The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Saturday opened talks with the government of Afghanistan over a proposed military presence in the country beyond 2014.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said, As mutually agreed by NATO and the Government of Afghanistan, we have decided to open negotiations on the NATO Status of Forces Agreement.|
Rasmussen further added, I welcome the start of these talks today, at a meeting of NATOs Senior Civilian Representative Ambassador Maurits Jochems with the Afghan National Security Adviser Dr Rangin Dadfar Spanta, while stressing that the NATO Status of Forces Agreement will not be concluded or signed until the signature of the Bilateral Security Agreement between the Governments of Afghanistan and the United States.
He said, The Status of Forces Agreement will constitute a key element of the legal framework needed for the deployment of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan National Security Forces after 2014, as agreed with the Afghan government at the 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago.
In the meantime, Rasmussen insisted that no deal would be singed until after the bilateral security agreement between Kabul and Washington was completed. Afghan president Hamid Karzai set new conditions for the signing of the bilateral security agreement with Washington, though the draft of the pact was approved by majority during the consultative Loya Jirga in Kabul last month.
#1
As the Afghan taxi driver i met recently told me we targeted the wrong country re AlQ/Taliban Post 2001.The source/problem is next door re religious extremism.
Posted by: Paul D ||
12/23/2013 12:07 Comments ||
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[Tolo News] A year ahead of the NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... troop withdraw, according to a recent Washington Post and ABC News poll, two-thirds of Americans believe that the 13-year war in Afghanistan was not worth fighting.
However, it was a brave man who first ate an oyster... the same poll found that the majority of Americans believe a residual force of should remain in the country to train and back up Afghan soldiers post-2014. That figure would indicate predominate support for the Kabul-Washington security pact, which remains to be finalized.
Four in 10 polled said all U.S. troops should be removed from the country.
Belief that the war wasn't worth fighting has been the view of a majority since a Post-ABC poll on the subject in 2010. But the latest iteration shows a record 50 percent saying they "strongly" believe the war wasn't worth fighting.
Support for the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan was in the 90-percentile range when the war started over a decade ago in the wake of al Qaeda's 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington.
Opposition to the war evidently cuts across party lines, with Democrats at 67 percent, Independents at 71 percent and Republicans at 54 percent.
The future U.S. military role remains in limbo because President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... has refused to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) that would keep an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan and ensure some 4.1 billion USD in military aid to the Afghan forces after next year.
In response to the survey, Afghan Senator Mohammad Daoud Asaas contended that the war was more useful for the U.S. than Afghanistan.
"The truth is that the Afghan war was useful for the Americans, not for the people of this country," Senator Asaas told TOLOnews.
Experts say the financial costs of the war in Afghanistan is the primary reason for most Americans' skepticism about the merits of the war. The National Priorities Project has posted a running tally of the cost of the war, which now numbers around $682 billion.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/23/2013 1:02 Comments ||
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#3
Perhaps more ominiously, a majority of surveyed Americans feel smilarly about the US-Japan security treaty.
BAD NEWS FOR JAPAN, GOOD NEWS FOR CHINA + ANTI-US GLOBALISTS, INCLUD ANTI-AMERICAN AMERIKAN GLOBALISTS.
Year 2013 is being labeled on the MSM-Net as a bad year for the Bammer, wid New Year 2014 likely to be much worse.
As for Afghanistan = AFPAK, we'll see iff the feeling remains the same iff Radical Islam takes over both Afghan's Govt. + Pakistan's nukes, as PERTS ARE ARGUING THAT 10-15,000 US TROOPS IN POST-2014 AFGHANISTAN IS NOT ENUFF IN NUMBERS OR FIREPOWER, ETC. TO DETER THE HARD/BURQUA BOYZ.
POST-2014 AFGHANISTAN MIGHT AS WELL BE THE PERENNIALLY POROUS US-MEXICAN BORDER???
Q: What was the AFG threat to our (the United States) national security?
A: I've not heard or seen a convincing argument in support of any AFG threat.
Q: What were the strategic goals, and were they met?
A: I've never heard anyone articulate the strategic goals regarding our AFG involvement. If a strategic goal was the defeat of AQ or the Taliban, the mark was obviously missed.
Q: Has US involvement changed anything for the better, for the AFG people?
A: Only time will tell, but historic efforts at civilizing the region have not been met with much success.
At the tactical level, our involvement was also a massive cock-up. Assigning "Operational Areas" of responsibility to US and ISAF brigades with little or no overlapping coordination or authority and hamstringing them with restrictive ROE, was/is a disaster.
Dotting the land with HESCO barrier forts (FOB's and COP's) from which humanitarian (State Department led nation building) and host-nation training efforts could be staged, in the end, appears to have accomplished little.
Also accomplishing little and turning the battle space into a confusing command & control disaster, was the CIA and SOF 'bad guy' kill or capture effort. Not the first time for this however, Iraq was a series of confusing wars within wars. Add to this confusion the turmoil of tribally focused Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF of all flavors) running totally amuck and unmonitored.
Worth it? In my opinion, absolutely not, not as currently played out. It was a very bad hand handed to US Brigade and ISAF commanders by the political leadership in Washington. They (the military) did, and are doing the best they can.
Packing it in this morning, 'blowing in place' what can't be flown out, and getting the hell out would be very wise and save a lot of wonderful young lives.
#7
I've never heard anyone articulate the strategic goals regarding our AFG involvement.
"These demands are not open to negotiation or discussion. The Taliban must act, and act immediately. They will hand over the terrorists, or they will share in their fate."
George W. Bush, Statement To Joint Session Of Congress September 20th 2001
"We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them. "
George W. Bush, September 11th 2001
President Bush did articulate strategic goals for Operation Infinite Justice.
These goals were never rescinded but they sort of faded away as Operation Infinite Justice was neutered and turned into Operation Enduring Freedom.
If a strategic goal was the defeat of AQ or the Taliban, the mark was obviously missed.
True. If the goal was to put Western political and cultural masochism on display the mark was not missed, unfortunately.
Only time will tell, but historic efforts at civilizing the region have not been met with much success.
No one is even attempting to civilize the region. The consensus among the Western political class is that elements of liberated Afghanistan's alien tyranny are to be imposed on Western peoples.
"The truth is that the Afghan war was useful for the Americans, not for the people of this country," Senator Asaas told TOLOnews.
The good Senator is wrong, unfortunately. If he was right that would mean that the US had won the Afghan war.
#11
Ditto Pappy. Doug Stanton's 'Horse Soldiers' provides a fairly accurate story of the early, and successful US support to the Northern Alliance. Unfortunately, like the early Civilian Irregular Defense Group (CIDG) program of Vietnam, the big army, the Klingons, US State, and the industrial defense establishment got involved. Ike was right. His son John just passed away last week by the way.
#12
We need to quit "nation-building". Go in, kill bad guys, break things, then leave.
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/23/2013 11:11 Comments ||
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#13
Nation building is a conceit we learned after WW II and serves only to create immense domestic and foreign forces who learn the way to keep the money flowing long after the point is made. FrankG has it right, but I would add with a very credible threat at the end for worse to come if they reoffend.
#14
Next door Pakistan needs sorting out more than Afghanistan.
DPC sum up what is wrong with Pakistan.
Posted by: Paul D ||
12/23/2013 12:04 Comments ||
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#15
After WWII what we did was nation REbuilding. The countries in Western Europe were by and large civilized. Most had some tradition of more or less representative government. Most of what we did with the Marshall Plan was to help rebuild the destroyed infrastructure.
Iraq and Afghanistan don't have those things. We were trying to build an infrastructure and impose democracy, at the same time fighting a powerful. insurgency.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
12/23/2013 12:12 Comments ||
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1. Afghanistan could have avoided the war entirely by simply handing over bin Laden. It was THEIR decision to go to war. Taliban could still be running that country today had they simply done that.
2. Had we got him at Tora Bora, I doubt things would have lasted this long. Whoever made that decision to allow our "allies" to get bin Laden at Tora Bora probably made a decision that has cost a lot of lives over the years. But hindsight is 20/20
#19
Ok my rather jaded opinion on this one. First, going into Afghanistan was necessary in my mind. Taliban and AQ were deeply imbedded there. Did we do it right? Not by a long shot. ODA555 was the perfect start. Some SF teams in there blowing shit up and killing bad guys, it's all good. But then came the conventional forces, they needed to play in the great defense of America. So in came the monster logistics of supporting divisions and brigades. The support had to cross no mans land and IED country. Now loggies that know nothing about fighting are getting their asses handed to them and paying the price for all the generals who are wanting a combat command. Our nation was just off of the great air land battle doctrine and knew nothing about fighting an insurgent war. In 2000 I was at CGSC and the big year end exercise was an insurgent war in the Philippines. The battle plan was to take the islands with two Armor divisions! Imagine that, there are 7,000 islands. Like I said, trying to fight insurgents with air land battle doctrine. A complete failure. We should have learned this lesson from the Russians, they fought cold war tactics, two up - one back, in Afghanistan and got clocked.
We should have used SF teams, set up small FOBs, supported them by air and with air strikes. Hunt and kill the Taliban and AQ at night, hunker down by day, and screw the nation building. Those folks are tribal, they want to remain that way, LET THEM! Just be sure to kill those that were involved in AQ and those that are actively supporting it.
I get the SOCOM glory hound complaints that will follow. I'm not nicking anyone who was there and fought and certainly not those that were hurt or killed. But I do believe in the right force for the right fight. Iraq was a conventional fight with SOF in a supporting roll. It should have been the other way around in Afghan.
This and a dollar will get a cup of coffee most anywhere.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
12/23/2013 17:11 Comments ||
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#20
I figure it was worth fighting until Bush 'declared victory' and moved the GWOT to Iraq. Whether THAT was worth fighting is a different question, but at least it was a way out of Afghanistan.
#21
Was worth going in initially - until we started nation-building - there wasn't a nation there to begin with by all accounts.
I think Ann was right:
We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity. We weren't punctilious about locating and punishing only Hitler and his top officers. We carpet-bombed German cities; we killed civilians. That's war. And this is war.
Posted by: Barbara ||
12/23/2013 19:07 Comments ||
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#23
Big thing you overlook Besoeker and others - talk to those who have been there, they might have you reconsider some of your reasoning. We are screwing the regional and tribal advocates of freedom by bailing on them. I know there are some good men and their families who are going to have to flee the country, like happened in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Plus there are all the basic human rights we bled for that are going to vaporize for the girls (and young boys) there -- we managed to build schools for and give a glimpse of hope and non-Islamic non-submissive non-chattel life. For many, that made it worth it, and yet people are ignorant or else just dump on it. Think about it, whats the biggest embarrassment and regret re: Vietnam? Bailing out and letting good people twist in the wind (or a figurative noose). I get the feeling many are trying to justify doing it again.
So dont blithely sound off like there is no cost for what ultimately will be seen as cutting and running. There is. I paid to a small extent, and I know personally that many others tha will pay or have paid far more emotionally and physically, and some gave all they had. Some are still over there training Afghan troops (OMLT-A teams and other Operations of that sort that I know of). This is with our NATO allies, rarely any of the big guys like the Germans or French, but instead its the smaller countries forces, good troops from places like Slovenia you never hear about in the news. Ask them, and those who have helped them. We know the consequences, and dread their coming. Maybe to the armchair folks its ok to say its a failure and wash their hands and "move on". But for those involved, its not a failure that can simply be dismissed and handwaved away - at least not when it comes to up close and personal things that civilians will never truly understand.
That being said: You're conflating 2 different things. The initial part of the war, and what it has evolved into post Iraq (yes, Iraq - the end of OIFs changed a lot of things). Afghanistan morphed from a fight to defeat a group in that region to a place like Vietnam, in that it was the only game in town for theater of combat "ticket punches" for would-be flag officers etc.
The initial war was unarguably needed, and was successful - the central government was removed, and eventually Bin Laden was killed (should have been sooner) as well as a much of the central AlQ Afghanistan organization and leadership.
The latter part of the war necessary/successful? Arguably no, because of a few fundamentals - mission creep, Bad ROE, too much "Lawfare" from the REMFs and other Perfumed Princes of the Pentagon, and the biggest one of all:
You cannot "nationbuild" when there is no nation to begin with.
Its tribal, and always has been. The best thing would have been to divide the place up into tribal areas, dissolve the central government, then let them kill each other - cut deals with some to operate against the others to let our SF and fast mobile (Rangers, etc) engage in anti-AQ ops. That and a couple airbases for CAS.
The worrisome thing? Pakistan will go the same way if we don't see things clearly when (not if, but when) it fails as a nation. The difference is, in Pakistan, there will be nuclear weapons at hand, which will force our hand into intervening, violently if necessary.
[Tolo News] President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... claimed on Sunday that U.S. officials deem suicide kabooms and attacks on schools by the terrorist in Afghanistan not acts of terror from the perspective of the United States.
At a presser, President Karzai said that U.S. officials have told him that anyone who threatens U.S. interests or attacks its assets are considered faceless myrmidons for the United States.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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[CHRON] An Egyptian court handed down prison sentences to three of the country's most prominent youth activists Sunday in the first use of a controversial new protest law, a harsh warning to the secular groups that supported the military's ouster of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... but have since grown critical of the army-backed government that replaced him.
Ahmed Maher, Ahmed Douma and Mohammed Adel, founders of the April 6 movement, each received three years in prison on charges of holding an illegal rally and assaulting police. According to their lawyers, prosecutors said they had thrown rocks at police, but their defense disputed that they had done the throwing.
It was the first prosecution under a protest law passed last month as part of the government's efforts to rein in near-daily street demonstrations by Morsi supporters. Rights groups say the law, which levies harsh penalties for a variety of offenses linked to protests, shows intent to suppress all dissent. The government says the statute is necessary after three years of unrest that have devastated the economy.
April 6 spearheaded the protests against longtime authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... that began on January 25, 2011, and led to his overthrow. They also backed the military's July 3 ouster of Morsi after another round of mass protests. But they were alarmed by the new protest law, many arguing it was more repressive than the laws in place during Mubarak's time.
Amr Ali, coordinator for April 6, said the new statute, under which another dozen members of the group face charges, is a continuation of a Mubarak-era policy, turning to a "security solution" to deal with political problems.
"The youth of the revolution who call for freedom, democracy and their right to protest ... are today tried unfairly and according to a dictatorial law that reflects this current regime and this current phase-- basically turning against the ideals of the revolution," Ali said in a news conference after the verdict.
"We will continue to escalate against the protest law, against this repressive regime," he said. He appealed to Cabinet ministers critical of the law to resign in protest.
Defense lawyer Alaa Abdel-Tawab said he will appeal the court decision, describing it as "political" and "exceptionally harsh" for a misdemeanor court. The three were each fined $7,250.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] The Salafist Front has announced that it will boycott the national referendum on the draft constitution due next month -- a move that puts it at odds with the Salafist Call and its political arm, the Nour Party.
One of the largest Salafist associations in the Middle East, the front released a statement on Saturday saying that the amendments made to the national charter by the outgoing 50-member committee do not express the will of all Egyptians.
It also said that all political arrangements that followed the ouster of former Islamist president Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... are "illegitimate and punishable."
The Salafist front is a member of the pro-Morsi National Alliance to support legitmacy (NASL).
On Wednesday, the Brotherhood Freedom and Justice Party called on its supporters to boycott the voting poll, accusing it of being " designed to give immunity to murderers who led a bloody military coup that was an insult to the dignity and will of Egyptians".
The Salafist Call, another leading Salafist group, has taken the opposite stance. The group and its Nour Party have publically called for a yes vote in the January referendum on the charter.
Many non-Islamist political groups argued that the 2012 constitution was not representative of all layers of Egyptian society and limited many freedoms. The constitution was suspended in July when Islamist president Mohammed Morsi was ousted from power.
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12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] Tribal chiefs and supporters of federalism have warned the government, Congress and the Libya Revolutionaries Operations Room (LROR) that they will not stand aside if force is used to end the closure of the eastern oil terminals. They also insisted that Cyrenaica would export oil independently of the NOC
At a meeting in Benghazi yesterday, Cyrenaica tribal elders and federalism activists said that any action or threat of action against the region or those who were "protecting" its ports and oil fields would be considered an assault on the people of Cyrenaica as a whole.
Last week, the Congress' Oil and Energy Committee said that it was giving the government a week to reopen the oil terminals, otherwise it would advise Congress to authorise the use of force. Members of the LROR also said that they would take unilateral action against Ibrahim Jedhran, head of the self-styled Political Bureau of Cyrenaica, and his forces if the terminals did not reopen.
The Cyrenaica elders yesterday warned the LROR, primarily drawn from western Libya, that it should not meddle in the country's social fabric. Doing so, they said, could fuel moves for separatism.
Echoing Jedhran's demands, the tribal elders demanded the establishment of an independent committee to look into allegations of corruption in oil sales. They also demand the Public Auditor draw up a report on Libyan funds invested aboard, frozen assets and past contracts awarded.
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12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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[Egypt Independent] The National Alliance to Support Legitimacy officially announced that it will boycott the referendum on the draft constitution scheduled for 14 and 15 January.
The alliance said in a Sunday presser that it calls on the Egyptian people to boycott the referendum for "political, legal and rights" reasons. The alliance accused the current regime of seeking to rig the referendum and abort the 25 January revolution.
The amendments to the 2012 Constitution are null as they were carried out by a void committee appointed by coup authorities, the statement read.
Continued on Page 49
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12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] Zanzibar and its palm-fringed beaches appear idyllic, but rising religious tensions marked by brutal killings and acid attacks are threatening the tourist industry upon which the east African archipelago depends.
After years of peaceful religious coexistence on the majority Musselmen island, in August two British teenage girls who had been teaching in a school were doused in acid and severely burnt.
Attackers on a cycle of violence reportedly threw the acid in their faces, prompting Zanzibari officials -- who described the attack as "a shame on the people of Zanzibar" -- to offer a sizable reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspects.
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[An Nahar] Several thousand Mohammedan supporters of the Central African Republic's former rebel group Seleka protested Sunday against French troops conducting a disarmament operation.
The demonstration in the capital Bangui marked the most significant show of hostility towards La Belle France since it deployed troops on December 5 to end the chaos that followed Seleka's coup in March.
The protest swelled after some Mohammedan residents said three ex-Seleka fighters were killed in festivities with French troops. French officials have not confirmed that information.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] A deadly al-Qaeda attack this month on a Yemeni defense ministry hospital was a mistake and the jihadist network is ready to pay blood money, a top jihadist commander has said.
The brazen daylight attack on the defense ministry complex on December 5 left 56 people dead, including patients and foreign medics from the Philippines, Germany, Vietnam and India.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has already grabbed credit for the attack and late Saturday its military chief said in an online video the assault on the hospital had not been authorized.
"The attack was on the ministry of defense, it was not on the hospital," said AQAP military commander Qassem al-Rimi.
Rimi said the bully boyz were told to stay away from the hospital and a prayer hall in the sprawling defense ministry complex, but that one lone jihadist disobeyed orders.
"We told them (jihadists) to be cautious, not to enter the prayer place or the hospital. Eight of our brothers were cautious, and one did not. May Allah forgive him and have mercy on him," said Rimi.
AQAP admits its mistake and offers "apologies and condolences" and accepts "full responsibility" for the attack, including the paying of blood money to compensate the families of the victims, Rimi said.
AQAP, which is considered by Washington as the most dangerous affiliate of al-Qaeda, is also willing to pay for the medical treatment of civilians maimed in the hospital attack, he added.
"Whatever our Sharia (Islamic law) commands us we will do. Because we are preachers of Sharia and not frauds," he said, according to an English translation of comments he made in Arabic.
Following the December 5 attack Yemeni state television ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
aired footage from a hospital security camera showing a heavily armed gunman shooting in a hospital corridor.
At one point he lobs a hand grenade at a group of doctors and nurses and in further footage a gunman can be seen executing a man and a child.
AQAP said earlier this month that its bully boyz struck at the defense ministry a control center for U.S. drone attacks against jihadists in Yemen.
The Washington-based think tank New America Foundation says there have been 93 strikes by drones since 2002 in Yemen, killing between 684 and 891 people, among them between 64 and 66 civilians.
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12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] The BNP yesterday lambasted the government and the Election Commission for the move to deploy the army as strike force to ensure peaceful holding of the January 5 "farcical election", and alleged that it is a plot to leave the army pitted against the people.
"We are surprised to see the news of deploying the patriotic army for the unilateral and farcical election," said BNP spokesperson Nazrul Islam Khan.
Addressing a presser at the BNP chairperson's Gulshan office, he said the "incompetent" EC itself has taken a stand against the people as a tool of the government for fulfilling its desire.
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[Pak Daily Times] Security has been tightened across the city for Chehlum of Imam Hussain (RA).
According to intelligence sources, the Taliban were planning to attack members of the Shia community in response to the festivities in Rawalpindi on Ashura. The attackers would use vehicles with fake official number plates or cycle of violences or rickshaws with applied-for-registration plates.
Police have declared 14 processions scheduled in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... highly sensitive and 150 sensitive. Similarly, 29 majalis are considered highly sensitive and 170 sensitive.
In order to avoid untoward incidents, almost 10,000 cops include 1,450 non-gazetted officers, 8,300 constables and 54 policewomen have been stationed. Moreover, military troops would be deployed throughout the province to assist police and Rangers.
Karachi police chief, AIG Shahid Hayat Khan, recently held a meeting at his office to discuss the security plan for Chehlum and directed the DIGs and SPs of the three Ranges and also officers of the investigation department to take extra security steps.
The entrances of imambargahs are to be guarded jointly by the police and private security company personnel. Police officials would inform the managements of imambargahs how to handle the situation if they see somebody or something suspicious.
Female volunteers would also be deployed at imambargah entry points to deal with the threat of female jacket wallahs. As per the security plan, vehicles would not be allowed to park nearby, and instead are to be parked at a safe distance from the imambargahs or other places for religious gatherings.
A temporary control room and police emergency centres are to be set up at specified locations on the eve of Chehlum. Additionally, cops would be deployed on rooftops and 150 buildings on the routes of Chehlum processions have been selected for installing surveillance cameras.
The Inter-Services Public Relations has said it had received a letter from Sindh Home Department asking for the deployment of troops throughout the province. A meeting took place at the headquarters and it was decided that soldiers would be deployed at the sensitive locations of Karachi and other parts of Sindh.
Meanwhile, ...back at the Hubba Hubba Club, Nunzio wondered: Where the hell was Chumbaloni? And where was his $600?... cellular services would be suspended and riding double banned in several cities of Sindh, including Karachi, Hyderabad, Khairpur, Mirpurkhas, Sukkur and Larkana on December 23 and 24.
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12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... on Saturday stressed the need for forging unity and promoting interfaith harmony to eliminate religious hatred, terrorism and extremism.
Addressing a function in connection with Christmas at Governor's House, Nawaz Sharif said that all religions, including Islam and Christianity, aimed at purification of the soul.
He said that Mohammedans have faith in Jesus Christ as the prophet of God and a Mohammedan's belief could not be completed until he believes in all holy books, including the Bible, as well as all prophets.
The prime minister said that exploitation of religion created hatred among followers of various faiths that ultimately disturbed social peace, adding that a "handful of elements are hell-bent on spreading religious hatred and creating sectarianism by exploiting religion and unfortunately such elements also exist in Pakistain". "The elements attacking churches and mosques and other worship places do not have belief/faith or respect for holy places. We must have to obstruct the way of the elements by forging unity in our ranks and promote interfaith harmony," he said. He said the birth of Jesus Christ was a clear message of peace and security for humanity and his teachings were a beacon of light that enlightened the world. "Islam also advocates love, peace, harmony, fraternity and tolerance," he said, asserting that interfaith harmony could be promoted by taking forward religious commonalities.
The prime minister said that Christians and other minorities had been playing an active role in the development of Pakistain and prosperity of the people since its inception.
"The constitution of Pakistain provides equal opportunities to minorities living in Pakistain," he said and cited that Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the Pakistain Resolution also emphasised equal rights for minorities.
The prime minister said the PML-N government was formulating and implementing policies to ensure equal rights for all citizens irrespective of their colour, caste and creed. "The government also discouraged discrimination on the basis of religion, caste and colour in its recently launched PM's youth programme," he said and advised the minority youth to benefit from the opportunity.
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12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] Reiterating full support to the ongoing government-led grinding of the peace processor with the Taliban, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif on Saturday vowed to not tolerate any more terrorist attacks.
During his visit to the Corps Headquarters in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. , he emphasised that terrorist attacks would not be tolerated and they would be responded effectively, said a statement issued by the ISPR.
Ruling out military action against the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) as its first preference, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... 's government has promised to persuade bully boyz to lay down their weapons through peace negotiations.
The prime minister, earlier this week, said the government would use "force as a last resort".
The Pak Taliban, however, have dismissed the government's peace initiative saying they have information that plans are already under way for a military operation, adding that bully boyz were ready for battle.
Gen Sharif laid a flower wreath at Yadgar-e-Shuhada on his arrival in the capital of troubled Khyber Pakthunkhwa (KP) province bordering Afghanistan.
"He paid tribute to the deaders who sacrificed their lives for the defence of motherland," said the statement.
Later, he was briefed in detail at the Corps Headquarters about various operational, training and administrative matters.
The army chief appreciated the resolve displayed by the officers and men during fight against terrorism and bringing stability to the militancy-hit areas.
The festivities between bully boyz and Pak security forces, erupted following a suicide kaboom on a military checkpoint which killed at least five soldiers and maimed 34 others on Wednesday night, have seen at least 53 people dead in North Wazoo.
Still unclear is whether the individuals who have been killed in this week's festivities are civilians or myrmidons.
The entire chain of events that has left the whole of North Waziristan under a curfew for four days is shrouded in confusion.
Appreciating the infrastructure building and reconstruction work being undertaken by the Pakistain Army for socio-economic benefit of the local population of FATA and Malakand, the COAS instructed all concerned to ensure quality and timely completion of these projects.
Earlier, on his arrival in Peshawar, the COAS was received by Corps Commander Lieutenant General Khalid Rabbani. This was army chief's maiden visit to the Corps Headquarters after assuming the office of COAS.
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[An Nahar] Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ... Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party.... said Sunday that an anti-government sit-in has become a headquarters for al-Qaeda, and called for protesters to depart before security forces move in.
If security forces move against the site, where Sunni Arab demonstrators have gathered for almost a year, it would likely inflame widespread discontent among the minority community and could add to the already-rampant violence plaguing the country.
Continued on Page 49
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UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he hoped that the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) would be able to sign a final peace agreement soon as it praised the recent strides Manila has made to make this possible.
Ban said, "I commend the Philippine government effort to promote peace and democracy and inclusive growth. In this context, I congratulate the Philippine government of progress in the Mindanao peace process particularly the agreement reached between parties in December. I hope a final agreement will be reached soon."
Ban was referring to the signing early this month by negotiators of both camps regarding power sharing between the national government and local authorities under a proposed new Bangsamoro autonomous set-up in Muslim Mindanao.
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[An Nahar] Hizbullah officials have shrugged off accusations made by March 14 alliance officials against Hizbullah chief His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah The satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb... that his latest speech was tantamount to the announcement of war.
In remarks to the Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper published on Sunday, the officials, who were not identified said: "He hasn't announced war. He is already fighting."
Continued on Page 49
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Top|| File under: Hezbollah
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.
[Tolo News] President 
[CHRON] An Egyptian court handed down prison sentences to three of the country's most prominent youth activists Sunday in the first use of a controversial new protest law, a harsh warning to the secular groups that supported the military's ouster of Islamist president 
[Egypt Independent] The National Alliance to Support Legitimacy officially announced that it will boycott the referendum on the draft constitution scheduled for 14 and 15 January.
[Pak Daily Times] Zanzibar and its palm-fringed beaches appear idyllic, but rising religious tensions marked by brutal killings and acid attacks are threatening the tourist industry upon which the east African archipelago depends.
[An Nahar] A deadly al-Qaeda attack this month on a Yemeni defense ministry hospital was a mistake and the jihadist network is ready to pay blood money, a top jihadist commander has said.
Nawaz Sharif
Wazoo
Nouri al-Maliki
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he hoped that the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) would be able to sign a final peace agreement soon as it praised the recent strides Manila has made to make this possible. 
