Right on schedule. Can't allow the good news to go unopposed.
THE US military said it would investigate claims that its soldiers had burnt a copy of the Koran in Afghanistan, as angry locals demanded action and threatened retaliation.
Allegations that troops tore up and burnt the Muslim holy book during a raid in the eastern province of Kunar yesterday led several hundred villagers to demonstrate the same day, blocking a main road for hours. Locals repeated the charges at a heated meeting today in the provincial capital Asadabad of representatives of the US military, Afghan officials and more than a dozen men from the area near the raid site in Narang district.
You have desecrated our religion, resident Azim Khan told the US delegation. If the perpetrators do not apologise to Afghans and to all the Muslims of the world, and if they are not brought to justice and punished for what they have done, we will stand against you, you will see an uprising, he said.
US Captain Jason Coughenour said the allegations would be treated seriously. We respect your religion, he said. We will launch an investigation and find out who has burnt the Koran. If it has been done by an American, we will punish him.
"We'll look for some proof first, Azim, so hold your shorts."
The US-led coalition yesterday confirmed the raid in which four men were arrested but denied that any religious articles were desecrated.
#6
The proper response would be to drop millions of rolls of toilet paper with the Koran printed on them and to do it in such a manner that they would unroll in the air - tp'ing the land and trees below...
The pious would need to spend their energies trying to save every page....
#7
I got one of dem kerans free from the internet. It collects meted snow on the floor of my garage under my car in the winter and dripping oil in the summer. Gonna have to return it to some imam soon - it's almost ready.
#14
THE US military said it would investigate claims
The American military operates by the same presumption of innocence as required by the U.S. Constitution for civilians, Ms. Ashley. It wouldn't do for those of us with no access to actual evidence to prejudge. Especially given the tendency in that part of the world for hysterical mob action based on dreams and visions and the visitations of djinns.
#16
And while were at it why don't we just burn the Talmud. Its just a pointless book after all?
Oh, certainly, let's do that. After all, isn't it the Jews who are flying fully loaded passenger jet airliners into skyscrapers, beheading Christian schoolgirls, gang raping young Sudanese boys, causing polio epidemics, bombing crowded nightclubs and commuter trains, gunning down hundreds of fleeing schoolchildren, ushering uncovered young women back into burning buildings and meting out lashes to rape victims? How dare we show the slightest disrespect for such savage barbarity?
I don't. Islam is backward and stifling. I respect the right to practice it, same as I would for any of a number of goofy cults. But that is because I come from a modern, pluralistic culture. And I'm still going to laugh and point. Let us know when you want to grow up and join the modern world.
#18
And while were at it why don't we just burn the Talmud. Its just a pointless book after all?
Posted by Leah Ashley
Go ahead, add the bible too. Nothing will happen. Because you see the faith of Christians and Jews is a little more then paper thin.
When will you get outraged about the Saudi's burning bibles which are confiscated? This has been going on for years yet it's never hit the newspapers. No bias there....
If Captain Jason Coughenour punishes anyone he should be court marshalled. Come to think of it Coughenour should have his ass handed to him for making such a stupid statement.
Burning a terrorist training manual? Give me a fruvking break. Every one knows you wipe a pigs ass with the book BEFORE you burn it.
#22
Perhaps we should build a Koran library and then stock the shelves and hold it hostage for the good behavior of Mulsims in the region. I fyou don't go around killing non_muslims we won't burn the library.
#24
Bush's key mistake was not to swiftly crush and punish Afghanistan after 9-11.
Removing them from power in a month and a half isn't swiftly crushing them?!
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
10/14/2007 18:16 Comments ||
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#25
Perhaps we should build a Koran library and then stock the shelves and hold it hostage for the good behavior of Mulsims in the region. I fyou don't go around killing non_muslims we won't burn the library.
I think you're onto something here, rjschwarz. We need to consider buying up or confiscating all of the most venerated and treasured copies of the Koran and then threaten to burn them in retaliation for future Islamic atrocities. Muslims are idiotic enough to attach so much importance to the physical manifestation of their faith. We need to capitalize upon that superstitious fear. This is akin to holding the shrines hostage but much more doable.
After all, try to remember that at its first opportunity, Islam will make a bonfire out of our Constitution and Bill of Rights, the Mona Lisa and nearly every other important bit of Western heritage.
#29
This is BS. The Saudi government has handed out millions of Wahabi approved Korans in the English and other languages. They refer to same as the "Noble Koran," meaning: other translations are treated as Christians treat the "Vulgate" translations. This issue is terrorism in another form.
#31
This story reminded me of the siege of the Church of the Nativity. There were reports of desecration of Bibles back then, but little outcry from the MSM.
One of the reports were that the Palestinians used pages from the Bible as toilet paper.
Respect for religion and sacred objects goes both ways.
#32
This story reminded me of the siege of the Church of the Nativity. There were reports of desecration of Bibles back then, but little outcry from the MSM ... One of the reports were that the Palestinians used pages from the Bible as toilet paper.
Good connection, Delphi. Not necessarily one the MSM would make but good nonetheless.
Respect for religion and sacred objects goes both ways.
However right you are, this is definitely not the case and it appears as though a thirdor fourth, depending upon interpretationWorld War will be needed to establish this. From all indications, this one shall be complete with atomic bombs et al as well.
#33
Gee, if only the Pope's followers were so devout.
They were once, you know....
There are others out there, that while not Catholic, are Christians and are paying close attention to these matters, Bobby. Trust me, if the Southern Baptists have to storm the beaches on bass-boats, carrying their full arsenal (not to mention scarier dogs than were at abu gharib), it's gonna get nasty. But, we get fried chicken and potato salad after we're done!
What, were the toilets backed up?
Not many toilets in the hinterlands, doc. Ever read Tommy Franks' book? If not do so, there's some fine commentary in there about bathrooms, even in the capital city, lol!
Serious question time. How many Afghanis can actually, ya know, read? Not trying to slam on them personally, but aren't they some of the most illiterate folks on the planet? Thusly, do they really read the Koran, or is it just the local imam's "Books on Tape" tellin' them what to believe?
Posted by: BA ||
10/14/2007 23:09 Comments ||
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Egyptian police opened fire Saturday on a group of 10 African immigrants trying to illegally cross into Israel and arrested four of them, a Sinai security official said.
The other six managed to cross into Israel, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. It was not know if any of the six had been injured by the gunfire. The four who were arrested were all Eritrean and told authorities that the six who crossed included three people from Eritrea, one from Sudan and another from the Ivory Coast.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
And the goddamned mexicans think WE are being xenophobes?!?
Dozens of Muslim Brotherhood members were arrested Saturday after police fired tear gas at hundreds of worshippers in a northern Nile Delta city shortly before prayers celebrating the festival that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, police and group's Web site reported.
The clashes erupted when Brotherhood members rallied Muslim worshippers to hold Eid al-Fitr prayers in an empty lot instead of a mosque in the village of Old Salhiya, said a police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to speak to the press.
Blue security trucks sealed off the area while police fired tear gas to disburse the gathering, the official said. Brotherhood members and others reacted by hurling stones at security forces. The local Muslim Brotherhood Web site 15 people injured and 35 arrested. Police said that dozens arrested but didn't give a specific number.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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The native backlash has begun. And not just in Switzerland. "It seems our experience here is resonating across Europe," says a Swiss official in Berne.
"Culture clashes" over Muslim religious buildings have erupted in Italy, Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands.
"Christian fundamentalists are behind this," says Reinhard Schulze, professor of Islamic studies at Berne University. "And there's also a lot of money coming in from the Gulf states."
From London's docklands to the rolling hills of Tuscany, from southern Austria to Amsterdam and Cologne, the issue of Islamic architecture and its impact on citadels of "western civilisation" is increasingly contentious. The far right is making capital from Islamophobia by focusing on the visible symbols of Islam in Europe. In Switzerland it is the far-right SVP that is setting the terms of the debate.
#7
This article needed to be posted in full. Definitely worth the read.
"Unlike other religions," he argues, "Islam is not only a religion. It's an ideology aiming to create a different legal system. That's sharia. That's a big problem and in a proper democracy it has to be tackled. If the politicians don't, the people will."
"We've got nothing against prayer rooms or mosques for the Muslims," he insists. "But a minaret is different. It's got nothing to do with religion. It's a symbol of political power."
Halle-frickin'-lujah, people are finally purchasing a clue about political Islam. There will not be any progess made until Islam is stripped of its religious protections and shari'a law is banned as an abuse of human rights.
Roberto Calderoli, threatened to stage a "day of pork" to offend Muslims and to take pigs to "defile" the site of the proposed mosque in Bologna.
Calderoli is someone I could really take a liking to. He understands the need to fight Islam with its own superstitions. This is akin to the activists who "contaminated" thousands of Australian sheep being shipped to Saudi Arabia by feeding them ham. Albeit for totally different reasons, their strategy is one that needs to be adopted globally. Crop dusters should spray liquified pig shit over Muslim wheat fields.
While the far right makes the running, their noisy campaign is being supported more quietly by mainstream politicians and some Christian leaders.
This needs to change in a big bad way. Christians everywhere had better beginliterallytaking up arms against Islam. As it is, Islam has already begun a serious campaign against all Christians everywhere in the world. It's long past tea to bring the fight to Islam.
"The whole idea of having these huge mosques is about being part of Europe while having your religion," says Thijl Sunier, a Dutch anthropologist. "You have young Muslims showing their confidence, stating we are part of this society and we want our share. And you have growing anxiety among many native Europeans."
What's this "we are part of this society" bullshit? Muslims represent the people least likely to integrate. The "share" of society they want is total domination.
Muslims are making a commitment to the societies in which they live. "They are no longer guests. They are established. This is a sign of normalisation, of integration," he says.
No, this is a sign of total delusion on the part of Dr. Schmitt. There is no "normalization" or "integration". There is only colonization.
#8
The problem is that unlike Chsitianity, with whom shaing means tolerance, for Muslims, their share includes our obesiance and submission.
ANd thats why Islam needs to be stood and fiahg against, vigorously. It is a slavemakers ideaology, as simply and easily as was communism and nazi-ism.
#10
I went to the SVP web site to buy a few tokens of support (mints, pens, swiss army knife) and had a tough time wading through the site. I was not 'quite' able to determine if this was a 'far-right' site (I don't support Nazi's) but it seemed to be okay. Any inputs on the SVP are welcome. I can usually make out the train schedules and order dinner without too much bother, but I screwed up the web store order at the very last stage. I should have chosen PayPal, but I picked credit card and here I am. Sigh.
lotp, TW, any insight into SVP?
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
10/14/2007 15:10 Comments ||
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#11
Calderoli is someone I could really take a liking to. He understands the need to fight Islam with its own superstitions.
#13
Whiskey Mike, it *looks* like they're American-style libertarian, what the Europeans call liberal. It looks like Reds and Greens have gotten together to oppose them. But I only know what I just read in Wikipedia and noticed on the SVP website. After all, the Europeans consider our Republican party to be "far right".
Towards that end, I would advocate inserting some innocuous and benign porcine DNA into all gentically engineered food and medicine. Let Muslims do their own homework instead of riding on our coattails like some technological parasite. Besides, it would be a small price to pay even if crushing Islam this way did result in our great-grandchildren sprouting curly little tails.
#15
Thanks Zen, I should have wiki'ed I guess. To be honest, they sounded like they had the same opinions/thoughts as me. But translation is not perfect. Appreciate it.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
10/14/2007 16:02 Comments ||
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#16
Zen, sent you an email. Contact me.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
10/14/2007 16:17 Comments ||
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#17
RE: #14 inserting some innocuous and benign porcine DNA into all gentically engineered food and medicine
#19
We owe Muslim pollutants - or immigrants - absolutely nothing.
I beg to differ. We owe Muslim a major beatdown until they give up on jihad, abandon shari'a law and forget about the global caliphate. Until then, it's a continuous 24/7/365¼ ass whipping.
#20
Thanks Zen, I should have wiki'ed I guess. To be honest, they sounded like they had the same opinions/thoughts as me. But translation is not perfect. Appreciate it.
Mike, your thanks probably should have been directed to trailing wife.
#2
Why would women convert to the arabist murder cult? Because they are masochists who get off on being beaten. Camels do better than women under the carpet prostration cult.
#3
The converts "say they are liberated as women as they feel freed from society's fixation on appearance, while at the same time this freedom for women can only be gained in the context of a patriarchal family model."
Ah, yes, there we have it. Just a bunch of chicks with unresolved "Daddy's Little Princess" issues.
Too bad we can't go all the way, and take away their rights to vote and hold property, since being an independent woman who might occasionally be looked at in a sexually suggestive manner by some icky guy is too threatening for these delicate little flowers.
#6
The converts "say they are liberated as women as they feel freed from society's fixation on appearance, while at the same time this freedom for women can only be gained in the context of a patriarchal family model."
I've got news for ya, babe. Western "society's fixation on appearance" is simply the expression of basic biology, but we have evolved rules which allow for comfortable coexistence despite the constant temptations from sexual tension.
Be sure to remember that the next time that you decide not to wear your burka, little Miss Uncovered Cat Meat.
#10
I hear that back in the day a siginificant portion of the slaves of the south were 'contented' with their lot. They didn't have to worry about when to get up, what to do, food, shelter, or making any decisions - it was all handled by the master.
The craziness keeps getting worse: Anger over plan to dig up 350,000 bodies in historic London cemetery for Muslim burial site.
It is a peaceful resting place for 350,000 souls - an historic graveyard which now serves as a nature reserve.
But plans are afoot to dig up the ancient graves at Tower Hamlets Cemetery - and reopen it as a 21st century burial site.
Officially it would be known as a multi-faith cemetery but it is likely that it would principally answer calls for a Muslim graveyard in the largely-Asian East London borough.
The local newspaper has been bombarded with letters from historians and nature lovers declaring: There is no way well allow them to dig up our ancestors.
But the Labour-controlled councils environment spokesman Abdal Ullah appeared to be in no doubt about the feasibility of the plan when he said: To preserve the respect and dignity for everyone, I think most of the graves would have to be cleared out and wed start afresh.
#3
Oh, they're moving daddys grave
to build a sewer
They're moving him, regardless of expense
They're moving his remains
to put in twelve inch drains
to irrigate some posh blokes residence.
The U.S. government will not allow the lawyer of accused terrorist Mohamed Harkat to interview Abu Zubayda, a top al-Qaida lieutenant being held at Guantanamo Bay. Lawyer Paul Copeland made the request because Mr. Zubayda is the only known informant against his client and he wanted his evidence to form part of Mr. Harkat's new security certificate hearing. But U.S. officials have shut the door to that possibility. "Any access to Abu Zubayda would pose unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States and could cause irreparable harm to the ongoing efforts in the war on terrorism," Sandra Hodgkinson, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defence, wrote in a letter dated Sept. 26.
Mr. Harkat, 39, of Ottawa, contends the security certificate case against him should now be dropped -- or brought to a criminal court -- since he cannot confront his only known accuser. "I want the Canadian government to give me a fair trial with access to the evidence so that I can defend myself fairly and openly. I don't want any more secrecy," he told reporters at a news conference Friday.
Mr. Harkat, an Algerian refugee who was arrested and jailed for more than three years on the strength of a security certificate, is accused by the federal government of being an al-Qaeda sleeper agent who poses an extreme threat to Canadians. Indeed, federal officials consider him such a threat that they are still trying to deport him to Algeria -- even though the Supreme Court has said the process that labelled Mr. Harkat a terrorist was fundamentally unjust.
In February, the Supreme Court gave the government one year to enact changes to the security certificate process to bring it into conformity with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The high court said the secretive process denies accused persons the ability to fully defend themselves. The Canadian government has indicated that it will consider the introduction of special advocates, or security-cleared lawyers, to protect the interests of accused persons. Such an advocate would be allowed access to classified documents and hearings, and could assist a judge in the cross-examination of witnesses in-camera.
It's expected Mr. Harkat will be put through whatever new legal process is eventually approved by Parliament. But some critics contend that process will still be unfair. "The problem with any special advocate process is that it still relies on secret evidence," said Jessica Squires, of the Justice for Mohamed Harkat Committee.
The special advocate also cannot ensure that key informants, such as Mr. Zubayda, are allowed to testify. Mr. Zubayda, who was once third on the U.S. list of most wanted al-Qaeda suspects, has been a major figure in the Harkat case. The government says it has evidence that Mr. Harkat was a lover formed a relationship with Mr. Zubayda in Pakistan in the early 1990s. According to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Mr. Zubayda identified Mr. Harkat "by description and activity" as operating a guest house in Peshawar for jihadis travelling to Chechnya.
Mr. Harkat, however, testified in his own defence and insisted that he had never met Mr. Zubayda and has never knowingly assisted a terrorist.
"No, no! Certainly not!"
Mr. Harkat, who was released on strict bail conditions in June 2006, told reporters that he wants the chance to clear his name. "I'm tired of feeling unhuman," said Mr. Harkat, who lives in Ottawa with his wife, Sophie, under what amounts to a modified form of house arrest. "I want the Canadian people to know the truth. I want the truth to come out and I want justice."
This article starring:
Abu Zubayda
Jessica Squires, of the Justice for Mohamed Harkat Committee
Lawyer Paul Copeland
Mohamed Harkat
Sandra Hodgkinson, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defence
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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NEWS COVERAGE and debate about Iraq during...Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), challenging the testimony of Gen. David H. Petraeus, asserted that "civilian deaths have risen" during this year's surge of American forces.
A month later, there isn't much room for such debate, at least about the latest figures. In September, Iraqi civilian deaths were down 52 percent from August and 77 percent from September 2006... U.S. soldiers killed in action numbered 43 -- down 43 percent from August and 64 percent from May...This doesn't necessarily mean the war is being won. U.S. military commanders have said that no reduction in violence will be sustainable unless Iraqis reach political solutions -- and there has been little progress on that front. Nevertheless, it's looking more and more as though those in and outside of Congress who last month were assailing Gen. Petraeus's credibility and insisting that there was no letup in Iraq's bloodshed were -- to put it simply -- wrong. [the new Dem talking points will be..
-it wasn't worth it
- Bush promised it would be easy
- the Iraqi govt is still corrupt
- we may win in Iraq but make the region worse]
#1
The surge IS working, and I support it. But above and over that fact, something extraordinary is happening in Iraq. In fact, given that Iraqis are mostly Arab, it's near a miracle. That is, tribe by tribe, neighborhood by neighborhood Iraqis are standing up and taking ownership and responsibility for their lives.
I watch in awe from afar as history is being made.
#2
This deeply changes the future for both them and US.
Bless our Soldiers for continuing this pain staking process even through 4th, 5th, and now the coming 6th tour.
If Iraq can hold this, it may be like Turkey, Germany, or Japan. It can work and hold. Our children may not have to fight Armageddon afterall.
#3
Nevertheless, it's looking more and more as though those in and outside of Congress who last month were assailing Gen. Petraeus's credibility and insisting that there was no letup in Iraq's bloodshed were -- to put it simply -- wrong.
Can you imagine the excruciating pain it must have taken the Washington Post to admit that?
#7
The Iraq occupation is going to be seen retroactively as the US and its allies taking on and beating a whole slew of different groups at different times. Al-Qaeda, Baathists, Mehdi army, militias, criminal gangs, smugglers, Iranians, tribalists and miscellaneous others.
If there is one overriding similarity between these disparate groups, it is they are all enemies of the idea of the Iraqi people living in a free and democratic nation.
True victory is in showing all that Iraqi nationalism is superior to any other sectarian agenda. That nationalism is the path to strength, prosperity, modernity and peace. And those that oppose such ends are enemies of the entire nation.
#10
This worries me, the Wapo has such a great track recod of being wrong on the war that I hesitate to have them on our side. I guess if they are just bandwagoners then thats ok.
#11
Anonymoose - I still have my doubts as to the existence of national identity of "Iraqi" in Iraq. But if one is to be developet, this is probably the only path we have to it today.
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/14/2007 17:08 Comments ||
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#16
the Iraqi govt is still corrupt
I doubt the Left would make this point. It tends to exonerate our military and demeans their Little Brown Brothers. Moreover, it would be a frank admission that Islam might just have some serious character flaws and that would not sit very well the the whole meme of it being the Religion of Peace. [spit]
no reduction in violence will be sustainable unless Iraqis reach political solutions -- and there has been little progress on that front
Again, this is not really our fault, save that we haven't deposed Nouri al-Maliki for corruption. The lack of political solutions is an intrinsic feature of Islam and its inimicality to democracy. Yet, another notion that the Left desperately tries to ignore.
True victory is in showing all that Iraqi nationalism is superior to any other sectarian agenda.
So long as assholes like Khomeini are allowed to spew such evil as:
We do not worship Iran, we worship Allah I say, let this land [Iran] burn. I say let this land go up in smoke, provided Islam emerges triumphant
Until we kill every single Muslim who continues to preach the ascendancy of Islam over nationality or ethnic group, there will be no hope for an Iraqi democracy. It is the nature of the political Islamic beast to elevate itself above national interests. Unfortunately, the final number of those we would have to eliminate so as to eradicate this notion probably includes the vast majority of Muslims. A democracy of manmade laws is complete and total blasphemy in the eyes of Islam. I see little in the way of ever altering this fundamental aspect of Koranic doctrine. It is why I continue to predict a Muslim holocaust. Islam simply will not have it any other way. They will either conquer the entire world with their doctrineas it standsor they will die trying. It is up to us that we make damn sure Islam dies trying.
As opposed to the American Congress. When the Donks ran on the platform of the Culture of Corruption(tm), they weren't making a critical statement about reducing it, rather they were promoting to expand it like any other entitlement program.
#18
TOPIX NEWS > US FUTURE IS GENOCIDAL WARFARE UNLESS WE GET A PRO-US GOVT IN WASHINGTON DC. USA kills World or World kills USA; + GLOBAL RESEARCH.CA > THE NEW WORLD ORDER IS BEING FORGED IN THE GULF; + YNETNEWS > OP-ED > THE GOP AIMS TO SELF-DESTRUCT. The GOP demands to lose in 2008??? GOP wins empires + foreigns wars, DEMS bureaucratize and Governmentize and Nanny-ise.
#5
Traditionally, an authoritarian government would just put someone in the pulpit who gives overly long, dull sermons, with guards to insure that he remains in the pulpit. This drives the radicals away faster than an offer of free root canals.
ISLAMABAD: Eight military officers including one lieutenant colonel, who were kidnapped by the tribal Taliban along with 240 other military men in August this year, will be facing immediate proceedings of court martial in a military court when freed. Scandalous inside details of their capture have finally started unfolding as these military men did not fire a single shot while being kidnapped by the militants in the South Waziristan Agency.
Why? They were amongst friends.
This would be for the first time that the eight officers would be produced before a military court on release by the militants ever since the army launched its action in the tribal areas a couple of years back to fight extremists and terrorists.
The sources said only two officers of the regiment, which was taken hostage by the Taliban, would be spared as they were on leave. Otherwise, the rest of the officers who have been nicknamed as chicken-hearted will be facing serious penalties on their freedom.
A lieutenant colonel, who was actually commanding the 240 jawans and reportedly ordered them to lay down their arms before the Taliban to save his own life after a gun was placed on his head, would face the maximum penalty.
I'm pretty sure Jawas can't fight very well, not even against holy men in turbans. They were lousy against the Empire. They should stick to selling droids.
A top source claimed that these army officers are facing major penalty of dismissal from service on charges of bringing the Pakistan Army into disrepute as not a single shot was fired by them to resist the armed captors. The source claimed that these officers have actually been dismissed from their services and now simply a formality has been left to complete the process through the court martial on their return.
I seem to recall that the Brits of old had a way of encouraging their admirals to fight even when odds were against them. They hung one who didn't fight, right in front of the rest of the fleet. Seemed to work, too.
The source said that one of the major causes in showing disinterest in their release by the GHQ, by applying delaying tactics, was serious annoyance of the top military brass over the shameful manner in which they all simply allowed themselves to be captured without putting any resistance. These sources said by showing complete disinterest in their release for the last three months, these officers and Jawans are being given a loud and angry message by the top military brass that they had done something which was not easy to be ignored and they too should suffer some pain and misery at the hands of their captors.
This is a clear message to these officers and Jawans that they are no more required to serve in the Pakistan Army as they did not prove themselves soldiers.
Sources said even President General Pervez Musharraf could not stop himself from expressing his serious disappointment and anger in his interview with BBC the other day. Musharraf is said to have told the foreign media that the kidnapped army men acted unprofessionally which showed the level of frustration and anger among the top military brass against these officers and their Jawans.
Sources said these officers were also facing serious charges for setting a bad precedent in the history of Pakistan Army when they surrendered before the civilian fighters within the borders of their own country and made the institution of army a laughing stock in the eyes of the world.
Naaaah, we were laughing at them well before this happened.
When contacted by The News, Director General ISPR Major General Waheed Arshad confirmed that the eight officers among others would face an inquiry on their return, before deciding their fate. General Arshad said an inquiry would definitely be held into the matter to determine the real facts. He said there is a proper mechanism within the military to determine the facts of such serious issues and award punishment to those found guilty. Pakistan Army is a professional institution and a comprehensive probe would be undertaken, he said.
When asked what kind of punishment would be given to these army men for allegedly surrendering to the Taliban elements in the tribal areas, General Arshad replied; First, please correct yourself. This was not surrender before Taliban elements.
When asked whether these officers would face proceedings under a court martial, General Arshad said a full-fledged inquiry would be conducted into the whole issue and this was only possible once they returned. When asked whether these officers had been dismissed from service and now they would be formally proceeded against in the military court, General Arshad replied that he could not say anything at this stage.
Bet that was a real happy press conference.
Meanwhile, sources claimed that the unfolding details of the capture of these army men have shocked the top military brass. According to information available with The News, no one was ready to believe in the manner in which these military officers, along with 240 army men, were simply trapped and captured by ordinary fighters.
According to initial investigations into the incident, when the military convoy under the command of a lieutenant colonel reached a mountainous area where the road was blocked, these officers were approached by three people who offered them to clear the road. These people even arranged some chairs for the military officers and they all sat there waiting for clearance of the road.
Sources said at one stage these three agents of the Taliban told these army officers that it might not be possible to clear the road unless they bring some people from the adjacent village to help them remove the obstacles. Upon this, these officers agreed and asked them to bring some manual support from the adjacent village. These three men returned with dozens of villagers who were wearing shawls to hide their weapons.
The soldiers couldn't clear the road? A little manual labor too good for them? And what kind of roadblock was it? The whole thing smells of an inside job and set-up.
These military officers sitting quite comfortably on the chairs, with their guns allegedly lying on the grounds, had no idea what was about to unfold. The rest of the 240 military men too were sitting in their vehicles, waiting for these villagers to do some tricks and clear the road. When the Taliban approached these officers on the pretext of knowing what had actually happened, some of them simply pulled out their guns at these relaxing officers and told them to order their subordinates to surrender.
The officer leading the whole military convoy, when pushed with the gun, simply asked his 240 military men to drop their guns. These Taliban did not waste time in collecting the dropped weapons of the army men and took all of them into their custody after what the report called a humiliating surrender.
Sources said the news of capture of such a large number of army men by civilian fighters had a very negative impact on the mindset and approach of the rest of the officers and military officers serving in the tribal areas. That is why now strict punishment would be awarded to these army officers and Jawans for bringing the military into disrepute as an institution. Their act also boosted the morale of the Taliban fighting the Pakistan Army in the tribal areas.
Posted by: john frum ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
These military officers sitting quite comfortably on the chairs, with their guns allegedly lying on the grounds, had no idea what was about to unfold
At partition, Pakistan got their portion of the British Indian Army, a tough, all volunteer, battle hardened, professional fighting force.
Where has that tradition gone? The Pak army is engaged in private enterprise, crony capitalism, misrule of their country, the training of terrorists.
No wonder they can't fight a damn.
Posted by: john frum ||
10/14/2007 7:43 Comments ||
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#2
...Keep in mind that the Pakistani Army is what Jim Dunnigan calls a 'police army' - for a very good example, see the sad force that 'liberated' the Falklands from the UK in 1982 and then got it's a*s handed to it by a truly professional army. For all practical purposes the Pakistani Army is more of a danger to its own people than anyone else.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
10/14/2007 10:20 Comments ||
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#3
these military men did not fire a single shot while being kidnapped by the militants
Chalk it up to "professional courtesy".
Sources said these officers were also facing serious charges for setting a bad precedent in the history of Pakistan Army when they surrendered before the civilian fighters within the borders of their own country and made the institution of army even more of a laughing stock in the eyes of the world.
There, fixed that.
These people even arranged some chairs for the military officers and they all sat there waiting for clearance of the road.
Didn't notice all the leather straps attached to those chairs, did they?
Sources said at one stage these three agents of the Taliban told these army officers that it might not be possible to clear the road unless they bring some people from the adjacent village to help them remove the obstacles.
Curious how nobody in the command chain or general ranks managed to perceive that a road block might indicate the presence of hostiles. Then again, the soldiers most likely do not regard terrorists as hostiles.
For all practical purposes the Pakistani Army is more of a danger to its own people than anyone else.
Miscreants in Balochistan fired rockets at Sui and Dera Bugti and blew up several gas pipelines and electricity poles.
The 16-inch diameter Pir Koh gas field pipeline was blown up with explosives, suspending the supply of gas to the Punjab. In another incident, the miscreants blew up an eight-inch diameter gas pipeline at Sui gas field. A third attack was launched on the electricity transmission line between Sui and Dera Bugti. A rocket was also fired at the residence of tribal leader Maulana Amir-uddin while another was shot at a Pakistan Petroleum Limited pressure plant. No casualties have been reported in the attacks.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Close the valves, then don't fix them. let the people do without until they get the message.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/14/2007 14:06 Comments ||
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#2
"Mo didn't have gas, power, sanitary water supplies, or sewer, and neither should we!"
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/14/2007 14:08 Comments ||
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Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) is on the verge of split as rift between Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) is deepening day by day and even dissolution of NWFP Assembly has failed to bring them closer, Daily Times learnt on Saturday.
In order to keep the alliance intact, a meeting of MMAs Supreme Council has been called on October 22 in Islamabad in which JI along with other allied parties will ask Maulana Fazlur Rehman to either leave the alliance or stop supporting Musharraf. MMA sources said the stormy meeting would thoroughly discuss the dissolution of NWFP Assembly after the presidential election, though the Jamaat had demanded assemblys dissolution prior to the presidential election.
Sources said Maulana Fazl and his party members would also question the unilateral decisions of Qazi Hussain Ahmed on important political issues. Jamaat-i-Islami and Qazi Hussain Ahmed are trying to create a rift between the Maulvis and the military. My party is clearly aligned with Maulana Fazl and I think Qazi Sahib should change his behavior, Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (Senior) General Secretary Qari Gul Rehman told Daily Times on Saturday.
This article starring:
Jamaat-e-Islami
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam
Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (Senior)
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal
Maulana Fazlur Rehman
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam
Qari Gul Rehman
Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (Senior)
Qazi Hussain Ahmed
Jamaat-i-Islami
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Early this morning, Zafar Bhat prayed at the unmarked graves of two Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists who had been killed by the Central Reserve Police Force in Srinagar before dawn.
On Eid-ul-Fitr tomorrow (depending of course on the sighting of the moon) , Mr. Bhat says, he intends to visit Shamima Badroo, the wife of the top Hizb ul-Mujahideen commander who led the terror group into a short-lived ceasefire in 2000-2001. Dr. Badroo, a well-respected medical practitioner was shot eight times by a Lashkar-e-Taiba hit squad last year, leaving her paralysed from the neck down.
Strange? Theres no point harbouring resentments against the dead, Bhat says.
Six years ago, Bhat was among a core group of Pakistan-based Hizb ul-Mujahideen commanders who led the organisations efforts to initiate a dialogue with India. In December 2000, on the eve of the month of Ramzan, Hizb ul-Mujahideen commander Mohammad Yusuf Shah declared a ceasefire. Although Shah withdrew the ceasefire eight days later, the Government of India terminated offensive operations for five months.
But fatalities mounted as anti-ceasefire terror groups like the Lashkar escalated hostilities to undermine the peace process. Although Dr. Badroos husband, Hizb deputy chief Abdul Majid Dar, struggled to revive the peace process of which the ceasefire was a part, he was eventually assassinated by hardliners within his own organisation. The bitter experience of the Ramzan ceasefire haunts the peace process in Jammu and Kashmir.
Lessons learned
I think we all made mistakes, he says. Indias government, he argues, allowed politics to override the peace process. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee first said the negotiations would be held within the framework of insaniyat, human values, not the Constitution. But soon afterwards, both Deputy Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Defence Minister George Fernandes said Kashmir was an inalienable part of India, which weakened the pro-dialogue forces.
Pakistan and Kashmiri secessionists, Bhat believes, also made mistakes. When hardliners criticised the government for going along with the ceasefire, he says, President Pervez Musharraf backed off. And some All-Parties Hurriyat Conference leaders in Kashmir became worried we, rather than them them, would be the eventual beneficiaries of a dialogue. So they set about sabotaging the dialogue process.
The end result was that thousands of people have died since, for nothing, Bhat says. What saddens me the most about the failure of the Ramzan ceasefire, he says, is that a lot of hard work and lives went to waste. There were secret meetings at the highest levels for months before the decision. I met all the APHC leaders, and consulted with Syed Ali Shah Geelani no less than three times. Wed all agreed it was the best way forward.
Im very happy, Bhat says, that the United Jihad Council has declared a ceasefire now. It would have been wiser to proceed down this road in 2001, because the Hizb ul-Mujahideen was militarily much stronger, and the political position of the freedom movement in Kashmir was also better. But its never too late to talk peace. We all have no choice.
From war to peace
After the ceasefire collapsed, Bhat stayed on in Jammu and Kashmir and turned to politics. He founded the Kashmir Salvation Movement, a group of one-time terrorists determined to use democratic means to press for the independence of the state. Closely allied to All Parties Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Omar Farooq, the KSM has been a favoured target of hardline terrorists: fifteen of its cadre have been killed since 2005.
The person costs, too, have been enormous. Bhats brother, social activist Haji Abdul Gani Bhat, was assassinated by terrorists in 2005. Seven people were injured when a ceremony to mourn his death was also bombed. The ironies arent lost on the KSM leader. I have lost seven members of my family in the violence in Jammu and Kashmir, he says, five at the hands of Indian forces.
Bhat joined the Hizb ul-Mujahideen in 1989, abandoning his job at the Soura Institute of Medical Sciences. A long standing supporter of the Jamaat-e-Islami, he participated in Hizb chief Shahs unsuccessful attempt to be elected to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly in 1987. Like thousands of other activists of the Muslim United Front, Bhat was jailed for protesting against electoral fraud, and eventually turned to violence.
After a brief stint in the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, which despite its stated secular leanings trained and equipped hundreds of Jamaat-e-Islami cadre, Bhat joined Shah at a Hizb ul-Mujahideen camp in Pakistan. Strangely enough, his mentors there included Abdullah Bangroo the terrorist who eventually assassinated Mirwaiz Farooqs father, Maulvi Mohammad Farooq on suspicion of preparing for talks with New Delhi. Time takes you down some strange roads, he says, but like I said, theres no point harbouring resentments. I think we should look to the future instead.
This article starring:
Jamaat-e-Islami
Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front
Kashmir Salvation Movement
Muslim United Front
United Jihad Council
Abdullah Bangroo
Hizb ul-Mujahideen
Abdul Majid Dar
Hizb ul-Mujahideen
All-Parties Hurriyat Conference
Atal Behari Vajpayee
George Fernandes
Haji Abdul Gani Bhat
Maulvi Mohammad Farooq
All Parties Hurriyat Conference
Mirwaiz Omar Farooq
All Parties Hurriyat Conference
Mohammad Yusuf Shah
Hizb ul-Mujahideen
Shamima Badroo
Hizb ul-Mujahideen
Syed Ali Shah Geelani
All-Parties Hurriyat Conference
Zafar Bhat
Hizb ul-Mujahideen
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
The end result was that thousands of people have died since, for nothing,
The call of jihad was too strong for the Muslim males to resist. They allowed themselves to be used as cannon fodder by the Pakistanis.
They all seriously misjudged their opponent. India was supposed to be weak, full of cowering Hindus who would break under the jihad, allowing first Kashmir, then other parts of India to split off.
Pakistan would then remain as the most powerful state in the region, its army controlling a series of satellite states.
Posted by: john frum ||
10/14/2007 7:35 Comments ||
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#2
hmm. Pak's army can't seem to even fire a shot before being captured by Krazed Islamic Militants.
I'd think they oughtta look closer to home, and try to capture their own country first....
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/14/2007 9:45 Comments ||
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SRINAGAR: Charging each other with playing politics over special prayers on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr, leaders of the moderate and hardline factions of the Hurriyat Conference have drawn battle lines over the issue. While Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has decided to organise prayers at the Eidgah here, Syed Ali Shah Geelani has withdrawn, accusing the former of playing in to the hands of New Delhi. The Eidgah now comes under the State run Waqf Board.
The controversy over organising special prayers began two weeks ago when Mr. Geelani, who heads the hardline faction, announced that after a gap of 20 years this years Eid prayers would be offered traditionally at the Eidgah. He even visited it and led a cleaning drive. He asked people to throng it in large numbers.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also announced a programme of offering Eid prayers, saying it would be symbol of unity among the resistance forces. However, Mr. Geelani withdrew his decision, fearing trouble between the two factions. He said at a press conference that the Mirwaiz was being used by New Delhi to sabotage the freedom movement.
The Mirwaiz, reacting to Mr. Geelanis charges, said during the Friday sermon to a huge gathering at the Jamia Masjid: Mr. Geelani has tried to shake the fundamentals of the unity of Muslims. His statement is cheap politics and speaks lot about his frustration, he said.
Gotta agree with that. It'd do him a world of good to get laid.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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The civilian death toll in Iraq fell to its lowest level in recent memory on Saturday. Only four people were killed or found dead nationwide, according to reports in the capital Baghdad compiled from police, morgue officials and witnesses. The day marked the beginning of the Eid al-Fitr feast for Shiites, the three-day end to the Ramadan month of fasting.
The daily number of civilians killed, not including those on days when there were massive casualties from car bombs, had climbed above 100 at the end of last year and the beginning of the year. The day's decline in deaths was in line with a sharp drop in September of both Iraqi civilian and US military fatalities.
The four dead included three death squad victims found in Baghdad and the bodyguard of the Kirkuk police commander who was killed in a roadside bombing.
A few more news items like this and the Left will have to turn full-steam into 'Was it Worth It' mode.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/14/2007 00:40 ||
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#1
Do the death squad members count as civilians?
Keep an eye on the libs now because they'll probably sneak out at night and try to move the goal posts again.
Seems you know little about Islam. Ramadan has ever been considered as the best month for Jihad since Muhammad times (1). Thus everywhere where there is Mulim terrorism be it in Algeria, Phhilipiiines, Thailand or Irak Jihadis have ever tried to increase the number and the savagery of their attacks.
The fact this time the attacks have decreased for Ramadan marks in fact a sharper decrease in their capabilities than you would infer by reading the percentage of decrease respective to normal months.
(1) Ramadan was holy month in pre-Muslim times. One that even the most hardened criminals respected. Two Mulims attacked and killed the five members of a caravan who were trvalling unarmed due to the truce. It was Islam's first victory. At this time the Muslim movement was struggling financially (after similar attacks had failed) so the sale of the booty was a welcome gulp of air. Then Muhammad had one of those so opportune dreams sent by Allah telling him that breaking Ramadan's truce was legitimate and in fact the best month for fighting infidels.
#8
This is great news, not that the MSM filthpigs will bother to play it up.
Posted by: E Brown ||
10/14/2007 9:54 Comments ||
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#9
I'll cheefully attribute this plunge to the surge because I doubt like all hell it is for want of trying. The proclivity that Muslims have for killing each other is matched only by their animosity towards civilization in general.
BAGHDAD (AP) - The son and heir apparent of Iraq's top Shiite politician came out strongly Saturday in favor of autonomy for Iraq's religiously and ethnically divided regions, a potentially explosive issue on Iraq's already highly polarized political landscape.
Ammar al-Hakim, who is being groomed to take over the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, the country's largest Shiite party, has been a firm supporter of federalism from the outset. But his unusually strident language appeared to signal growing impatience with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's inaction on key issues and his failure to bring fractured groups together.
Addressing hundreds of supporters at the party's Baghdad headquarters, al-Hakim called on Iraqis to press ahead with the creation of self-rule regions, but cautioned that the country's unity must be safeguarded.
``Federalism is one way to accomplish this goal,'' he said.
He said Baghdad's monopoly of power over decision-making and national wealth had turned the central government into a ``tyrannical and dominating'' body. ``I call on the sons of our nation to create their (self-rule) regions,'' al-Hakim said.
The idea of breaking up Iraq into self-rule entities has gained traction in Washington after two lawmakers - Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., and Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan. - proposed giving more control to ethnically and religiously divided regions. A nonbinding resolution to that effect won Senate approval last month, but Republicans supported it only after the measure was amended to make clear that President Bush should press for a new federalized system only if the Iraqis wanted it.
Al-Maliki and other Iraqi politicians denounced the decision as an infringement on Iraq's sovereignty. But President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd and firm proponent of federalism, praised the resolution, saying it cemented Iraq's unity and opposed its breakup.
Al-Hakim and Talabani are supporting the federalism resolution, not the break-up of Iraq as Joe Biden (D-ummy) desires. They understand the need for a national government and military to defend them from the wolves in the region, but would like to get on doing what the Kurds have been doing: building their region. A big chunk of Kurdish Iraq is near east Europe levels of prosperity, and the Shi'a look at that and ask, 'why not us?'
Al-Hakim is the son of Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, the Supreme Council leader who was diagnosed with cancer in May and has been receiving chemotherapy treatment in Iran.
The younger al-Hakim delivered the remarks in a sermon commemorating the start of the Muslim Eid al-Fitr feast that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting. His father, the organization's patriarch, greeted well-wishers at the ceremony but did not address the crowd.
The Supreme Council has been a staunch backer of federalism and wants the country's mainly Shiite and oil-rich south become a self-rule region similar to that established 16 years ago by minority Kurds in northern Iraq.
The Iraqi constitution, adopted two years ago, provides for a federal system. A year ago, parliament pushed through a law allowing the formation of federal regions but not for 18 months. Regardless, federal regions cannot be formed before nationwide elections are first held for local councils. Those councils will decide on seeking union with other provinces to form a federal region. No date has been set for the vote because parliament has yet to pass legislation on the organization of local elections.
The law is one of several Washington has been pressing al-Maliki's government to push through parliament to enhance reconciliation. Others would ensure equitable distribution of oil wealth and reinstatement of Saddam Hussein loyalists in government jobs. Al-Maliki has failed to achieve progress on the wanted legislation despite a major eight-month-old security drive in Baghdad and surrounding regions that was launched in part to give him the room he needs to make political compromises.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Thirteen members of Sheik Faisal Chilabs family were slain by militants. The US military arrested him twice. Three of his four sons were detained too. Chaos and fighting were so widespread he couldnt farm his land in this triangle of death region south of Baghdad. His date palm groves went untended. Sometimes he couldnt leave his home for days.
So, he struck a deal with the Americans. The Sunni Arab clan chief now has 500 tribesmen battling Al Qaeda in Iraq and Shia militiamen. The US military pays them. Chilab and his men, nevertheless, still view the Americans as occupiers, reminisce about the days of Saddam Hussein and are deeply suspicious of the Shia-dominated government.
Pragmatism among Iraqs once-dominant Sunni Arabs explains the paradox. But the new relationships US forces have built with one-time enemies are fragile and dangerous -- constructed on the Middle East proverb The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
The short-term payoff, however, has been significant. Two months after the 500-strong Awakening Brigade began deployment at 10 checkpoints across the lands of Chilabs Saidat clan, residents move freely and are tending their fields. Raids by US and Iraqi forces are now rare and about 30 families have returned after fleeing the districts extreme violence. The use of tribal forces has significantly reduced violence in other areas as well. It began in Iraqs west -- the vast Anbar province. As it spread to Chilabs region south of Baghdad, the concept made gains as well in Baghdad and adjacent Diyala province. Prime Minister Nouri Al Malikis Shia government has reluctantly supported these new alliances, but demands the tribal militias come under state control to prevent future sectarian warfare.
Chilab, his sons and grandchildren were home Friday to receive well-wishers on the first day of the Muslim Eid Al Fitr feast that marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. Over coffee, tea and a lunch of lamb, rice and salad, the Chilabs and their guests -- all in Arab robes and black-and-white checkered head coverings -- spent four hours explaining to a reporter why they launched their awakening movement, what they hoped to gain from it and why they found it necessary to ally themselves with the Americans. They spoke of the hardships of their agricultural community -- their torment at the hands of the Shia Mahdi Army and Al Qaeda militants. They gave voice, too, to the divisive fallout in the community as a result of the new security arrangements. Some of those gathered Friday carried AK-47 assault rifles, others had two-way radios.
'We want to reverse the marginalization of the Sunni Arabs and gain a bigger share of Iraqs wealth and political power, said Ahmed Ghazi, a veteran of Saddams army. 'Our awakening is our response to accusations that we are terrorists, he said.
Saddams name came up often, especially in comparison with the Shia regimes that have run Iraq since the US invasion toppled the dictator 4œ years ago. None of the roughly two dozen men gathered in Chilabs large reception room praised the former dictator, but many said they missed the Saddam-era subsidies on fertilizer, seeds and machinery.
Regardless of their opposition to the US presence in Iraq, none of the men at the feast criticized the clans new alliance with American forces. The deal was seen as the only option to secure their homes and property. Without the Americans, there would have been no awakening here, said Ghazi. But they complained American forces had not delivered on promises made during negotiations that established their 500-strong force. Detained clan members not charged with crimes have not been released as promised, they said. Services -- electricity, water and fuel supplies -- have not improved significantly. We cannot say that America is bad, but what it has done to us is not good, Chilab said, fingering his crimson prayer beads. 'If they dont meet their end of the bargain then we will be freed of our own obligation, said the clan leader, who is in his mid-60s.
His men promised the Americans -- he calls them occupiers -- to bring an end to mortar attacks or roadside bombs targeting US and Iraqi forces in the area. They vowed to forge cordial relations with neighboring Shia clans -- no small task for local Sunnis, many of whom worked in Saddams government, army, security agencies and military industry.
Chilabs decision to forge an alliance with the Americans was of immense importance. Youssifiyah lies astride the route from Baghdad to the Shia shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala. Millions visit each year. Hundreds of pilgrims to the holy places have been killed on the road. Like the Mahmoudiyah region farther south, Youssifiyah has been an Al Qaeda stronghold since 2004. It is viewed as one of the most dangerous areas for the US military and has been a major theater of sectarian violence.
The regions importance and violent past shows in the number of army and police checkpoints -- about 10 in all -- on the 20 kilometers of highway that separate Baghdad and Youssifiyah. The 6-kilometer stretch of secondary road leading to Chilabs house has five army checkpoints, built with concrete blast walls and metal barricades.
While Saidats Awakening Brigade is a modest band, it has been effective. The men, mostly in their 20s, are armed with assault rifles, machine-guns and rocket propelled grenades. Their headquarters is a shoddily built, windowless hut in the middle of a field. There is one desk and some bamboo chairs. The only thing hanging on the gray wall is a U.S.-supplied aerial map of the area. The Americans pay a monthly wage of US$300 to members of the force; officers receive US$600. The US military gave them gray shirts and yellow jerseys with glow-in-the-dark white stripes. That prevents them being mistaken for insurgent during nighttime operations.
The agreement with the Americans is for the entire force eventually to be absorbed into Iraqi government security apparatus. Al Malikis tottering government is balking. But as an almost immediate payoff for its alliance with the Americans, relations between clan residents and the mainly Shia army unit deployed on the main road have improved dramatically. 'They used to be so harsh with us during house raids and searches at checkpoints, recounted Salah, one of Chilabs sons. Its different now, he said after shaking hands and exchanging kisses on the cheek with two young army soldiers at a checkpoint. 'Let us know if you need anything, Salah told the soldiers.
The Saidat is one of 14 Shia and Sunni clans that make up the Zobeid tribe. The Saidat in the Youssifiyah area number around 3,000, of whom 150 have been killed since 2003. The Iraqi government has 100 more in detention; 36 are in US custody.
The continued presence of Al Qaeda in areas next to the Saidat clan remains a constant worry. Of 22 members of his clan that were Saddam-era army officers, Chilab said only two have volunteered to join the Awakening Brigade. 'They fear being killed, he said, running his right hand across his throat to suggest that Al Qaeda militants would slaughter them.
The Saidats alliance with the Americans also strained relations with clans that inhabit Al Qaeda controlled lands nearby. Chilab travels with four armed guards and has received several telephone threats. One of the guests on Friday, who identified himself as Bilal, suddenly broke into English to warn the reporter that Chilab could not talk as openly as he would like about the Awakening Brigade. 'Sir, he said, the sheik cannot trust everyone in this room.
This article starring:
Al Qaeda in Iraq
Mahdi Army
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Palestinian Authority President denied reports on Saturday that he had agreed to begin talks with Hamas following the US-sponsored Middle East summit scheduled to take place in Annapolis in November.
In the report published by the London-based Al Hayat newspaper on Saturday, a Hamas source revealed that Abbas had agreed to hold talks with Hamas in Egypt following the summit.
According to the source, "Many Arab countries tried convincing Abu Mazen [Abbas] to hold talks between [Fatah and Hamas], but every time he requested a postponement. Recently, during a meeting with Sudanese President Omar al-Basheer, Abu Mazen agreed to begin the talks after Basheer discussed with him the importance of a dialogue."
The source went on to say that following Abbas's compliance with Basheer's request, the Khartoum government rushed to ask the Egyptians to host the event, because Sudan deems Egypt to be the most capable country to manage the Palestinian issue.
Furthermore, according to the report, representatives from Hamas and Fatah have recently held secret talks in order to "feel out a pulse" for further dialogue. "A few meetings were held between influential people in Hamas and Fatah," said the Hamas source, "but were informal in nature.
"Both sides are trying to clarify the expectations of the other, but the talks are held in secret because making them public could complicate the situation," the Hamas source went on to say, adding that the talks in Egypt would focus on fundamental differences between the sides. Among the issues the sides are currently divided on include the control and structure of Palestinian security services.
But according to MK Ephraim Sneh (Labor), who met with Abbas and PA Prime Minister Salaam Fayad in Ramallah on Saturday, the PA president denied the Al Hayat report, and said that he refused to talk with Hamas.
Abbas has previously stated that he would only talk to Hamas if it stepped down from power in the Gaza Strip. During a trip by Abbas to Saudi Arabia in September a PA official told The Jerusalem Post that "President Abbas will stress...his keenness on resuming dialogue with Hamas only after Hamas reverses the situation in the Gaza Strip and apologizes for its military coup."
Israel has repeatedly stated that a precondition for holding talks with Abbas is that he cuts all ties with Hamas.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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The air raid on Syria conducted by Israel last month reportedly targeted a site that Israeli and US intelligence specialists believe was a partly constructed nuclear reactor that may have been modeled after one in North Korea.
Citing the usual unnamed US and foreign officials with access to the intelligence reports, The New York Times said it appeared Israel carried out the September 6 raid to demonstrate its determination to snuff out even a nascent nuclear project in a neighboring state.
You'd think the usual unnamed officials with access to serious intel could keep their mouths shut.
The facility that the Israelis struck in Syria appears to have been much further from completion than the Osirak nuclear reactor that Israel destroyed in Iraq in 1981, the paper said. Officials said it would have been years before the Syrians could have used the reactor to produce the spent nuclear fuel that could, through a series of additional steps, be reprocessed into bomb-grade plutonium, according to The Times.
Not a bad idea to neuter the Syrian nuke program early. The Israelis waited to near the last minute on the Osirak raid, and if they had failed it would have cost them dearly.
In Washington and Israel, the raid has been shrouded in secrecy and information restricted to few officials while the Israeli press has been prohibited from publishing information about the attack, the report said.
The administration of President George W. Bush was divided about the strike, and some senior policymakers still regard it as premature, the report said. The officials did not say that the Bush administration had ultimately opposed the Israeli strike, but that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates were particularly concerned about the ramifications of a pre-emptive strike in the absence of an urgent threat, the paper said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
I suspect this delayed disclosure of the nature of the Syrian target was part of the whole operation, as a message to the Mad Mullahs.
#5
Radical islam and aligned intend the WOT to be a battle/campaign to the death of Islam or Israel, etal - by this scope, unless democratic regime change takes place in so-called "rogue" nations, in the LT ISRAEL RISKS BEING INEVITABLY SURROUNDED BY Nuke/WMD-equipped hostile states. AS A MUSLIM POSTER SAID > PROLIFERATION + NO DEMOCRATIC/FAVORABLE REGIME CHANGE > IN LT, ISRAEL MAY WIN ALL THE BATTLES BUT WILL STILL LOSE THE WAR. IOW, Israel must conquer, or be conquered.
A high-level North Korean official left on Saturday for an overseas trip including a visit to Syria, the North's state media reported, amid suspicions the two countries might be cooperating on a secret nuclear program.
Choe Thae Bok, speaker of the North's rubber-stamp parliament, will also visit Italy during the trip, the North's Korean Central News Agency said in a brief one-sentence dispatch that gave no further details.
The trip comes amid lingering suspicions that North Korea may be providing nuclear assistance to Syria. North Korea provides missile technology to Syria, but has strongly denied accusations that it spreads its nuclear expertise beyond its borders. Syria also has denied receiving any North Korean nuclear help.
The two countries accused U.S. officials of spreading the allegations for political reasons.
Andrew Semmel, acting U.S. deputy assistant secretary for nuclear nonproliferation policy, said in September that North Korean personnel were in Syria, and that the Syrian government may have had contacts with "secret suppliers" to obtain nuclear equipment. Last month, a high-level Syrian delegation visited Pyongyang.
North Korea, which conducted its first-ever nuclear test last October, has been compliant in international talks aimed at dismantling its nuclear program. In July, Pyongyang shut down its sole operating nuclear reactor and pledged earlier this month to disable it by year's end.
But they haven't come clean on the uranium program.
#2
pledged earlier this month to disable it by year's end
Err, right. Didn't we try that one already? Bury a remotely operated mini-nuke under the site when they aren't looking in case they decide to enable it again.
"Whoops, how'd that happen? Looks like the NorKs got carried away again."
Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urged Arab nations on Saturday to boycott a Middle East peace meeting in the United States, while also accusing Washington of responsibility for all of Iraqs woes. The United States took the initiative for this meeting to save the Zionist regime (Israel), which received a beating at the hands of Hezbollah, during the war last year with the Lebanese Shiite movement, Khamenei told a crowd of hundreds of thousands at Irans Grand Mosque. Every conference that has been organised in the name of peace has harmed the Palestinians, he said, in a speech to mark Irans celebration of the Eidul Fitr holiday that follows the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Death to America: As the Palestinians themselves are not participating in this conference, how can the others (Arab states) do so, he asked, as the crowds chanted Death to America and Death to Israel.
Khamenei made no reference to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, who will be attending the US-sponsored meeting, expected next month, and who has been working in concert with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to prepare for the summit, aimed at seeking an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Instead, he spoke of the Islamist movement Hamas, which seized control of the Gaza Strip in June after bloody battles with security forces loyal to Abbas, and which has also called for a boycott of the peace talks. Following the Gaza takeover, Abbas dismissed Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya and appointed a new government, which Hamas does not recognise, and whose power is limited to the West Bank.
Hamas govt: Referring to Hamas, Khamenei said the Palestinian people put in power a government that has made resistance its leading slogan and, despite all pressure, the Palestinian government and people continue to resist. I counsel our Palestinian brothers not to confront each other, because the enemy is in their house.
On Friday, Haniya warned Abbas against making concessions to Israel at the summit. There will be a new peace conference later this year, but this conference will bring great losses, not only for the Palestinian cause but the entire Arab and Muslim world, he said.
Haniya called on Abbas to reject new concessions to the Israeli occupation, on the refugees, on the land, on Jerusalem, to our sacred right to that holy land. He went on to accuse Israel of using the conference as a way of naturalising relations with Arab countries without giving anything to the Palestinian people and America of using the conference to advance its regional interests. His remarks come with Israeli and Palestinian teams preparing the ground for the conference.
The Palestinians want a detailed agreement and timeframe for implementing solutions to the thorniest issues in the conflict, including borders, sovereignty over Jerusalem and the fate of 4.4 million refugees. The Israelis want a vaguer document with core issues left to bilateral talks after the conference.
Turning his attention to the United States and Iraq, Khamenei said it is incapable of assuring security, either because it does not want to or because it cannot. It is responsible for all of the humanitarian, political, social and economic catastrophes that have befallen Iraq.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
Hezbollah has formed a 50,000-strong militia to "fight an internal dispute" if the ongoing political crisis in Lebanon was not settled, the Kuwaiti newspaper as-Siyassah reported. It also said Hizbullah has constructed 500 kilometers of roads linking its power bases in east, central and south Lebanon in preparation for such a confrontation with the March 14 forces and to enable the party confront an Israeli attack.
Hezbollah has constantly sought shelter under the "resistance" umbrella that will "never" draw a drop of Lebanese blood - this latest move appears in direct contradiction of their alleged allegiance to Lebanon. The Hizbullah-led opposition have been practically occupying downtown Beirut since December 1, 2006 - with the declared objective of toppling the Lebanese government. Immediately after the start of the sit in, Hezbollah supporters threatened to storm the government compound, fenced in barbed wire and protected by tanks and three army and police battalions, and remove Siniora by force.
What started with Death to Israel" and Death to America, turned into Death to Siniora. While the heads of the pro-Syrian opposition, Nasrallah, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and "presidency at any cost" Michel Aoun, have not once attempted to preach to their followers otherwise. One sick follower took the idea to an unthinkable extreme in the form of a video game, where your mission is to assassinate every minister in the government, including Fouad Siniora, the Prime Minister of Lebanon.
Hezbollah's Intent for Armed Confrontation Exposed
The newspaper attributed the information to a Syrian website identified as al-haqiqah, Arabic for the truth. The report quoted an unnamed Hizbullah source as saying the idea of setting up a militia, which is a separate structure from the party's Islamic Resistance, crystallized after the Iranian-backed group obtained information about a "serious intent to drag it into an internal armed confrontation if the political crisis was not settled."
"This is what we've been trying to avoid and we'll continue trying to avoid irrespective of the cost," the Hizbullah source was quoted as saying. "Getting involved in a domestic confrontation isn't as sensitive an issue to Hizbullah as it used to be, especially if it is imposed on us."
He accused the March 14 majority of planning to drag Hizbullah into a domestic confrontation.
The new militia, he said, "would be capable of settling any internal confrontation in a relatively short period... without having to go into a long civil war similar to the previous" Lebanese civil war that lasted from 1975 to 1990.
The new militia, he said, "would be capable of settling any internal confrontation in a relatively short period... without having to go into a long civil war similar to the previous" Lebanese civil war that lasted from 1975 to 1990.
In a related development, the report said Hizbullah constructed 500 kilometers of roads in south Lebanon, the central Bekaa valley and its eastern flank to link its strongholds In case of any domestic confrontation or even to confront an Israeli invasion. Druze leader Walid Jumblat had warned that Iran might assign Hizbullah to occupy Beirut and usurp power in Lebanon.
This article starring:
March 14
Michel Aoun
Nabih Berri
Walid Jumblat
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2007 00:00 ||
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[8 views]
Top|| File under: Hezbollah
#1
might be harded thatn they think when they attack senoria if israel is kicking their asses from the other direction
#6
Israel will be inviolved, overtly or covertly, becuz Israel will not milpol tolerate absolute Syrian or Iranian domination = annexation of Lebanon. Iff Latter ever became realistic > IDF armored forces will roll in, and this time will never leave even iff the USA-West demand it.
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.
Egyptian police opened fire Saturday on a group of 10 African immigrants trying to illegally cross into Israel and arrested four of them, a Sinai security official said. 
HT: LGF
Miscreants in Balochistan fired rockets at Sui and Dera Bugti and blew up several gas pipelines and electricity poles.
SRINAGAR: Charging each other with playing politics over special prayers on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr, leaders of the moderate and hardline factions of the Hurriyat Conference have drawn battle lines over the issue. While Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has decided to organise prayers at the Eidgah here, Syed Ali Shah Geelani has withdrawn, accusing the former of playing in to the hands of New Delhi. The Eidgah now comes under the State run Waqf Board. 
Palestinian Authority President denied reports on Saturday that he had agreed to begin talks with Hamas following the US-sponsored Middle East summit scheduled to take place in Annapolis in November. 
