[DAWN] THE devastating boom-mobile detonated in the Afghan province of Paktika ...which coincidentally borders South Wazoo... on Tuesday illustrates the lethal threat militancy continues to pose to the region. Over 40 people were killed in the attack in the province bordering North Wazoo. While other parts of Afghanistan have experienced equally brutal acts of terrorism, this is probably the biggest incident of its kind in recent years to have taken place so close to the Pakistain border. Though the Afghan Taliban have denied carrying out the attack, the hard boyz are known to distance themselves from operations which inflict heavy civilian casualties, in order to minimise the public backlash. And while Afghanistan has often complained that Pakistain-based hard boyz are causing havoc in that country, Islamabad has also raised the issue of Afghanistan-based fighters carrying out cross-border raids into Pakistain. The latest such incident came on Saturday, when three Pak soldiers were killed in Bajaur Agency, aka Turban Central ...Smallest of the agencies in FATA. The Agency administration is located in Khar. Bajaur is inhabited almost exclusively by Tarkani Pashtuns, which are divided into multiple bickering subtribes. Its 52 km border border with Afghanistan's Kunar Province makes it of strategic importance to Pakistain's strategic depth... ; rockets were reportedly fired by Pak hard boyz hiding in the Afghan province of Kunar, and the banned TTP grabbed credit for the raid. These incidents show the extent to which the Pakistain-Afghanistan frontier region, especially those areas where Afghan provinces border our tribal heartland, are affected by violence. It is essential that Islamabad and Kabul coordinate a purposeful anti-militancy strategy. As Pakistain's interior minister told a senior US diplomat on Tuesday, the "safe havens of bully boyz from Afghan territory" must be rooted out; just as Pakistain is belatedly doing in North Waziristan.
The rising Death Eater attacks are a sign of the likely challenges Kabul and Islamabad will face as American and other foreign forces leave Afghanistan by the end of the year. Illustrating the Death Eaters' renewed appetite to go on the offensive, the UN has said civilian casualties were up considerably in Afghanistan during the first half of the year. The best way to deal with the threat is for Islamabad and Kabul to join forces against a common enemy. The policy of using proxies to destabilise each other must be abandoned by both sides. There have been some high-profile meetings between Afghanistan and Pakistain's top security officials over the past few weeks. Such engagements must continue and Afghanistan should deploy additional forces along the border regions to prevent hard boyz fleeing the military operation by the Pakistain Army to find refuge on the other side. Whoever ends up occupying the presidency in Kabul, once the controversy surrounding elections is resolved, must continue to work with Pakistain against militancy.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/17/2014 00:00 ||
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Leslie H. Gelb, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations and author of How Common Sense Can Rescue American Foreign Policy, last seen barking that Obama was kneeling before Netanyahu, has a better idea.
It's time for Obama to kneel to Iran.
In 2010, Gelb was bleating that "The American president had been cowed by Jewish control of American politics."
Now he's got a new solution. Actually it's the same solution leftist foreign policy experts have been pushing since ISIS became impossible to ignore.
#1
Yokay, I'll bite, ISN'T THE BAMMER = USA ALREADY DOING THAT???
After unilaterally allowing Globalist-desired, future OWG Co-Superpowers Rising Iran + Putinist Russia to expand their spheres of influence, the same are NOT going to return to their original country borders widout a fight, i.e. MAJOR WAR, PROB NUKULAAR.
Again, the Bammer hasn't even begun wid CHINA yet in East Asia-Pacific yet.
IFF US-CHINA DOES BEGIN, THE RISK OF GUAM + OTHER STRATEGIC PACIFIC ISLES BEING INTENTIONALLY DESTROYED BY THE RETREATING USA VEE ANTI-ACCESS [A2/AREA-DENIAL]"EARTHQUAKE/TECTONIC" NUCBOMBS GOES UP CORRESPONDINGLY.
As God, Madonna Fans, + Guam Taotamonas know, a US Politician's quip that "Guam will tip over" had more meaning [prophetic?] that people realize.
[CELINE DION'S "TITANIC" THEME + PEARL HARBOR 1941 USN BATTLESHIP USS "OKLAHOMA" here].
#5
he is not "our" president. Agreed. I'm saying that, in general (ant not very artfully), that we don't want any of presidents kneeling to the petro-dollar recyclers in Saudiland (or to the Wall Street high rollers).
[DAWN] THE new normal in politics, if Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who ain't the sharpest bulb on the national tree... and the PTI were to have their way, would be the old normal of politics: daggers drawn, confusion, chaos, mid-term elections and all the unwelcome and unhealthy drama that such events inevitably bring. The transition to democracy, unsteady at times but continuing in the right direction, is no longer adequate for Imran Khan. The PTI chief has finally taken his politics of agitation to its logical conclusion: the present government must go, mid-term elections must be held and, presumably, the PTI must be allowed to win an election, a victory that Imran Khan still appears to believe was stolen from him in May 2013 by the PML-N. First, to the latest demand of a complete so-called audit of last year's elections: it is excessive, difficult to agree with and should not be countenanced unless the PTI can convince a superior court of both the necessity and legality of such a move. To compare Pakistain's electoral process to the one in Afghanistan, as Mr Khan has done, is risible and unworthy of serious debate. While last year's elections were clearly not as free and fair as the best democratic norms demand, they were also widely, if not universally, seen as credible and acceptable.
The second issue at stake here is the intersection of politics and elections. For much of this country's political history, politicians have been discredited and elections manipulated — but always by anti-democratic forces and their political collaborators. Now, a major political party inside the country and specifically its leader, who is publicly committed to electoral democracy, is himself agitating against an elected government to the point of attempting to destabilise the system itself. Up till the call for verification of results in four National Assembly constituencies in Punjab, the PTI's demand was reasonable and legitimate. Anomalies discovered in particular constituencies there could have acted as the catalyst for further electoral reforms across the system. As ever, the PML-N had a chance to head off a growing crisis by acting quickly and foreseeing the direction of future, connected events — but then bungled it by resolutely blocking any meaningful investigation into the details of how elections were won and lost in four constituencies.
Yet, now it is Mr Khan himself who has showed his hand and given credence to the speculation that his motive in focusing on possible electoral irregularities is not to strengthen the system and democratic institutions but to topple a government and have himself installed as prime minister somehow. Unhappily, even the PPP appears to be egging Mr Khan on in his dangerous game — though perhaps former president Asif Ali Zardari has only seen fit to do so because the PTI is not challenging the results in Sindh. Electoral reforms are a good idea; forcing new elections a terrible one.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/17/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[MEMRI] Media in Saudi Arabia and in Al-Sisi's Egypt -- the countries considered to be the leaders of the Arab world's moderate axis and the main rivals of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) movement, to which Hamas belongs -- accused Hamas of taking unreasonable and irresponsible steps, of trading in the blood of the people of Gaza, and of exposing them to inevitable attacks. The Egyptian press was particularly vociferous in its criticism of Hamas and especially of the head of its political bureau, Khaled Mash'al, who recently called on the Egyptian army to come to the Palestinians' aid. An Egyptian pro-MB journalist even wrote that the Egyptian army has local problems to deal with, more pressing than the liberation of Jerusalem.
The media in Syria, which is likewise resentful of Hamas and its leaders due to their support for the rebellion against President Bashar Al-Assad, also slammed this movement, saying that it has abandoned the resistance in favor of a Western plan to destroy the Arab world,
Posted by: lord garth ||
07/17/2014 13:50 ||
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#1
The Times of Israel gives us The Tragic Self-Delusion Behind The Hamas War. Hamas fancies the Palestinians the Algerians to the colonizing French. Only the Jews are actually the native people, not arrivistes come merely for a comfortable profit, and they have nowhere ti retreat to.
#5
So, Paleostinians claim, 1. That they attack bravely, then are beaten back ,But they're MARTYRS, 2. and they died for a HOLY CAUSE. but they're still dead.
Sump'in wrong here. Wonder If they'll see it, Naah.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/17/2014 20:42 Comments ||
Top||
#6
when was the last time they won?
There's a difference between "taking one for the team" and being absolute screw-ups.
[Ynet] Analysis: IDF echelon is pushing for a limited ground operation in Gazoo in a bid to locate dozens of tunnels Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, is planning to use for major terror attacks inside Israel.
The collapse of the ceasefire agreement creates an opportunity for the IDF to emerge from the current round with better achievements.
This holds a risk — Tuesday saw the first Israeli death since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge, the home front is still expected to suffer and the Iron Dome system will not always intercept rockets — but the renewed fighting after the short break gives the army a possibility to thwart the main threat in the south: The threat of the Gazoo tunnels.
That is the reason why the IDF echelon is now pushing for a limited ground operation aimed at locating tunnels leaving Gazoo towards Israel.
Last week, the IDF unearthed a Hamas tunnel which was meant to reach the Kibbutz Kerem Shalom area, near the famous watchtower from Gilad Shalit's abduction. The tunnel was supposed to be used for a terror attack which Hamas had been working on for at least a year, and which would have included a killing spree in an Israeli community or military base.
The tunnel had been dug by dozens of activists at the orders of the leadership of Hamas' military wing, and was well hidden in order to be used on the crucial day — just like Southern Command officers estimated. Hamas was trying to imitate the IDF with an opening strike, as the army had done in Operation Pillar of Defense with the significant achievement of killing the military wing's commander, Ahmed Jabari.
The Military Intelligence Directorate had general intelligence about the existence of the tunnel originating in the southern Strip, so the Southern Command was prepared for such a scenario: The elite Egoz Reconnaissance Unit was stationed in the area alongside two tank corps and additional forces. Their job was to surprise the Hamas holy warriors who were planning to carry out a major attack in a kibbutz or IDF base and kidnap soldiers or civilians into Gazoo. The mission was defined as a national mission, and therefore almost all of the state's huge forces were recruited to locate the tunnel.
Last week, the IDF located the tunnel and struck it from the air, using Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) bombs from warplanes. In total, 30 of these smart bombs were dropped within 300 meters, but failed to destroy the tunnel. The bombings created an kaboom inside the tunnel, which was apparently caused by the Hamas activists' explosives and left eight of them dead. After the Air Force attack, Hamas bombed the Israeli side of the tunnel near Kibbutz Kerem Shalom.
According to the Southern Command's estimate, there are a number of similar tunnels around the Strip in difference stages of construction. A terror attack launched from these tunnels could be at a scope the IDF has been unfamiliar with so far in that region. Therefore, the Southern Command is pushing for a limited ground operation beyond the border fence in order to clear the tunnels and thwart such an incident in the future.
Senior IDF sources estimate that such an operation will last between one to two weeks at the most. According to a senior IDF official, due to the lack of intelligence which helps locate those tunnels, if they are not found it will only be a matter of time before Hamas executes a terror attack like the one it had planned in the Kerem Shalom area, and Israel will pay a heavy price.
Out of an understanding of what might happen next and preparations for Hamas' activities, the Southern Command has changed its defensive preparedness around Gazoo, in accordance with the other surprises Hamas had in store apart from the tunnel — the infiltration from the sea and the UAVs.
On Tuesday it was revealed that the drone which entered Israel this week was not meant for surveillance purposes, but was carrying explosives and was supposed to carry out a terror attack on the ground in a populated area.
An analysis of Hamas' conduct reveals that the organization's command and control system has not been damaged during Operation Protective Edge, and that its commanders issue orders through messengers and other means.
In total, about 100 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... activists were killed in the days of fighting, and according to a senior Southern Command official, the IDF had at least 14 Hamas regiment commanders in its crosshairs but decided not to target them as there were many uninvolved civilians around them.
Considerate and moral, but perhaps unwise, especially if Thursday's cooling down period extends into something more permanent, preventing that ground operation the IDF command wants.
[IsraelTimes] With roughly two divisions of combat troops perched outside Gazoo, a battered ceasefire proposal still fluttering in the distance, and reinvigorated violence —125 rockets were launched at Israel from 9 a.m. to late night Tuesday — here are five thoughts about the still unfinished mini-war:
Over the past eight days Israel has waged an aerial war with Gazoo and taken incoming rocket and mortar fire from Sinai, Syria, and Leb. The only quiet border, some 400 km-long, is with Jordan.
1. A tunnel that the army and the Shin Bet found near Kerem Shalom — an allegedly dark work of art, equipped with lighting and ventilation and 300 tons of reinforced concrete — was not just an expression of Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,'s understanding that, in the age of Iron Dome, it needs offensive tools beyond rockets, but also part of the comprehensive conclusions drawn in the wake of the November 2012 Operation Pillar of Defense.
Hamas, beyond some of the shifts detailed to The Times of Israel on Monday, also sought to take a page out of the IDF playbook: On November 14, 2012, with the defense establishment under the care of the cagey Ehud Barak, the army sent messages of calm and then launched a decisive strike that changed the course of the operation, killing the commander of Hamas's military and striking the majority of its strategic Fajr-5 rockets. During the days prior to July 8, Hamas sent similar messages to Israel; against that backdrop, it sought to launch a strategic operation, tunneling into Israel, killing civilians or soldiers. If it had managed, as it surely sought, to abduct a soldier or a civilian, or to seize a nearby kibbutz, the operation would today look utterly different.
Continued on Page 49
#4
300 tons of reinforced concrete is a major civil engineering project.
It is also a multimilion dollar project. Then they and the usual suspects tell they don't have moeney for food and medicines and tell we have to give them money to prevent a "haumanitarian catastrophe".
In the meantime populations in Africa are starving and don't get a tenth of the aid Paleos get!
[Forbes] The White House tried a test run several weeks ago. Hidden in the midst of a 436 page regulatory update, and written in pure bureaucratese, the Department of Health and Human Services asked that insurance companies limit the looming premium increases for 2015 health plans. But don’t worry, HHS hinted: we’ll bail you out on the taxpayer’s dime if you lose money.
No wonder there wasn’t a press release. The White House is playing politics with Americans’ health care—and they’re bribing health insurance companies to play along.
The administration’s intention is clear: Salvage the 2014 midterm elections. Typically, insurance companies release their premium rates between summer and early fall—i.e., right before voters cast their ballots in November. If premiums skyrocket—which looks increasingly likely—then voters won’t look too kindly on Senators and Representatives who voted for Obamacare and created this problem.
#1
The headline in our local paper today said that BCBS is raising insurance rates in the Tennessee exchanges by 19% in 2015. It will average a yearly 10% increase thereafter according to the article. People in these exchanges are screwed.
#3
The Commonwealth Fund is the Debka of health care. Their surveys are as straight as a corkscrew. Ultimate goal: fabulous single payer system like the VA.
Posted by: regular joe ||
07/17/2014 12:18 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Alternate headline:
"Health Insurance Companies Accepting Bribes From White House"
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.
Wazoo
...Smallest of the agencies in FATA. The Agency administration is located in Khar. Bajaur is inhabited almost exclusively by Tarkani Pashtuns, which are divided into multiple bickering subtribes. Its 52 km border border with Afghanistan's Kunar Province makes it of strategic importance to Pakistain's strategic depth...
Leslie H. Gelb, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations and author of How Common Sense Can Rescue American Foreign Policy, last seen barking that Obama was kneeling before Netanyahu, has a better idea.
