[Dawn] President Barack Obama's pick to lead the US military command overseeing operations in Afghanistan and elsewhere said on Tuesday he wanted top leaders of two major insurgent groups designated as terrorists.
The Quetta Shura and the Haqqani network oppose US forces in Afghanistan and officially blacklisting their leaders could trigger punitive measures, like freezing assets. Advocates say it would also send a strong message to Pakistan, under pressure to go after insurgents inside its borders.
"Both those groups have engaged in terrorism and I believe the leaders of both groups should be placed on the State Department list," General James Mattis told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Mattis is nominated to take over the helm of the US military's Central Command, which oversees operations in a volatile swath of the world that covers 20 countries and stretches from Egypt across the Middle East and into South and Central Asia.
The Quetta Shura, headed by Mullah Omar, is the remains of the Afghan Taliban government which was overthrown and driven into Pakistan by the 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan.
The Haqqani network, headed by a hero of the 1980s guerrilla war against the Soviet Union, Jalaluddin Haqqani, and his son, is based mainly in Pakistan's North Waziristan and adjoining provinces in Afghanistan.
The chairman of the Senate committee, Senator Carl Levin, said "these groups and their senior leaders are involved deeply in supporting the ongoing insurgency in Afghanistan."
Beyond providing tools to limit their financial and logistical support, Levin said, the designation would also send a signal -- including to Pakistan -- "regarding the United States' serious concern with their ongoing activities."
Renewed concerns about Pakistan's commitment to fighting militants who oppose NATO forces in Afghanistan surfaced this week with the leak of tens of thousands secret US military reports. Among them were unverified reports of suspected links between Pakistan's intelligence service and militants.
The US military and intelligence agencies believe some elements within Pakistan's intelligence service maintain contact with and may even in some cases support the Taliban and its allies who are fighting a nine-year-old war in Afghanistan.
But they say assistance for insurgents has been curtailed.
Mattis praised a recent offensive by Pakistan's military against militants, saying the bilateral relationship was "trending in the right direction." He said he did not know the motives for remaining ties between some elements of Pakistani intelligence and insurgents.
"Whether or not it's because they're working with them, trying to infiltrate them, there's any number of motives and I'm just not current enough to say why," Mattis said.
"I think though that it's hard to wipe the slate clean and just start over at any one point. And clearly the offensive against many of the people they allegedly used to work with has shown they are no longer friends with most of them."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
I really do like the idea of branding 'em. Make 'em steers while your at it...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
07/29/2010 1:58 Comments ||
Top||
#2
He said he did not know the motives for remaining ties between some elements of Pakistani intelligence and insurgents.
[The Nation (Nairobi)] Somalia's embattled government today hailed the African Union's decision to beef up its force in Mogadishu where fierce clashes with Islamist rebels left 17 civilians dead.
Government spokesman Abdulkadir Mohamoud Walayo said the pan-African bloc's move was crucial in improving security in war-torn Somalia and the entire region.
"We applaud the fresh troop contributions made by AU states," said Mr Walayo, a day after the AU commission chief Jean Ping said they had received pledges for 4,000 troops at the close of a three-day heads of state summit in Kampala.
"We believe this decision will help improve the security situation in Somalia and also contain the threat Al-Qaeda elements are posing to the region in general."
But even as African leaders scrambled to boost the AU mission in Somalia (AMISOM), officials said Islamist rebels had engaged the force in fierce battles Tuesday that left at least 17 civilians dead in Mogadishu's Taleh district. Forty-six others were also wounded in the clashes, head of Mogadishu's ambulance services Ali Musa said, adding that according to their tally 174 people had been killed and more than 700 injured so far this month.
Amisom, which currently counts 6,000 soldiers from Uganda and Burundi, has been the only thing preventing Al-Qaeda-inspired Shebab insurgents from taking the presidential palace and completing their power grab.
"Their decision is a lifeline for the transitional government and is good not only for security in Somalia but for security in neighbouring countries," Walayo insisted.
The AU summit was dominated by the crisis in Somalia, which took a regional dimension when suicide attacks claimed by the Shebab ripped through crowds watching the World Cup final in the Ugandan capital on July 11, killing 76.
Amisom is also seeking a tougher mandate, or at least modified rules of engagement, which would allow it to hunt the Shebab and not be limited to retaliatory action from the few blocks of Mogadishu housing the government.
Military experts say that Amisom at its current strength could already reconquer much of Mogadishu if it wanted to but would still require much more troops, equipment and funding to defeat the Shebab nationally.
Before it pulled out, Ethiopia had between 15,000 and 20,000 even better-trained troops in Somalia but failed to break the back of the Shebab, who were weaker then than they are now.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2010 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Shabaab
[Al Arabiya Latest] Egypt has denied visas to four Iranian lawmakers who planned to travel to the Israeli-blockaded Gazoo Strip, Iran's Press TV reported on Wednesday. They must wanna go to the new mall...
"The Egyptian government has stonewalled the visa process... no visa has been issued for the MPs as of yet," Mahmoud Ahmadi Bighash, one of the four lawmakers, was quoted as saying by the English-language television's website.
The other three lawmakers were Evaz Heydarpour, Parviz Sarouri and Shobayb Jouyjari. They were due to leave for the densely populated, impoverished Paleostinian enclave on Tuesday.
On July 21, Mehr news agency reported that the four would enter Gaza through Egypt's Rafah crossing.
In June, the Iranian Red Islamic Thingy said it was planning to send an aid ship to Gaza but later cancelled the voyage, blaming restrictions imposed by Israel and Egypt.
Iran announced it intended to send an aid ship after a May 31 Israeli commando raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla left nine Turkish pro-Paleostinian muscle dead and sparked international outrage.
The Islamic republic does not recognize Israel, and tensions have worsened between the two countries under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who has repeatedly said the Jewish state is doomed to disappear.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Egyptians should refer them to the Israelis for entry visas
watch hilarity ensue (not)
Posted by: Mike Hunt ||
07/29/2010 1:46 Comments ||
Top||
[Maghrebia] Mauritania's ruling party has declared it will work with France to battle Al-Qaeda, while Libyan leader Muammar Qadaffy's recent claim that the terrorist network does not exist is drawing derision from rights activists and analysts across the Maghreb.
Mauritania is "ready to enter into alliances and co-operate with France, Algeria, Mali and Niger...to take Dire Revenge on Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)", said the president of the ruling Union for the Republic Party (URP), Mohammed Mahmoud Ould Mohammed Lamin.
Lamin's statement preceded a Tuesday (July 28th) declaration by French Prime Minister Francois Fillon that Paris is at "war" with Al-Qaeda, and that France will work with regional authorities, "especially the Mauritanian government", to bring such Orcs and similar vermin to justice.
Fillon's comments, which were carried by Europe 1 Radio, followed the execution of Frenchman Michel Germaneau, a 78-year-old aid worker and AQIM hostage.
Several opposition parties joined the URP in condemning Germaneau's murder. The Alliance for Justice and Democracy/Movement for Renovation called Mauritania's raid on the camp holding Germaneau "an act of self-defence", and the Islamist National Rally for Reform and Development supported the "armed forces' action against the forces of terrorism".
France's participation in Germaneau's rescue operation was inevitable, said Saleh Ould Henenna, a former military leader and current president of the Party for Unity and Change.
"We should give precedence to the justifications given by the Mauritanian interior minister...that the operation was pre-emptive, to thwart an expected attack," said Henenna.
France's declaration of war on AQIM came just days after Qadaffy drew fire for claiming that "there's no such thing as Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb ".
The Libyan leader, speaking with France24 from Tripoli ahead of the African Union Summit (July 19th), called the terrorist network "a rumour, simple propaganda".
"In reality, these are small criminal cells, like the Italian Red Brigades from the old days," he said.
Several Maghreb muscle and analysts told Magharebia that Qadaffy's idea was not based in reality.
"How can the man deny the existence of [AQIM]?" asked Mauritanian rights activist Mohamed El Moktar Ould Hazma. "[It's] worrying a lot of countries in the Sahel region, staging bloody operations from time to time, and releasing recordings threatening every country in the region."
"How and why should Qadaffy cast doubts AQIM's existence?" said Ould Hamza, adding: "What's the goal behind Qadaffy's attempt to defend Osama Bin Laden? I think that Qadaffy believes in some forms of terrorism and doesn't believe in others."
Qadaffy's opinion "isn't new," said Tunisian Islamic affairs expert Slaheddine Jourchi. "[M]any people who share this opinion...say that [AQIM] is nothing but a Western creation made to realise certain strategic goals".
"However, I don't share this opinion," Jourchi said. "[AQIM] actually exists, has a known leadership and a number of supporters...it has also issued a number of statements and literature in its name".
"The truth is, the Libyans understand that they've lost control of the Sahel belt, which has benefitted the terrorist groups," one analyst, who asked to remain anonymous, told Magharebia. "They've tried to manipulate these terrorist groups by infiltrating them, but they've had to repatriate their men, feeling the stakes were too high."
"So Qadaffy, in an attempt to ensure that power will be passed on to his son, has thrown himself into negotiations with terrorist groups for the release of the hostages, in return for ransom payments," added the analyst. "And all this at a time when, in Algiers, African officials are signing a convention to outlaw the payment of ransoms to terrorist groups. This gives you an idea of how little respect [Qadaffy] has for his African peers. In fact, he's always played a solo game."
Qadaffy's view of Al-Qaeda is caught up in semantics, according to political analyst and Maghreb affairs specialist Nasreddine Benhadid.
"What's more important than the name is the named, the act it presents and the effective image it has," Benhadid, a Tunisian, said. "We can't possible imagine a terrorist operation that no one's ever heard of."
Tunisian rights activist Adnan Hassnaoui echoed Benhadid's remarks.
"I want to ask the Libyan leader this question: If Al-Qaeda doesn't exist, then what's happening in southern Algeria and Somalia? And who is doing this?"
As analysts and party leaders picked over recent counter-terrorism events, ordinary Mauritanians told Magharebia of their reactions to the raid on AQIM's Mali base and the execution of Germaneau.
"According to many national and international accounts, the attack was aimed at liberating...Germaneau," Mohamed Ould Beder Eddine said. "However, the attack had adverse results, and the life of the hostage could have been saved if other means had been used."
Initial reports said Germaneau died on Sunday, but Prime Minister Fillon said the hostage might have died up to 10 days before.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2010 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in North Africa
[Arab News] Muslim World League (MWL) Secretary-General Abdullah Al-Turki on Tuesday highlighted the important role played by MWL over the past 50 years, in terms of spreading the message of Islam all over the world and removing misconceptions about it.
Addressing a press conference, he thanked the Saudi government for its continuous support to the MWL. "The United Nations has given us the Messenger of Peace certificate in appreciation for our humanitarian activities all over the world," Al-Turki said.
He said an international conference on "The MWL: Its Present and Future" would be held in Makkah to mark the organization's 50th anniversary with the participation of leading Islamic scholars and heads of Islamic groups and centers in different parts of the world.
"The MWL has become an international organization with offices in different parts of the world. It would not have achieved this stature without the Saudi government's support," Al-Turki said. The MWL was established in 1960 during the reign of King Saud.
He said the MWL had formed a number of organizations for the welfare of Muslim minorities in non-Muslim countries. "We have established 10 institutes to teach Shariah and modern sciences in addition to an institute in Makkah for the training of imams and preachers."
He said the MWL's activities during King Abdullah's era were marked by its openness to the world and interaction with leaders of other religious faiths and cultures. "We were honored to organize interfaith dialogue conferences in Makkah, Madrid and Geneva," he said.
The Makkah conference decided to establish an international council for dialogue under the MWL.
Al-Turki expressed his sorrow over the strident media campaigns against Islam and Muslims. The MWL has sent delegations to America and Europe to meet with officials, politicians and intellectuals in order to educate them about the basic principles of Islam and remove their misconceptions about the divine religion.
The international conference will be held in Makkah from July 31 to Aug. 2.
The conference will focus on four main topics: MWL's contributions in the past 50 years; MWL's position in the world; MWL and Islamic issues; and MWL's efforts to establish a better future for Muslim communities.
"We have formed a number of committees to organize the conference," Al-Turki said.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2010 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] The religion-based political parties in the country are chalking out strategies for their survival as the Supreme Court verdict on the fifth amendment to the constitution paves the way for the government to ban the parties.
They would come up with a complete course of action against the banning of the use of religion in politics once they receive a copy of the verdict, leaders of the parties said.
Any attempt to ban Islam-based politics will be strongly opposed, the leaders said.
"We disapprove of any move to ban the Islam-based political parties in an Islamic country like Bangladesh," Islami Oikyo Jote (IOJ) Chairman Fazlul Haq Amini told The Daily Star yesterday.
Any conspiracy against Islam will not be tolerated, he said.
The High Court in 2005 declared the fifth amendment illegal and the Appellate Division upheld the HC ruling with some modifications early this year. Full text of the ruling was released on Tuesday.
The political parties will sit together soon to discuss the issue and try to come up with a resolution, said the leaders.
IOJ General Secretary Abdul Latif Nezami said the like-minded parties have already started communicating with each other to set a common strategy against such moves.
Acting Secretary General of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami ATM Azharul Islam said the government is hatching a conspiracy to ban Islam-based politics in the name of restoring the 1972 constitution.
An ill effort is on to create an extreme political crisis through banning the parties, he said at a press briefing at the party central office in the capital yesterday.
Islami Shashantantra Andolan is observing the situation and would set their programmes after discussing with their legal experts, said Monirul Islam, information and research secretary of the party.
Shafiq Uddin, secretary general of Khelafat Majlish, said it is not clear yet whether the religion-based political parties would be banned by the constitutional amendment.
"We will comply with the constitution and rule of the country to keep our existence," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2010 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Jamaat-e-Islami
#1
Survival of islamic parties at stake?
Don't get our hopes up.
Lt. Govenor Ramsey and a candidate for governor in Tennessee made the following statements and raised a firestorm from the left and muslim groups.
Comments by Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey suggesting that Islam might be a cult and that Muslims might not qualify for constitutionally guaranteed religious freedoms drew criticism from Islamic groups Tuesday and an eruption of national media attention.
Ramsey, a Republican candidate for governor, said at a mid-July campaign event in Chattanooga that he is "all about freedom of religion," which is guaranteed by the First Amendment.
"But you cross the line when they start trying to bring Sharia law into the United States," he said. "Now you could even argue whether being a Muslim is actually a religion, or is it a nationality, a way of life or cult, whatever you want to call it? We do protect our religions, but at the same time, this is something that we are going to have to face."
#2
And yet, just the other day, PM Cameron announced in India that Pakistan's behaviour vis a vis supporting terrorism is completely unacceptable. How very queer it all is.
A new poll shows Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's governing party is trailing in advance of next year's elections.
The Sonar Arastirma survey, which has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 2 percentage points, shows Mr. Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) at 31.1 percent and the Republican People's Party (CHP) at 33.5 percent. The numbers are virtually unchanged since Sonar Arastirma's last poll, taken in May, before nine Turkish nationals were killed in a melee with Israeli commandos aboard a flotilla trying to break the Gaza blockade.
Mr. Erdogan, whose government already had seen cooling relations with Israel, stoked popular wrath and threatened to sever ties with his country's longtime ally unless it apologized for the incident.
But any "flotilla bump" appears to have vanished.
"There is a sense among some elements of the population that AKP has overreached on foreign policy," said Turkey expert Steven Cook, a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
"I am not talking about the kind of die-hard nationalist secularists, but that important 'middle' or 'center' who aren't Islamists or militant nationalist secularists," Mr. Cook said. "These people voted for AKP in 2002 because of Turkey's economic free fall and again in 2007 because of Turkey's economic progress. They liked the EU reforms of 2003 and 2004.
"They aren't all that unhappy with the general thrust of Turkish foreign policy, but they are starting to ask questions about AKP's foreign policy activism."
Last month, Turkey was one of only two U.N. Security Council members to vote against a new round of sanctions on Iran for its illicit nuclear activities. In April, it held a military drill with Syria. Relations with Israel, meanwhile, remain at a breaking point.
The Turkish economy grew at an average of 6 percent over the AKP's first five years in power and is expected to grow at 3.5 percent this year, despite the global economic slowdown. However, it is still wrestling with an unemployment rate around 13 percent.
#1
"There is a sense among some elements of the population that AKP has overreached on foreign policy,"
Not to worry. PM Cameron publicly assured all Turks that Erdogan has not done anything that would result in any sort of negative consequences for Turkey.
Smart move, Mr Cameron!
And in case Mr Cameron indeed should have acted at the behest of the US:
Smart move, Mr Obama!
Islamofascists ruling a NATO country...
What could go wrong?
/sarc
Justice and Development Party (AKP) (Erdogan)
Liberal Conservatism, Political Centrism, Islamist -- 341
(Won last election with 46.6% of vote. Has observer status in the European People's Party, a peculiar entity in its own right, mostly Christian conservative.)
Republican People's Party (CHP)
Social Democracy , Kemalist Ideology -- 112
(Strongly defeated in last election, with 20.85% of vote. A social democrat member of the Socialist International.)
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP)
Nationalism, Euroscepticism -- 71
(Jumped from 8.3% to 14.3% in last vote.)
Peace and Democracy Party (BDP)
Kurdish nationalism , Social Democracy -- 20
(Replaced an outlawed party associated with the PKK.)
Democratic Left Party (DSP)
Democratic Left , Kemalist Ideology -- 12
(Very opposed to US invasion of Iraq in GW2, then smote in an early election. Formerly allied with CHP.)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has attended a concert marking "victory" in the Korean War, official media said Wednesday, as US and South Korean forces pressed on with a military exercise to deter Pyongyang.
Kim hailed his country's "shining victory" during a concert marking Tuesday's 57th anniversary of the armistice which ended the three-year conflict, the Korean Central News Agency said. The leader enjoyed numbers such as "Our General Is the Best" and "July 27, Our Victory Day", it said. Tensions remain high almost six decades after the truce, which was never followed by a peace treaty.
South Korea and its US ally say a North Korean submarine torpedoed one of Seoul's warships in March with the loss of 46 lives. On Sunday they launched a major naval and air exercise aimed at deterring what they call future North Korean provocations.
The North has threatened nuclear retaliation against the drill, which it depicts as a rehearsal for invasion. Seoul's military said no unusual military moves have been detected across the border.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2010 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Commies
#2
ION WMF > A SIGN, ADVENT OF SINO-US WAR IN KOREA? HUNDREDS OF PLAAF COMBAT PLANES FLY OVER QINGDAO FOR 40 MINUTES TO PARTICIPATE IN YELLOW SEA PLA ANTI-CARRIER DRILLS.
* SAME > CHINA'S PLA QUIETLY PREPARES FOR THE TOUGH FIRST FIGHT OR WAR AGZ JAPAN: THE BATTLE TO RECOVER OKINAWA. ONCE MIL OCCUPIED, THE JAPANESE THREAT TO OKINAWA AND CHINA WILL BE ELIMINATED. THE REST OF EAST ASIA [Taiwan, Vietnam, INdonesia]WILL NOT DARE TO CHALLENGE CHINIA.
* SAME > THE JAPANESE PEOPLE ARE THE UNGRATEFUL HISTORICAL DESCENDANTS OF THE XU FU QIN DYNASTY IN CHINA. JAPAN'S NATIONAL PREFERENCE TO USE MILITARY AGRESSION/FORCE TO CONQUER THE RYUKYU + KOREAN VASSAL KINGDOMS INSTEAD OF PEACEFUL TRADE WID BEIJING.
* SAME > JAPAN'S ARMY PREPARES TO PREEMPTIVELY STRIKE THE DAOYUS ISLANDS: JAPAN"S PM SAYS THE JSDFS MUST IMPROVE THEIR CAPABILITIES IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO PROJECT MIL POWER OUTSIDE OF JAPAN + VICTORIOUSLY DEFEND "OKINAWA AND THE SOUTHWEST ISLANDS [China = Daoyus]".
* SAME > "NEW REPUBLIC" US MEDIA: US SCHOLARS SAY THAT, DESPITE ITS NETWORK OF POWERFUL PACIFIC MILBASES, THE US HAS FAILED TO STOP THE ADVANCE/ENTRY OF THE CPLA INTO WESTPAC [Western Pacific], THUS THE US HAS ALSO FAILED TO STOP CHINA'S GEOPOL ADVANCE INTO SAME.
[Kyodo: Korea] China said Wednesday a senior diplomat is currently visiting North Korea, amid heightened tension on the Korean Peninsula in the wake of the sinking of a South Korean warship in March and U.S.-South Korea military exercises that began Sunday. Assistant Foreign Minister Hu Zhengyue, who is in charge of Asian affairs and protocol, is leading a delegation to North Korea as a guest of that country"s Foreign Ministry, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters, according to official media.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
putting a firmer hand on the leash for the duration of the war games?
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/29/2010 10:56 Comments ||
Top||
Jason Hodge, father of four children from Barstow, Calif., says he's "not paranoid" but he is concerned, and that's why he bought space in what might be labeled a doomsday shelter.
Hodge bought into the first of a proposed nationwide group of 20 fortified, underground shelters -- the Vivos shelter network -- that are intended to protect those inside for up to a year from catastrophes such as a nuclear attack, killer asteroids or tsunamis, according to the project's developers.
"It's an investment in life," says Hodge, a Teamsters union representative. "I want to make sure I have a place I can take me and my family if that worst-case scenario were to happen."
Continued on Page 49
#2
If intelligently done, such underground dwellings have some advantages over surface dwellings.
To start with, they are very controlled environment, for those who suffer ill effects from changing weather conditions, allergens, direct sunlight, heat and cold, etc.
There are a surprising number of people who are mysteriously "hyper-allergic", who are already confined, and often in smaller accommodations on the surface.
Investigators have found concrete evidence linking Pfc. Bradley Manning with the leak of classified Afghanistan war reports, a defense official said.
Is this not treason?
A search of the computers used by Pfc. Manning yielded evidence he had downloaded the Afghanistan war logs, which span from 2004 until 2009, the official said. It's not clear precisely what that evidence is. Ummm, probably his browser history/ftp logs and/or IP numbers recorded by the server.
The investigation is also looking at who might have helped Pfc. Manning provide the documents to WikiLeaks, a web-based group that earlier this week released 76,000 secret reports from Afghanistan.
Because of the focus on civilians who helped Pfc. Manning, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department have been brought into aid the investigation lead by the Army Criminal Investigation Command.
Pfc. Manning worked in the intelligence operations of the 10th Mountain Division's 2nd Brigade in Baghdad. Although he was supposed to be examining intelligence relevant to Iraq, defense officials said Pfc. Manning used his "Top Secret/SCI" clearance to tap into documents around the world.
Defense officials are also combing through Pfc. Manning's computers in a bid to figure out what other material he may have stolen as they try to anticipate what other material WikiLeaks may have.
WikiLeaks says it has at least 15,000 more Afghanistan documents the group withheld until some details could be redacted.
That, and accessory to murder for each and every victim associated with the informants whose identities were revealed.
He needs to be sentenced to life in the barrel at a supermax prison. He probably wouldn't need to be fed the whole time he was there, which would save us some money.
He's probably got file fragments all over his computer and maybe in the shadow files, too.
WikiLeaks says it has at least 15,000 more Afghanistan documents the group withheld until some details could be redacted.
If they must release the "redacted" files, which will probably still hold the names of informants unless done properly, then they could at least have a major news organization comb through them and make sure they are cleaned up before being released. Even if redacted properly, they will miss some names.
#5
Fort Leavenworth is way to nice for this Pfc. In this case, his new home will be ADX Florence.
Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got. Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.
Wouldn't you like to get away?
Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
and they're always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows
Your name.
[Arab News] Under fire from US civil liberties groups, the FBI is defending domestic surveillance guidelines that critics fear could unfairly target innocent Muslims in terrorism and other criminal investigations.
"It's quite an invasive data collection system," said Farhana Khera, executive director of the nonprofit group Muslim Advocates. "It's based on generalized suspicion and fear on the part of law enforcement, not on individualized evidence of criminal activity."
Khera spoke in an interview on the eve of a Capitol Hill appearance by FBI Director Robert Mueller, who was scheduled to testify Wednesday to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
In a statement, the bureau said its procedures are designed to ensure that FBI probes don't zero in on anyone on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion or the exercise of any other constitutional right.
The FBI said its Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide equips agents with lawful and appropriate tools so the agency can transform itself into an intelligence-driven organization that investigates genuine criminal and national security threats.
Last September, the FBI disclosed an edited version of the guide as a result of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
The manual was approved in December 2008, during the final days of the George W. Bush administration, and establishes policy that guides all the FBI's domestic operations, including counterterrorism, counterintelligence, crime and cyber crime.
On Tuesday, the American Civil Liberties Union also weighed in against the guide. The group asked FBI field offices in 29 states and Washington, D.C., to turn over records related to the bureau's collection of data on race and ethnicity.
According to the ACLU, the FBI's operations guide gives agents the authority to create maps of ethnic-oriented businesses, behaviors, lifestyle characteristics and cultural traditions in communities with concentrated ethnic populations.
While some racial and ethnic data collection by some agencies might be helpful in lessening discrimination, the FBI's attempt to collect and map demographic data using race-based criteria invites unconstitutional racial profiling by law enforcement, according to the ACLU.
Khera said the FBI has lowered the bar for sending undercover agents or informants into mosques and has enabled the gathering of data about Muslims' charitable giving practices, financial transactions and jobs.
The FBI is still refusing to make public portions of the guide that deal with sending agents or informants into houses of worship and political gatherings.
The bureau has previously stated it would only go into a mosque if it had some reason to believe there was criminal activity, said Khera. If that is the standard, the FBI should have no problem actually disclosing that section of the document, she said.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2010 00:00 ||
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Scientists, engineers and financiers involved in the A.Q. Khan nuclear-smuggling network are being contacted by several governments in an effort to lure these specialists out of retirement.
The development is raising concerns among U.S. intelligence agencies about the revival of the proliferation network that was thought to have been shut down years ago.
Two U.S. intelligence officials and other U.S. officials with access to intelligence reports said information compiled over the past seven months showed that agents from several foreign governments -- including Brazil, Burma, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, Sudan and Syria -- pursued members of the network named after Abdul Qadeer Khan, the scientist considered to be the father of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program.
"They have propositioned them to get them to come out of retirement," one senior U.S. intelligence officer said.
This official, however, stressed that the contacts observed in recent months did not necessarily reflect a state-level decision by countries such as Brazil and Nigeria regarding nuclear proliferation. "These could be people acting on their own," this official said.
Another intelligence official cautioned that others in the intelligence community have disputed the assessment about whether governments have approached the remnants of the Khan network.
The A.Q. Khan network supplied "starter kits" for uranium enrichment, based on large numbers of centrifuges, to Iran, Libya and North Korea from the 1980s until it was shut down in 2003 and 2004. Mr. Khan has confirmed much of these charges in interviews.
Earlier this month, a classified analysis was distributed on the Defense Intelligence Daily -- a compendium of intelligence products shared with senior executives in the military and the Pentagon -- on evidence that elements of the Khan network may be reactivating. It did not answer that question conclusively. The report, however, did confirm the existence of new intelligence on the recruiting efforts.
between 50 and 100 individuals associated with his network were left alone and not prosecuted. Instead, the U.S. intelligence community put these people on various watch lists and have placed some of the most dangerous individuals on the network under human and electronic surveillance.
This network of retired specialists who used to work for Mr. Khan is now the focus of concerns about the reactivation of the proliferation ring among officials of the U.S. intelligence community.
One senior U.S. intelligence officer said the countries seeking out Khan contacts all "expressed [interest] in hiring individuals formerly associated with the A.Q. Khan network."
The network includes nationals from around the world, but particular concerns have been expressed about its Eastern Europeans.
#1
Not a problem. The CIA should begin a program to sell these sort of materials to any and all interested parties. Coat all of it with unshielded Cobalt-60 and deliver it as often as possible. Follow the perps and after a short time their dead carcasses won't mind if we collect up the items for the next batch of "customers".
Activists in Pakistan said they were deeply disappointed that the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize winner had escalated the use of CIA drones against Taliban and al-Qaeda militants.
Zeeshan-ul-Hassan Usmani, who monitors reported attacks for the Pakistan Body Count website, said: "If you thought Barack Obama was going to be a different sort of president, well he's doing what George Bush was doing -- and worse -- and it is we Pakistanis who are paying the price."
The question, and death is not an option: is Usmani a misguided do-gooder under the control of Media Matters, or is he a callous tool of al-Qaeda? Discuss.
Four drone attacks at the weekend take the total to 101 since Obama took office 18 months ago compared with 45 in the preceding five years, according to statistics compiled by the New America Foundation.
Up to 1,100 people have been killed in that period.
#1
this observation by The Times is interesting for setting the groundwork for future whatever:
The expose also suggests that Pakistan uses its retired and former generals in pursuit of its policy of state-run terrorism. Among its proxies is Lt-Gen Hamid Gul, a favourite of television anchors even in India whose pro-Taliban stance and conspiracy theories are said to provide an alternative narrative in the war on terror. But according to the documents accessed by WikiLeaks, Gul, a former ISI chief and one of Pakistan's top generals, is an active terrorist. In the documents, Gul is depicted as an adviser and an important source of aid to the Taliban. One report even calls him "a leader" of the insurgents.
#2
and this: The report includes a comment from the CIA Counterterrorism Center: "95% of the suicide attackers are trained in the 'Madrassa of Hashimiye' which is located in Peshawar district of Pakistan. Monthly, the former chief of ISI General Hamid Gul is visiting this madrassa."
#4
Silly wikileaker tools. Thought they'd be shocking and terrifying the West into withdrawing and ending the war in Afghan, and instead they've bored the West with non-news while stirring up a(nother) potential war between India and Pakistan. Nice job!
#5
Lest we fergit, the PAK TALIBAN = TTP HAVE JUST DECLARED/ADMITTED THEY ARE TRAINING UP TO 3000 TERRORISTS-FIGHTERS TO ATTACK INDIA, that INDIA is THEIR TERRITORIAL "DOMAIN", + that Indians = Hindus, etal. NON-MUSLIMS IN INDIA are no different than Jews + will be treated as such.
* TOPIX > THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD JOCKEYS FOR POWER IN EGYPT [Mubarak succession].
#6
Col Imam, being held by the Taliban and facing death has appealed to General Gul to give in to the demands.
Isn't General Gul supposed to be retired?
Posted by: john frum ||
07/29/2010 6:42 Comments ||
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#7
Julian's escapade may have some unintended consequences of a positive kind - dialing up the brightness of the flashlight shining on the cockroaches in Pakistan's ISI.
#8
Julian's escapade may have some unintended consequences of a positive kind - dialing up the brightness of the flashlight shining on the cockroaches in Pakistan's ISI.
Almost all of the media attention here and abroad is focused on the ISI angle. It's so slanted that many journalists in India-Pak land are floating conspiracy theories about CIA disinformation.
So it looks as if l'affair wiki's net effect will be to shield the US military and the Obama admin from accusations of BAbY-KKKilLerZ!!!! and focus everyone on the $hithole that is the bogus, made-up country called P.A.K.I.stan.
According to the memos, the Taliban are guided in their attacks on Afghan and NATO forces from Pakistan, which is a safe haven for militants. They reveal that Arabs, Chechens, Pakistanis, and Muslims from European states sneak into Afghanistan from Pakistan to fight NATO and Afghan troops. Gul has also been accused of re-organizing Afghanistan's second-largest militant group, Hizb-i-Islami, led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, and the Haqqani Network, a Waziristan-based rebel outfit. Mr. Gul allegedly visited Waziristan in January 2008 to devise a plan to avenge the killing of Ahmad Alkani, an al-Qaeda leader killed in a U.S. drone missile strike.
He is also accused of directing Pakistani Taliban to wage a jihad in Afghanistan instead of Pakistan. The former spy chief is said to have handed over 65 vehicles full of ammunition to the Taliban. The agency he headed provided 7,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles to the fighters in Kunar, and 1,000 motorcycles to the Haqqani Network for suicide attacks in southeastern Afghanistan. The documents also link Gul to the abduction of United Nations workers on the Kabul-Nangarhar highway.
[Dawn] British Prime Minister David Cameron said Wednesday that Pakistan must not "look two ways" in Afghanistan by publicly working to stabilise the country while secretly funding insurgents.
US documents leaked to Internet whistleblower site WikiLeaks this week accuse Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of secretly helping the Afghan insurgency.
"It's unacceptable for anything to happen within Pakistan that's about supporting terrorism elsewhere," Cameron told BBC radio during a trip to India.
"And it's well documented that that has been the case in the past and it's an issue that we have to make sure that the Pakistan authorities are not looking two ways," he added.
He said there had been "big progress" by Pakistan in fighting militant groups, which had improved relations with Afghanistan, "but we need to see that progress continue."
India, a regular target for militant groups based in Pakistan, slammed the new evidence of official Pakistan involvement in funding militancy.
"Sponsorship of terrorism, as an instrument of policy, is wholly condemnable and must cease forthwith," an Indian foreign ministry spokesman said late Tuesday.
India has also long been concerned that billions of dollars of military aid given to Pakistan to help fight militants on its territory is misdirected to insurgents, or funds defence programmes designed to counter India.
"I am going to discuss with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the leakage of funds given to Pakistan by the US and UK," Cameron told reporters in Bangalore.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
ION NEWS KERALA > [Popular Front of India] PFI AIMS TO CONVERT KERALA INTO A MUSLIM-MAJORITY STATE: ACHUTHANADAN, by Year 2030.
[Geo News] Former Amir Jamat-e-Islami Qazi Hussain Ahmed Wednesday said Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman will have to part ways with the government for revival of Muttahida Majlis-e-Ammal (MMA). Talking to media men after a visit to Mansoora Lahore, Qazi Hussain said targeted killings are part of enemy's conspiracy to fan violence. He said granting of extension to the Army Chief has not set a good tradition. Nawaz Sharif's remaining tight lipped on COAS extension is in line with his policy, he observed. He ruled out MMA becoming functional again without Fazl-ur-Rehman and Jamat-e-Islami.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2010 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] The Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday ordered lingerie shops to display more modesty as part of a campaign to safeguard "public morality". People who're willing to pork 9-year-olds have a concern about "public morality."
The Hamas-run police force has told stores selling women's underwear to remove scantily-clad mannequins and any posters of racy undergarments. "It is absolutely forbidden to place any photographic device inside the shop and it is forbidden to display revealing clothes in front of the shop," a statement said. "Even if there ain't nothin' to reveal, dammit!"
"These measures have stemmed from complaints and pressure by the professionally devout. They have to do with upholding our traditions," police spokesman Ayman Al-Batniji said on Wednesday.
The edict came nearly two weeks after Hamas banned women from smoking water pipes in public places and is the latest step taken by the Islamist movement to crack down on the mingling of the sexes in the conservative territory.
Hamas leaders have repeatedly denied any intention to impose Islamic law on the Gaza Strip, home to 1.5 million Palestinians.
But Hamas police have broken up a hip-hop concert in the territory and tried -- unsuccessfully -- to force women lawyers in court and female school students to wear traditional Muslim clothing, a step that drew a public backlash.
Hamas's modesty moves were widely seen by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as attempts to mollify more conservative Islamic factions that have accused the movement of failing to uphold Islamic Sharia law.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
"You must hide that naughty lingerie in the back of your shop!"
"That's not naughty lingerie, those are barbeque covers!"
"Still, those naughty barbeque covers evoke, err, 'reactions'."
[Straits Times] AN ISLAMIC extremist could face the death penalty after being charged on Wednesday with involvement in attacks against Christians in an area of Indonesia with a history of religious violence.
Eko Budi Wardoyo, arrested early this year, faces trial under Indonesia's anti-terror laws for allegedly taking part in a series of attacks on Christians in the province of Central Sulawesi, prosecutors said.
The allegations link the 32-year old to a bomb attack on a busy market in a predominantly Christian town of Tentena in Poso district in May 2005 that left 22 dead.
He is also accused of involvement in the fatal shooting of a female reverend as she delivered her sermon in a church in a neighbouring district of Palu in 2004.
Three people among the congregation were also killed in the incident, prosecutors said.
'The defendant confessed that he was assigned by a higher leader to oversee plots against Christians as an act of revenge for Muslims killed in the sectarian conflict,' prosecutor Nasir told the Jakarta court.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2010 00:00 ||
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Iran, warning of an imminent war, has been preparing for another major military exercise.
The Iranian Air Force has scheduled a week-long exercise in the western part of the country near Iraq and the Gulf. Officials said the exercise would seek to enhance interoperability as well as night missions.
"The maneuvers will also include mid-air refueling of aircraft," Iranian Air Force deputy chief Gen. Mohammed Alavi said.
On July 26, Alavi said the exercise would begin on July 31 in the Hamadan province. He said 43 aircraft would participate, including the U.S.-origin F-4, and F-5, the Chinese-origin F-6 and F-7 and the Russian-origin Su-24.
The air exercise was being prepared as Iran warned of a major U.S. military strike in the Middle East. On July 27, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Washington would attack at least two countries in the Middle East by November 2010.
"They have decided to attack at least two countries in the region in the next three months," Ahmadinejad, who did not elaborate, told Iranian television.
For his part, Alavi said the Air Force would deploy unmanned aerial vehicles during the exercise, which would involve at least nine bases. He said attack missions would be conducted at night, the first time that the F-7 and Su-24 would participate in such operations.
The exercise, titled "Devotees to the Sanctity of Religious Leadership," would also include the launch of new air-to-ground munitions, officials said. They said the F-4 and Su-24 would also practice mid-air refueling to prepare for long-range missions.
Iran has intensified air and naval exercises amid its acceleration of the nation's nuclear program. Teheran has repeatedly warned against any Israeli or U.S. air strike. Syria would probably be very happy if the two were Iran and Lebanon.
#1
I would think that Syria and Lebanon would include Israel in their calculus, though. I'm betting he's saying Venezuela. In that case, we could liberate the Venezuelans from their own choice of dictators, and use them for their oil. Later, they can return the favor and liberate from our own choice in dictators.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad inaugurated a new policy on Tuesday to encourage population growth, dismissing Iran's decades of family planning as ungodly and a Western import.
The new government initiative will pay families for every new child and deposit money into the newborn's bank account until they reach 18, effectively rolling back years of efforts to boost the economy by reducing the country's runaway population growth.
"Those who raise idea of family planning, they are thinking in the realm of the secular world," Ahmadinejad said during the inauguration ceremony.
Iran can feed up to 150 million Iranians:Ahmadinejad
The plan is part of Ahmadinejad's stated commitment to further increase Iran's population, which is already estimated at 75 million. He has previously said the country could feed up to 150 million.
The program would be especially attractive to the lower income segments of the population who supported Ahmadinejad in the 2005 and 2009 elections.
Throughout his tenure, the president has promoted populist policies in Iran, where 10 million people are estimated to live under the poverty line.
It is unclear, however, where the funds would come from as the government is already having trouble paying for basic infrastructure projects.
Newborns to be paid annually until they hit 18
Starting in the early 1970s, Iran waged a successful family planning campaign across the country, including banners in public health care centers reading "two children are enough."
It was reversed after the 1979 Islamic revolution only to be brought back 10 years later when the population ballooned and the economy faltered.
Throughout the 1990s, Iran tried to reduce population growth by encouraging men and women to use free or inexpensive contraceptives, as well as vasectomies. The government brought down the country's population growth rate from its 1986 height of 3.9 percent to just 1.6 percent in 2006.
Ahmadinejad caused public outcry, however, when shortly after he was elected in 2005 he said two children per family were not enough and urged Iranians to have more.
Under the new plan each child born in the current Iranian year, which began March 21, will receive a deposit of $950 in a government bank account. They will then continue to receive another $95 every year until they reach 18. Parents will also be expected to pay matching funds into the accounts.
Under the initiative's rules children can withdraw the money at the age of 20 and use it for education, marriage, health and housing.
Iran's official unemployment rate is about 10 percent, but estimates say there are 3 million unemployed people of working age in the country.
Following the earlier baby boom, some 26 million Iranians are between the ages of 15 and 30.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2010 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] A senior Iranian lawmaker has criticized EU sanctions against Iran, saying the Islamic Republic should switch its trade capacities to countries outside the European Union.
"These sanctions will in practice deprive European firms of the opportunity to work with Iran. Therefore Europe and European companies will be the first to feel the blow of these actions," Head of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi said Wednesday.
Boroujerdi made the comments after the European Union on Monday adopted new sanctions against Iran, which mainly target the country's financial and energy sectors.
He criticized the 27-member bloc for following "US policies and decisions" and said, "The European Union imposed these unilateral sanctions under US pressure; therefore, we must not overlook the fact that Europeans have no independence in their decision-making."
"Due to their weakness in front of the US, the Europeans are forced to accept and obey the decisions made or dictated to Europe by Washington," ISNA quoted the Iranian lawmaker as saying.
Western powers accuse Iran of pursuing a covert military nuclear program. Tehran, however, denies the charges and argues that as an IAEA member state and a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty it has the right to the use of peaceful nuclear technology.
In an attempt to ease Western concerns, Iran, Turkey and Brazil signed a fuel swap declaration on May 17 under which Tehran agreed to exchange 1,200 kg of its low-enriched uranium on Turkish soil with fuel for its medical research reactor.
The US and its European allies snubbed the declaration and less than a month after its announcement used their influence on the UN Security Council to impose a fourth round of sanctions on Iran.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2010 00:00 ||
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Lebanon's Hezbollah Resistance Movement warns against falsely accusing its members of involvement in the assassination of Lebanon's former premier Rafiq Hariri.
A top Hezbollah official, Sheikh Nabil Qaouq, on Wednesday warned about the dire consequences of trying to link the resistance movement to the assassination and called such accusations "dangerous."
Qaouq said the indictment of Hezbollah members was part of a US and Israeli conspiracy and called for the trial of the individuals, who testified in the case of Hariri's assassination and whom Hezbollah regards as false witnesses, a Press TV correspondent reported.
"There is one necessary and binding way to reach the truth and that is through trying false witnesses and those behind them, who are already known," he said.
"We will continue confronting this conspiracy ... and we will consider any indictment against the resistance an Israeli-American fabrication executed through local or international means," he added.
Rafiq Hariri, the father of incumbent Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, was assassinated in a massive car bomb explosion in Beirut in February 2005. The explosion also killed 22 others.
The Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which was set up by the UN and the Lebanese government in May 2007, is investigating the assassination.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2010 00:00 ||
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An American official visits Lebanon, discussing Washington's military aid to Beirut amid Hezbollah's warnings that the US spends millions to damage the resistance.
The United States Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Affairs, Alexander Vershbow met with President Michel Sleiman and Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday, AFP reported.
The official said Congress had approved of $100 million in military assistance to Lebanon for this year.
The sum has amounted to $500 million in recent years.
In a Sunday address, Hezbollah's Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah cited former ambassador to Beirut and the current US Assistant Secretary of State Jeff Feltman as saying that Washington had paid much more than official figures to damage Hezbollah's reputation.
"... not $500 million were spent for 28 years. Hundreds of millions of dollars were spent to tarnish the image of this resistance..."
Nasrallah said the US had resorted to a smear campaign after the 2006 Israeli war on Lebanon mired in defeat. He called the offensives, which killed about 1,200 Lebanese, most of them civilians, a brainchild of the US that enjoyed Israeli implementation.
Vershbow also visited senior commanders of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which is on a mandate to patrol the south of Lebanon.
Earlier in the month, the servicemen arrested a local youth in a southern village, inciting clashes with the locals. They then took the captive to a nearby town, where they continued to ignite local outrage by violating the civilians' privacy.
Hezbollah warned afterwards that the provocations were part of an "international move" against the resistance movement.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2010 00:00 ||
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A "guarantee" means you get your money back if they fail.
Commander of the Iranian Army's Ground Forces warns Western military analysts and chiefs against attacking the Middle East to avoid "humiliation" over their "unwise" move.
"We advise American, British and Israeli commanders and analysts against another unwise act in order to avoid [future] humiliation and distress over failures in the Middle East because in this case they would have to pay a heavy price," the Brig. Gen. Ahmad-Reza Pourdastan said Wednesday.
"Americans can be certain that in the event of a ground, naval or aerial attack against our country, they will be faced with a crushing and decisive response which will be much more fatal and crushing than their initial act [of aggression]," Mehr News Agency quoted the commander as saying.
General Pourdastan's warning followed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's exclusive interview with Press TV on Monday, in which he revealed US and Israeli plans to attack two countries in the Middle East within the next three months.
"First of all, [by attacking Iran's neighbors], they want to hamper Iran's progress and development since they are opposed to our growth, and secondly they want to save the Zionist regime (Israel) because it has reached a dead-end and the Zionists believe they can be saved through a military confrontation," Ahmadinejad explained.
Pourdastan said that the increase in moral corruption, desertion and suicide among American forces deployed near the Iranian borders "attests to the failure and lack of discipline in the US military."
The commander said that the military had become one of the top ranking forces in the world due to its state-of-the-art military equipment and various drills.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Versus
WAFF > NEW US MISSLE CAN HIT PAK, IRAN NUCLEAR SITES, from CONUS.
The MINOTAUR-IV + PROMPT GLOBAL STRIKE.
FYI the Frenchies are planning to dev some kind of VERTICAL KILL WEAPS SYSTEM - the most SYMBOLIC COLD WAR NEAR-EQUIVALENT would be the US "JAVELIN" or Euro "BILL" ATGMS.
Applications for BMD + orbiting NT Armed Dirigibles.
Al Qaeda's second in command Ayman Al-Zawahiri has surfaced again, this time threatening more attacks against the U.S. and the West.
"Oh American people -- We offered you a peace plan, and mutual benefit; but your governments were proud and haughty, and so the attacks against you followed one after another, everywhere from Indonesia to Times Square, by way of Madrid and London. And the attacks are ongoing, and more will come one after another," said Zawahiri, according to a transcript provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute, based in Washington, DC.
Zawahiri also continued his promise of near victory in Iraq and Afghanistan, among other issues.
Former White House national security official Richard Clarke, now an ABC News consultant, said that up until this point, there haven't been any correlations between Zawahiri's past threats and any attacks actually occurring.
"U.S. government and counterterrorism officials are not going to increase their alert based on Zawahiri's statement, because of his previous track record," Clarke said. "But they're on relatively high alert already because of the increase in homegrown terrorist threats related to al Qaeda."
The 47-minute audio message, a eulogy for Mustafa Abu Al-Yazid, was posted on jihadist websites July 27 by al Qaeda's media arm Al-Sahab.
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.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Egypt has denied visas to four Iranian lawmakers who planned to travel to the Israeli-blockaded 
A new poll shows Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's governing party is trailing in advance of next year's elections.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has attended a concert marking "victory" in the Korean War, official media said Wednesday, as US and South Korean forces pressed on with a military exercise to deter Pyongyang.
Scientists, engineers and financiers involved in the A.Q. Khan nuclear-smuggling network are being contacted by several governments in an effort to lure these specialists out of retirement.
