A group of some 1,000 Afghans swarmed a demonstration of 300 women protesting against a new conservative marriage law on Wednesday. The women were pelted with small stones as police struggled to keep the two groups apart.
The law, passed last month, says a husband can demand sex with his wife every four days unless she is ill or would be harmed by intercourse a clause that critics say legalizes marital rape. It also regulates when and for what reasons a wife may leave her home alone.
Women's rights activists scheduled a protest Wednesday attended by mostly young women. But the group was swamped by counter-protesters both men and women who shouted down the women's chants.
Some picked up gravel and stones and threw them at the women, while others shouted "Death to the slaves of the Christians!" Female police held hands around the group to create a protective barrier.
The government of President Hamid Karzai has said the Shiite family law is being reviewed by the Justice Department and will not be implemented in its current form. Governments and rights groups around the world have condemned the legislation, and President Barack Obama has labeled it "abhorrent."
Though the law would apply only to the country's Shiites 10 to 20 percent of Afghanistan's 30 million people it has sparked an uproar by activists who say it marks a return to Taliban-style oppression. The Taliban, who ruled Afghanistan from 1996-2001, required women to wear all-covering burqas and banned them from leaving home without a male relative.
Shiite backers of the law say that foreigners are meddling in private Afghan affairs, and Wednesday's demonstrations brought some of the emotions surrounding the debate over the law to the surface.
"You are a dog! You are not a Shiite woman!" one man shouted to a young woman in a headscarf holding aloft a banner that said "We don't want Taliban law." The woman did not shout back at the man, but told him: "This is my land and my people."
Women protesting the law said many of their supporters had been blocked by men who refused to let them join the protest. Those who did make it shouted repeatedly that they were defending human rights by defending women's rights and that the law does not reflect the views of the Shiite community.
Fourteen-year-old Masuma Hasani said her whole family had come out to protest the law both her parents and her younger sister who she held by the arm. "I am concerned about my future with this law," she said. "We want our rights. We don't want women to just be used."
As the back-and-forth continued, another demonstration of Shiite women who said they support the law began. "We don't want foreigners interfering in our lives. They are the enemy of Afghanistan," said 24-year-old Mariam Sajadi.
Sajadi is engaged, and said she plans to ask her husband's permission to leave the house as put forth in the law. She said other controversial articles such as one giving the husband the right to demand sex from his wife every fourth day have been misinterpreted by Westerners who are anti-Islam.
Posted by: ed ||
04/15/2009 09:10 ||
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Can't wait for the traveling production of Vagina Monologues
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/15/2009 20:47 Comments ||
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[ADN Kronos] A top Taliban leader has said that fugitive Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is alive and leading operations against foreign forces in Afghanistan. "Osama bin Laden is still alive and is directing the Jihad (holy war) against American and western forces in Afghanistan," said Taliban commander and Pashtun warlord Sirajuddin Haqqani, quoted by Saudi daily Al-Watan.
However, Haqqani, who leads Taliban militants in the Afghan provinces of Baktika and Khost, said he had not had any contact with bin Laden for a long time.
"It has been a long time since I lost contact with Al-Qaeda's leader, but I know he is still alive and leading Al-Qaeda combatants against foreign forces."
Haqqani, who is wanted by the United States and has a five-million dollar bounty on his head, did not rule out cooperating with Al-Qaeda in fighting foreign forces.
"The doors are open for all mujahadeen who fight to apply Allah's will, just like the government in Kabul has opened the doors to foreign troops. We are ready to receive all foreigners, including Arabs, who want to fight alongside us."
Sirajuddin is the son of Jalaluddin Haqqani a veteran of the 1978-1989 Afghanistan war against the former Soviet Union and one of the most respected tribal figures and mujahadeen in southeastern Afghanistan.
He has built up a well-organised group in Afghanistan, known as the Haqqani network which has its roots in Pakistan's tribal areas.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/15/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Osama lives! He and Elvis have a new album scheduled for release in 2010.
Saint Petersburg — An Azeri immigrant in Russia's northern city of Saint Petersburg has been charged with hiring hit men to kill his 21-year-old daughter for wearing a mini-skirt, police said Monday.
The man's arrest follows the detention last week of two other citizens of Azerbaijan, a majority Muslim state in the Caucasus, who confessed to murdering the girl, a university medical student. "They admitted to being paid 100,000 rubles (about 3,000 dollars) by the girl's father. They said he wanted to punish his daughter for flouting national traditions and wearing a mini-skirt," a police source told AFP.
The girl was abducted on the street in Russia's second city on March 8, taken to the outskirts of Saint Petersburg and then shot twice in the head, the source said.
Russia has experienced a revival of conservative religious tradition since the fall of the Soviet Union both within its Russian Orthodox and large Muslim communities. The Saint Petersburg Mosque — the largest and northernmost in Europe when it was built in 1913 — now counts mostly migrants from ex-Soviet Azerbaijan among its worshipers.
[Kyodo: Korea] Stephen Bosworth, the U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, expressed willingness Tuesday to consider holding direct talks with North Korea when necessary, a Japanese lawmaker said. Bosworth signaled the stance during a meeting with Seiji Maehara, a vice president of JapanŽs main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, after North Korea ordered U.S. nuclear experts engaging in disablement of nuclear facilities in Yongbyon and U.N. nuclear agency staff monitoring the work to leave the country, Maehara told reporters.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/15/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Weak.
Posted by: ed ||
04/15/2009 0:43 Comments ||
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OK, I admit I haven't followed this as closely as I should, but are we responding to the latest clumsy provocation by the Norks with an immediate concession and show of weakness? That's what it sounds like.
Sheesh. Collapse on the Iran front, continuation/worsening of the Bush collapse on the Nork front. With these idiots in power in Washington, Hirohito would have easily have secured conditional surrender (keeping Manchukuo, the Marianas, and Indochina) after Iwo. Maybe after Saipan.
[Kyodo: Korea] China said Tuesday it is opposed to any new U.N. sanction against North Korea over its recent rocket launch, state media reported. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said China ŽŽdisapprovesŽŽ of the world body adopting any further resolution on the North, according to Xinhua News Agency.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/15/2009 00:00 ||
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#2
Let's everybody push that wimp the decadent american put in charge and we can get rid of them for good.
Posted by: Large Slusorong9431 ||
04/15/2009 16:03 Comments ||
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#3
ION CHINA, WORLD MILITARY FORUM > IIUC BANGLADESH MEDIA "NEW NATION": RUSSIA FEARS CHINA IS BECOMING TOO POWERFUL; + VIETNAM TO BUY "BRAHMOS" NUCLEAR-CAPABLE MISSLES FROM INDIA TO MAINTAIN NUCLEAR DETERRENCE AGZ CHINA, +INDIA TEST-FIRES SHORT-RANGE BALLISTIC MISSLE [Improved PRIVTHI-II SRBM/SRTM] CAPABLE OF CARRYING NUCLEAR WARHEADS.
[Kyodo: Korea] Japan and the United States are planning to propose designating more than 10 North Korean business corporations and other organizations whose assets should be frozen under fresh sanctions to be imposed in connection with the countryŽs nuclear and missile development programs, U.N. diplomatic sources said Tuesday. The two countries are also planning to propose adding to a list of embargoed goods to North Korea a variety of items that could be used for nuclear or missile development, the sources said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/15/2009 00:00 ||
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urkey's Chief of General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug said Tuesday he believes that the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) could be eradicated through effective security coordination between his country, Iraq and the United States.
Addressing the Turkish War Colleges Command, Basbug said the tripartite military measures enacted in north Iraq recently would bear fruit soon. He was apparently referring to the launching, three month ago, of a center for intelligence coordination in Irbil, north Iraq, where 3,500 of PKK separatists are believed to be based.
Basbug did not accuse Iraqi Kurds of harboring the PKK rebels and providing them with safe havens which signals a clear shift in the Turkish stance towards Iraqi Kurds. Thanks to the growing coordination among the three countries, north Iraq is no longer a safe haven for the PKK rebels, he affirmed.
The Turkish military was able to deal strong blows to the PKK bases in the region over the last one and half years using its air force and ground force, he pointed out. Due to these attacks the PPK lost its ability to act as a major militant group against Turkey, he said, noting that the attacks launched against Turkey from north Iraq have declined sharply, Gen. Basbug underscored.
The military leader affirmed determination to pursue the campaign against the PKK separatists deeming the victory in this conflict key to comprehensive development in southern Turkey.
Since October 24, 2007 units of the Turkish army crossed the Iraqi border in a special operation against PPK militants. Turkish military backed by helicopters chased the militants, while F-16 Falcon fighters and artillery dealt strikes at militant bases about 50 kilometers (30 miles) deep into Iraqi territory.
#1
WAFF > GLOBALRESEARCH.CA - WAR, OIL, AND GAS PIPELINES - TURKEY IS WASHINGTON'S GEOPOLITICAL PIVOT.
D *** NG IT, MORIARITY, its for the CHILDREN - you know, "GLOBALISM"; sub-you know, OWG-NWO, sub-sub you know, GLOBAL SOCIALIST ORDER, sub-sub-sub you know ...............@!?
MAKING IT ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY CATEGORICALLLY UNDENIABLY ........................@ FINGER-POINTING, ETC. CLEAR TO THE AMERIKAN PEOPLE!
TOKYO: Pakistan's foreign minister said on Wednesday his country can be a role model for the Muslim world, speaking ahead of a donors' meeting in Japan where Islamabad hopes to secure huge aid contributions. "Pakistan has transferred towards democracy," foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said. "And today I represent a democratically elected government of Pakistan." "We're collapsing into chaos and looking at rule by turbans, but we'll be a helluva role model!"
"Pakistan can be a role model of the Muslim world," he told reporters ahead of the meeting that aims to raise four to six billion dollars for the poverty-stricken country. He was shieking and cackling and biting himself in the small of the back as he said that, natch...
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari arrived in Tokyo Wednesday evening to attend the conference, which US envoy Richard Holbrooke and Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki are also due to join. Qureshi said Pakistan has "a functioning democracy" with an elected president, national and district parliaments and its first woman speaker in the national assembly. Every time they elect somebody they raid the treasury and are eventually replaced by the military, which is much better at oppressing the populace than they are at winning wars.
What Pakistan seeks from the Friday meeting is "an expression of political support of Pakistan's solidarity, Pakistan's role... as a frontline state fighting extremism and terrorism," he said. ... and lotsa money with no strings attached, which will end up in accounts in Switzerland and Lichtenstein.
Washington has put Pakistan at the heart of the fight against al-Qaida and US President Barack Obama has unveiled a sweeping new strategy to turn around the Afghan war and defeat Islamist militants on both sides of the border. Pakistain's pretty much necessary to get to Afghanistan, and the areas controlled by the turbans are those along the border.
Qureshi also said a majority of Pakistani people would like to see friendly ties with India as well as neighbouring countries Afghanistan and Iran. "Our movements towards normalization (of ties with India) was very good. Unfortunately the Mumbai incident did create a setback," he said, referring to the November 26-29 siege that killed 165 people and derailed a five-year peace process between the nuclear-armed south Asian rivals. "It couldn't be helped, of course. Those things happen when you live in day-to-day chaos, with people exploding all around you and beturbanned warlords rolling their eyes and taking control of large swathes of territory."
"But I must share with you that there is a large constituency of Pakistan that feels that it is Pakistan's interest to have a normal, good, neighbouring relationship with India," he said. "They're going to be killed, of course."
On Iran and Afghanistan, Qureshi said he had invited senior officials from both countries to come to Islamabad to discuss Afghan refugees and efforts to fight the narcotics trade and terrorism. "While they're there someone will try to kill them, but chances are they'll fail, at least on the first try. Probably the emissaries will get out alive. I have no idea how many people will be killed while they're there, but that's just our quaint local custom. Pay it no never-mind."
"Because when we talk about a regional approach to deal with terrorism and extremism, Iran is an important player in the region," he said. "And we sure like shooting at Shiites."
The Japanese government said that Prime Minister Taro Aso will meet Zardari and Iran's Mottaki separately on Thursday. "... but there's no way in hell he's going to Islamabad! Never!"
Posted by: john frum ||
04/15/2009 14:04 ||
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#1
And by role model, he means premier money laundering scheme.
#7
Pakistan's foreign minister said on Wednesday his country can be a role model for the Muslim world....he told reporters ahead of the meeting that aims to raise four to six billion dollars for the poverty-stricken country.
Well they know how to beg, so they're off to a good start...
They won't stop until every square-inch of Pakistan bows to Shariah law. And they have all available means to achieve it. The alarming intentions of the Taliban in Pakistan are no longer ambiguous. This is no longer about a chaotic Islamist outfit spilling over from Afghanistan and looking for cover. This is about taking over an entire nation.
In his first exclusive interview to an Indian television network, Tehreek-e-Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan spoke to Headlines Today in Pakistan's Swat. He opened by declaring in no uncertain terms that the Taliban intended to annex Pakistan in its entirety, and convert it into a "true Islamic state".
Referring to the hundreds of Pakistanis who have died in the area and the atrocities that continue, Khan said, "That is their fate. It is our duty to show the world what Islam really is. It is Allah's will that Pakistan be under Shariah in its true form. We have promised Allah that we will not rest until all of Pakistan is under Shariah."
When asked what the Tehreek-e-Taliban would do if it faced opposition from the Pakistani forces, he didn't lose a moment to declare that his outfit would use all means and all force available to overcome any opposition to their cause. He made it clear that the Taliban-controlled Swat, Malakand and more recently the Buner District of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, will be used as templates that the marauding Taliban will replicate in every piece of territory they take over. The recent authentication of the Swat peace deal through Pakistan's Parliament has reportedly emboldened the group into looking towards more territory - including South East into Pakistani Punjab.
With unconfirmed reports of Taliban infiltrations into the Valley still doing the rounds, the Taliban spokesman had a warning that speaks for itself: "What the Pakistan security forces could not achieve in Kashmir, the jihadis and the mujahideen will."
Khan went on to critise the "Hindu government" of J&K. "The Hindu government in Kashmir is committing atrocities on Muslims. Security forces have been incapable of doing anything on that front. It can be achieved only by the way of Jihad. The security forces have been unable to liberate Kashmir in the last 60 years because they don't fight on the basis on religion," he said.
Then, disturbingly, "Jihad does not stop in Pakistan. It does not stop for anything or anyone."
Afghanistan on Tuesday warned that the peace deal with Swat Taliban for imposing Islamic law might have "dire consequences" for the region and could harm Pak-Afghan ties. The criticism came after President Asif Ali Zardari signed the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation to put Malakand under sharia law. The move is part of efforts to end the insurgency, despite fears that it could encourage extremism. "We do not interfere in Pakistan's internal affairs," President Hamid Karzai's spokesman said. However, there were concerns that "dealing with terrorists and handing over parts of one country to terrorists could have dire consequences in the long term", he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/15/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Where's the Master of the Obvious pic?
Posted by: Snimble Dark Lord of the Platypi2795 ||
04/15/2009 16:00 Comments ||
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If the Taliban refuse to disarm following the implementation of the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation, 2009, the government will take action after taking people into confidence, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said on Tuesday. He told reporters after attending a meeting at the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) that it was incumbent upon people of the area to come forward and play their role in ensuring peace. He said the government's decision to implement the Nizam-e-Adl had foiled the designs of people trying to destabilise Pakistan. Kaira said the situation in Buner was normal and would continue to improve with time. He said the government was evolving a comprehensive plan to provide training to journalists.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/15/2009 00:00 ||
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President Asif Ali Zardari's decision to bow to Taliban demands and impose the Nizam-e-Adl in Malakand division was marked by the Al Qaeda-allied militants taking over Buner, just 60 miles from Islamabad.
The takeover in Buner, with almost no resistance from security forces, marked a major advance for the Taliban, a report published in The St Petersburg Time stated. It said the government's endorsement of Islamic law further increased their political clout. In Washington, the Obama administration had no immediate comment.
Most serious: According to the report, Pakistan constitutes the most serious security threat the US administration faces in light of the Taliban's advance, the military's inability or unwillingness to combat them, the government's weakness and the country's economic crisis. The report notes that the decision to implement sharia came after parliament, under what amounted to a death threat from the Taliban, unanimously approved a resolution backing the move.
The takeover of Buner and the imposition of sharia in Swat are an outgrowth of the Taliban's violent conquest of Swat, completed in February. The provincial government in the NWFP had forged a deal with the Taliban, agreeing to the imposition of Islamic law in return for an end to the fighting, but the accord didn't enter into force because Zardari hesitated to give the necessary assent.
Position of defeat: The US has voiced concerns over the deal in Swat, as have members of Pakistan's small liberal elite. But politicians said they were left with few options after a band of Taliban defeated the army in Swat. "This (sharia) has been imposed from a position of defeat," said Iqbal Haider, a co-chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). "This is a formula for the Talibanisation of Pakistan."
The report predicts that Western-style schools, where English is the language of instruction, could be the Taliban's next target. Several schools in Islamabad closed on Monday, and others in Punjab, the country's most populous region, have beefed up their security.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/15/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
The takeover in Buner, with almost no resistance from security forces
[Geo News] The Government of Punjab has directed the law enforcement agencies to make foolproof security arrangements for educational institutes, government offices and foreigners in the province. According to a handout issued by Punjab Home Secretary today, law enforcement agencies have been advised that security of foreigners' particularly Chinese nationals should be ensured. Monitoring committees have also been set up for security of foreigners in Punjab, the statement said. The Home Department further said that one SP should be deputed in every district for the implementation of an emergency security plan.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/15/2009 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] Federal Minister for Science and Technology Azam Swati, describing US and Nato a threat for Pakistan's nuclear weapons, said that they should leave this region. Addressing the businessmen here at the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, he said that US policies were not in the interest of Pakistan, advising the president and the prime minister not to implement them in the country. He said roadmap for development of science and technology would be prepared in consultation with business community.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/15/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Its long past time to destroy Pakistan's nukes and their industry.
[Geo News] The White House said Tuesday that an accord signed by PakistanŽŽs president putting Malakand Region under Islamic law in a bid to combat the Taliban went against human rights and democracy.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/15/2009 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] US Senator and Chairman US Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs John Kerry said that drone attacks on tribal areas in Pakistan was a complex issue. But added that a careful approach was being adopted in this connection. He expressed concerns over enforcement of Nizam-e-Adl Regulation in Malakand, saying he doesn't have much information about the regulation. "I firmly believe that US economic aid will be provided to Pakistan," he said. Senator Kerry hoped that President Asif Ali Zardari would continue to perform his responsibilities in a better way.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/15/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Isn't Kerry the guy who led a secret drone attack across the Durand Line in '8 with only his lucky CIA hat and Martin Sheen for support?
Posted by: ed ||
04/15/2009 1:24 Comments ||
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You are thinking of Rudyard Kipling. Kerry was the guy who went looking for Marlon Brando up around the Cambodian border.
[Geo News] The Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Tuesday rejected the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation (NAR) and termed the regulation a conspiracy to sabotage sectarian harmony in the country. Addressing an emergency meeting of Raabita Committee at Khursheed Begam Memorial Hall here, MQM Quaid Altaf Hussain said implementation of the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation in Swat will set a precedent for the extremist and influential people in other parts of the country to impose their rule in their respective areas. Altaf said that the MQM was not against implementation of Shariah rather it opposed the Taliban Shariah in Malakand division. He said the extremist elements were actively engaged in sabotaging the peace and law and order in Swat and its adjoining areas and challenged the writ of the government. He said the MQM abstained from voting in the National Assembly, as they wanted detailed discussion on the matter in the House. Â"We have certain questions in our mind regarding the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation and we want their answers.Â" Talking to media after the Raabita Committee meeting, Dr. Farooq Sattar said the implementation of NAR was unconstitutional and negated people's mandate of February 18.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/15/2009 00:00 ||
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I can see the MQM being targeted by the ISI/Taliban!!!
Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) chief Sufi Muhammad asked the Swat Taliban on Tuesday to lay down arms after President Asif Zardari approved the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation, but Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said in a tepid response his men would surrender arms only after they see sharia enforced in Malakand. "The Taliban should lay down weapons after the signing of the sharia regulation by the president," Sufi said while talking to reporters. Then his lips fell off.
"We will do that when the sharia is enforced and we see changes on the ground," Muslim Khan told Daily Times by telephone from Mingora. "When we are satisfied with the practical steps, we will lay down weapons," he said. "And how soon will that be?"
"Ten thousand years oughta do it!"
He asked the Taliban to avoid displaying weapons in public in major towns of the division. But Sufi said the Taliban should now "play their role in development of the people and the area. heir demand for the imposition of sharia has been met and carrying weapons has no logic now." Expression #89: "Look of wide-eyed innocence."
He welcomed the National Assembly's approval of the regulation. "See? They really did know what wuz good for them!"
Meanwhile, Qazi courts began functioning in Swat with full legal powers. The courts had started functioning on March 12 in six tehsils of Swat. However, the new qazi courts would not hear cases against the Taliban, The Associated Press quoted the TNSM chief as telling a private TV channel. "We intend to bury the past," he said. "Along with the rest of you bastards!"
This article starring:
MUSLIM KHAN
TTP
SUFI MUHAMAD
TNSM
Posted by: Fred ||
04/15/2009 00:00 ||
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Hint: They are not exactly rebels, any more. They wield true political as well as military power.
MINGORA, Pakistan -- Thousands of Islamist militants are pouring into Pakistan's Swat Valley and setting up training camps here, quickly making it one of the main bases for Taliban fighters and raising their threat to the government in the wake of a controversial peace deal.
President Asif Ali Zardari effectively ratified the government's deal with the Taliban Monday by signing a bill that imposes Islamic law in Swat, a key plank of the accord, hours after legislators overwhelmingly approved a resolution urging it. Pakistani officials have touted the deal, reached in February, as a way to restore peaceful order in the bloodied region -- which lies just a few hours' drive from the capital -- and halt the Taliban's advance.
Yet a visit to the Taliban-controlled valley here found mounting evidence that the deal already is strengthening the militants as a base for war. U.S. officials contend the pact has given the Taliban and its allies in al Qaeda and other Islamist groups an advantage in their long-running battle against Pakistan's military.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: john frum ||
04/15/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Hint: They are not exactly rebels, any more.
They never were. They are a creation of the Pakistani power structure. One that threatens to fly out of control of Islamabad.
Posted by: ed ||
04/15/2009 1:29 Comments ||
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#2
Has long since flown. Islamabad just doesn't realize it.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/15/2009 9:30 Comments ||
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The Obama Administration is reconsidering its decision to boycott the upcoming UN Human Rights Council anti-racism conference, dubbed "Durban II," according to a State Department announcement issued on Monday.
A few months ago Obama joined Israel, Canada and Italy in saying he would not take part in the event because a draft declaration scheduled to be adopted by the council singled out Israel, accusing the Jewish state of being a racist entity.
UN officials last month said they were revising the document, and in fact removed all direct references to Israel. However, Israeli officials noted that the document was also altered to reaffirm the conclusions of the first Durban conference held in 2001, which was an orgy of anti-Israel sentiment that both Israel and the US walked out of.
Israelis fear that Obama's participation in the conference will legitimize some of the most hostile and racist sentiments toward Israel.
#3
Compare POTUS BAMMER's new proposed "FIVE PILLARS", versus WORLD MIL FORUM > IIUC CHINA'S "FIVE TRICKS/VEILS":REGIONAL MILITARY ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS AGZ INDIA.
* Advanced MBTS to Pakland, other pro-China Nations.
* Dev and procurement of Advanced Indigenous Military-Combat Aviation.
* Support for Communist Party of Nepal [Nepal Maoists].
* PCorrect Overt, Covert supportfor ANTI-GOVT FORCES IN NORTHERN INDIA [Indian Maoists].
* Development + expansion of Chin MilBases in MYANMAR, SRI LANKA [Indian Ocean influence].
* Deployment of NUCLEAR-CAPABLE DF-11's, DF-15's, etc. SRBMS/SRTMS in TIBET.
[Mail and Globe] Some of the Iraqi former insurgents recruited by United States forces to fight al-Qaeda are secretly plotting to launch terror attacks of their own, Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdel Mahdi warned on Tuesday.
Abdel Mahdi's comments came amid tension between Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government and the Sahwa, or "Awakening Movement" of militias and former insurgents who switched sides to fight alongside the Americans.
The recruits are now paid by the Iraqi government, and many thousands have been integrated into the Iraqi security forces, but others recently clashed with government troops after a series of arrests of Sahwa leaders.
"It was a movement that allowed us to chase al-Qaeda out of Anbar Province, so it was supported by the government and the Iraqi people. Without the Sahwa it would have been very hard to get rid of al-Qaeda," Abdel Mahdi said.
"We agreed to integrate tens of thousands of Sahwa members in the armed forces, but certain groups took up the Sahwa banner, in Baghdad and elsewhere, even some terrorist groups," he told reporters during a visit to Paris.
"Sometimes we can't distinguish between the two -- the original Sahwa and the falsely created Sahwa. The pretend Sahwa is these groups who are waiting for the right moment to strike," he warned, speaking in French.
"That's why there have been arrests when we have discovered their links with other terrorist groups," he added, while insisting: "But the original Sahwa is a true movement that allowed us to restore order in the country."
Abdel Mahdi said the Sahwa groups established in Anbar Province in western Iraq and in some areas of Baghdad, such as that in the mainly Sunni downtown district of Adhamiyah, were legitimate and in touch with government.
US forces began paying and working with local armed groups in 2006 as some Iraqi tribal and insurgent groups began to turn against al-Qaeda in Iraq, the local franchise of Osama bin Laden's international extremist movement.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/15/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
The parallel between this statement and and yesterday's DHS screed that "right wingers" are plotting attacks on the US gov't is too obvious to ignore.
BTW__ did you like the timing of DHS's fantasia? The day before the nationwide Tea Party?
Posted by: Ho Chi Throlugum3771 ||
04/15/2009 15:58 Comments ||
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#2
You mean the ...... "leaked" DHS report that contained the classification markings UNCLAS/FOUO (For OFFICIAL Use Only)?
#3
IIRC STARS-N-STRIPES > IRAQ:WHEN THE US MARINES FINALLY LERAVE WESTERN IRAQ, LOCAL LEADERS WORRY ABOUT WHOM WILL REPLACE THEM [or title to this effect]???
[ADN Kronos] Israel and the United States are due to hold a "massive" joint missile defence drill later this year to counter Iran's nuclear ambitions, Israeli daily The Jerusalem Post claims. The allies will test three different ballistic missile defence systems, the Arrow-2, as well as America's THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defence) and the ship-based Aegis ballistic missile defence system.
"The Juniper Cobra exercise between EUCOM (US Military's European Command) and the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) will be the fifth and most complex exercise yet designed," Lt.-General Patrick J. O'Reilly told the US house appropriations committee's subcommittee on defence earlier this month.
Israeli defence officials cited by The Post said that the planned exercise would create conditions to enable "interoperability between Israeli and American ballistic missile defence in case the US government decided to deploy these systems here in the event of a conflict with Iran, like it did ahead of the Gulf War in Iraq in 1991."
News of the joint exercise - termed Juniper Cobra - was revealed less than a week after the US and Israel test-fired the Arrow-2 missile defence system capable of destroying a Syrian or an Iranian medium-range Shihab-3 missile.
The test launch last Tuesday was conducted jointly with the Israeli air force and the US missile defence agency which also funded the project. It took place near the Israeli port city of Ashdod.
Israel Aircraft Industries and Chicago-based Boeing developed the project at a cost of more than one billion dollars.
Israel has long accused Iran of training and financing anti-Israeli militant groups and with major western powers, accused Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons.
But Iran has consistently said its uranium enrichment programme is only for peaceful purposes and designed to generate nuclear power for civilian use.
Iranian hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly engaged in anti-Israel rhetoric, which has drawn condemnation from the United Nations and western nations.
In 2005 he said that Israel should be "wiped off the map".
Israel, however, neither acknowledges nor denies having a nuclear weapons programme. However, it is believed the Jewish state possesses between 75 and 200 nuclear warheads.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/15/2009 00:00 ||
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ISRAEL FORUM > HEATING UP: EGYPT VERSUS HEZBOLLAH/IRAN.
* OTOH, TOPIX > GOVERNOR RICK PERRY: STATE OF TEXAS COULD SECEDE FROM THE US.
Uh, uh, THAAD + BMD-GMD pointing the wrong way/direction???
[Jerusalem Post Front Page] US President Barack Obama is working on a dramatic change in strategy with regard to the Iranian nuclear program, according to officials quoted by the New York Times on Tuesday.
The shift in policy, according to the report, centers on the US dropping its insistence that the Islamic republic immediately cease all activity in its nuclear program during the initial phases of talks. The US would instead encourage Teheran to allow inspectors to visit its nuclear facilities.
The aides quoted in the New York Times report said that Obama was still deciding exact details of the plan.
"We have all agreed that is simply not going to work - experience tells us the Iranians are not going to buy it," a senior European official involved in the talks with the US was quoted as saying of the West's recent attempts to bring about a stop to the Iranian nuclear program. "So we are going to start with some interim steps, to build a little trust."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/15/2009 00:00 ||
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oh... shift. Well that's too bad. I accidently misread that the first time through.
#2
Just give the ayatollahs the GPS coordinates of Rome, Paris, Berlin and London and say The One's work here is done.
Posted by: ed ||
04/15/2009 0:37 Comments ||
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"We have all agreed that is simply not going to work - experience tells us the Iranians are not going to buy it," a senior European official involved in the talks with the US was quoted as saying of the West's recent attempts to bring about a stop to the Iranian nuclear program. "So we are going to start with some interim steps, to build a little trust."
WTF?
Maybe it's just me. But essentially the idea is that a recalcitrant, defiant, mendacious regime is going to uh, build trust with us?
So allowing some inspectors will build confidence that the regime's nuke weapons program is not still proceeding?
So a concession in the opening round of a test of wills with a determined treacherous adversary with clear concrete objectives is supposed to .... lead where exactly?
This situation - like a few others - is exceedingly difficult, and there are no easy answers. Still - is this proposed shift as predictable, and farcical, as it sounds here?
#4
They aren't going to buy this step either. And why should they? Intransigence has proven to work for them. Eventually the West will say, "OK you can have a nuke, but only 1!" And the turbans will reply "But Mom, Ivan has thousands!"
#7
The US would instead encourage Teheran to allow inspectors to visit its nuclear facilities.
Encourage? And exactly how is this going to be done? Send ACORN? Community organizing? Conflict resolution techniques? I thought Iran recently kicked out nuke inspectors.
#8
Still - is this proposed shift as predictable, and farcical, as it sounds here?
The next question is does anybody anybody see anything other then a containment policy as the ultimate resolution to the O-Team plan. The Dennis Ross plan calls for direct talks without preconditions. The theory is that this will signal an end to Bushs cowboy diplomacy. And when the Mullahs still refuse to abandon their lust for nuclear weapons the Europeans will somehow grow a spine. Perhaps the real question is will the Israelis sit with an empty dance card during the 18 month Persian ballet.
#10
I recall Jimmy Carter was President when the Iranians seized our embassy. Carter was a weak President. Negotiations were not effective. And exactly why will they will be now???
[Al Arabiya Latest] Iran plans to send a bigger satellite into space on a rocket with a range of up to 1,500 km (930 miles), President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday, in comments that may spark further Western concern.
" A rocket with a range of 700-1,500 km is scheduled to take a bigger satellite (than Omid) into space "
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Iran launched a domestically made satellite, called Omid, into orbit for the first time in February; a step that worried Western powers which fear the republic is seeking to build a nuclear bomb and missile delivery systems.
Iran, the world's fourth-largest oil producer, says its nuclear program is to generate electricity, and that the Feb. 3 launch of the Omid satellite was for peaceful telecommunications and research purposes.
The long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit could also be used to launch warheads, although Iran says it has no plans to do so.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/15/2009 00:00 ||
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Since when are satellite launchers stated to have a "range" on earth?
Posted by: john frum ||
04/15/2009 11:48 Comments ||
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Article read, NORTH KOREA plans to send rocket into somehwere again???
[Al Arabiya Latest] The United States set out to donate 12 Raven unmanned aircrafts to the Lebanese army as part of its military assistance program, the U.S. embassy announced Tuesday. The aircrafts would be provided "in the coming months," an embassy statement said.
Lebanese army commander General Jean Kahwaji and Defence Minister Elias Murr agreed to the donation while visiting the United States earlier this year.
The U.S. Defense Department will also train Lebanese army pilots on the Raven as "part of the comprehensive, robust U.S. military assistance program to Lebanon," the statement said.
The Raven has electronic sensors providing immediate intelligence information and can perform remote reconnaissance and surveillance.
U.S. military assistance to Lebanon totaled more than 410 million dollars since 2006 and includes aircrafts, tanks, artillery and training.
The news comes right before Lebanon's parliamentary elections for the 128-seat legislature set to be held on June 7. Balloting is expected to be fiercely contested between Western-backed parties and a coalition led by the Hezbollah group.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/15/2009 00:00 ||
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Will end up into the hands of Hiz-b-Allah
Posted by: Large Snerong7311 ||
04/15/2009 5:56 Comments ||
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And then will be able to critisize Israel when IAF have to knock them down.
#1
I think the obvious solution to a problem like this is to hold his feet to the fire over it. When he hedges his bets and lies, pretending not to support murder, publish to the Muslim community that he "disavows the idea of harming apostates and asserts that Muslims are free to leave Islam at any time."
Then watch all the other Muslims threaten to kill him.
#2
Hard to get even a Mohammedan student at MIT or Harvard to go on record against this guy. Afraid? Of what? From a guy who thinks there is wisdom in killing apostates?
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
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Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
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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.
[ADN Kronos] A top Taliban leader has said that fugitive Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is alive and leading operations against foreign forces in Afghanistan. "Osama bin Laden is still alive and is directing the Jihad (holy war) against American and western forces in Afghanistan," said Taliban commander and Pashtun warlord Sirajuddin Haqqani, quoted by Saudi daily Al-Watan.
TOKYO: Pakistan's foreign minister said on Wednesday his country can be a role model for the Muslim world, speaking ahead of a donors' meeting in Japan where Islamabad hopes to secure huge aid contributions. "Pakistan has transferred towards democracy," foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said. "And today I represent a democratically elected government of Pakistan."
[Geo News] US Senator and Chairman US Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs John Kerry said that drone attacks on tribal areas in Pakistan was a complex issue. But added that a careful approach was being adopted in this connection. He expressed concerns over enforcement of Nizam-e-Adl Regulation in Malakand, saying he doesn't have much information about the regulation. "I firmly believe that US economic aid will be provided to Pakistan," he said. Senator Kerry hoped that President Asif Ali Zardari would continue to perform his responsibilities in a better way.
Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) chief 
