Britain's most senior military officer has said the military move into southern Afghanistan was "amateurish" and "verging on the complacent" and accused ministers of failing to learn lessons from Iraq.
Gen Sir David Richards, the Chief of the Defence Staff, is also highly critical of Nato's command structure in Afghanistan, describing it in a new book as "disorganised and unhelpful".
He might have said the same thing about the Libyan operation...
His remarks highlight the infighting and political turmoil that surrounded Britain's military deployment to Afghanistan in the summer of 2006. Whitehall was caught off guard by the seriousness of the situation in Helmand province, where British troops were deployed in Nato's reconstruction programme.
Most Labour ministers supported the view of John Reid, the defence secretary at the time, that "we would be perfectly happy to leave in three years' time without firing one shot because our mission is to protect the reconstruction".
Intelligence assessments conducted in southern Afghanistan concluded that they would receive a hostile reception.
"It was the equivalent of moving another gang into the East End of London," one officer reported to London. "They [the Taliban] weren't going to like it." A detailed account of the military and political infighting during the deployment is in a new book by Sandy Gall, the ITN presenter who also runs a charity to provide Afghan victims of roadside bombs with artificial limbs.
In Gall's book, War Against the Taliban, Sir David says that the British military establishment was ill-prepared for the deployment of forces, despite its leading role in the overthrow of the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein three years previously.
He criticises the Ministry of Defence for not providing "sufficient troops to dominate the physical and human terrain" and the failure of the Foreign Office and the Department for International Development to provide adequate resources for reconstruction. He also describes attempts by London and Washington to get the Taliban to engage in political reconciliation as "woeful". Sir David also criticises the military establishment for being ill-prepared and with a "rather amateurish approach to high-level military operations verging on the complacent." He also tempers his remarks by arguing that the war in Afghanistan can still be won and expresses his "clear faith" that "the British Armed Forces are now handsomely proving that they have the ability to reform and adapt".
#3
Most Labour ministers supported the view of John Reid, the defence secretary at the time, that "we would be perfectly happy to leave in three years' time without firing one shot because our mission is to protect the reconstruction".
When you're up to your ass in alligators its hard to remember that your mission was to drain the swamp.
The Pentagon is rushing to send a large floating base for commando teams to the Middle East as tensions rise with Iran, al-Qaeda in Yemen and Somali pirates, among other threats.
Nawh, according to Debka we're just stuffing islands in the region with troops...
In response to requests from U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, the Navy is converting an aging warship it had planned to decommission into a makeshift staging base for the commandos. Unofficially dubbed a "mothership," the floating base could accommodate smaller high-speed boats and helicopters commonly used by Navy SEALs, procurement documents show. Stealth helicopters? Ospreys?
Special Operations forces are a key part of the Obama administration's strategy to make the military leaner and more agile as the Pentagon confronts at least $487 billion in spending cuts over the next decade.
Lt. Cmdr. Mike Kafka, a spokesman for the Navy's Fleet Forces Command, declined to elaborate on the floating base's purpose or to say where, exactly, it will be deployed in the Middle East. Other Navy officials acknowledged that they were moving with unusual haste to complete the conversion and send the mothership to the region by early summer.
Navy documents indicate that it could be headed to the Persian Gulf, where Iran has threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping route for much of the world's oil supply. A market survey proposal from the Military Sealift Command, dated Dec. 22 and posted online, states that the floating base needed to be delivered to the Persian Gulf.
Other contract documents do not specify a location but say the mothership would be used to "support mine countermeasure" missions. Defense officials have said that if Iran did attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz, it would rely on mines to obstruct the waterway.
With a large naval base in Bahrain, and one or two aircraft carrier groups usually assigned to the region, the Navy has a substantial presence in the Persian Gulf and surrounding waters. Adding the mothership would do relatively little to bolster U.S. maritime power overall, but it could play an instrumental role in secretive commando missions offshore.
The deployment of the floating base could also mark a return to maritime missions for SEAL teams, which for the past decade have spent most of their time on land in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Other details of the project became public Tuesday when the Military Sealift Command posted a bid request to retrofit the USS Ponce, an amphibious transport docking ship, on a rush-order basis.
Until December, the Navy had planned to retire the Ponce and decommission it in March after 41 years of service. Among other missions, it was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea last year in support of NATO's air war over Libya.
Instead, the ship will be modified into what the military terms an Afloat Forward Staging Base. Kafka said it would be used to support mine-clearance ships, smaller patrol ships and aircraft.
The documents posted by the Military Sealift Command in December, however, specify that the mothership will be rebuilt so that it can also serve as a docking station for several small high-speed boats and helicopters commonly used by Navy SEAL teams.
Among the vessels listed are Mark 5 Zodiacs, inflatable boats that can carry up to 15 passengers and can roll up into bags, and seven-meter-long Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats, which can carry an entire SEAL squad.
SEAL teams also deploy from regular warships, but most vessels in the Navy's fleet must patrol or move around on a regular basis. A mothership can stay in one spot for weeks or months, effectively serving as a floating base for commandos as they monitor coastal areas or prepare for amphibious operations.
The U.S. Special Operations Command has sought a transportable floating base for several years, saying that a mothership would expand the range of commando squads operating from small speedboats, particularly in remote coastal areas.
Defense officials said the Ponce will serve as a stopgap measure until the Navy can build a new Afloat Forward Staging Base from scratch. In budget documents released Thursday, the Pentagon said it would fund that project starting next year.
The floating base also could be suited to the coast of Somalia, a failed state that is home to an al-Qaeda affiliate and gangs of pirates. A mothership there would give SEALs or other commandos more flexibility in missions such as Wednesday's rescue of a pair of American and Danish hostages who had been held for months by Somali pirates.
U.S. military officials declined to say what prompted them to give the Ponce a sudden new lease on life. But contract and bidding documents underscore the urgency of the project.
One no-bid contract for engineering work states that the military was waiving normal procurement rules because any delay presented a "national security risk." Other contract bids are due Feb. 3. The Navy wants the conversion work to begin 10 days later on the Ponce, which is docked in Virginia Beach.
#1
On the surface this seems like a good idea, but it has an unusual 'urgency' for anything military or government. So, either there is a real but unspoken urgency (and something's about to pop) or it's yet another way to direct taxpayer dollars to Friends of Obama (no-bid contracts are perfectly suited for that.)
#3
Here are the specs for the Ponce as originally designed:
Boats and landing
craft carried:
1 × LCAC, or
1 × LCU, or
4 × LCM-8, or
9 × LCM-6, or
24 × AAV
Complement:
24 officers, 396 enlisted,
+900 marines
Armament:
2 × 25 mm Mk 38 guns
2 × Phalanx CIWS
8 × .50-calibre machine guns
Aircraft carried:
Up to 6 CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
01/28/2012 10:02 Comments ||
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#4
I guess I'm wondering two things:
First, given the age of the Ponce, this is clearly a stop-gap measure. Fine, but the need seems clear. This is the sort of ship that works to fill the need (and then some), so is the plan to re-purpose one of the new San Antonio class ships current under construction?
Second, a mothership is pretty visible. Having Ponce in the neighborhood rather announces "HERE BE SEALS". Wouldn't it be better to deliver the SEAL teams on ships (be it an LPD, a destroyer, whatever) as needed?
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/28/2012 11:12 Comments ||
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#5
Steve, I doubt the Ponce will be alone. Yes, people may know that there are SEALs aboard, but getting to her won't be easy. They would have to get through the other escort ships first.
Just like a carrier almost never travels alone in hostile waters.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
01/28/2012 11:57 Comments ||
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#6
Appreciate that Rambler, but I'm wondering if the idea is to have Ponce in a region where few other assets are present. That might be a problem; I'm sure SEALS and the personnel aboard ship can fend for themselves, but a committed enemy with some larger assets could make life difficult.
Plus, the whole idea of a highly visible mothership for a clandestine group of warriors is a bit suspect. HERE BE SEALS is a problem if you want SEALS to slip in and out without the bad guys knowing that you're in the neighborhood.
I'm not mil/ex-mil so I don't know all the issues. A mothership for support sounds good. But I don't like the advertising.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/28/2012 15:03 Comments ||
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#7
Steve, there are several possibilities here. The SEALs could use the Ponce as a floating base, so they can be nearer to their target than, say, Qatar or Diego Garcia. Then, when they went on a mission, they would go on their delivery vessel of choice (ship, helicopter, sub, ...).
Another possibility that this is misdirection, so the Ponce will just float around, with nobody but ship's company on board. The SEALs will be elsewhere.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
01/28/2012 16:08 Comments ||
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#8
I see it as something the Mullahs should be concerned about.
#9
I doubt SEALS are going to be aboard the Ponce much at all, Yemen is getting too exciting too quickly. I suspect those types of assets will be at sea as little as necessary.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/28/2012 19:25 Comments ||
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#10
SEALS will also be aboard fishing dhows, airliners, shooting stars, and large clouds. Iran, prepare accordingly
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/28/2012 23:15 Comments ||
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#11
Besides minefields + anarchies widin the smaller Gulf States, there is also the threat from LR TacMiss + Armed Speedboats + Mini-Subs being deployed from converted Oil-Gas Rigs close to the major shipping lanes.
Iff Iran hopes to prevent a repeat of OPER PRAYING MANTIS, it will have to confront US CVNS + BGS in the Sea of Oman + beyond.
* FYI TOPIX > CHINESE SUB FLEET ON HIGH ALERT IN SOUTH CHINA SEA.
Not becuz of US-Iran situation in the Gulf, but the BFF China's PLAN is there iff Iran + IRGC can harness 'em to their side.
[Yemen Post] Yemen Human Rights Minister Hooria Mashhoor has said she seeks to shut down private custodies run by some officials and tribal leaders, stressing that the existence of such custodies contradicts Yemen laws and international conventions.
But where are they then to keep their foreign kidnappees while the ransom is being negotiated?
Mashhoor affirmed that human rights ...which often include carefully measured allowances of freedom at the convenience of the state... are subjected to violations in Yemen, pointing out that there are a lot of intractable challenges as a result of the lack to the rule of law and fair judiciary.
In an interview with the state-run 26 September newspaper, she made reference to the existence of a big gap between laws and their application on the ground.
She further revealed that Human Rights Ministry would be shifted to an independent supreme authority which enjoys impartiality.
"Probes about killing of protesters in Sana'a, Taiz and Abyan require transparency and fair justice system," she added.
"The cut of electricity, water and the rising of oil derivatives are serious violations to human rights which amount to crimes against humanity and those responsible for them must be brought to justice."
She highly appreciated the Yemeni women, pointing out that they positively take part in the Yemeni current revolution, expecting that they would be more empowered in the up-coming stage.
Mashhoor has vowed to release all political prisoners held in security forces.
Yemeni human rights groups had stated that hundreds of protesters are being jugged and brutally tortured inside military camps affiliated to the outgoing President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it... The exact number of detainees being held by the authorities is unknown, but activists say that it could be as high as 1,400.
Yemeni activists had urged all international human rights organizations to press on the Yemeni regime to release all detainees and hold the perpetrators accountable.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2012 00:00 ||
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[Yemen Post] US said on Wednesday that President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it... is still the legitimate President of Yemen and that he will enjoy the treatment of a head of state.
"Saleh is still the legitimate Yemeni President and he enjoys full immunity like any other leader until his successor officially comes in office," Victoria Noland, US Secretary of State's spokesperson, replied to a question posed by a journalist about whether Saleh would have a treatment as a head of state.
Washington pressed Saleh into signing the GCC crafted deal, under which he transferred all his executive powers to Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, the sole candidate for the upcoming Presidential elections due to take place on February21, in exchange for immunity from prosecution.
Saleh is a vital ally in the region of Washington in its war against terrorism.
American officials have asked Saleh not to seek asylum in US, saying they will only accept his offer for medical treatment, according to American news agencies.
Sultanate of Oman announced that Saleh left Musket On Wednesday for USA and that during his 4 days visit in the country he has not met with any Omani official.
Saleh sought asylum in Oman but his Gulf neighbor was still hesitant regarding his offer for fear that would be detrimental to any future relationship with Yemen, Rooters reported citing unidentified diplomats.
The outgoing President has left Yemen for USA for further medical treatment from wounds sustained in an liquidation attempt early in June.
Saleh exhausted every trick in the book to cling to power before realizing and was over for him and singing the GCC brokered deal.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2012 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Stern action would be taken if the ongoing investigation finds involvement of any political leader in the recent plot to overthrow the government, said Mahbubul Alam Hanif, joint general secretary of ruling Awami League, yesterday.
"Apart from the disgruntled army officers, the investigation will also expose the politicians who instigated the scheme," he said.
Hanif, also a special assistant to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was speaking at a discussion organised by Bangabandhu Sangskritik Jote at Shilpakala Academy marking the 7th death anniversary of former finance minister Shah AMS Kibria.
"Action would be taken so that no political leader would dare to snatch power in future using the army," he said.
The AL joint general secretary pointed out that three months ago, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia Three-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ... had threatened to oust the government by last December and the chaos in the military also occurred in that very month.
He asked whether Khaleda had known about the plot all through, as her speech and the foiled scheme exhibit a mysterious connection. The investigation would find out who provided money from London and engineered the plot, he added.
Hanif termed BNP's rally in the capital tomorrow an ill motive to create chaos. Talking to The Daily Star, he said law enforcers would take appropriate measures to keep normality in public life.
On the trial of Kibria killing case, State Minister for Law Quamrul Islam, who was also present at the discussion, said further investigation is going on. He hoped that the real culprits would be found out and their trial would be held.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2012 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Ishraq Ahmed, a non-resident Bangladeshi accused of involvement in plotting the recent coup attempt foiled by the army, has said he and "other nationalists" are trying to oppose Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's "letting Bangladesh be 'turned into a Bantustan' run by India".
His remarks came in an article in The Economist's January 28 issue. The British weekly newspaper spoke to Ishraq, who is currently holed up abroad, for its story on the failed plot, which the army said was meant to overthrow the government.
In the report, titled "Politics in Bangladesh; Turbulent house", Ishraq "concedes that the tossed in the clink men are his friends, but denies religious extremism".
The article read, "He [Ishraq] says he fought 'with great responsibility' for Bangladesh's independence. Now he and other nationalists are merely trying to oppose what they see as a coup-by-stealth by Sheikh Hasina, who is letting Bangladesh be 'turned into a Bantustan' run by India."
(According to Wikipedia, a Bantustan used to be a territory set aside for black inhabitants of South Africa as part of the policy of apartheid.)
At a rare press briefing in Dhaka on January 19, the army said it had thwarted an attempt to topple the government. It claimed that some religious fanatics, mostly mid-ranking officers and their retired colleagues, were involved in the bid.
"At the instigation of some non-resident Bangladeshis, the schemers wanted to disrupt democracy by creating anarchy in the army, cashing in on religious fervours of others," the force added.
Two retired officers -- Lt Col Ehsan Yusuf and Major Zakir -- have been tossed in the clink in connection with the plot and are now being interrogated. Another alleged plotter, a serving major named Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haque alias Major Zia, is on the run.
According to a statement read out at the briefing, some "undisciplined and disgruntled officers" had been involved in the attempt to execute the scheme by staying in contact with Major Zia by email and mobile phone. It added that Zia was relentless in his efforts to influence the officers into executing the plan on January 10.
On the same day, Zia called Ishraq and discussed the "developments and execution process of the coup", the army statement continued. "Zia also told Ishraq to ask local and international media to telecast and publish reports on the coup."
At the briefing, the army could not provide the whereabouts of Ishraq but said he was possibly living in Hong Kong.
It also said high government officials had already taken measures to locate Ishraq.
The Economist article did not mention the name of the country or the place where Ishraq might be living at this moment.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2012 00:00 ||
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The Dutch minority government plans to ban Muslim face veils such as burqas and other forms of clothing that cover the face from next year. The ban would make the Netherlands, where 1 million out of 17 million people are Muslim, the second European Union country to ban the burqa after France, and would apply to face-covering veils if they were worn in public.
"People should be able to look at each other's faces and recognize each other when they meet," the interior affairs ministry said in a statement Friday.
We should at least be able to recognize the encountered as a human being...
The ban will also apply to balaclavas and motorcycle helmets when worn in inappropriate places, such as inside a store, Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Verhagen told reporters, denying that this was a ban on religious clothing.
Geert Wilders' anti-Islam Freedom Party (PVV), which helps give the Liberal-Christian Democrat coalition a majority in parliament, has set considerable political store on getting the so-called burqa ban passed into law.
Few Muslim women in the Netherlands wear the Arabic-style niqabs which leave the eyes uncovered and Afghan-style burqas that cover the face with a cloth grid. Academics estimate the numbers at between 100 and 400, whereas Muslim headscarves which leave the face exposed are far more common.
The coalition has agreed to submit a new law to parliament next week stipulating that offenders would be fined up to 390 euros ($510), the ministry said.
GRAFENWÖHR, Germany -- Two Army heavy brigades based in Germany will return to the United States as part of the new defense posture in Europe, the Department of Defense confirmed Thursday.
The move will send the 172nd Separate Infantry Brigade, based out of Grafenwöhr and Schweinfurt, and the Baumholder-based 170th Infantry Brigade, back to the States.
Yet the expectation that one, or possibly both, brigades might leave Grafenwöhr has generated hand-wringing in neighboring German communities, where economies depend heavily on the garrison. And cheers in US communities where they would very much like to benefit from money spent by those same units.
I remember the Germans being very upset in the mid-nineties as the reality of the oh-so-desired downsize hit (literally) home. If I recall correctly, our house rented for about 50% less to the next tenant after we left the Frankfurt area, and the owner subsequently sold what had been intended to be their retirement home -- they were from Zurich, so to them German house prices actually had looked like a reasonable investment.
Posted by: Mike Ramsey ||
01/28/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
Dare the FRANCO-GERMAN BRIGADE = future FRANCO-GERMAN-RUSSIAN BRIGADE [etal.]???
#2
When it was announced that the US was going to be leaving Germany, the Germans, to their horror, quickly calculated that these Americans were a big chunk of their economy.
Therefore, they pleaded with the US to not pull out all at once, or it would be an economic disaster.
#3
There is no reason to subsidize first world countries with military welfare. Should have pull out when the wall came down - mission accomplished, instead old interests and institutional inertia has thrown money down the drain just as much as failed green programs at home.
#4
US military units are no longer in Germany to protect Germany, but because this presence suits US strategic purposes.
US troops enjoy the benefits of a perfect infrastructure, friendly locals and much more. They do not "subsidize" anything.
Of course withdrawals will affect local communities which have enjoyed US presence for half a century, but on a national level the economic impact would be minimal.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
01/28/2012 10:22 Comments ||
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#5
US military units are no longer in Germany to protect Germany, but because this presence suits US strategic purposes.
Please elaborate, this needs to be mentioned every time US military forces in Europe are described.
#6
If I recall correctly, our house rented for about 50% less to the next tenant after we left the Frankfurt area "Supply and demand" once again strikes back!
#7
I too would like to know what the "strategic purposes" are for keeping US infantry brigades in Germany. I sure as heck can't find any, not today.
The EU is a first-world nation. It has a larger population than the U.S. It has wealth. If it needs an army, raise one.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/28/2012 11:17 Comments ||
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#8
European Conservative has a valid point. Frankfurt to any point in the middle east is a lot shorter than (pick a base in any of the 50 states) to the middle east. Russia under Putin is not a friend to the west and deterrence is still a good thing.
Still, the EU can do more to shore up its own defense. Libya caused problems? What if that had been Putin's armies pouring across the Fulda Gap? OK, not now. But in 20 years?
Posted by: Mike Ramsey ||
01/28/2012 11:48 Comments ||
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#9
...you know if we didn't have those 'Frankfurt' type installations it would have effected decisions about getting involved in the ME to the degree we have.
#12
They are not coming home, so much as they are being transferred then likely cut - there is a plan to cut 8 brigades over the next decade, I think I just found the first and Second ones to be cut.
#13
Personally my extended family has enjoyed excellent relations with U.S. troops in Germany, and we maintain high level contacts as well.
I won't go into any details here but you'd be amazed to learn about the amount of planning and coordination that is done from German soil.
Infrastructure in Germany is well established and you won't find any better bases closer to the ME.
How many troops you actually want to keep here is entirely your business and requirements may change but their presence have little or nothing to do with defending Germany from Russia or supporting local economies.
Even if Russia could, they'd have zero interest in a military conflict with Europe. They will have their hands full with keeping the Chinese out and the Islamists down.
Personally I believe that the U.S. will come to regret Obama's defense cuts.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
01/28/2012 15:49 Comments ||
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#14
"Personally I believe that the U.S. will has come to regret Obama's defense cuts."
FTFY, EC. No charge.
Posted by: Barbara ||
01/28/2012 15:51 Comments ||
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#15
Of course no charge Barbara. Blinding obvious.
That said I'm not thrilled with the current selection of Republican candidates.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
01/28/2012 15:53 Comments ||
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#16
I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Germany - it felt like "Home" in Bad Tolz, Munich, Augsburg and Nurberg. Graf sucked, but then again its because were tactical there, never really got a chance to get off base. They should move the 2nd Cav to Graf permanently - after all it was the "Constabulary" unit that controlled and patrolled most of post-war Germany, and has a long history there. Its also highly deploy able, since its a Stryker Brigade. That should be sufficient - plus being based at Graf means it can remain highly trained, as well as hosting other units that pass through there for training.
#17
You go to the election with the candidates you've got, European Conservative. The next generation has not yet got the experience they need to take n the responsibility. The next several presidential elections should be more pleasing to us all.
#18
Loved my time in Babenhausen. Small knit community, Volks-Fests and Marches, Oktoberfest, 30 minutes from Frankfurt. Watch the wall fall. A wonderful Four years.
#19
What the youngins don't recall is that in 1973 the US was denied landing rights by the Euros in resupply the Israelis. Only Portugal, then a dictatorship [the revolution would come the next year], permitted American aircraft the ability to get to their destination. The more recent example of Turkey also denying passage of troops to the northern flank of the UN authorized response to Saddam's Iraq should remind everyone that even though you have treaties, troops and resources, they might as well be locked up if the locals don't support your actions. They get a veto.
Leon Panetta, the US defence secretary, has acknowledged publicly for the first time that a Pakistani doctor provided vital information to the US in advance of the successful Navy SEAL assault on Osama bin Laden's compound last May.
He has also expressed concern about Pakistan's treatment of the doctor, Shikal Afridi, who has been arrested and charged with treason by the Pakistani government.
In an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes programme due to be aired on Sunday, Panetta acknowledged that Afridi, a Pakistani doctor in Abbottabad, the town where bin Laden was found, had in fact been working for US intelligence, collecting DNA to verify bin Laden's presence.
US Navy SEALs killed bin Laden - the mastermind of the September 11, 2001, attacks in the US - on May 2 in a raid on a compound in Abbottabad, north of the Pakistani capital Islamabad, and later buried him at sea.
"I'm very concerned about what the Pakistanis did with this individual ... who in fact helped provide intelligence that was very helpful with regards to this operation," Panetta said, according to excerpts of the interview.
"He was not in any way treasonous towards Pakistan. Pakistan and the United States have a common cause here against terrorism ... and for them to take this kind of action against somebody who was helping to go after terrorism, I just think is a real mistake on their part." Riiiiiight ....
Panetta said he still believed someone in authority in Pakistan knew where bin Laden was hiding before US forces went in to find him.
Intelligence reports found that Pakistani military helicopters had passed over the compound in Abbottabad, according to the CBS interview.
"I personally have always felt that somebody must have had some sense of what was happening at this compound," Panetta said. "Don't forget, this compound had 18-foot walls ... It was the largest compound in the area.
"So you would have thought that somebody would have asked the question, 'What the hell's going on there?'"
Panetta said this concern contributed to the Obama administration's decision not to give Pakistan advance warning of the impending raid.
"It concerned us that if we in fact brought [Pakistan] into it, that, they might ... give bin Laden a heads up," he said.
Panetta acknowledged he did not have "hard evidence" that Pakistan knew of bin Laden's whereabouts.
[Dawn] Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...Assembly of Islamic Clergy, or JUI, is a Pak Deobandi (Hanafi) political party. There are two main branches, one led by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, and one led by Maulana Samiul Haq. Fazl is active in Pak politix and Sami spends more time running his madrassah. Both branches sponsor branches of the Taliban, though with plausible deniability... -Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ... on Friday said his party had the best manifesto for making Pakistain an Islamic welfare state where equal social and economic rights would be ensured for all.
Addressing the "Islam Zindabad" conference in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It may be the largest city in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... , Fazl said that JUI-F would bring an economic revolution by pursuing Islamic economic principles, as the country requires a robust economy to progress.
Fazl said that Islamic economic system was gaining popularity in the world including the Unites States and Europe.
The JUI has been and would be working for the supremacy of Islam, he said.
Underlining the need for the correct use of resources, he said JUI would ensure economic and political stability for the welfare of the common man.
The JUI-F chief also said that his party would be campaigning for the rule of the masses, and that honest people would replace "landlords".
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
I wouldn't brag about it.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/28/2012 0:34 Comments ||
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#2
Pakistan doesn't have enough dhimmis to make this possible.
#3
All things to flow through the Imams to be redistributed to the people according to Allan's will. Of course 10% will be withheld to cover shipping and handling.
[Dawn] President Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari ... sticky-fingered husband of the late Benazir Bhutto ... on Friday vowed that Pakistain People's Party (PPP) will foil all conspiracies against democracy, DawnNews reported.
He was speaking after balloting of Wasila-i- Haq Sindh Programme launched by the co-chairman of the party Bilawal Bhutto under which Rs 12 billion will be distributed among 35,000 youths of the province to begin their own businesses.
"If PPP-led coalition government was allowed to complete its term, it will change fate of people through its welfare programmes," said the president.
The president declared that PPP was determined to transform the fate of Pakistain by foiling all conspiracies against democracy.
"We will give a safe and secure Pakistain to our future generations. We have set directions in every sphere of life especially the economy," said the president.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2012 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[Dawn] Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfandyar Wali Khan on Thursday asked the homegrown Taliban to renounce violence in the 'country's larger interest' but warned that nobody would be allowed to challenge the state's writ.
"I am ready to sacrifice even my life if that is required for peace in the region but no one or group will be allowed to disrupt peace. Being the followers of Bacha Khan, we want peace and brotherhood. Peace is our manifesto and therefore, we appeal to Taliban to shun violence in the larger interest of the nation and accept government's writ," he told a public meeting organised at Shah Tehmas Football Stadium to mark death anniversaries of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Abdul Wali Khan.
Bacha Khan died on Jan 20, 1988 and was buried in Afghan city of Jalalabad in line with his will, while his son Khan Abdul Wali Khan died January 26, 2006 and is buried in Wali Bagh, Charsadda district.
The public meeting is considered part of the ongoing ANP campaign to prepare itself for the next general elections.
The ANP leader had been avoiding addressing public meetings since October 2008 when he survived an attempt on his life by a jacket wallah in his native Charsadda town.
Wearing red caps and carrying banners and party flags, ANP workers showed up in large numbers and kept shouting slogans during the function. Mr Asfandyar said ANP was harbinger of peace and truly believed in philosophy of non-violence and therefore asked gunnies to surrender and negotiate.
He said the federal government would soon name the Beautiful Downtown Peshawar International Airport after Bacha Khan as a mark of respect to the great freedom fighter of the subcontinent.
"We will never support any act against the Constitution as we have opted for rule of law. The government will complete its tenure," he said.
The ANP chief said his party had fulfilled almost all its election promises and that the renaming of the province as Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... , grant of autonomy to the province and end to Kalabagh Dam construction was great achievements. He said parliament was the supreme institution as it represented the people of the country and that ANP wanted all national institutions to function within their jurisdictions and avoid encroachment on one another's legal right as unconstitutional steps could destabilise the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2012 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
Sign o' weakness. The Taliban response will likely be violent.
[Dawn] Pakistain's former president Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... has delayed his return home, the head of his party announced Friday after repeated threats by the country's leadership that the ex-strongman would be nabbed upon arrival.
"He finally decided today that he would accept the recommendations" of the executive committee of the All Pakistain Mohammedan League party to delay his return, party secretary general Mohammed Ali Saif told news hounds.
"This decision (of returning) will be deliberated by the core committee of the party," he said.
Friends and supporters had urged Musharraf to put off an imminent homecoming after Islamabad said he would be nabbed if he returned from more than three years of self-imposed exile in London and Dubai.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2012 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[Dawn] Pakistain's former president Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... will "certainly" be placed in long-term storage if he returns to Pakistain, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani ... Pakistain's erstwhile current prime minister, whose occasional feats of mental gymnastics can be awe-inspiring ... said Friday.
"In fact there had been murder charges against him, and there had even been some very grave charges against him, and the Supreme Court had already given a verdict against him," Gilani told CNN from the Global Economic Forum in Davos.
"Certainly when he'll come back, he has to face those charges and certainly be placed in long-term storage," he said.
Musharraf announced plans to return from exile in late January and to run in upcoming elections, but his party said he was reassessing those plans when the government warned that if he returned, he faced arrest.
Pakistain's upper house of Parliament Senate passed a non-binding resolution early this week demanding Musharraf be placed in long-term storage and tried for treason for unconstitutional acts during his regime. The charges against him are in connection with 2007 liquidation of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ... 11th Prime Minister of Pakistain in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996. She was the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founder of the Pakistain People's Party, who was murdered at the instigation of General Ayub Khan. She was murdered in her turn by person or persons unknown while campaigning in late 2007. Suspects include, to note just a few, Baitullah Mehsud, General Pervez Musharraf, the ISI, al-Qaeda in Pakistain, and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, who shows remarkably little curiosity about who done her in...
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2012 00:00 ||
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Senior United Nations nuclear inspectors headed to Tehran on Saturday to press Iranian officials to address suspicions that the Islamic state is seeking atomic weapons.
Oh sure, the Iranians will come clean now, why wouldn't they?
The U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency hopes Iran, which has indicated readiness to discuss the issue for the first time since 2008, will end years of stonewalling on intelligence pointing to an intention to develop nuclear arms technology.
Hope is not a plan...
"We are trying ... to resolve all the outstanding issues with Iran, in particular we hope that Iran will engage with us on our concerns regarding the possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear program," IAEA Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts told reporters as he prepared to depart from Vienna airport.
But Western diplomats, who have often accused Iran of using such offers of dialogue as a stalling tactic while it presses ahead with its nuclear program, say they doubt Tehran will show the kind of concrete cooperation the IAEA wants.
Optimists...
They say Iran may offer limited concessions and transparency in an attempt to ease intensifying international pressure on the country, a major oil producer, but that this is unlikely to amount to the full cooperation that is required.
The outcome could determine whether Iran will face further international isolation, or whether there are prospects for resuming wider talks between Tehran and the major powers on the nuclear dispute that has sparked fears of war.
US "Mass Ordnance Penetrators" fail initial testing, doubtful if they can take out underground, reinforced facilities, according to Wall Street Journal report; Pentagon asks congress to fund upgrade program. Really? Let's try it and see...
Even the heaviest US bombs are not powerful enough to destroy some of Iran's more fortified nuclear facilities, the Wall Street Journal quoted US officials as saying Friday. The Pentagon is taking steps to improve its "bunker-busting" capabilities, they added.
The US's 30,000-pound (13,600 kilo) "Mass Ordnance Penetrator" (MOP) was specifically designed to be able to take out Iranian and North Korean nuclear facilities. According to the report, initial tests indicated that the bomb would be incapable of performing these tasks, either because of the depth of the facilities or their recent reinforcement.
The Journal said that the MOP's test failure prompted a secret funding request by the Pentagon to US congress, seeking to enhance the bomb's capabilities. The US Defense Department has already spent approximately $330 million so far to develop about 20 of the bombs. The Pentagon is seeking an additional $82 million for upgrading purposes, according to government officials briefed on the plan.
#1
park a tac nuke likeone of the old nuke artillery shells, 1-5kt in the thing - penetratin does its stuff, gets the waarhead in deep, tac nuke does the rest. Bet that will take out any targets, and bonus: the nudet is undereground, nice and clean.
#2
rumors are that those things 'do not exist' OS. ;)
Posted by: abu do you love ||
01/28/2012 4:04 Comments ||
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#3
I read once that Irans nuclear facilities are covered by 30 ft. of reinforced concrete. The question in my mind is not how do you blow a hole in ceiling, but rather how do you apply enough lateral force to the supporting structure to bring the ceiling down to floor level.
#4
I also understand that they have all kinds of different layers of rubble and reinforcing concrete to act like a big mattress on top to protect the facilities below. Sounds like a tough nut to crack.
Is it possible that these MOPs could penetrate too far? Then a nuke could literally pop the bunker clean out of the ground!
#5
Reagan 'encouraged' the Soviet Union to spend itself into collapse; is Iran spending itself into similar collapse with this nuclear program? Will they respond similarly as their economy approaches meltdown? Or will they launch a war, like Germany did? Against who? Join with the also-faltering Assad and attack Israel to divert the attention of their peoples to a different opponent?
#6
multiple drops....first gives a nice little penetration...then keep filling the hole
Posted by: dan ||
01/28/2012 7:39 Comments ||
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#7
Multiple drops only work if you can excavate the rubble, which otherwise acts as a shock absorber for subsequent hits. Can it be done? Maybe, if you have near-perfect control of timing and shock wave shape, and knowledge of the detailed mechanical properties of your target.
#11
There are other options to deal with bunkers:
Have someone walk in with a suitcase nuke.
Surround the joint, change air to gas, flood the hole with poison...
Make the entire area so radioactive that the bunker becomes a ghosts town...
#16
Angupe,
I agree and BTW, its called the small diameter bomb. I am thinking "Yucca mountain".
Posted by: Mike Ramsey ||
01/28/2012 11:53 Comments ||
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#17
Remove all the support infrastructure on the surface. Dresden style. No power or water into the facility, no people alive to go to work, nothing. In fact, taking out every single power generating plant in Iran would solve the problem as well. No electricity for anything and they get to live the 7th century dream all over again.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
01/28/2012 12:15 Comments ||
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#18
I like your thinking, CF....
Posted by: Barbara ||
01/28/2012 12:59 Comments ||
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#19
Then use two of them.
Posted by: Cincinnatus Chili ||
01/28/2012 13:42 Comments ||
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#20
Sealing up the entrances and vents is the key. Smaller he fires could do it on the cheap. The plant will become a silent tomb.
Posted by: 49 pan ||
01/28/2012 14:26 Comments ||
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#21
He'll fires, sorry for the misspell.
Posted by: 49 pan ||
01/28/2012 14:27 Comments ||
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#22
exactly the scenario in the last Stephen Coonts Jake Grafton/Tommy Carmellini book the Disciple. A great read. If you order it thru Amazon, do it via Fred's link and he gets some of the swag
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/28/2012 15:36 Comments ||
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[An Nahar] Soddy Arabia will recognize the Syrian National Council as the "official representative" of the Syrian people, a senior member of the opposition group said in remarks published on Friday.
"Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal told an SNC delegation he met in Cairo last week the kingdom will recognize the Council as the official representative of the Syrian people," SNC executive council member Ahmad Ramadan told Kuwait's al-Rai newspaper.
He did not say when Riyadh will make the move or whether it will be joined by its five partners in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) which this week announced that it was following Soddy Arabia's lead in pulling out its representatives from a widely criticized Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... observer mission to Syria.
Ramadan, who attended the meeting, quoted Prince Saud as saying that Arab governments are convinced that it was the Syrian government that caused the observer mission to fail.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2012 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
#1
About time---after all they are Saudi employees.
[An Nahar] European and Arab nations on Friday circulated a new draft resolution on Syria at the U.N. Security Council calling for backing for an Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... plan under which Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Supressor of the Damascenes... would have to stand down.
Morocco presented a draft resolution to the 15-nation body -- drawn up by Arab states with Britannia, La Belle France and Germany -- that seeks to end months of U.N. deadlock over Syria.
Russia and China vetoed a previous European resolution in October, accusing the West of seeking regime change.
"I think we have the chance today to open a new chapter on Syria," said Germany's UN ambassador Peter Wittig as he entered Friday's talks.
The draft, which still faces days of talks amid doubts from Russia and its allies, says the council "fully supports" an Arab League plan released last weekend under which Assad would hand over powers to a deputy so that new elections can be held.
The text "encourages" all states to follow sanctions imposed by the vaporous Arab League against Syria in November, but contains no mandatory action.
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said earlier in Moscow that his country would not support any measure which orders Assad to leave office, Russian media reported.
Diplomats said they hoped for a vote within days. Official talks on the resolution are only expected to start on Monday however. Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi and Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani are to brief the council Tuesday about the Syria plan.
Earlier on Friday, Gatilov said Russia would not support any Security Council resolution calling on Assad to go, warning that an early vote on a new Western-backed text was doomed to failure.
"We cannot support any U.N. resolution calling for the support of Assad's resignation," Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told Russian news agency Interfax, adding that a quick vote on the Western-Arab draft was "destined for failure".
The new draft contains strong backing to an Arab League initiative for ending a crisis that the United Nations ...aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society... estimates has claimed more than 5,400 lives.
Nations behind the measures -- which besides Britannia, La Belle France, Germany include Arab nations such as Morocco and Qatar -- have been pushing for a U.N. Security Council vote next week.
Gatilov said a quick vote "was destined to failure because we have already clearly expressed our position, as have our Chinese partners."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
The UN is a debating society. Put together a coalition of the willing and dispatch pencilneck.
Posted by: Mike Ramsey ||
01/28/2012 10:30 Comments ||
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#2
I've never figured out the Soviets and Pencilneck's family. They've been tight at the hip since the early 50s.
Posted by: Water Modem ||
01/28/2012 20:57 Comments ||
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[Iran Press TV] Britannia's Stop the War Coalition has organized a protest rally in front of the US embassy in London on Saturday 28 January to stress opposition to an invasion on Iran.
The protest rally entitled "Hands Off Iran and Syria: No Western intervention", will be held on Saturday from 2pm-4pm outside the US Embassy building in Grosvenor Square London W1, said the Stop the War Coalition in a statement.
The protest campaign is supported by Unite union, War on Want, Paleostine Solidarity Campaign, Campaign against Sanctions and Military Intervention on Iran (CASMII), Friends of Al-Aqsa, Goldsmiths Student Union and SOAS Student Union, the statement added.
It said that the growing threats against Iran in recent weeks have been backed up with increased unilateral sanctions imposed by the US, Britannia and their European allies in the NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... military alliance.
"As we know from Iraq, these (the threats and sanctions) are a prelude to war, not an alternative to it. There are signs of covert intervention already in Iran, as there are in Syria. Stop the War opposes all military intervention from the west in the region, for which there is absolutely no justification", the statement added.
Israeli regime is talking more and more of an attack to 'deal with' Iran's nuclear capability, even though it is the only entity in the Middle East that actually has developed nuclear weapons, the coalition noted in its statement.
"Following a year when Britannia and La Belle France led the intervention in Libya the dangers of further western attacks in the region are very real. Under the guise of 'humanitarian intervention' there are already signs of covert intervention in both Iran and Syria. An attack on either country would set the Middle East on fire. Now is the time to start building opposition to these new wars. Join with us to say no to western intervention", added the statement.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
Make sure they pay up front, boys. And in real currency. None of those piece of shit rials...
New York City Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said Friday that "The Third Jihad," a film labeling many American Muslim leaders as extremists, "should not have been shown" to city officers. He said that the film was played on a loop for officers during 2010 in a waiting area outside a counterterrorism training course.
But now, somehow, everyone able to read knows not only about the film, but the title. How many private viewings have taken place in living rooms around NYC since the story broke?
Kelly placed responsibility for the decision to show the film on a sergeant, whom he did not identify. He told reporters, "A sergeant, I think well meaning, took this film and put it in a loop in a room that was outside of the training area."
The disclosure that the Police Department showed the film to many police officers has strained ties between it and the city's Muslim community. The film claims that "much of Muslim leadership here in America" desires to "infiltrate and dominate" the US. Kelly, on Friday, characterized the film "as "inflammatory" and "a little much."
The film includes an interview with Kelly; in his brief appearance, he discusses the general threat of a nuclear or biological terror attack on the city but does not mention Muslims. Kelly played down his involvement in the film, saying he often sits for interviews. He said, "In this job, you do a lot of interviews."
Kelly suggested that the decision to screen the film did not go through ordinary channels. He said that ordinarily the department's counterterrorism division approved the material that was used for its training. But in this case the film "was never approved" by the division. The sergeant who screened the film was not part of the counterterrorism division, he said.
Kelly said that he first saw the film last Tuesday, the day after an article in The New York Times said that at least 1,489 police officers had seen it.
#2
Maybe we should give Kelly the benefit of the doubt. IOW, maybe he's doing what the Muslims do, saying one thing to the press and another to his officers.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
01/28/2012 11:07 Comments ||
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#3
Sorry about that First Amendment thingy getting in your way, Kelly. STFU and move on.
#5
Ray Kelly is concentrating on his family problems at the moment...His son, Greg Kelly a former FOX News host and USMC pilot, has been accused of rape by a woman in NYC. The Commish, whom I respect immensely, has family issues on his plate at the moment.
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.
The Pentagon is rushing to send a large floating base for commando teams to the Middle East as tensions rise with Iran, al-Qaeda in Yemen and Somali pirates, among other threats.
... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it...
US said on Wednesday that 
Khaleda Zia
GRAFENWÖHR, Germany -- Two Army heavy brigades based in Germany will return to the United States as part of the new defense posture in Europe, the Department of Defense confirmed Thursday.
Leon Panetta, the US defence secretary, has acknowledged publicly for the first time that a Pakistani doctor provided vital information to the US in advance of the successful Navy SEAL assault on Osama bin Laden's compound last May.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman
Asif Ali 
[Dawn] Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfandyar Wali Khan on Thursday asked the homegrown Taliban to renounce violence in the 'country's larger interest' but warned that nobody would be allowed to challenge the state's writ.
Pervez 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
