorous.
They're smoke rounds. Of course they contain WP.
The International Committee of the Red Thingy Cross and some human rights groups said phosphorous weapons burns should be treated as chemical weapons.
One of the doctors currently treating injured Palestinians in Gaza described the situation of the victims on the ground. "Many arrive with extreme amputations, with both legs crushed, (wounds) that I suspect are wounds inflicted by Dime (Dense inert metal explosive)," said Norwegian doctor Mads Gilbert.
So he's a weapons expert now? Maybe the Israelis will fire one up his ass.
He's sure quoted frequently, isn't he ...
Following the 2006 Lebanon war, Israel admitted using white phosphorous shells.
The United States also admitted using white phosphorous in 2005 against alleged insurgents in Fallujah, Iraq. The case was brought to light a year later in 2006 after an Italian documentary aired on state television RaiNews24.
The NWC is composed of loonies academics, nutters researchers and quislings media professionals and provides risk assessment surveys on the impact of the latest weaponry. The group was established in the third quarter of 2006 after the Lebanon war.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Those damned Juice. Violating an agreement they're not party to.
And I'll bet they break all the cricket rules when they play rugby.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/10/2009 0:22 Comments ||
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#2
In case you are interested, Dense inert metal explosive reduce collateral damage by restricting the lethal range of the explosion.
Although the casual reader of this article would get the impression DIME is a particularly nasty type of explosive, when it is in fact an explosive designed to reduce casualties in urban environments.
#5
Yup, they are using WP *SMOKE* rounds, not WP anti-personnel rounds. There's a major difference. They use the smoke rounds to cover movement of troops to prevent casualties from snipers. We used them in Iraq. A lot of them in Fallujah.
Nothing to see, move along. Normal media attempting to grow any little pimple they can find into a mountain.
#6
In other words, the rounds are either being fired ON IDF forces for screening or between the forces and a source of hostile fire. Much of it could be IDF troops calling for smoke rounds on their own positions.
#11
The Juice are firing satellite based "Stupidity Rays" into Gaza, a clear violation of international law. Apparently they've been doing this for several years.
#16
White phosphorus is banned against civilians, but there are no civilians! They have been warned to get out and anyone left is obviously Hamas so this is fair fighting.
#17
Ah the Norwegian "doctor".
He's also an expert on CPR.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
01/10/2009 16:59 Comments ||
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#18
an independent Italian group of academics, researchers and professionals said Paola Manduca, a genetics teacher and researcher
So what makes a genetics teacher (not to mention academics, researchers and professionals) qualified to discuss weapons of war as an expert. Being a professional software engineer doesn't make me an qualified expert in Genetics.
Didn't they make this exact claim during Fallujah?
Sorry, TB122. That sounds an awful lot like the bullsh*t Paleo argument that all Israelis are valid targets because they eventually grow up to serve in the IDF. And, as crosspatch pointed out in #5, the WP rounds are smoke, not anti-personnel.
(AKI) - The top United Nations human rights official has proposed a mission to assess violations and possible war crimes committed by both Israel and Hamas in the Gaza conflict and reiterated calls for an immediate ceasefire. This is the same guy who wanted Hamas assessed for violating Israeli human rights, right... No. Wait. Never mind.
"The situation is intolerable. The ceasefire called for by the UN Security Council must be implemented immediately. The violence must stop," High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay told a special session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. Methinks the "High" Commissioner has been hitting the bong a lot lately...
"The vicious cycle of provocation and retribution must be brought to an end," she said, pointing out that the ongoing conflict had already killed hundreds of people since Israel began its military operation in a bid to end Hamas rocket attacks from Gaza.
Pillay stressed unequivocally that international human rights law must be applied at all times. But only by the evil Zionists. Hamas gets a free pass ...
She urged the parties to the conflict to fulfil their obligations under international humanitarian law to collect, care for and evacuate the wounded and to protect health workers, hospitals, medical units and ambulances.
"Accountability must be ensured for violations of international law," she said, suggesting that the council should consider authorising a mission to assess violations committed by both sides in the conflict and ensure accountability.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2009 00:00 ||
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#3
"top United Nations human rights official has proposed a mission to assess violations and possible war crimes"
Send the dumbass right over and stand him in proximity to Rafah crossing where the heavy stuff is being used to demolish the tunnels. He can glimpse up close and personal just what is being used.
You say he's come up missing? Oh, we had his ticket right here.
#4
What about the 100K people the Tamil Tigers just disappeared in Sri Lanka
Not important because they are Hindu and Buddhist?
Only Muzzies matter to the UN?
A Malaysian Muslim group began a boycott of some major U.S. products on Friday as Italian politicians joined Jewish groups in condemning a trade union's call to boycott Jewish-owned shops in Rome.
The Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia said Muslims in the Southeast Asian country would not buy goods produced by U.S. toothpaste manufacturer Colgate-Palmolive Co, soft drink maker Coca-Cola and coffee chain Starbucks to protest U.S. inaction against the attacks. "We urge Muslim consumers internationally to unite so that we can teach a lesson to Israel and its allies," Ma'amor Osman, an official with the association, told reporters in the compound of the national mosque after Friday (Jumaa) prayers. "This is to object to the arrogance and cruelty of Israel and its allies towards the Palestinians." He urged the Malaysian government to end all its contracts with U.S.-owned firms. And I, for one, refuse from this moment to buy anything made in Malaysia. Tell all your friends. So...what can I throw out that I've got from Malaysia? I think I got an ashtray around here someplace. Or some fake dog shit. Check your DVD player. And your DVDs.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2009 00:00 ||
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Iranian banks illegally shifted billions of dollars through American financial institutions in recent years, and authorities suspect some of the money may have been used to finance Iran's nuclear and missile programs.
Now that it's after the election the NYT is willing to report on at least some of the nefarious activities of the Mad Mullahs™ ...
Details of the illicit transfers came to light on Friday when New York State and federal authorities announced that a large British bank had agreed to pay $350 million to settle accusations that it had helped the Iranian banks hide the transactions. The British bank, the Lloyds TSB Group, "stripped" information that would have identified the transfers in order to deceive American financial institutions, which are barred from doing business with Iranian banks, Robert M. Morgenthau, the Manhattan district attorney, said. Lloyds acknowledged its conduct and agreed to turn over detailed records of the transactions.
"They went to great lengths to obliterate any identification," Mr. Morgenthau said.
(AKI) - A pro-Syrian Palestinian group is the prime suspect behind the rockets fired at northern Israel from Lebanon on Thursday, according to a key Middle East analyst. Talal Nizameddin, political analyst at The American University of Beirut, told Adnkronos International (AKI) that the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine General Command (PFLP-GC) was believed to be responsible for the attacks.
"This group is based at two refugee camps in Lebanon," he told AKI. "There are expectations that if there is another attack against Israel, I believe both camps will be the first thing the Israeli army will bomb, as a controlled response to send a signal to the Syrians."
Israel immediately responded with mortar shell attacks against southern Lebanon after the rockets struck the Israeli city of Nahariya in the Galilee region, slightly wounding three people.
On Thursday, the spokesman of the PFLP-GC Anwar Raja neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the rocket attacks.
The Lebanese Shia Islamist group Hezbollah and Gaza's ruling Hamas both denied any involvement in the Katyusha-rocket attacks, while the Lebanese government condemned the attacks against Israel calling them a violation of a United Nations ceasefire resolution.
Nizameddin, lecturer and associate dean of student affairs at The American University of Beirut, said that people in Lebanon were shocked at the rocket attacks against Israel and feared reprisals. "People in Beirut are silent and a bit shocked about the strikes (in Israel and Lebanon) and are waiting for what will happen next," said Nizameddin in a telephone interview from Beirut.
Nizameddin also said that a speech by Lebanese Shia cleric Hassan Nasrallah, in which he threatened a "new war" against Israel, on Wednesday was 'historic.'
During the speech, Nasrallah said Israel should prepare 'for every scenario'.
"He (Nasrallah) said this is a historic and decisive point in the struggle," Nizameddin told AKI. "To me, it confirms the feeling that the balance of power is being changed. How will the supporters of Hezbollah react to this. This is the question."
Nizameddin said that countries in the region may be polarised and forced to choose between resistance or dialogue.
"Are we ready for a wider confrontation? Or do we just lick our wounds for the time being and come back stronger another time, that is the decisive question," Nizameddin said. "The balance of power is also about Saudi Arabia and Egypt, Jordan, Fatah, the Palestinian Authority on one hand, and Iran, Syria, Hamas and Hezbollah on the other.
"It is about deciding the future of the region? Is it resistance or dialogue? But obviously with Israel being the stronger part in the dialogue," said Nizameddin.
The PFLP-GC is a splinter group of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine or PFLP, which is currently based in the Palestinian city of Ramallah.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
"It is about deciding the future of the region? Is it resistance or dialogue? But obviously with Israel being the stronger part in the dialogue," said Nizameddin.
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.
US policy to win in Afghanistan must recognise the poor nation's limitations and its neighbourhood, especially its intertwined relationship with Pakistan, the top US military commander in the region said on Thursday.
The Punjab Police have included names of four Jamaatud Dawa leaders, including Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, in a list of leaders of banned organisations, a private TV channel reported on Friday. The channel said police also issued a list of 30 suspected militants involved in extremist activities. Police sources said other Dawa leaders put on the list were Abdur Rehman Makki, Abu Hashim and Ameer Hamza, the channel added. Three people mentioned in the 30-name list were category 'A' - most wanted -- and carried Rs 40 million as head money.
(AKI) - The top United Nations human rights official has proposed a mission to assess violations and possible war crimes committed by both Israel and Hamas in the Gaza conflict and reiterated calls for an immediate ceasefire. 
A Malaysian Muslim group began a boycott of some major U.S. products on Friday as Italian politicians joined Jewish groups in condemning a trade union's call to boycott Jewish-owned shops in Rome.
