A group leader of 16 beturbanned goons who joined the Afghan government's reconciliation programme in western Herat ...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns... province said they joined the government after internal disputes among the local Taliban.
Group leader Abdul Wahed Nazari told TOLOnews: "There were issues among us - people were killed unfairly - so we dissented and joined the government."
Herat's governor Daoud Sha Saba on Thursday said that the group had been operating in the Gulran Distrect of Herat. They submitted their weapons with more than 500 KG explosives to the National Directorate of Security office in Herat.
"With the joining of these people who love Afghanistan, security will improve," he said.
It was the twelfth group to join the grinding of the peace processor and renounce violence in the past four months in Herat, he added.
In total, the province has taken more than 650 beturbanned goons in since opening the High Peace Council office in the province.
Vast areas of Egypt's Sinai desert have descended into lawlessness in recent months, providing fertile ground for small cells of extremist militants that have emerged from the shadows and quietly established training camps near the Israeli border, according to Bedouin elders and security experts.
The militants include men who have fought in Afghanistan and Pakistan in recent years, as well as Islamists who were released from prison after the 2011 popular revolt that toppled President Hosni Mubarak and drove much of his potent security apparatus underground. So what? So perhaps they're smarter than the average jacketwalla. That could be a problem...
The Egyptian government's failure to restore order in the Sinai has unnerved Israel, in part because of a recent attack on an Israeli border post. Some local residents worry that Israel might ultimately respond unilaterally, a prospect that alarms those who survived successive wars in the Sinai between the neighbors in the 1960s and 1970s. Oh. The Arabs do seem to forget that provoking Israel leads to drastic and (for them) deleterious consequences.
"In one year, this could all become extremely dangerous," said Nassar Abu Akra, a merchant and elder in the area who fears that the rise of a violent militant movement could spark a crushing response from Israel. "If Israel responds to protect its land, it would be a disaster -- a massacre. Even normal people, not just jihadis, would fight and die if Israelis came back." So they don't have to "go back", they can just visit and leave a few 500-pound gifts to express their concerns. Or they could come, take the entire Sinai (again), expel the current occupants to west of the Suez, and declare Sinai to be an eternal part of Greater Israel. That would also solve the immediate problem.
In the recent turmoil, militants have been carrying out attacks on lightly armed police officers in recent months and have repeatedly bombed the pipeline that carries natural gas to Israel. Bedouin tribesmen with grievances against the state, meanwhile, have kidnapped foreign tourists and international peacekeepers. Drug runners and human smugglers have also seized the moment, making both lucrative trades increasingly violent. Chaos doesn't ask for political ID cards. Perhaps it's time for all the tourists to go home. No wait, that was last year... A U.S. Army battalion consisting of several hundred soldiers is stationed in the Sinai as part of an international peacekeeping force.
Soon after Egyptians rose up in Cairo in late January 2011 against Mubarak's authoritarian regime, residents in northern Sinai went on a looting rampage, burning police stations and other symbols of a state that became despised for the heavy hand of its security forces and the few services it offered to the residents of the impoverished, barren area. So now you have zero state security. How's that working out for ya? They're every bit as good as the Paleos in figuring out 'cause and effect'... On the other hand, a Big Turban sez...
Acts of violence committed in the Sinai by militants, ought to be seen in proper context. "They feel that there is still lingering injustice," he said. "We still have prisoners we want to get out; there are violations against our brothers in Palestine; there is a war on Islam all over the world. They are affected by it. They can't control themselves." There you are. They can't control themselves. The Middle East in a nutshell. And the rest of the world accepts it, because - you know - all cultures are equivalent. Except American culture, of course...
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/14/2012 09:06 ||
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China has been reportedly developing satellites that would help it attack aircraft carriers with anti-ship ballistic missiles.
Shanghai's Eastday newspaper on Thursday cited a report from the Project 2049 Institute, a defense think tank in the U.S., saying China has been developing high-definition satellites, radar satellites, electronic-reconnaissance satellite and small satellites powered by solid fuel to track and target U.S. carrier strike groups in real time. By using satellites operating in a low orbit, the Chinese military hopes to improve the precision strike ability of its middle and long-range ballistic missiles by accurately locating targets.
China has stationed so-called "carrier-killer" DF-21D ballistic missiles at military base. They can reportedly travel 3,000 km and are capable of attacking U.S. carriers in the west Pacific, Indian Ocean and South China Sea, though it not entirely clear whether their capacity lives up to initial reports.
First they have to find our carriers, then they have to guide the missiles to them, then the missiles have to survive. Tall order...
One of China's weather satellites, which went into operation in 2008, already has some of these functions, according to the institute. The satellite has 12 all-weather sensors that can provide the exact location and signals of targets in addition to weather information. It is understood that China is also busy developing an early warning satellite for detection and counterattack of enemy ballistic missiles.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/14/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
I don't think anyone has a means of tracking vessels in real time using satellites. If we did, Somali piracy wouldn't be a problem. This is probably a case of the relevant contractor over-promising in hopes of some blue sky breakthrough to secure project funding today.
#9
Yeah, I think US aircraft carriers will not operate transponders when they are trying to hide.
Thank you. I wondering about that for a while. I knew that real-time tracking of military vessels did not exist, but couldn't figure out how they were tracking civilian vessels in the way Besoeker mentioned.
China's first aircraft carrier [Varyag] is likely to be commissioned officially early this year, according to press reports. Phoenix Satellite TV in Hong Kong on Wednesday quoted Jingbao Yuekan magazine as reporting the 67,000-ton retrofitted Soviet carrier "qualified to be officially commissioned as it solved technical problems concerning takeoff and landing of aircraft on the ship through three test voyages."
It added the exact timing remains to be decided but is likely to be this year.
It went on test voyages in August, November and late December last year. During the second test voyage, which lasted two weeks, several Jian-15 jets successfully took off and landed on the ship, the monthly reported.
Overseas military magazines reported in November that China had difficulties trying to solve a landing problem because Russia had not sold it the arresting gear necessary for the aircraft to land safely. Asked by reporters to confirm this, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun, however, implied in a monthly press briefing on Dec. 28 that the problem had been solved. He said China "secured all major equipment of the aircraft carrier," including arresting gear, through its own research and development. The magazine said a Ukrainian engineering team took part in developing the arresting gear.
It also reported that the Chinese military plans to build three aircraft carrier bases, with two -- in the South China Sea and the East China Sea -- already under construction.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/14/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
...It took the USN almost forty years and a few major wars to learn how to operate carriers without killing ourselves. I don't think the Chinese will be sending carrier TFs out to sea any time soon.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
07/14/2012 9:57 Comments ||
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#2
They might, we can laugh.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/14/2012 10:24 Comments ||
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#3
RJ,
Not only can we laugh, we can do this to them: The East Coast Rampage. (In fairness, this was a British carrier that pulled it off...but we learned how to do it ourselves.)
"...The Ark Royal had 2 lives under the terms of the exercise. After she was killed the first time, she had to retire east of Bermuda to come alive again. Given what happened next, I think the Ark's captain deliberately made it easy to kill her the first time. Give everyone a false impression about the size of the cajones of he and his crew.He sailed east of Bermuda, then cut loose his escorts which continued to sail to the UK. The Ark wrapped around Bermuda so closely she probably scrapped the barnacles off her hull on the reefs. She headed for North Carolina's Outer Banks and basically closed the beach to the point where the Beach Boys song "Surfing USA" would have been appropriate. Her first strike, launched before true dawn, hit MCAS Cherry Point, NC, Seymour Johnson AFB and Pope AFB all in NC virtually simultaneously. Near total wipeout of the aircraft caught on the ground. It didn't get any better after that.
We couldn't find the Ark. We didn't realized that during daylight, the Ark was only about 20 miles offshore doing an excellant radar imitation of a merchant ship. Remember, no escorts. At night, she was so close to the beach, she could have sent liberty boats ashore. In the post exercise debriefs it was apparent that a number of search aircraft had picked up the Ark on radar, but classified her as a "harmless merchie". The Ark taught us a lot about stealth at sea. These days, those lessons are long forgotten. She hid in plain sight and killed everything she wanted to.
This was a kamikaze run, but the only thing that made sense under the exercise plan if the Ark were going to accomplish anything worth doing. The Phantom pilots were good, but the Buc (Blackburn Buccaneer, legendary RN/RAF strike bird, rough contemporary of the F-4 Phantom - Mike)pilots were magnificent. Their belief in their aircraft was what it was all about.
BTW, they did not hit just military airfields. They also hit civilian fields with Reserve and/or Air National Guard units. The most spectacular raid was apparently Atlanta-Hartsfield (as it was back then). The air traffic controllers had to halt all movements as the Bucs crossed the runways and taxiways. The umpires ruled that the Ark did not lose a single aircraft until the Sara's strike group finally hit them.
In a real world scenario, I doubt that the politicians (and I include many senior naval and military officers among them) would sanction an operation like the Ark pulled off. Too bad, because she gutted most of an entire sector and made people far less comfortable about facing British aircraft and crews.
Looking back, I think it was 1971 not 1972. Regardless, it was a magnificent run that achieved far more than could have been expected. The Bucs may have looked funny, but like the A-6 and the A-10, looks aren't everything. The A-5 is probably the sexiest looking carrier jet combat aircraft of them all, but she was a total failure in her original role. Only as the RA-5 was she succesful.
At the end of her career, when the Ark Royal tied up at Pier 12 (the premier carrier pier at Norfolk Naval Base), on her last port call before returning to the UK, her crew set up a large flag pole, complete with tripod supports in the middle of the flight deck and raised the largest flag I have ever seen. A White Ensign of course. Norfolk was flooded with sailors in uniform wearing flat hats with the inscription "HMS Ark Royal". They wore them proudly. They deserved to.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
07/14/2012 11:28 Comments ||
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#4
Hey, how hard can it be to land an aircraft on a carrier?
Posted by: Matt ||
07/14/2012 11:53 Comments ||
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#5
My father was an F4 Phantom driver off the Coral Sea during Vietnam. He said a carrier landing at night was the single most terrifying think he's ever done in his life.
I sense a lot of Chinese aviators are going to go ker-splat in the near future.
#6
They're definitely going to have some adventures with that home-made arresting gear. I think they come out of this with a whole new level of respect for the USN.
Posted by: Matt ||
07/14/2012 12:44 Comments ||
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#7
"I sense a lot of Chinese aviators are going to go ker-splat in the near future."
Guidance systems have come a long way. A lot can be computerized that couldn't have been before. I have a feeling the plane is going to just about fly itself, for the most part.
#8
Let's not misunderestimate them. The Chinese are driven to have a carrier-based, blue water navy in addition to their current green water navy. They very much want to succeed. They have a technology base and a lot of money. They aren't stupid.
Let us not imagine them as we imagined the Japanese navy in oh, 1940...
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/14/2012 13:06 Comments ||
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#9
It took the USN almost forty years and a few major wars to learn how to operate carriers without killing ourselves. I don't think the Chinese will be sending carrier TFs out to sea any time soon.
I wouldn't underestimate the capabilities of the Chinese state. The Indians have been doing this for decades, and they, frankly, are not exactly technical wizards, with space and nuclear programs that are far behind their Chinese counterparts.
Bottom line is that for the Chinese, engineering challenges are things they can do - all you have to do is look back at their stellar record of massive fortifications and irrigation projects from antiquity. (Those fortifications held off the Mongols for almost a century despite being right next door, whereas the Mongols sliced through European armies thousands of miles away like a hot knife through butter). It's the blue sky things like nukes and space that are difficult. The reason they did space and nukes first was because those pertained to the survival of the state - nukes provide deterrence and a space program creates a delivery vehicle for that deterrence.
It took them a while to turn their attention to naval aviation, but I suspect now that it's fully engaged and a matter of the Party's prestige, we will see several carriers launched by the end of the decade, and perhaps employed along with a flotilla of subs and supporting ships to deter rival claimants to the South China Sea.
#10
Hey, how hard can it be to land an aircraft on a carrier?
Well...I was in an A-7 Squadron in the mid 70's, we had a nugget (Ensign, call sign Leaky. There was a reason for that.
Night landings scared him so badly, that he was known to piss himself if they were particularly hairy. And in bad weather with a tossing deck, sometimes there was more than piss in his flight suit.
He had the highest bolter and bingo count in the Air Wing. Poor fellow.
Posted by: Secret Asian Man ||
07/14/2012 15:27 Comments ||
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#11
Sounds like its a soviet retrofit, if so there is a chance it has VTOL ramps and stuff that might make landings a bit easier.
#14
IIRC CHINESEDEFENCE POSTER-BLOGGER = China plans to deploy, not just construct, two indigenous dev CVNS come 2020. Presuming no that US-China war breaks out in SCS, East China Sea, or vee Taiwan, the PLAN CV "SHILENG" will become a CVT + used for "show-the-flag" international missions.
Iff correct, IMO it would appear that China has "quietly/softly" prioritized the NT gaining of carrier experience AMAP oer lives of its PLAN Pilots + Sailors. THIS DECADE COULD BE A "WIDOWMAKER" = "WIDOW'S DECADE" FOR MANY A PLAN CARRIER SPOUSE???
#15
Are you sure the Chicoms need to steal our info, gromky?
I thought Bill Clinton sold gave it to them.....
Posted by: Barbara ||
07/14/2012 23:32 Comments ||
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#16
Carrier aviation is hard because the USN had to figure it out from scratch.
The Chinese can just steal our information, in fact they already have otherwise they wouldn't commission a carrier.
Probably easier for them to hire ex-Soviet personnel as consultants. That way they get the whole enchilada. Besides, it's not rocket science - the Japanese operated dozens of carriers during WWII, and their industrial capability wasn't anywhere near China's today. The real reason most navies don't operate carriers is not because they can't figure it out - it's because it's extremely expensive, and most countries that might be able to afford a carrier are currently covered by Uncle Sam's nuclear umbrella.
We could put a nuclear umbrella over China, too, Zhang, but it wouldn't be pretty.... :-(
Posted by: Barbara ||
07/14/2012 23:42 Comments ||
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#18
CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > [ABS-CBN News] PHILIPPINES WANTS AUSTRALIA'S HELP IFF WAR ERUPTS.
PHIL Senator wants "guaranteed" Aussie mil help in exchange for a proactive, bilateral Status of Visiting Forces Agreement [SOVFA] wid Manila which AUS is presently negotiating for.
FYI ARTIC = PHIL recognizes it stands little to no chance militarily agz China in the SCS disputes widout the assistance of its regional + international allies, e.g. AUS + ASEAN + of course the USA, etc.
* SAME > CHINA IN HUGE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS NEAR NORTH KOREAN BORDER.
Massive Highway + Rail Projects.
SURPRISE, SURPRISE, EVEN MANY PEOPLE ON THE CHINESE SIDE THINK ITS FOR PLA MILITARY APPLICATIONS/PURPOSES [not just "economic"], I.E. THE RAPID TRANSFER + TAKEOVER OF THE NORTH KOREA BY MASS PLA FORCES.
#20
I thought that wasn't such a bad result. However, I don't think the Chinese need a nuclear umbrella any more. They've got at least two legs of the triad active. And it's not clear why they would need one, given that it's estimated they've got over 1000 nukes.
#21
More from CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > CHINA INSTALLS NEW RADAR NEAR KALAYAAN ISLANDS [Subi Reef].
* SAME > TALK OF TH DAY - CHINA SEEKS LINKS WID TAIWAN TO DEFEND DISPUTED ISLANDS, in SCS + ECS.
SUN SHUHSIEN, Party Secretary + Managing Deputy Head of China's Maritime Surveillance Force = opined that a War is needed to end all Wars, CHINA MUST CLEARLY OUTLINE = DELINEATE? CERTAIN "RED LINES" THAT ARE NOT TO BE CROSSED OVER WHEN DEALING IN GLOBAL AFFAIRS; CHINA WILL BE FORCED TO RETALIATE IFF JAPAN TAKES "PROVOCATIVE ACTIONS" OVER THE TIAOYUTAI ISLANDS [China = Diaoyutias/Daoyus], Japan = Senkakus Islands].
As said before, China desires the Senkakus + Okinawa, etc. to protect its post-reunification, future PLA Milbases on Taiwan, which in turn will project Chinese power thru the OKINAWA-PHIL CORRIDOR INTO WESTPAC [Guam + CNMI].
Mainland China's "Post-Reunification" wid Taiwan, which at the moment looks increasingly increasingly stalled despite positivist Media, Diplomatic rhetoric to the contrary.
* SAME > [PHIL Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago]MIRIAM: CHINA TO [hopefully eventually] OPT FOR JOINT EXPLORATIONS.
ARTIC > Sen. Miriam = MILITARY CONFRONTATION IN THE SCS COULD LEAD TO NUCLEAR ARMAGEDDON WHICH CHINA DOES NOT WANT, China's specific target is the [entire] WEST PHIL SEA [aka SCS/South China Sea] + other Bodies of Water where Nations have made claims; China views PHIL + ASEAN as mere surrogates for the USA - PANATAG SHOAL [Scarborough Shoal, China = Huangyan Island] is hence basically a US-CHINA ENCOUNTER, notsomuch the lessor CHINA-PHIL, ETC. ENCOUNTER [China-Vietnam].
* SAME > CHINA, JAPAN TO MEET AMID [new] TENSION OVER ISLANDS.
Senior police official says man tossed in the clink a week ago planned terror attack on 'Israeli interests' in Limassol
A Cyprus police front man said authorities have jugged You have the right to remain silent... a man on suspicion of being involved in planning a terrorist attack on the east Mediterranean island.
Spokesman Andreas Angelides said Friday that police have an "an individual in jug on possible charges pertaining to terrorism laws."
Â
Angelides declined to identify the suspect, the level of his involvement in the plot and what the intended target would have been, saying disclosure of any details about the case could compromise an ongoing investigation.
Â
State radio CyBC quoted an unidentified senior police official as saying that "Israeli interests" in the southern coastal town of Limassol were to be targeted. CyBC said the suspect was tossed in the clink Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! a week ago.
Â
An official at the Israeli Embassy in Nicosia refused to comment on the matter.
There's getting to be quite a collection of these people. At the rate they're going, Iran won't have any left by the time the shooting starts.
The Lebanese man holding a Saudi passport was detained on suspicion of planning to attack an Israeli plane in Limassol. The Cypriot police gave no details.
Turkey has exchanged nearly 60 tons of gold for several million tons of Iranian crude oil, despite its promises to uphold Western sanctions on Iran's energy sector, according to recent Turkish reports.
By using gold instead of money, Turkey is able to skirt Western sanctions on Iran's oil trade, particularly those pertaining to SWIFT, the global money transfer service that until recently assisted the Central Bank of Iran and other Iranian financial institutions.
Over the past several months, Turkey has given Iran 60 tons of gold, or more than $3 billion, according to a July 8 report on the Turkish news site Vatan Online. The report was translated by the Open Source Center, a translation service used by the CIA.
The exchanges raise questions about the B.O. regime's decision to grant Turkey a temporary waiver exempting it from U.S. sanctions to Iran, according to foreign policy experts and those on Capitol Hill who speculated that the revelation could spur Congress to pass a new round of Iran sanctions to prevent such trades.
Gold payments to Iran have been taking place "for some time," state the Turkish reports, but have peaked in the past few months as global sanctions against Iran continue to choke its economy. In May, Turkish trade with Iran hit an unprecedented high at $1.7 billion, a leap of 513 percent, according to Turkish statistics and various reports.
Turkey, which is the fifth largest importer of Iranian oil, exported more than $3 billion worth of gold to Iran in the first five months of this year, according to data compiled by the Turkish Statistical Institute and reported on by Today's Zaman Online, an Istanbul-based news organization; others estimated that the price could be even higher.
Turkey imports around 8 million tons of crude oil annually from Iran on average.
On Friday morning, Judge Robert L. Wilkins looked out across the packed courtroom at the lawyer for Texas and suggested that the state's voter ID law would force some people to travel more than 100 miles to get the documents required for a photo identification."How does that impact your argument?" asked Wilkins. "Isn't that unduly burdensome?" Have you already formed a conclusion, yerhonor?
John Hughes, the state's attorney, said Texans in rural areas are used to driving long distances. "People who want to vote already have an ID or can easily get it," he said. It's 99 miles to the WallMart, yerhonor, it's not but another 10-12 miles to the Voter ID store. Just load up an extra six twelve-pack of roadies... Texas has a history of voter discrimination and a more recent history against conservatives, so the law signed last year by its Republican governor, Rick Perry, had to be cleared by the Justice Department. The department blocked the law, saying it would disproportionately affect Latino voters. Texas sued the department, leading to the week-long trial that ended Friday. For the Obama administration, the Texas law and similar legislation passed in other states threaten to disenfranchise millions of Latino and African American voters. But for supporters of the legislation, the requirements are common-sense solutions to voter fraud.
In his closing argument, Justice lawyer Matthew Colangelo said that the Texas law will disenfranchise more than a million African American and Hispanic voters and "is exactly the type of law" that Congress had in mind when it passed the Voting Rights Act. If everyone is required to get an ID, and everyone is equally burdened, then no one is disenfranchised...
Republican lawmakers have argued that the voter ID law is needed to clean up voter rolls, which they say are filled with the names of illegal immigrants, ineligible felons and the deceased. Texas, they argue, is asking for no more identification than people need to board an airplane, get a library card or enter many government buildings.
On Thursday, Harvard University political science professor Stephen Ansolabehere, an elections and statistics expert, testified for the Justice Department that the Texas law was more likely to affect Hispanic and black voters than white ones. Texas lawyers countered that Ansolabehere's research methods were "hopelessly flawed," and said a list he produced of 1.5 million potential Texas voters without state-issued IDs was inaccurate.
The lawyers showed that Ansolabehere's list included Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R), former president George W. Bush and former senator Phil Gramm (R). All well-known Republicans, yerhonor! Do we hafta count them, too?
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/14/2012 08:54 ||
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#1
When el liberal gabachos finish handing the border states over to Mexicano Nationales with their own Presidios will la gringos be allowed to have their own Reservations?
#2
To access the free boodle tuition, one needs to download the forms and apply. To download the forms, one needs a PIN. To get a PIN, one needs an ID card. To get an ID card, one needs.......
First it was confirmed that Border Patrol agent Brian Terry and his elite tactical unit initially fired bean bags at heavily armed dope smugglers. Now comes news that a Border Patrol training video is instructing agents that, when confronted by a shooter. they should “run away” and “hide”. Only as a last resort, if they are cornered, should agents get “aggressive” and “throw things” at the perps. Throw things? Really; here’s the site of the largest local of the Border Patrol agents’ union describing the training they’re required to undergo. The site reports that the suits in D.C. have “offered to revise and clarify this training” — sure, only because it was exposed. It’s debatable whether Bill Clinton actually loathed the military, but this administration certainly loathes the Border Patrol.
A federal judge sentenced an Uzbek man living illegally in the United States to nearly 16 years in prison on Friday on terrorism and weapons charges stemming from his plot to kill President Barack Obama Why can't I just eat my waffle?... Ulugbek Kodirov, who arrived in the United States in 2009 to attend medical school but never enrolled, had plotted to shoot Obama while the president campaigned for re-election this year, according to federal authorities in Alabama.
They said the 22-year-old man became "radicalised" through Internet research and believed he was acting on behalf of an Islamist cut-thoat group in his homeland.
"This case is an example of how our youth can be radicalised by misinformation and propaganda they see on the Internet," Assistant US Attorney Michael Whisonant said during a sentencing hearing in Birmingham.
Kodirov apologised at the hearing. He avoided a potential life sentence by cooperating with authorities and pleading guilty in February to providing material support for terrorist activity, being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm and threatening to assassinate the president.
US District Judge Abdul Kallon sentenced him to 188 months in prison.
"We need to send a strong message that anyone who subjects themselves to propaganda, that the punishment will be serious," Kallon said.
Federal authorities said Kodirov believed he was acting on behalf of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, an Islamist cut-thoat group the United States has designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
Kodirov's student visa was revoked in April 2010 after he failed to enroll in school, Sherlocks said. His attorney said Kodirov's English skills were too poor for him to be admitted and called him a "lonely young man with a laptop."
Kodirov was enjugged Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! in July 2011 at an Alabama motel where he had obtained a fully automatic machine gun and four hand grenades from an undercover agent. Officials said he planned to use the weapons to kill the president.
"One of the biggest terrorist threats we face is the lone wolf," US Attorney Joyce White Vance said after the hearing.
Over the next year, America's largest fighting force is swapping its camouflage pattern. The move is a quiet admission that the last uniform -- a pixelated design that debuted in 2004 at a cost of $5 billion -- was a colossal mistake.
Soldiers have roundly criticized the gray-green uniform for standing out almost everywhere it's been worn. Industry insiders have called the financial mess surrounding the pattern a "fiasco."
"Essentially, the Army designed a universal uniform that universally failed in every environment," said an Army specialist who served two tours in Iraq, wearing UCP in Baghdad and the deserts outside Basra. "The only time I have ever seen it work well was in a gravel pit."
The specialist asked that his name be withheld because he wasn't authorized to speak to the press.
"As a cavalry scout, it is my job to stay hidden. Wearing a uniform that stands out this badly makes it hard to do our job effectively," he said. "If we can see our own guys across a distance because of it, then so can our enemy."
The ArmyÂ’s camouflage researchers say the story of the universal patternÂ’s origins begins when they helped develop a similarly pixilated camouflage now worn by the Marine Corps. That pattern, known as MARPAT, first appeared in 2002 after being selected from among dozens of candidates and receiving plenty of input from Marines on the ground at the sniper school in Quantico, Va. The Marines even found one of the baseline colors themselves, an earth tone now called Coyote Brown.
For a decision that could ultimately affect more than a million soldiers in the Army, reserves and National Guard, the sudden shift from Program Executive Office Soldier was a head-scratcher. The consensus among the researchers was the Army brass had watched the Marine Corps don their new uniforms and caught a case of pixilated camouflage envy.“It was trendy,” Stewardson said. “If it’s good enough for the Marines, why shouldn’t the Army have that same cool new look?”
“Brand identity trumped camouflage utility,” Graves said. “That’s what this really comes down to: ‘We can’t allow the Marine Corps to look more cool than the Army.’ ”
#4
This is ludicrous. It is impossible to have a one size fits all camouflage design. IMHO any reasonable intelligent, experienced grunt could come up with a decent pattern for the environment in question off the top of his head.
The backgrounds are infinitely varied and as a result perfect camouflage is impossible. Good enough is the best you can hope for.
This is nothing more than desk jockey envy played out with taxpayers money.
#5
Related: Why did the USN need to come up w/ it's own blue toned pixel camo? seems like the bad guys would think something's up when they take a peek at a carrier w/ nobody on it.....
Smells like make work @ the Navy Exchange Uniform board......
#6
I remember pointing out how useless this pattern was in Iraq and being scolded for not appreciating the subtle charms of this pattern. I am glad they finally got someone on the Uniform Board with a pair of eyes.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
07/14/2012 11:28 Comments ||
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#7
re the Navy's camo uniform: If I'm on a ship and the ship goes down I don't want to be in the water camouflaged as a wave. Give me something in a tasteful white, thank you.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/14/2012 11:34 Comments ||
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#12
Fred's training demands he auto-default to the worst case scenario. Outcomes beyond that (accompanied by individual survival) are ammunition for a future war story.
#15
Never understood the one-size fits all attitude. I'd like to see them bring back some classic uniform designs, when not in theater does it matter if your uniform is blue?
#17
"Essentially, the Army designed a universal uniform that universally failed in every environment,"
We often rail at the gov't for doing things in a half-ass way, but I think they deserve our admiration here. Anyone can make a high-visibility uniform with dayglo colors, but these guys have managed, using what is ostensibly a camouflage pattern in muted colors, to make a uniform visible against any background. And they only spent $5 billion USD to do it. Sure, it seems like a lot, but sometimes you gotta spend money to save money.
[An Nahar] A Taliban ban on polio ...Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by infection with the poliovirus. Between 1840 and the 1950s, polio was a worldwide epidemic. Since the development of polio vaccines the disease has been largely wiped out in the civilized world. However, since the vaccine is known to make Moslem pee-pees shrink and renders females sterile, bookish, and unsubmissive it is not widely used by the turban and automatic weapons set... vaccinations will put 240,000 children at risk in troubled northwest Pakistain if an inoculation campaign cannot start next week, officials warned Friday.
Local Taliban and Pak warlord Hafiz Gul Bahadur, whose followers are fighting Western troops in Afghanistan, have banned polio vaccinations in the northwestern tribal region of Wazoo to protest against U.S. drone attacks.
They have condemned the immunization campaign, which is slated to begin on Monday, as a cover for espionage.
"There is possibility that we may have to skip the polio campaign in North and South Waziristan because we are not getting clearance from the army nor is the situation conducive," a government health official told Agence La Belle France Presse.
"We have threats from the Taliban. Going to these areas for a polio campaign would be tantamount to putting the lives of our staff in jeopardy," added the official, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... .
Pak doctor Shakeel Afridi was placed in long-term storage Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! for 33 years in May after helping the CIA find the late Osama bin Laden Osama bin Laden is dead.
He took two shots to the head.
That made him frown
and he had to lie down.
Osama bin Laden is dead. using a hepatitis vaccination program as cover.
Fawad Khan, director of health services in the tribal belt, told AFP that at least 160,000 children in North Waziristan and 80,000 in South Waziristan would be affected if polio drops are not administered.
Talks are ongoing between administrators and the Taliban, but health workers had "not yet received the green light" for going ahead in Waziristan, he added.
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07/14/2012 00:00 ||
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The head of the Islamist terror group Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, in the Gazoo Strip said on Friday he was confident Egypt's new president would shield the Paleostinian enclave from Israeli attacks and fully open its borders to end a trade blockade.
Â
Mohamed Morsi, who won power in last month's presidential election in Egypt, is a member of the Moslem Brüderbund and ideologically close to Hamas.
The Gazook Islamists long complained that his predecessor Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... , ousted from power last year in a popular revolt, sided not just with Israel, but also with their political rival - Paleostinian President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... 's Fatah movement.
Â
So far, Hamas has seen little sign of a policy shift since Morsi took office and diplomats said the Egyptian leader had so many domestic problems that he could ill-afford to dedicate much time to re-tooling Cairo's relations with the Paleostinians.
 However, there is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened... Ismail Haniyeh ...became Prime Minister after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas won. President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Haniyeh from office on 14 June 2007 at the height of the Fatah-Hamas festivities, but Haniyeh did not acknowledge the decree and continues as the PM of Gazoo while Abbas maintains a separate PM in the West Bank... , the head of Hamas's Gazoo government, told worshippers in a mosque that change was coming.
Â
"We are confident that Egypt, the revolution led by Morsi, will never provide cover for any new aggression or war on Gazoo," he said. "We are confident that Egypt, the revolution led by Morsi, will not take any part in blocking Gazoo," he added.
Â
Israel launched a military offensive against Gazoo in late 2008 in an effort to end repeated rocket attacks from Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist. Some 1,400 Paleostinians and 13 Israelis died in the three-week war.
[An Nahar] Paleostinian leader the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... visited Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in their national face... and met King Abdullah on Friday to seek urgent aid for his administration as the Mohammedan holy month of Ramadan nears.
The leaders, who met in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, discussed "the financial crisis of the Paleostinian Authority (PA) which will no longer be able to pay its employees as Ramadan approaches," the Paleostinians' top diplomat in Riyadh said.
"President Abbas asked for the help of the Saudi kingdom which he thanked for its continued support to the Paleostinians," Jamal Shobaki told Agence La Belle France Presse.
He said they also discussed the stagnant Israeli-Paleostinian grinding of the peace processor and Israel's policy of building Jewish settlements on the occupied West Bank and in annexed east Jerusalem, a major obstacle to a resumption of peace negotiations.
The PA's debts have climbed to $1.5 billion, said Shobaki who, citing statistics from prime minister Salam Fayyad ...Fayyad's political agenda holds that neither violence nor peaceful negotiations have brought the Paleostinians any closer to an independent state. The alternative to both, violent negotiations, doesn't seem to be working too well, either... 's government, estimated $500 million was needed in urgent aid to tackle the current crisis.
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New details emerging Saturday about what local Syrian activists called a massacre of civilians near the central city of Hama indicated that it was more likely an uneven clash between the heavily armed Syrian military and local fighters bearing light weapons.
The United Nations observers still on the ground in Syria sent a team to the village of Tremseh on Saturday to investigate what had happened, said Sausan Ghosheh, the spokeswoman for the monitors in Damascus, the capital.
A combination of videos, televised confessions of numerous captured fighters and reports from activists outside the area all indicated that a battle on Thursday between the military and local fighters in Tremseh, a village of 11,000 people about 22 miles northwest of Hama, resulted in a slaughter of rebel forces.
The videos that have emerged so far online, the source of much of the information on any fighting that is available outside Syria, have shown the victims to be young men of fighting age. One showed 15 bodies. Another one, said to show a group of reinforcements being sent to Tremseh, also showed a group of young men in civilian clothes carrying their personal weapons.
There were also new questions about the death toll, with initial figures from activists of more than 160 and other reports putting the toll at more than 200. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition group based in Britain that has a network of contacts in Syria, said that it had been able to confirm only 103 names, and 90 percent of them were young men. There were no womenÂ’s names on the list of 103 victims obtained from activists in Homs.
#2
No real surprise - the Palestinians are transferring their considerable propaganda expertise to the Sunni Arab rebels. Just about all the casualty photos referring to massacres that I've seen involve fighting age males. They probably did the same kind of staging we've seen the Palestinians do when they take losses from Israeli attacks - remove the weaponry and really lay it on thick for the cameras. Can't really blame, of course. There's a lot less risk to life and limb to have NATO win your battles for you than to do it yourself.
Nawaf Fares, who this week defected as Syria's ambassador to Iraq, on Saturday accused President Bashar al-Assad of allowing Al-Qaeda to use Syria as a springboard for attacks in his former host country.
Fares, the latest high-level official to abandon Assad, in an interview on Al-Jazeera television also accused Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki of taking a stance toward Syria that was "contradictory" to the truth.
Majority Shiite Muslim Iraq had repeatedly accused Damascus of letting Sunni insurgents and arms transit through Syria to carry out attacks inside the country, especially during the brutal sectarian conflict that erupted after US-led forces toppled Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003.
But since the uprising broke out last year against Assad -- who belongs to the Alawite offshoot of Shiite Islam -- Iraq's Shiite-led government has called for non-interference in Syria and has opposed arming Syrian rebels.
"I personally reproach the (Iraqi) prime minister on his stance, which is contradictory to the truth," Fares said.
"He knows very well what Bashar al-Assad had done to him and to all of Iraq and to Shiites specifically," Fares said, adding that Assad has "killed thousands" by opening "the doors for Al-Qaeda" militants to carry out bombings across Iraq.
Baghdad's stance was similar to that of Syria's other Shiite ally, Iran, which Fares accused of "putting pressure" on Maliki's government.
"Iran must not support a tyrant and dictator who is killing his own people, regardless of its interests," Fares told Al-Jazeera in Qatar, to which he travelled after quitting his post.
Western countries and the Syrian opposition accuse Iran of providing military support to the regime in Syria, where activists say more than 17,000 people have been killed since March 2011. Tehran denies the charge.
When asked about UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's bid to get Iran's support for his tattered peace plan, Fares said: "Iran is part of the problem. How could it be part of the solution?"
"The Syrian revolt will win despite Iran and all countries backing the tyrant," whom Fares described as "Syria's former president who is now a criminal and a killer."
Fares, the first Syrian ambassador to defect to the opposition, was widely seen as a regime hardliner and his decision, announced on Al-Jazeera on Wednesday, was surprising.
It is reported that Syria is moving their chemical weapons stockpile out of their storage locations, motivations are unknown at this point. Reports from Israel are that Syria possesses the largest chemical weapons stockpile on the planet.
[An Nahar] The military reinforcements to northern and northeastern Leb are underway with clear instructions to "respond to the source of fire," the Lebanese army's general command said Friday following several deadly incidents along the Lebanese-Syrian border.
"Based upon the decision of the cabinet on Monday, the army began upgrading its deployment in the area of the north starting with the city of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... its suburbs, all the away to the northeastern border," the directorate said in a communique.
"The operation will continue in the coming days to include the deployment of new units in addition to the joint military and security forces units already present in these regions," it said.
The army command gave the troops clear instructions to take strong measures in protecting the citizens against any assault, clamping down on gunnies and preventing infiltrations and smuggling operations along the Lebanese-Syrian border.
Their mission includes "the immediate response to the sources of fire from any side it came," the communique said.
The deployment came after several people were killed and injured in the past months in Syrian cross-border shelling during festivities between government troops and rebels seeking to topple the regime of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Light of the Alawites... On Thursday alone, a salvo of shells hit towns in Akkar and Baalbek, injuring 6 people, including four children, which caused panic among residents and forced them to areas away from the border with Syria.
The military command "expressed trust in the cooperation of the residents and officials of border regions with the measures taken by the army to preserve their security and safety."
It also urged them to cooperate with the troops "to thwart any suspicious attempt" aimed at creating security tension.
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[An Nahar] Russia on Friday condemned the latest reported massacre in Syria as a "bloody atrocity" which it blamed on forces that want to foment inter-ethnic conflict and civil war.
The Russian foreign ministry said it believed between 50 and 100 people were killed Thursday in the central village of Treimsa in an attack the rebels and the government of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Lord of the Baath... have both blamed on each other.
"We resolutely condemn this bloody atrocity," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Russia once again called for an immediate end to the violence and a thorough investigation that could identify those behind the attack.
"There is no question in our mind that this atrocity is advantageous to forces that do not seek peace and instead stubbornly try to cultivate seeds of inter-ethnic violence and civil war on Syrian soil," the statement said.
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[An Nahar] Iran's armed forces chief accused Turkey and Jordan of allowing rebel fighters into Syria and urged them to seal off their borders, ISNA news agency reported on Friday.
"It is the duty of Syria's Moslem neighbors to refrain from backing the terrorists," armed forces chief of staff General Hassan Firouzabadi was quoted as saying.
"Turkey and Jordan should close their borders to terrorists," he said, using the same term for rebel fighters as Iran's ally Syria.
Western countries and the Syrian opposition accuse Iran of providing military support to the regime in Syria, where more than 17,000 people have reportedly been killed in an uprising since March 2011. Tehran denies the charge.
Hossein Amir Abdolahian, an Iranian deputy foreign minister, said U.N.-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... envoy Kofi Annan ...Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh and so far the worst Secretary-General of the UN. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize for something or other that probably sounded good at the time. In December 2004, reports surfaced that Kofi's son Kojo received payments from the Swiss company Cotecna, which had won a lucrative contract under the UN Oil-for-Food Program. Kofi Annan called for an investigation to look into the allegations, which stirred up the expected cesspool but couldn't seem to come up with enough evidence to indict Kofi himself, or even Kojo... had been warned during a visit to Tehran earlier this week over the smuggling of arms into Syria.
"Terrorist groups operate in Syria in coordination with certain foreign countries," Amir Abdolahian said.
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07/14/2012 00:00 ||
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SANA_ Russia on Friday vehemently condemned the bloody crime committed against civilians in al-Treimseh town in Hama countryside, stressing that this crime serves the forces that don't seek peace.
"Without anticipating the results of the investigation of the crime, on which we insist, we would like to stress that we have no doubt that this atrocity benefits the forces that do not seek peace but obstinately keep trying to sow the seeds of sectarian strife and civil conflict in Syria, and those for whom the grief and suffering of the Syrian people mean nothing, " Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said.
He added that Moscow, with great pain, had received the news of this new massacre against the Syrian citizens who were shot point blank by unidentified monsters.
The Russian official noted the fact that al-Treimseh massacre had occurred during a serious discussion in the UN Security Council on the draft resolution, submitted by Russia and Western countries, which extends the task of the U.N. Supervision Mission in Syria that expires on July 21.
He renewed his country's call to immediately stop the bloodshed and the armed violence against civilians.
"In order to put an end to such tragic incidents, it is necessary to fulfill obligations that require all parties, including external players, to contribute to the peaceful solution in Syria on the basis of the plan of the UN envoy to Syria Kofi Annan ...Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh and so far the worst Secretary-General of the UN. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize for something or other that probably sounded good at the time. In December 2004, reports surfaced that Kofi's son Kojo received payments from the Swiss company Cotecna, which had won a lucrative contract under the UN Oil-for-Food Program. Kofi Annan called for an investigation to look into the allegations, which stirred up the expected cesspool but couldn't seem to come up with enough evidence to indict Kofi himself, or even Kojo... ," Lukashevich said.
China Condemns al-Treimseh Massacre in Hama Countryside
China on Friday strongly condemned the massacre in al-Treimseh which caused the deaths of civilians.
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Weimin made the remarks at a regular press briefing.
"China has always strongly denounced actions that harm innocent civilians," said Liu, calling on concerned Syrian parties to take concrete measures and fulfill their commitment to cease violence as soon as possible.
Liu hailed the positive progress made in seeking political resolutions to the crisis in Syria, adding that China appreciates the UN envoy Kofi Annan's mediating efforts.
He urged concerned parties to continue supporting Annan's efforts and seriously implementing Annan's six-point peace plan and the Security Council's relevant resolutions as well as the communique of the action group meeting, so as to ease the tension in Syria as early as possible.
On the draft resolution circulated at the Security Council by western members along with the United States, Liu said "China is seriously studying the draft resolution," calling on all parties concerned to seek common ground through patient consultations, in order to maintain solidarity in the Council and advance the political settlement of the issue.
On the extension of the task of the UN observer mission in Syria, Liu said that China supports the extension, stressing the necessity for the Observer Mission to support Annan's peace plan and the political settlement of the crisis in Syria.
He also suggested that the Security Council should hear the opinions of the concerned parties in Syria on the extension of the mission.
Earlier on Tuesday, an armed terrorist group perpetrated a horrendous massacre against the people of al-Treimseh in Hama countryside. This occurred while the Security Council was holding discussions on Syria, clearly showing that the massacre aimed at turning public opinion against Syria and its people.
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07/14/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
Why is this particular massacre worse than all the other ones?
And why do the Rooskis and Chinese all of a sudden seem interested?
Or have I not been paying attention?
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/14/2012 17:56 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Diplomatic smoke for running arms to Pencil Neck?
(SANA) -- Leader of al-Dameem Clans, al-Aqeedat tribe in al-Bukamal region, Sheikh Kamal Naji al-Fares al-Jarrah, stressed that al-Aqeedat tribes support the homeland in the face of plots hatched against it.
Commenting on Nawaf al-Fares statements, al-Jarrah said "We heard Nawaf al-Fares' statements through the instigative satellite channels and his behavior expresses his own opinion."
He added that the tribe issued a statement in which it stressed that al-Dameem clans are part of the coherent Syrian fabric and they believe in internal solution to the crisis in Syria around the negotiating table.
The statement stressed the clans' support to the homeland and its leadership and their rejection of any foreign interference in Syria's internal affairs, unity and territorial safety.
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[Washington Post] Secretary-General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... and international envoy Kofi Annan ...Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh and so far the worst Secretary-General of the UN. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize for something or other that probably sounded good at the time. In December 2004, reports surfaced that Kofi's son Kojo received payments from the Swiss company Cotecna, which had won a lucrative contract under the UN Oil-for-Food Program. Kofi Annan called for an investigation to look into the allegations, which stirred up the expected cesspool but couldn't seem to come up with enough evidence to indict Kofi himself, or even Kojo... increased pressure on the divided U.N. Security Council on Friday, urging that it demand a halt to the escalating violence in Syria and promising "consequences" if the conflict doesn't end.
The U.N. chief and the joint U.N.-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... envoy to Syria renewed their appeals for action following Thursday's attack on a poor farming village in Hama province, which rebels claim was among the worst single events in the 16-month uprising.
They strongly condemned the attack on Tremseh that killed scores of people and accused the Syrian government of violating Security Council resolutions by using heavy weapons, including artillery, tanks and helicopters.
Ban sent a letter Friday to the Security Council, which was obtained by The News Agency that Dare Not be Named, and enclosed a separate letter from Annan urging Security Council action to help end the 16-month conflict.
Under Annan's six-point peace plan -- which was endorsed by the council but never implemented -- the Syrian government was to withdraw troops and heavy weapons from populated areas and halt all violence, to be followed by a cessation of hostilities by the opposition.
"There will be serious consequences for continued non-compliance," Ban said in a statement Friday.
The council is debating a new Security Council resolution on Syria, spurred by the July 20 expiration of the mandate for the U.N. observer force there and the failure of the Annan plan.
Russia and Britannia have circulated rival texts, and Ban and Annan's comments indicated a strong preference for the Western-backed British draft.
It threatens non-military sanctions against Hereditary President-for-Life BashirPencilneck al-Assad's Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs... government if it doesn't withdraw troops and heavy weapons from population centers within 10 days. The proposed resolution is under the U.N. Charter's Chapter 7, which can be enforced militarily.
Russia said Thursday it will oppose any resolution on Syria that is militarily enforceable, calling it "a red line."
Moscow's draft resolution calls for the "immediate implementation" of the Annan peace plan and the guidelines for a political transition approved at a meeting in Geneva last month, but makes no mention of sanctions, saying the council will assess implementation and "consider further steps as appropriate."
Annan's letter recalled that when he briefed the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday he stated that "the government has increased its operations -- with shelling, mechanized infantry, and the use of helicopter gunships, including in population centers."
He said the attack on Tremseh is "another grim reminder that the council's resolutions continue to be flouted."
"On Wednesday, I recommended that the council should insist on implementation of its decisions, and send a message to all that there will be consequences for non-compliance," Annan said. "This is imperative and could not be more urgent in light of unfolding events."
Ban said he fully backed Annan's views and reiterated his call on Security Council members to take action.
Security Council experts met again Friday morning to review rival texts. Ambassadors from the five veto-wielding nations -- the U.S., Russia, China, Britannia and La Belle France -- were scheduled to meet later Friday.
Copyright 2012 The News Agency that Dare Not be Named. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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[AFP] Britannia's foreign spy chief has reportedly warned that Iran is two years away from acquiring nuclear weapons, but analysts said he was assuming Tehran is actually developing the bomb.
MI6 boss John Sawers gave a rare public speech to civil servants in London saying that British agents had prevented Iran from producing a nuclear weapon as early as 2008, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported Friday.
But Sawers said the threat of Iran becoming "a nuclear weapons state" was now only "two years away", said the Telegraph, citing Civil Service World, a newspaper for senior ministry officials and politicians which reported the event.
Should Iran finally acquire nuclear weapons, the intelligence chief warned that Israel and the United States "would face huge dangers", hinting at the increased likelihood of military action, according to the Telegraph article.
Iran since 2010 has been subject to severe international economic sanctions over its controversial nuclear programme, which Western powers believe masks an atomic weapons drive -- despite repeated denials by Tehran.
But analysts said Sawer's comments pointed to an assumption that Tehran was already developing a nuclear weapon.
"Most Western intelligence agencies believe that Iran has not made the decision to acquire a nuclear weapon, but is amassing the capability to weaponise when it decides to do so," analyst Dina Esfandiary of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies told AFP.
"He (Sawers) seems to be completely glossing over that," she said.
"At the moment, Iran has enough low-enriched uranium for four or five bombs if further enriched," she said, explaining that only highly-enriched uranium can be used for weapons.
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#1
But analysts said Sawer's comments pointed to an assumption that Tehran was already developing a nuclear weapon.
Yeah, let's not leap to conclusions. Maybe the Persians have taken up uranium enrichment as a hobby. It's like rock polishing but on a molecular level.
And they are probably just kidding about destroying America and Israel. Those guys are famous for their sense of humor. Just don't mention Thermopylae.
[BBC] US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another Elihu B. Washburne ... has suggested the Syrian army "deliberately murdered civilians" in the village of Tremseh.
Up to 200 people are reported to have died in an army attack on the village, which would make it the bloodiest single event in the Syrian conflict.
However, there's more than one way to skin a cat... reports suggest that a large number of the casualties were rebel fighters.
The Syrian army admitted killing a "big number of terrorists" but no civilians.
UN Secretary General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... said the attack casts "serious doubt" on President Assad's commitment to a peace plan.
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[An Nahar] U.N.-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... envoy Kofi Annan ...Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh and so far the worst Secretary-General of the UN. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize for something or other that probably sounded good at the time. In December 2004, reports surfaced that Kofi's son Kojo received payments from the Swiss company Cotecna, which had won a lucrative contract under the UN Oil-for-Food Program. Kofi Annan called for an investigation to look into the allegations, which stirred up the expected cesspool but couldn't seem to come up with enough evidence to indict Kofi himself, or even Kojo... told the U.N. Security Council on Friday that the Syrian government had "flouted" U.N. resolutions with the latest mass killings in the country.
U.N. leader the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... also told the council that the killings in the village of Treimsa were an "outrageous escalation" of the conflict.
"The use of artillery, tanks and helicopters, which has been confirmed by UNSMIS, is a violation of the Syrian government's obligations and commitment to cease the use of heavy weapons in population centers," Annan said in a letter to the 15-nation council obtained by Agence La Belle France Presse.
Activist groups said at least 150 people were killed Thursday in an attack in Treimsa, which had a population of around 7,000.
"Tragically, we now have another grim reminder that the council's resolutions continue to be flouted," Annan said in the letter.
Annan reaffirmed his call for the council, which is debating a resolution on Syria, to "send a message to all that there will be consequences for non-compliance."
"This is imperative and could not be more urgent in the light of unfolding events," he added.
Western nations have proposed a resolution that would impose sanctions on Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad The Scourge of Hama... for not ending the use of heavy weapons in the conflict. Russia, however, has rejected the use of sanctions.
U.N. Secretary General Ban made his own condemnation of the massacre in a note to the council with Annan's letter.
"I condemn this outrageous escalation of violence in the strongest possible terms, and fully concur with the views expressed by the joint special envoy," Ban said.
Meanwhile, ...back at the game, the Babe was wondering why the baseball kept getting bigger and bigger. Finally it hit him... U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another John Marshall ... called for a ceasefire to let U.N. observers enter Treimsa.
"We call for an immediate ceasefire in and around Hama to allow the U.N. observer mission to enter Treimsa. Those who committed these atrocities will be identified and held accountable," Clinton said in a statement.
She said reports of the use of artillery, tanks, and helicopters were "indisputable evidence that the regime deliberately murdered innocent civilians."
"As long as the Assad regime continues to wage war against the Syrian people, the international community must keep increasing the pressure on the regime to halt the violence and allow for a political solution to go forward," Clinton added.
The U.S. secretary of state also stepped up demands for the deadlocked U.N. Security Council to pass a resolution ordering sanctions against President Bashir al-Assad's government if he does not carry out the peace plan of international envoy Kofi Annan.
Russia, Syria's main international ally, has rejected calls for sanctions.
"The Security Council should put its full weight behind the Annan plan for an immediate ceasefire and a political transition and make clear to the Syrian regime that there will be consequences for non-compliance," Clinton said.
"History will judge this council. Its members must ask themselves whether continuing to allow the Assad regime to commit unspeakable violence against its own people is the legacy they want to leave," she said.
For her part, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton also on Friday denounced the Treimsa massacre as "an atrocity" and "a blatant violation" of Annan's plan.
"I am deeply shocked by reports of the ruthless killing of at least 200 men, women and kiddies" in Treimsa, she said in a statement.
"The regime's use of heavy weaponry, including artillery and helicopters, which has been confirmed by U.N. observers, is a blatant violation of its obligations under the Annan plan."
"I condemn this atrocity in the strongest possible terms."
Ashton called for U.N. observers to be given immediate unhindered access to the village and said those responsible for such "heinous acts" should be held accountable.
"There can be no impunity for the perpetrators of these alleged human rights When they're defined by the state or an NGO they don't mean much... violations."
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07/14/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
U.N. Secretary General Ban made his own condemnation of the massacre in a note to the council with Annan's letter."I condemn this outrageous escalation of violence in the strongest possible terms, and fully concur with the views expressed by the joint special envoy," Ban said.
#3
I suspect we'll soon be seeing nuus footage of HIND helo's with crop dusting booms. Tip of the day: Booms folded back against the fuselage, not a big deal. Low flying helo's with booms extended..... a very, very big deal.
[An Nahar] Prime Minister Najib Miqati slammed on Friday the sides that have criticized the manner in which the Special Tribunal for Leb was funded, saying that their campaign "against me reflects their spite and lack of reason."
He said in a statement: "The critics' statements prove beyond a doubt that they do not seek justice or the truth in the liquidation of former Premier Rafik Hariri."
"They are only employing the blood of the martyr for political purposes ... and in a manner that undermines the people's intelligence," he noted.
He stressed that his decision to fund the tribunal stems from his national and personal convictions to achieve justice "away from the politicization of the case."
In addition, Miqati stated that the funding was done out of the need for Leb to respect its international commitments.
"The funding was not complete to appease any side, especially not the powers that have launched the campaign against me," he remarked.
Miqati revealed on Wednesday that Leb had met its obligation to fund the STL, saying that the funds were obtained from outside of the state budget, similar to last year.
In remarks to As Safir newspaper about the criticism on the way the tribunal was funded, the premier said: "We believe in justice and we practice it."
"Criticism is easy but being responsible towards the nation and committing to Leb's international obligations is the most difficult part," the premier told the newspaper.
Reports have said that Leb paid its share to the tribunal after Miqati demanded that the money be transferred from the premiership's funds. But several March 8 majority and opposition MPs criticized him for overriding cabinet approval.
According to An Nahar, Miqati held a telephone conversation with Speaker Nabih Knobby Berri Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, a member of AMAL, a not very subtle Hizbullah sock puppet... on Thursday to inform him about the latest achievements of the government, including the adoption of the 2012 state budget.
The daily quoted Berri as saying "this is the way things should be done."
Berri also told An Nahar that the cabinet is functioning according to the plans set following a consensual agreement among its different parties last month to activate the government's work.
"Things are moving forward at a good rate and the most important thing is not to go backwards," he stressed.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/14/2012 00:00 ||
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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.
A group leader of 16 
A U.S. Army battalion consisting of several hundred soldiers is stationed in the Sinai as part of an international peacekeeping force. 
Senior police official says man 
Turkey has exchanged nearly 60 tons of gold for several million tons of Iranian crude oil, despite its promises to uphold Western sanctions on Iran's energy sector, according to recent Turkish reports.
Texas has a history of voter discrimination 
A federal judge sentenced an Uzbek man living illegally in the United States to nearly 16 years in prison on Friday on terrorism and weapons charges stemming from his plot to kill President 
NATICK, Mass. -- The Army is changing clothes.
Wazoo
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
...Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh and so far the worst Secretary-General of the UN. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize for something or other that probably sounded good at the time. In December 2004, reports surfaced that Kofi's son Kojo received payments from the Swiss company Cotecna, which had won a lucrative contract under the UN Oil-for-Food Program. Kofi Annan called for an investigation to look into the allegations, which stirred up the expected cesspool but couldn't seem to come up with enough evidence to indict Kofi himself, or even Kojo...
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
Britannia's foreign spy chief has reportedly warned that Iran is two years away from acquiring nuclear weapons, but analysts said he was assuming Tehran is actually developing the bomb.
Hillary Clinton
Najib Miqati
