In a shocking report that has yet to be released but which we have seen, we have learnt that more than 3,000 soldiers have died in Somalia and Kenya is fighting a losing war.
Last week Raila demanded that the Uhuru government furnish reports on how many soldiers have died in Somalia but he was quickly shut down by Uhuru's cronies who questioned why he wanted this valuable information.
Well, the truth is now out. Kenyans refuse to face the fact that #Operation_Linda_Nchi is costing tax payers over 100 MILLION a day to run this farce of a war.
Good men and women are dying over there for no justified reason. Soldiers get shot at EVERYDAY, Day in Day out for an ineffective government that can't safeguard security within our borders.
Do we even have PROFESSIONAL ARMIES? Well, our soldiers don't operate based on the concept of duty any more…KDF soldiers now see EVERYTHING as a JOB. That's why they pay over 300K to get in the army.
To get PAID a certain SALARY Every month and they have certain jobs to do. And dying for Your country in Not one of the jobs. We interviewed a soldier who said that the word duty and esprit corps are not even mentioned….instead everything is reffered as a job which is the reason(joblessness) most people join anyway.
How many soldiers have died in Somalia? And for fairness, how many Somalis have died so far, civilian or insurgents?
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/22/2014 00:00 ||
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Where are the 'Mau Mau' when you really need them?
[DAWN] IN today's liberal, tolerant Britannia, a charge of racism and Islamophobia ...the irrational fear that Moslems will act the way they usually do... can be hugely damaging for anybody with ambitions of a career in public service. Given this environment of political correctness, people are often afraid to speak out against migrants who act in ways that are contrary to local culture and social norms.
Thus, when the Birmingham city council began receiving reports of increasing control of aggressively Islamic elements over a number of state schools, it tended to ignore them for fear of being accused of Islamophobia, and in the interest of harmony in the largely Mohammedan areas of the city.
It was not until the so-called Trojan horse letter surfaced last year that the government took action. Michael Gove, until recently a reforming education secretary, unleashed an enquiry by Ofsted, the school regulator, and another by Peter Clarke, a retired police officer who was earlier the national counterterrorism coordinator. At the same time, the Birmingham city council commissioned its own enquiry conducted by Ian Kershaw.
While these enquiries were going on, there was much speculation in the media. Many of the Mohammedan governors of the affected schools protested against what they called a witch-hunt, accusing the Conservative-led coalition government of anti-Mohammedan propaganda. The Ofsted report focused in academic and administrative matters, and cleared a few of the schools while recommending that others be placed in 'special measures'.
However, facts are stubborn; statistics are more pliable... the Clarke report has been far more devastating. Among other things, it has accused the governors of these schools of bullying teachers and principals who would not cooperate, forcing many to leave; eliminating the choice of language teaching, and restricting it to Arabic and Urdu; teaching belief as fact by introducing creationism as science; subverting secularism; appointing students who would report teachers as well as other students of "exhibiting behaviour deemed unacceptable by conservative Mohammedans"; and racism by making white pupils feel unwelcome.
Clarke accuses the governors of trying to impose "an aggressively separatist and intolerant agenda incompatible with full participation in a plural secular democracy". Basing his report on interviews, email correspondence between staff members, and exchanges on the social media, Clarke asserts: "It appears to be a deliberate attempt to convert secular state schools into exclusive faith schools in all but name... There is clear evidence that young people are being encouraged to accept unquestionably a particular hardline strand of Sunni Islam that raises concerns about their vulnerability to radicalisation in the future."
UK govt accuses Mohammedan group of trying to impose Islam in schools
For us Paks, there's nothing new here: our schools have been brainwashing our children in this manner for decades, and the result is before us in the form of rising intolerance and extremism that now dominate the public discourse. But in Britannia, such indoctrination is unacceptable, and will no doubt lead to loud calls for greater supervision of schools in largely Mohammedan areas.
Already, there is an intermittent debate going on about the resistance to integration among mostly Mohammedan immigrants. As negative perceptions about political Islam harden, the sight of women dressed in all-enveloping veils and men with long, scruffy beards causes resentment among many Brits. Mostly, these feelings are not articulated, but the Clarke report will surely add fuel to this slowly smouldering file.
Although he has not stated that he found any evidence of attempts to teach students the virtue of violent jihad, this paragraph from his report is particularly damning:
"Essentially the ideology revealed by this investigation is an intolerant and politicised of extreme social conservatism that claims to represent and ultimately seeks to control all Mohammedans ... The all-male discussions include homophobia, highly offensive comments about British service personnel, a stated ambition to increase segregation at the school, disparagement of Mohammedans in sectors other than their own, scepticism about the truth in the reports on the murder of Lee Rigby [the British soldier brutally murdered in broad daylight before witnesses by two Mohammedans last year] and the Boston bombings, and a constant undercurrent of anti-western, anti-America and anti-Israel sentiment."
One thing to emerge from both the Clarke and the Kershaw reports is that there was a complete failure on the part of the Birmingham city council to regulate these schools, and look into complaints of their takeover in Mohammedan majority areas. Governors have taken advantage of the decentralisation and empowerment of school boards to run their own affairs.
Ironically, Michael Gove, the education secretary who pushed through these reforms, has recently been demoted in a major cabinet reshuffle. His departure will be greeted with relief by teachers' unions as he pushed them hard to improve standards.
For decades, Brits have accepted the customs, languages and culture of the millions of migrants who have moved here as political refugees or economic migrants. They have contributed in large measure to the economy, the social services and the arts. But in these days of economic stagnation and unemployment, there is growing resentment of newcomers who are seen as not only taking jobs away from locals, but also subsidised housing and free medical care.
The last thing an immigrant community needs in such an environment is the perception that it is teaching its children to despise the local culture and values.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/22/2014 00:00 ||
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Of course. Thats why they like big government dominating a passive populace - because they can buy influence far more cheaply than in a system with a small government and an active populace.
How far left was I? So far left my beloved uncle was a card-carrying member of the Communist Party in a Communist country. When I returned to his Slovak village to buy him a mass card, the priest refused to sell me one. So far left that a self-identified terrorist proposed marriage to me. So far left I was a two-time Peace Corps volunteer and I have a degree from UC Berkeley. So far left that my Teamster mother used to tell anyone who would listen that she voted for Gus Hall, Communist Party chairman, for president. I wore a button saying "Eat the Rich." To me it wasn't a metaphor.
I voted Republican in the last presidential election.
Below are the top ten reasons I am no longer a leftist. This is not a rigorous comparison of theories. This list is idiosyncratic, impressionistic, and intuitive. It's an accounting of the milestones on my herky-jerky journey.
[DAWN] REST assured, I am not arguing against the much-delayed 'Zarb-e-Azb' here. I am questioning using war as the only tool in Pakistain's other, almost forgotten, conflict: Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... . Pakistain presently faces broadly three types of terrorism: Taliban-affiliated, Baloch secessionist and sectarian. Pakistain's response to the three has been varied and puzzling.
Before Zarb-e-Azb ..the Pak offensive against Qaeda in Pakistain and the Pak Taliban in North Wazoo. The name refers to the sword of the Prophet (PTUI!)... , the response to the Taliban had been infrequent major operations, frequent peace deals and endless decision-making delays. With sectarian groups, the response even today is passive tolerance, perhaps even partial protection. With Baloch groups, the main tool has been war. Have these responses been appropriate? I use the principles of the 'just war theory' — an international liberal theory about when war is justified — to answer this question.
Its first principle in recommending counter state violence relates to the justness of the grievances of violent groups. Terrorism is wrong, however justified grievances may be and states must counter it. But the justness of such grievances should influence the level of counter-force and whether states also initiate parallel talks.
The goals of sectarian groups are completely unjust as they kill out of bigotry alone. The Taliban claim pursuing a just system based on Islamic teachings. But their version is harsh and retrogressive, and contradicts both majority interpretations of Islam and prevalent global liberal values.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/22/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
yes but it's turbans vs turbans. So it's win-win
[DAWN] WITH Operation Zarb-e-Azb ..the Pak offensive against Qaeda in Pakistain and the Pak Taliban in North Wazoo. The name refers to the sword of the Prophet (PTUI!)... under way in North Wazoo, Pakistain can draw some important lessons from Operation Rah-e-Rast aimed at clearing Swat ...a valley and an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistain, located 99 mi from Islamabad. It is inhabited mostly by Pashto speakers. The place has gone steadily downhill since the days when Babe Ruth was the Sultan of Swat... of the Mullah Fazlullah
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
07/22/2014 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] Analysis: As the IDF tackles the heart of the terrorist groups' presence in Gazoo, Israel can also give a lesson in deterrence to Hezbollah and other enemies of Israel that may soon be on its doorstep.
Most of the fighting in Gazoo is now in the suburb of Saja'iyya. On both Saturday and Sunday nights, Golani Brigade soldiers, primarily patrol troops, fought multiple battles with terrorists, as they worked to uncover the terrorist infrastructure.
And although Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, is trying to spring some surprises in other sectors too - such as the infiltration Monday morning from northern Gazoo - Saja'iyya is now the almost exclusive focus of the fighting on the ground. It has been identified as a hotspot for terrorism of all kinds and at all levels, both logistical and operational.
The moment the IDF went in there, Hamas and Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... were delivered direct blow to the solar plexus. It is not by chance that rocket fire at distances of more than 40 km ceased shortly after the fighting in Saja'iyya began.
While a few tunnels shafts have also been exposed, but a third of the infrastructure in the area is still intact, and there is a lot of work still to do. As such, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon is under political pressure from heads of the communities surrounding Gazoo not to end the operation before they can be assured that the tunnels have been dealt with, a move in line with his own comments on the situation Sunday night.
As Saja'iyya is the operational and logistical center for the two major terrorist organizations in the Gazoo Strip (primarily because of its proximity to Israel's Gazoo-area communities, and the possibility it offers for firing on the central region), Hamas and Islamic Jihad have a significant presence there. This is quite different to their presence in, for example, the nearby Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and Zeitoun neighborhoods; only Jabaliya and al-Shati are they stronger.
As noted by Nahum Barnea, Saja'iyya is to Hamas more or less what Bint Jbeil in southern Leb was to Hezbollah in the Second Leb War - both a symbol and a military stronghold. The destruction in Saja'iyya that I see in the pictures reminds me very much of what I myself saw in Bint Jbeil in 2006.
So the battle of the Gazoo Strip will not be decided in Omar al-Mukhtar Square in the center of Gazoo City, but in Saja'iyya. When the IDF completes its mission there — and if the politicianship gives it the time and freedom to act — Golani troops, backed by engineering and armored units, will be the decider.
If it is at all possible to have a deciding factor in a war against terrorism and guerrilla warfare, this will be the place.
Let's put things into clearer perspective: What is at stake in Saja'iyya are not just the shafts from terror tunnels and the subterranean warfare system, nor is solely about the rocket launching systems. This is a battle for hearts and minds.
The IDF will make every effort to clearly demonstrate its can fight terrorism and win, thereby cementing itself in the enemy's psyche as a beast one should not provoke.
And this objective is the essence of the deterrence that Israel is seeking, not just against Gazoo but also against Hezbollah, and perhaps the global jihad organizations that may reach its borders to the north and the east. As such, the battle in Saja'iyya is critical and fateful; Hamas and Islamic Jihad know it too, and it will be bitter.
One ray of light is that in Golani, commanders live — and, sadly, die - by the principle that can be summed up in one shout: "Follow me!"
[Ynet] Analysis: IDF has unearthed 13 tunnels as part of its ground operation in Strip in past two days, dealing Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, both a financial and a moral blow.
The IDF is taking pride in the number of tunnels unearthed in the past two days as part of the ground activity of Operation Protective Edge, and rightfully so: Beyond the possible terror attacks which have been thwarted — like the attempt to infiltrate a community in the Eshkol Regional Council on Saturday — Hamas has suffered a serious blow, both financially and morally.
The cost of each tunnel, some of which extend over hundreds of kilometers, is huge. There are hundreds of people in the Strip whose only purpose in life is to dig.
In general, the tunnel issue is defined in Gazoo as a national flagship project. It includes three types of tunnels: The smuggling tunnels on the Philadelphi Route in Rafah, the offensive tunnels along the border fence with Israel, and the strategic tunnels inside the Gazoo Strip which are meant to be used mainly for mobilizing forces between areas at times of emergency, but also for firing rockets, mine laying and kidnapping.
In the past few years, some of the tunnels have been turned into launching pits in which rocket launchers are hidden. The launchers operate from a hatch which opens, and return to the hidden area immediately after firing the rockets.
The use of the tunnels as launching pits is the result of the lessons learnt following Operation Cast Lead: Senior members of the Gazoo factions' military wings estimated that the rocket launchers served as a very easy target for the IDF due to the Israeli technological supremacy.
At first they tried to fire from populated areas, from schools and even from cemeteries, but the relatively accurate thwarting of these attempts required a different solution, and they decided to use the tunnels.
In addition to improving the rocket fire, the tunnels also provided a hiding place for the activists. A large part of the Gazoo leadership and the military wing's top commanders survived thanks to these tunnels. The contribution of these tunnels proved itself during Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012, and their use only increased later on.
One person in charge of each tunnel
One of these tunnels was unearthed near Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha last year. Its entrance was located near the Southern Gazoo Strip city of Khan Younis. It's not the only one: According to estimates, there are additional tunnels in Gazoo which end under Israeli territory, and there are usually large gaps between them. The reason is the attempt to ensure — especially if the tunnels are also being used as launching pits — that even if one of them is destroyed in an IDF bombing, the rest will not be damaged.
The Gazoo tunnel project is organized, calculated and does not leave any room for piracy. It is coordinated between all the factions' military wings and includes the registration of all the tunnels in the Strip, including the tunnels' routes, the ways to enter them and the destination according to which they are mapped.
The tunnels are divided into four districts: The northern Strip, Gazoo city, the central Strip and the southern Strip. There is one person in charge of each district in coordination with the other districts, and only one person in charge of each tunnel. In order to maintain the secrecy, his name and the tunnel's route are kept confidential. The diggers and the person in charge of the district are the only ones familiar with the details.
Each military wing in the Strip is permitted to dig a tunnel only after coordinating the activity with the person in charge of the district. An average dig takes about four months. Most of the tunnels are dug by hand during the night, and each tunnel is accurately calculated.
The factions have defined every part of the Strip as eligible for a tunnel for military purposes. When a tunnel is dug near the border fence, those responsible for it notify the land owner, subject to security coordination, and stress the structural separation: Everything above the ground belongs to him and everything under the ground is under the responsibility of the military factions. If needed, he will be financially compensated. Thus, some of the land owners know that there is a tunnel under their lands, but they are unfamiliar with its route.
In the beginning of Operation Protective Edge, the IDF attempted to destroy tunnels by attacking them from the air, but after 13 turbans tried to infiltrate Kibbutz Sufa through a tunnel and carry out a major attack, it was decided to launch a ground operation first and foremost in order to target the tunnel infrastructure.
A senior military source reported Saturday that "in a maneuver of a day and a half, we managed to significantly damage Hamas' tunnel system. In less than 24 hours, Hamas lost 13 tunnels. They are the apple of its eye. We are carefully talking about depriving it of its tunneling abilities."
#1
I was looking at a lot of pictures of tunnels. Quite an industry. One buttload of building materials. I mean, worth a lot of money.
So Gaza has a big industry based on tunneling. These guys are bloody digging fanatics. They keep in close with civilians so an embargo of building materials hampers civilians from rebuilding so their "suffering" gets worldwide attention.
So these guys can produce tunnels almost as fast as they can be destroyed.
It seems to me that a multipronged attack is required.
Destroy the known tunnels.
Work with Egyptian army to deny tunnels on their side.
Allow no building materials through Israel crossings.
Work with Egypt on same.
Set up remote underground sensing network to pick up hand digging near border.
This activity requires lots of money. Dry it up. Put the hurt on financiers.
If need be, eliminate diesel fuel to run generators. I saw pics of 50 kW diesel units under tarps for tunnel work.
Do not rebuild electricity lines into Gaza.
Start limiting water into Gaza from Israel. Or put L5D into the water and let em trip out (just kidding........or not)
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
07/22/2014 1:12 Comments ||
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#2
Just what we need photos of fluffy bunnies and furry kitties spaced out on LSD for the BBC.
I like your thinking AP.
Posted by: Steven ||
07/22/2014 2:35 Comments ||
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#3
Learned from the Cartels? They have been tunneling for decades.
#4
When the Jewish settlers left their settlements at the insistence of the Israeli government, they left behind 3000 productive greenhouses which could be used to grow a variety of vegetables, herbs, and food. Hamas/Paleos trashed them all. They were more interested in buying rockets and building tunnels.
Choke off their source of money from the UN, US, Tehran and other muzzie groups, and lefty groups (probably not going to happen). Maybe if they figure out they have to eat to survive, they might not be so likely to engage in tunnel building and sending rockets into Israel.
Bottom line. They can go screw themselves. They brought on themselves whatever they get from the Israelis.
#5
When bombs were the problem the Israelis went after the bomb makers. So, if only the tunnel leaders and diggers know what's going on, I say make that a very deadly profession to be in.
#6
Unfortunately choking off funding won't happen.
I just received an inquiry from CH2MHill about working as a program manager on a major construction program funded by USAID in Gaza. Hmmm, how much of that building material is being stolen for use in the tunnels and how many of the workers being trained in the construction trades are plying their new found trade in the tunnels...
I don't think I am going to apply for that position.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
07/22/2014 12:52 Comments ||
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#7
Israel needs to get into digging anti-tunnel tunnels the way they did in the middle ages. Tunnel at the suspected depth, listen for tunnel sounds, adjust your tunnel. Break into the other tunnel and collapse it.
#11
I have one more suggestion in dealing with Hamas, and that is to limit the real estate available to Hamas for tunneling. When tunnels are discovered, you push the border back to the entrance, gradually limiting action where they can start tunnels. I do not see any alternatives to this but to put the squeeze on them.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
07/22/2014 20:41 Comments ||
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#5
Interesting: "In Islam, only a caliphate has the authority to declare offensive war on infidel countries."
Well in that case we can start up the internment camps and put the Muslims in.
It's a win
and because it will be a Sunni caliphate we can look forward to a bit of turban on turban nuke action from Iran...
#6
Welcome to six years of naïve foreign policy and uninformed, and confused decision making.
Watching our administration is like watching a baby play with a laptop...maybe even a monkey humping a football. They really have no idea what they are doing and their concepts of moral equivalence have been carried to its corrupt and absurd end.
Too bad we can't get a no confidence vote and have new elections. At least when things go in the crapper the Brits have that alternative...and the QUEEN can ask for the PM's resignation if things go really bad.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
07/22/2014 12:25 Comments ||
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#7
At least a Caliphate has a government that can be targeted easily with sanctions or bombs.
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.
In a shocking report that has yet to be released but which we have seen, we have learnt that more than 3,000 soldiers have died in Somalia and Kenya is fighting a losing war.
[DAWN] IN today's liberal, tolerant 
While these enquiries were going on, there was much speculation in the media. Many of the 
Clarke accuses the governors of trying to impose "an aggressively separatist and intolerant agenda incompatible with full participation in a plural secular democracy". Basing his report on interviews, email correspondence between staff members, and exchanges on the social media, Clarke asserts: "It appears to be a deliberate attempt to convert secular state schools into exclusive faith schools in all but name... There is clear evidence that young people are being encouraged to accept unquestionably a particular hardline strand of Sunni Islam that raises concerns about their vulnerability to radicalisation in the future."
Although he has not stated that he found any evidence of attempts to teach students the virtue of violent jihad, this paragraph from his report is particularly damning:.png)
How far left was I? So far left my beloved uncle was a card-carrying member of the Communist Party in a Communist country. When I returned to his Slovak village to buy him a mass card, the priest refused to sell me one. So far left that a self-identified terrorist proposed marriage to me. So far left I was a two-time Peace Corps volunteer and I have a degree from UC Berkeley. So far left that my Teamster mother used to tell anyone who would listen that she voted for Gus Hall, Communist Party chairman, for president. I wore a button saying "Eat the Rich." To me it wasn't a metaphor.
