French president Nicolas Sarkozy says France will withdraw a quarter of its troops from Afghanistan by the end of next year.
Mr Sarkozy is in Afghanistan on an unannounced visit and has travelled to a French military base in the north-eastern province of Kapisa to announce France will withdraw 1,000 troops.
France has about 4,000 troops deployed in the country, mostly in Sarobi, Kabul, and in north-eastern Kapisa province.
"It's necessary to end the war," Mr Sarkozy told journalists at the base. "There was never a question of keeping troops in Afghanistan indefinitely." Only until we defeated the Taliban, Nick...
Mr Sarkozy was scheduled to meet his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai and US commander General David Petraeus after his trip to the base.
France's decision follows similar announcements by Britain and the United States, as Western leaders look to a final deadline of the end of 2014 to extract all combat troops from the conflict.
Frances foreign minister says Paris has had contact with emissaries from Moammar Gadhafi who say the embattled Libyan strongman is prepared to leave.
Alain Juppe told France Info radio on Tuesday that while the contacts do not constitute negotiation, everyone (involved in Libyas civil war) has contacts with everyone else.
The Libyan regime sends its messengers all over, to Turkey, to New York, to Paris, Juppe added. We receive emissaries who are saying, Gadhafi is prepared to leave. Lets discuss it.
A day earlier, French Foreign Ministry officials denied reports that France was negotiating with Gadhafi.
France is part of a NATO-led operation of airstrikes against Gadhafis forces and has insisted Gadhafi must give up power.
#1
No doubt the emissaries did say that. It might even possibly be true. But would the NATO parties of the attacking part be willing to allow him to escape?
Shall we check his bags? And how many of his entourage get to go with him?
Some will be "somewhat reluctant" to stay behind and greet the new regime as it arrives in a pickup truck and lots of RPG butchers, bakers and falafel makers in the back.
If the French arent negotiating see if they can get a few details on who is.
Posted by: de Medici ||
07/12/2011 9:13 Comments ||
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#3
My suggestion : let Khaddafy leave with his family, his tribe, his supporters, and half of the money he has stolen but he has to live in the disputed border zone between Somaliland and Puntland. Plus, he is responsible for providing security and infrastructure to that area, and cleaning up the coastal piracy issues of Puntland and Somaliland.
MISRATA: When the battle for Misrata began in late February, Mahmoud Mohammed Askutri started out with a Kalashnikov rifle and four bullets.
Standing alongside his former schoolteacher, who was armed with a sharpened piece of metal, Askutri spotted and shot a soldier loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi. He took the dead soldiers Kalashnikov and bullets, thereby adding much-needed firepower at a time when most Libyans participating in the uprising against Qaddafi were fighting with knives, petrol bombs and hunting rifles.
In the subsequent months, Askutri, a local businessman who owns a construction company, has formed the rebel 1st battalion of the Al Marsa regiment, which he funds and supplies with weapons and ammunition bought on the black market.
While Libyas third-largest city was under siege, he raised money, including a donation of a kilogram and a half of gold his mother had been saving up since 1998 to build a mosque, to help bring a first shipment of weapons to ammunition here.
Misrata has traditionally been one of Libyas biggest centers of commerce and industry, and businessmen like Askutri are now using their wealth once invested in palatial homes and business empires to finance the fight to end Qaddafis 41-year rule.
The young men on the front line are not fighting for money or power, said Askutri, speaking at his former summer house, which now serves as the 1st battalions command center. They are doing this for dignity and freedom.
Im ready to give everything for them, even to sell this house, he added, waving at the home with its immaculate lawn.
But fighting here is expensive.
Some heavy weapons are given to the fighters in Misrata by the main rebel leadership in Benghazi in eastern Libya, others are scavenged, but the gaps are filled, say the rebels, by cutting deals with private arms dealers outside Libya who demand cash up front.
A single Kalashnikov rifle bought by that route costs $3,000. Askutri now has access to his bank accounts via Benghazi, and uses the funds to buy regular consignments of guns and ammunition for his men.
Helped in part by the weapons acquired with donors cash, the anti-Qaddafi militias forced government troops out of Misrata over weeks of bitter fighting. The rebels have now pushed the front line about 36 km west of the city but they are still besieged on three sides.
If Qaddafi got back into Misrata, there would be a massacre. So, we fight here or we die, said Askutri.
On Feb. 19, two days after the start of Libyas rebellion, Fauzi Ibrahim Al Karshaine went out into the streets of Misrata with other residents to protest for more freedom. When Qaddafi loyalists opened fire on the crowd, Al Karshaine was hit by five bullets in a line from his right thigh to just below his right shoulder.
Rushed to a local hospital, he was given emergency treatment by a doctor who warned him that if he stayed there, Qaddafis troops would kill him. So he was helped for a month and a half by two young medical students who moved him around the city and kept him alive until the hospital was seized by the rebels and he could be treated.
Now unable to fight because of his wounds, Al Karshaine, joint owner of the Albaraka Hotel in central Misrata and owner of a large marble and granite company, says he is using his wealth to help his city. He says he supplies food for the poor of Misrata, and also provides money to rebel groups to help them fund their operations, although does not get involved himself in buying weapons.
I have no experience of buying guns, so I leave it up to the fighters to decide how best to use the money, he said. But if they use it to buy guns, that makes me happy.
I am very happy to support my people to fight this animal, he added, referring to Qaddafi. The businessmen of Misrata like myself are now fighting him with money instead of guns.
Mohammed Raied has a simple yet specific dream for when he does not say if rebel fighters take Zlitan, the town immediately to the west of Misrata that is blocking the rebels advance toward the capital, Tripoli, 160 km away.
I want every fighter to stand in the center of Zlitan with a gun in one hand and an ice cream in the other, said the chairman of Al-Naseem, a yogurt, ice cream and fermented milk maker in Misrata.
Before the uprising, the company had invested heavily in state-of-the-art machinery, including a nearly completed 50 million expansion of its plant here. It had business across Libya and exported to neighboring countries.
Now Al-Naseem, founded by Raied and his four brothers, is running at a low capacity to serve Misrata and is looking to provide food to Benghazi. But since the only connection is currently by boat, that is a logistical headache.
The companys plant and Raieds home were struck by missiles fired by Qaddafi loyalists in March.
Over the past four months, Raied, who has also been head of the chamber of commerce in Misrata for the past 12 years, has chartered a cargo ship of weapons and ammunition from Benghazi at a cost of $100,000.
He has chartered 25 flights to take injured Misrata residents from Benghazi to Tunisia at $20,000 a flight and has chartered a ferry for a month to maintain a link with Benghazi.
Al-Naseem employees away at the front line or involved in the uprising war effort still receive their wages.
When asked if he considered that an investment in the future of Libya, Raied gave a slight, slow shake of his head.
It is our duty, he said, holding up a forefinger as he spoke. If we dont do this, Qaddafi would return, destroy everything and kill people.
Two of Raieds sons are fighting at the front and a third will join them soon. The Al-Naseem company sends an ice cream truck to the front line every day with supplies.
On a recent Reuters visit to the front line, a fighter walked down the line handing out Al-Nassem chilled yogurts, which were wolfed down by young men there. The firm has also paid for 700 cargo containers full of food to be brought here to help prevent the people of Misrata from going hungry.
Everyone must do their duty to the best of their ability, Raied said. We have the enemy in front of us and the sea behind us.
There is no way to go, he added. So we have to fight.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/12/2011 00:00 ||
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CAIRO: Egypt's state news agency says a court has ordered the state-owned satellite operator Nilesat to take 14 Libyan TV stations off the air.
The court decision Monday follows a lawsuit by Libyan citizens and Egyptian lawyers who said the stations owned by the regime of Moammar Gadhafi incite against the rebels fighting to topple the leader, in power for 42 years. The stations are off the air until they can find another satellite to beam them.
Libya's rebels have launched their homegrown satellite TV station in May to counter the regime's powerful media machine, which depicts the opposition as terrorists and drums up patriotic fervor by beaming images of burning buildings hit by NATO airstrikes.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/12/2011 00:00 ||
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LONDON WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was due back in court Tuesday for the latest installation of his fight against extradition to Sweden, where the 40-year-old Australian is accused of rape and molestation.
Assanges disclosures of classified US documents has infuriated the Pentagon, embarrassed State Department diplomats and energized critics of American foreign policy, but allegations of sexual misconduct during a trip to Scandinavia last year have tarnished his reputation.
Assange denies any wrongdoing, and he and his supporters have suggested that the Swedish prosecution is being manipulated to political ends possibly with an eye toward sending him to the United States, where a federal grand jury is investigating WikiLeaks activities.
Swedish authorities reject the charge, and on Feb. 24 a British judge found in their favor, saying that there was no reason to believe he wouldnt receive a fair trial in Sweden.
Assange vowed to fight the decision, and meanwhile has continued to work from a wealthy supporters mansion in eastern England, where he lives under virtual house arrest.
In an interview last month, Assange complained that the strict bail conditions hes under an overnight curfew, must wear an electronic tag and report to police daily had hampered his activities.
The heart (urp) bleeds...
His website has not accepted any new material in months, although WikiLeaks latest release in April hundreds of detainee assessment forms covering the inmates at Guantanamo Bay offered never-before-published information on those being held at the U.S. military prison.
Assanges appeal hearing was due to last until Wednesday. Judgment is expected to be reserved, which means that a ruling might not be made public for days or weeks. Assange has vowed to take his case to Britains Supreme Court or the European Court of Human Rights if his appeal is rejected.
Online, there were hints from a high-profile member of Anonymous an amorphous, loosely organized group of hackers sympathetic to WikiLeaks that confidential U.S. data might be leaked online to coincide with the hearing.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/12/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Someday, some way, Assange is still going to ADX Florence. And any federal marshal who can pull that off is going to be living the high life.
One of the underlying motivations for the peace movement in Mexico has been the controversial National Security Law currently wending its way through the Mexican legislative processes.
Since late last April the law has been in limbo since it failed to come to a vote in the senate. The promise has been by leaders in both Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) and Partido Accion Nacional (PAN) Chamber of Deputies leaders that the law will eventually pass after it passes several hurdles.
One major hurdle was made last May when the Mexican Supreme Court (Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nacion (SCJN)) ruled that it was not necessary for soldiers accused of killing civilians to be tried by civilian courts. The issue has been pressed by the Mexican left and within the peace movement partly as a sure means of killing the law, and despite the opinion, it is still a point of contention.
The last hurdle failed Friday when representatives from the PRI leadership of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies, the Secretaria de Gobierno (Interior Ministry) Francisco Blake and newly elected leader of the PRI, Humberto Moreria agreed the law would not be part of the next legislative special session.
Several issues failed to pass Mexican legislative processes this past spring beside the security law was the theft of oil and money laundering. Both of the other issues will be part of the new special session.
The reaction of leftist parties, especially the Partido Trabajo (PT), an ally for the mainstream leftist Partido Revolucion Democratica (PRD), makes the case that the law is still alive, but tabled in favor of a better political consensus.
A presidential election is coming in less than a year. In fact the presumed frontrunner of PAN has announced that PAN must chose its candidate for president now. The race for Los Pinos is already on, if not officially.
In a press conference PT officials and legislative leader criticize the action tabling the law accusing PRI leaders of moving the law on a whim. The charge is a prelude to a meeting of a legislative committee to be convened which will issue an opinion of the law in August. PT and PRD each have four representatives in the committee to the PRI's five and PAN's three.
As debate begins it is clear the two left parties will be in a position to influence the outcome to some extent, although it is clear that both the PRI and PAN, -- both expected to be strong contenders in the upcoming general elections -- will have the upper hand when the next phase of the law is complete. And both of the mainstream parties have made it clear the law eventually will pass. To read a brief overview of the Mexican Supreeme Court's decision and the Mexican left's objections to the law, click here.
From the point of view of the Mexican left as well as the international left, the new law is controversial. It overturns some of the main concepts now in use in dealing with the cartels on the street.
As matters now stand, the Mexican military basically is deployed to the streets as an enforcement arm of the attorney general (Procuradora General de la Republica (PGR)). Although it is not officially said the presence of the Mexican Army is said to be a replacement for local and state police units which are not generally considered reliable.
Indeed state and local police are often the weakest parts of the enforcement issue against the cartels. Also police forces are generally poorly armed, poorly trained and poorly educated, and easily corrupted by cartels.
The national security law takes away the military's subordinace to the legal arm of the republic and places it directly under the president.
Understandably Mexican leftist parties are concerned about the concentration of such power in the hands of a single individual.
But the law does not stop there. Additional power can be granted to military units on the ground to order curfews, cut power and communications and to monitor digital media such as Twitter and Facebook accounts for intelligence. Such power is subject to veto by the president alone, thus the concentration of power concerns.
At the moment, those activities are forbidden; the Meixcan military cannot organize a digital media intelligence unit within its basic zone and territorial command.
Another change is the interrogation and disposal of captives. The Mexican military can interrogate captives and use the intelligence to develop more missions for itself, but it must first transmit the inforamtion to the local ( I.E. state) and national legal authorities, and received permission to act on such information. The new law gives military commanders the discretion to act on intelligence without consulting anyone but command.
The next step in the law is expected to be complete by August 5th.
A team of 21 experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency began an inspection of Korea's nuclear infrastructure on Sunday.
During which they will see only be permitted to see a bit of what exists, and after which absolutely nothing will change.
The agency will perform a comprehensive review of Korea's nuclear facilities and infrastructure and carry out regulatory checks at the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety in Daejeon until July 22.
Nuclear reactors in Gori and the Wolseong power plants and research reactors in Daejeon will be subject to investigation.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/12/2011 00:00 ||
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Rumors that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is suffering from dementia are spreading quickly across the isolated country. Reports say the leader is increasingly incoherent during his so-called on-the-spot guidance trips.
When Kim watched the 1960s propaganda play "Sanwoolim (Echo)" during an inspection of a military base in Kangwon Province recently, he reportedly described it as "a masterpiece that is bound to lead the revolution in the future." Party cadres were dumbfounded to hear him praise the old show as if he had never seen it before.
"Nurse! He's doing it again!"
Kim also reportedly had playwrights and stage actors come to Pyongyang. Having been eclipsed by film and TV for a long time, they are said to be more than grateful for the leader's sudden interest.
Kim then ordered the national theatre, which was built only two years ago, to be burned to the ground renovated because it is "too old and small."
Another indication that his grip is slipping was the establishment and subsequent disbandment of the Unhasu (Galaxy) Orchestra. Set up by Kim in October 2009 in celebration of the 64th anniversary of North Korea's Workers Party and to further the image of his son and heir Jong-un, the troupe turned up all events attended by the two Kims.
Orchestra members appeared to imitate Western pop stars with skimpy clothing and provocative dance moves.
Perhaps that was Sonny Boy's doing...
Kim then ordered two apartment buildings near Pyongyang Station to be built for them, and instructed officials to ensure uninterrupted supply of electricity and hot water -- making it the only apartment complex in Pyongyang to enjoy such unheard-of privileges.
That priority meant some high-ranking party cadres could not get electricity and hot water in their own apartments, leading to whispers among them that the Dear Leader seems to be out of his mind. Since June, at any rate, the troupe has been eaten disappeared from public view.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/12/2011 00:00 ||
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SREBRENICA, Bosnia: Thousands of grieving Bosnian Muslims on Monday buried hundreds of newly-identified victims of a notorious Balkan war massacre and expressed hope justice would finally be done now that Serb commander Ratko Mladic is on trial.
Survivors and relatives of the dead wept in scorching heat at the scene of the Srebrenica atrocity, where the remains of 613 Muslim men and boys shot and bulldozed into the earth by Bosnian Serb forces 16 years ago were being buried.
The bodies were only recently identified from mass graves.
Having him (Mladic) behind bars brings some comfort but the true relief will come only once I find the body of my 18-year-old son who was sent to death by Mladic, said Munira Subasic, a member of the Mothers of Srebrenica group.
Serb troops overran the eastern town, declared a United Nations safe haven, on July 11, 1995 and went on a week-long killing spree in nearby woods as a lightly-armed Dutch UN battalion protecting the town stepped aside.
Mladic was arrested in neighboring Serbia in May, after years in hiding, and handed over to the UN war crimes tribunal. He and his political master, Radovan Karadzic, are on trial for genocide over Srebrenica and the 43-month siege of Sarajevo. Both have denied all charges.
Subasic said she had begged Mladic to spare her son as his soldiers separated men from women, children and the elderly. He promised he would but did not keep the promise. I wish him a long life in prison to pay for this, she said.
Subasic said she hoped a legal case brought by Srebrenica survivors against the Dutch state, now before that countrys supreme court, would finally be resolved. This will be yet another step forward in our fight for the truth, she said.
An appeals court ruled last week that the Dutch state was responsible for the deaths in Srebrenica of three Bosnian men whose families had filed a legal case. If confirmed by the supreme court, the ruling paves the way for financial compensation and similar legal action from other Srebrenica survivors.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/12/2011 00:00 ||
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Texas Governor and possible presidential candidate Rick Perry (R) met Tuesday with former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to discuss the relationship between the US and Pakistani governments.
Perry did not directly criticize the federal decision to suspend a sizable portion of US aid to Pakistan, but he said he hoped the two governments could work their way through the conflicts and get "on the same page of the hymnbook." Yeargggh.
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan could pull back troops fighting Islamist militants near the Afghan border if the United States cuts off aid, the defense minister said on Tuesday in an interview with Pakistani media.
The United States Monday said it would hold back $800 million -- a third of nearly $2 billion in security aid to Pakistan -- in a show of displeasure over Pakistan's removal of U.S. military trainers, limits on visas for U.S. personnel and other bilateral irritants.
"If at all things become difficult, we will just get all our forces back," Defense Minister Ahmed Mukhtar said in an interview with the Express 24/7 television to be aired later on Tuesday. Do that. You don't control the region anyway. Pull your troops and let the rubes there declare the 'Islamic Republic of Wazoo'. We'll recognize it. Honest. For about a minute...
"If Americans refuse to give us money, then okay," he said. "I think the next step is that the government or the armed forces will be moving from the border areas. We cannot afford to keep military out in the mountains for such a long period." How is that smart diplomacy working out for us? And who here at Rantburg couldn't see this coming from 100 million light years away?
#4
That's right, morons. Get your guys out of the way so NATO troops can go in there and do what needs to be done. Don't go bitching about your sovereignty either.
#10
IIUC, IOW Pakistan is trying hard NOT to say they have no qualms about switching sides agz the US-NATO in favor Radical Islam, + letting Al-Qaeda + the Taliban, etal. MilTerrs just walk in + take over the Pak Govt, Army, Country + espec PAK's NUCLEAR ARSENAL.
Also read, PAK SUPPOR FOR JIHAD ["26/11's"] AGZ INDJUH = INDIA.
The U.S. has compiled a wide body of intelligence on the locations of militant training camps in Pakistan, but has been unable to persuade Islamabad to shut them down, current and former officials say.
A former senior administration official said the biggest concern is a network of camps in North Waziristan from which the Taliban and al Qaeda-linked groups train and recruit fighters, as well as build improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Some of the camps are associated with the Haqqani Network, an insurgent group that carries out attacks on NATO troops from its hide-outs in North Waziristan and which is widely believed to have links to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.
Persuading Pakistan to crack down in North Waziristan is taking on added importance. NATO plans in coming months to step up its counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistans Regional Command East or RC-East, as it is called after ridding the southern region around Kandahar of many Taliban safe havens.
The new war in the east could be hamstrung if the Taliban and al Qaeda-linked terrorist groups are allowed to simply cross back into North Waziristans safe havens.
#3
have the pakis ever been interetsed in closing these camps?
Posted by: chris ||
07/12/2011 20:13 Comments ||
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#4
not while they are useful in their "extended strategic hand" in Afghanistan and against India in J-K. We should bomb a few of these to let them know the game has changed
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/12/2011 20:41 Comments ||
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#5
FYI WAFF POSTER = argued that iff the US can't secure its own borders wid Mexico, how can it criticize + threaten Pakistan, a country wid limited resources than the US, for not doing enough wid the latter's own borders vee the Militants + Afghanistan? Ditto for so-called "HOMEGROWN TERROR" = rise in domestic Jihadis + calls for Sharia widin the US itself, as Pak's MADRASSAS continue to suppor Radical Islam = Local, Regional MilTerr Groups ala huge numbers of fighting manpower + continue to receive $$$ from US ally SAUDI ARABIA + OTHER ME COUNTRIES???
Hard to argue wid his points.
* ION DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > CHINA PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR PAKISTAN IN WAKE OF US MILITARY AID CUT.
* SAME > [Pak Mil, Intel Officials] US WANTED PERMANENT PRESENCE in [all of] PAKISTAN'S AIRBASES | PAKISTAN: REJECTION OF US DEMAND FOR PERMANENT PRESENCE ON PAK BASES LED TO AID CUT.
* DEFENCE FORUM INDIA [paraph]> WW2: CIA [OSS = predecessor] PLANNED JEWISH STATE IN INDIAN-HELD KASHMIR, RIFTS BETWEEN CHINA + ISLAMIC STATES FOR BENEFIT OF US + INDIA.
1944.
[BELUSHI + not-1944 "1941" Movie here].
* INDIAN DEFENCE FORUM > CANNOT GIVE PAKISTAN "BLANK CHEQUE", SAYS US [Deputy SecState for Mgt + Resources Thomas Nides].
#6
argued that iff the US can't secure its own borders wid Mexico, how can it criticize + threaten Pakistan, a country wid limited resources than the US,
Y'know, JosephM, if the jihadis that Pakistan can't/won't control only bothered their hosts, I would quite agree. Unfortunately, not only do they conduct jihad attacks against India, Britain, Scandanavia, and elsewhere, but they have attempted repeated attacks against the U.S., and the ISI -- a formal branch of the Pakistani army -- provides training, funding, materiel, planning, and even direct orders for some of the attacks, eg. the Mumbai attack.
The comparison isn't merely apples and oranges, but apples and Siberian tigers.
A large chunk (over a fifth) of the $20 billion the U.S. has given to Pakistan since September 11, 2001 has been stolen. Now the U.S. is holding back nearly a billion dollars in aid. The $800 million being withheld is largely for "reimbursements" for what the Pakistani military has spent to fight terror groups. Audits have revealed that this is where much of the theft takes place. So holding back this money will do the least harm to the Pakistani military effort (such as it is) and the most damage to the corrupt officers who steal American aid. Pakistani politicians are already upset that the $3 billion in American aid for the next year is mainly going to the military, and comes with strings (cut corruption, tax the rich, who often pay nothing at all). The U.S. is the largest aid donor, but all this pressure to attack Islamic radicals and stop diverting aid to private use is annoying to Pakistani officials. Ironically, when accused of corruption, Pakistanis react by denouncing Americans for attacking Pakistani honor. Meanwhile, Pakistani officials insist that negotiations continue with the United States. What is not said that these talks are basically about how much the U.S. will allow to be stolen, in return for how much effort Pakistani will actually, or pretend, to make against Islamic terror groups.
Pakistan's rulers are not concerned about how well they can run the country, but with how thoroughly they can plunder it. For example, Pakistan's government budget for next year has been set at $29.1 billion. A third of this is borrowed or gifts from foreign nations (mainly the U.S.). Pakistan is the second largest recipient of American foreign aid, but about a third of the annual aid is not being spent because no one honest enough to handle the aid can be found in Pakistan.
#2
Drop the $800 million in pennies from high-flying BUFFs over the Tribal Agencies. Let Pakistan dig it out of the ground there, after it's turned the area into a sieve. I don't know exactly what the terminal velocity of a penny is when released from 40,000 feet, but one dropped from the Empire State building is supposed to be capable of imbedding four feet into concrete.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/12/2011 17:12 Comments ||
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#3
naw..a penny - or any other falling body - will quickly reach terminal velocity no matter how high after that. the shape will want to slice through the air edge on but will flutter back and forth slowing the speed quite a lot. No doubt it would leave a mark on the concrete...but bury itself 4 ft. don't think so...if it did we'd use them like bunker busters.... ;)
#4
Warthog is correct - the "penny from the top of the Empire State Building meme is bad" The only way that works is ballistically shaped to reduce drag and flutter. I'm OK with that, in sufficiently large caliber
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/12/2011 21:01 Comments ||
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#5
Copper is too valuable to waste on these goblins, send weapons grade plutonium instead, properly packaged of course.
Posted by: Secret Asian Man ||
07/12/2011 21:13 Comments ||
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#6
Pakistan may be mostly pro-Saudi + pro-Sunni, + Islamist, but its just as ambitious as Shia Iran in wanting to be a "great power", to include Nuclear Superpower, + is willing to compete agz same to do so.
AGAIN, the GWOT is as much a INTER-MUSLIM STRUGGLE FOR POWER + INFLUENCE AS AGZ ANY + ALL NON-ISLAM.
"Jasmine" Uprisings in ME, North AFrica = ITS NOT JUST THE US-VS-RISING-CHINA ANYMORE.
Unlike Iran, PAK ALREADY HAS A RELIABLE, PRE-EXISTING NUCLEAR WEAPONS ARSENAL IN QUANTITY, which is what Radical Islam desires - NOT FOR AGZ THE US-WEST AT THIS TIME, BUT MORE AGZ RUSSIA, CHINA, + INDIA, ETC. EAST-SOUTH ASIAN STATES.
ISLAMABAD: The decision to suspend more than one-third of American military aid to Pakistan could end up hurting Washington more than Islamabad as the US seeks to navigate an end to the Afghan war and defeat Al Qaeda, former Pakistani officials and analysts warned on Monday.
Holding back the $800 million in aid is unlikely to pressure Pakistan to increase cooperation with the US and could strengthen those in the government who argue that Washington is a fickle ally who cant be trusted, they said.
If you still need the relationship, which clearly the United States does, then it really doesnt make sense to take action at this time because it leaves the United States with less, not more, influence with the Pakistani military, said Maleeha Lodhi, a former Pakistani ambassador to the US. Cooperation cannot be coerced by punitive actions, she said.
All that influence we bought sure has done a lot of good, hasn't it...
Despite billions of dollars in American aid since the attacks on September 11, 2001, the relationship has long been tense because of Pakistans unwillingness reluctance to target their partner Taliban terrorists militants on its territory who certainly allegedly stage cross-border attacks against NATO troops in Afghanistan.
The relationship took a nosedive on May 2 when US commandos staged a covert raid to kill Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad. The raid humiliated the Pakistani military, which ordered US trainers out of the country and reduced bilateral cooperation.
The lack of trainers means that planned US equipment cannot be put into service, which reduces some of the needed aid. Also, about $300 million from the trimmed aid was intended to reimburse Pakistan for the cost of deploying troops along the Afghan border.
But US officials claim that Pakistan has not lived up to pledges to uproot and disrupt Taliban militants and suspected Al Qaeda factions in the border region.
The sanctions left many Pakistanis with a sense that the US was only interested in a transactional relationship that it could abandon once its interests were served.
Pakistan army spokesman Maj Gen Abbas said that the military had received no official notice from the US that aid was being suspended. He also said that the loss of aid would have no effect on military operations against terrorists because they were being conducted with Pakistans own resources.
I think it hurts Washington more than it hurts Islamabad, said Lodhi, the former ambassador. Assistance is influence, and when you withhold it or suspend it, you deprive yourself of influence.
Sounds like we're beginning to harm them. Good. Cut all the funding. Let's hear how loudly they scream...
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/12/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Pre Sept. 11, 2001, Pakistan was imploding from sanctions and a cut off of aid for their 1998 nuke tests. Post Sept. 11, 2001: Laissez les bon temps rouler!
Pakis have so few thing to be proud of...their military has been the one institution which seemed to remain dependable, relatively efficient, and honest. The Paki middle class always felt it could rely on the Military when all else had failed.
Now without American technology and supply the whole world can be treated to a paki military with monkeyboy written all over it. And they didnt know that bin Laden was right there next to their Academy, right?
That's monkeyboy times ten. What makes it worse is the Paki military knows it about THEMSELVES.....and they look like goombah el Jeffe without a rumpstick.
Posted by: de Medici ||
07/12/2011 4:58 Comments ||
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#4
Buy $800 mil worth of JDAMS and start bombing the crap out of anybody who messes with us.
NEW DELHI: India, on Monday, welcomed the United States' decision to suspend $800 million worth of military aid to its archrival Pakistan.
"It is not desirable that this region had to be heavily armed by the US, which will upset the equilibrium in the region itself," External Affairs Minister SM Krishna said.
India has generally accepted US aid for funding anti-terrorism operations in Pakistan, but has expressed concern in the past that the weapons could be turned against it.
"The US must take note of the fact that we are working in a very committed manner to normalise our relations with Pakistan," Krishna told reporters in New Delhi.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/12/2011 00:00 ||
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Iraq wants to buy an initial squadron of American F16 fighter jets this year to help to guard against perceived threats from Iran and Syria after US forces leave, the head of the Iraqi Air Force said yesterday.
Lieutenant-General Anwar Ahmed said that he hoped to sign a contract for 18 F16s, manufactured by the technology company Lockheed Martin, as the centrepiece of billions of dollars that Iraq is expected to spend on arms in coming years. "This is very important to us," he said during a visit to Washington. "It is a priority."
He said that if funds were made available by the Iraqi parliament his goal was to acquire up to 96 F16s by 2020.
"We need this aircraft for defence of our country," General Ahmed said. He mentioned Iran as a potential threat along with Syria, which he said had been a gateway for terrorists who wanted to destabilise the Government of Nouri al-Maliki, the Prime Minister. If the deal is completed this year the first two Iraqi-piloted F16s would be patrolling the skies by 2012, he said. By that time all US armed forces are due to have left Iraq under a bilateral pact that was negotiated last year.
General Ahmed, 54, said that he met a US Air Force team in Baghdad on March 18 to discuss the purchase and held talks with Pentagon officials yesterday. He added that US officials supported Iraq's push to acquire the F16, which is one of the most advanced aircraft in the world.
Just don't let the Iranians get their hands on them.
#1
In my ignorance, this feels like ego and oil money burning holes in pockets to me. The little I know about the subject suggests that neither Iran nor Syria are capable of flying much in the way of fighter jets or anything else. Although I suppose having something pretty in Iraqi hangers would give Iran and Syria a good reason not to even try...
#2
1960's F-4s and Mig-23s still beat what Iraq currently has - nothing. 18 F-16s are a down payment to defend Iraq from air attack.
More interestingly, what will the US sell to frenemies when the F-16 goes out of production? Does the US really want them to have access to F-35 stealth technology? Even neo-caliphate wannabe Turkey should not be in the F-35 coalition.
#3
This is good for our economy. Let them spend the oil money on F16s. Its not like they will ever be worth a damn in the air. remember, Air to air and ground support is 80% pilot skills.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
07/12/2011 13:11 Comments ||
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#4
Eohippus, I think Lockheed has a nice little business of export F-16 production for a decade yet. It'll take a while to fulfill all the orders in the pipeline, and the plane is a proven design (proven by the USAF and the IAF, the best provers on the planet). Not sure when the F-35 will finally make production but it too will eventually go to the export market.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/12/2011 15:12 Comments ||
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#5
Not worth a damn is still better than the neighbors.
I was under the impression that the US was training new pilots, had rotary aircraft and fixed wing training aircraft, and something which would be like the old Bronco?
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: An Iraqi parliamentary delegation discussed in Rome, Italy, the expected visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Iraq.
In a statement issued by the Chairman of the Parliamentary Foreign Relations Commission, Sheikh Humam Hammoudi, as was received by Aswat al-Iraq, the delegation took part in the seminar held at the Italian parliament today (Monday) on the role of the parliament in facing social effects and national economic reform, as well as electronic parliament support in Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon.
Arrangements are being finalized for this visit to the historical city of Ur in southern Iraq, as stated by Iraqi ambassador to the Vatican, Habeeb al-Sadr.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/12/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Oh gawd, better upgrade the Popemobile, a heavy tank grade should do it.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/12/2011 7:47 Comments ||
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BETHLEHEM (Maan) -- Palestinians and international activists in Bethlehem on Sunday tried to force their way through a checkpoint separating the West Bank city from Jerusalem. Among the protesters were activists who were onboard the so-called "flytilla" that arrived Friday at Ben Gurion International Airport.
Israeli soldiers prevented protesters from accessing the area and threatening to shoot anyone who approached the checkpoint, one of the main terminals connecting the occupied West Bank with Jerusalem.
Lawmaker Mustafa Barghouthi demanded the release of the more than 100 activists still held by Israel over their involvement in the "flytilla."
"Israel has widened its circle of repression to include not only the Palestinians but [their] international supporters" as well, Barghouthi said.
Failed with Flotilla II, failed with Flytilla, failed with the Bethleham checkpoint challenge. It's quite sad. Pointing and laughing may make you feel better...
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The Hizb ut-Tahrir movement on Friday said the Palestinian Authority arrested 22 of its members after the pacifist Islamist group distributed a statement criticizing the government. The PA harshly beat those who were detained in Tulkarem, in the northern West Bank, the movement said in a statement calling on the government in Ramallah to release its supporters.
In early July, Palestinian security forces imposed restrictions on demonstrations organized by Hizb ut-Tahrir commemorating the 90th anniversary of the collapse of the Muslim caliphate.
The particular one they are referring to being the Ottoman empire. The Moroccan caliphate is doing just fine, with its king still claiming descent from Mohammed, while Pakistan was established to reincarnate the Moghul caliphate on a modern template -- and certainly has managed to mimic some of the worst features of its predecessor.
In Hebron, more than 20 people were injured after being violently beaten by security officers, the group said. Others suffered from tear gas inhalation during the dispersal of what was a peaceful demonstration.
Clearly they've forgotten how the Ottomans treated protestors.
Palestinian human rights groups condemned the government's use of force.
Palestinians have the right to peaceful assembly under the Basic Law and international human rights instruments, the Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights said at the time. The group said it strongly condemned the actions of the security forces to interfere with the movement's right to have public and private peaceful assemblies, and the use of force.
In response, PA security spokesman Adnan Ad-Dmeiri said at the time that forces did not open fire at any rallies, but the demonstrations were "chaotic and violated law in some cities." He added that the group created chaos "under the pretext of their right to expression."
A US human rights group has called on foreign governments to prosecute George W Bush and some of his senior officials for war crimes if the Obama administration fails to investigate a growing body of evidence against the former president over the use of torture.
The New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a report released on Tuesday that the US authorities were legally obliged to investigate the top echelons of the Bush administration over crimes such as torture, abduction and other mistreatment of prisoners. It says that the former administration's legal team was part of the conspiracy in preparing opinions authorizing abuses that they knew to have no standing in US or international law.
Besides Bush, HRW names his vice-president, Dick Cheney, the former defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, and the ex-CIA director, George Tenet, as likely to be guilty of authorizing torture and other crimes.
HRW says an investigation should also examine roles played by Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, and the then attorney general, John Ashcroft, and administration lawyers in crafting the legal justifications for torture.
http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=977
Entrusted with the task of defining the foregoing terms for the Open Society Institute, and for articulating the Institute's agendas from the outset, was Aryeh Neier, whom Soros appointed to serve as president not only of OSI, but of the entire Soros Foundation Network. Thirty-four years earlier, Neier had created the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), which became the largest and most important radical group of the 1960s. SDS aspired to overthrow America's democratic institutions, remake its government in a Marxist image, and undermine the nation's war efforts in Vietnam. (A particularly militant faction of SDS would later break away to form the Weather Underground, a notorious domestic terror organization with a Marxist-Leninist agenda.) Following his stint with SDS, Neier worked fifteen years for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)―including eight years as its national executive director. After that, he spent twelve years as executive director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), an organization he founded in 1978.
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.
CAIRO: Egypt's state news agency says a court has ordered the state-owned satellite operator Nilesat to take 14 Libyan TV stations off the air.
Rumors that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is suffering from dementia are spreading quickly across the isolated country. Reports say the leader is increasingly incoherent during his so-called on-the-spot guidance trips. 
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan could pull back troops fighting Islamist militants near the Afghan border if the United States cuts off aid, the defense minister said on Tuesday in an interview with Pakistani media.
NEW DELHI: India, on Monday, welcomed the United States' decision to suspend $800 million worth of military aid to its archrival Pakistan. 
Iraq wants to buy an initial squadron of American F16 fighter jets this year to help to guard against perceived threats from Iran and Syria after US forces leave, the head of the Iraqi Air Force said yesterday.
BETHLEHEM (Maan) -- Palestinians and international activists in Bethlehem on Sunday tried to force their way through a checkpoint separating the West Bank city from Jerusalem. Among the protesters were activists who were onboard the so-called "flytilla" that arrived Friday at Ben Gurion International Airport. 
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The Hizb ut-Tahrir movement on Friday said the Palestinian Authority arrested 22 of its members after the pacifist Islamist group distributed a statement criticizing the government. The PA harshly beat those who were detained in Tulkarem, in the northern West Bank, the movement said in a statement calling on the government in Ramallah to release its supporters. 
A US human rights group has called on foreign governments to prosecute George W Bush and some of his senior officials for war crimes if the Obama administration fails to investigate a growing body of evidence against the former president over the use of torture.
