"In 2003, a gathering in Muredkey [the LeT's Pakistani headquarters] was an eye-opener to sincere jihadis. Hafiz Mohammed Saeed [chief of the LeT] introduced us to one Abdullah, a person wearing a prayer cap and a small beard. Many among us knew he was the head of the ISI's Kashmir cell.
"He addressed the gathering and made the point that the Kashmiri jihad could not achieve its objectives and that it was a lame duck. He advised the mujahideen to sit quietly at home until new circumstances developed. This sort of advice turned people into our camp, but the real revolution came because of al-Qaeda," Sadiq said.
"[Senior al-Qaeda leader] Abu Marwan al-Suri was killed [in May 2006] by the Khasadar force in Bajaur Agency. This is a force of peons. Had Marwan been killed by any elite commando force of the Pakistani army, we would not have been so saddened, but for a person like him to be killed by a third-rate force like the Khasadars, it was bad.
I looked in the archives to see if Rantburg covered Mr. al-Suri's demise. We did.
"He was traveling in bus when he was identified as an Arab and was asked to descend. He took out his revolver and warned the Khasadars that he was a mujahid and did not want to kill any Muslims, so they should let him go. The Khasadars did not listen to him. You know Arabs, they do not escape - they fight until their last - but he tried to flee to avoid fighting Muslims, and was killed.
"His body was photographed and the pictures were presented to the Americans with pride and the people responsible received medals. Every mujahid felt humiliated. Brother ... our blood is not so cheap to be played around with by any third-rate person. Mujahideen were full of rage. They rose from their hideouts.
"Marwan's body became an inspiration. The aroma from his blood was a legend in Bajaur and his graveyard became a holy site. Reaction swept through Bajaur and in a matter of days the Khasadars' posts were wiped out and blown up. The army came to conduct operations, but was defeated. Our victories gathered all tribes around us. You know our biggest commander in Bajaur, Maulana Faqir Muhammad, was trained by the Pakistani army to resist the Soviets [in the 1980s] but after September 11 his brother was detained by the army. He was beaten to death.
"In 2005 the Taliban were limited to South Waziristan and North Waziristan and in Mohmand Agency there were only a few dozen of them, but now we number 18,000, thanks to the operations of the Pakistani army," Sadiq said, his face full of emotion.
"You asked me what makes us think we can establish an Islamic emirate," Sadiq said, and then recited famous Urdu and Persian poet Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan, who went under the pen name of Ghalib: "Pain has crossed its limits and has become the remedy."
If this article is right, then Abu Marwan Hadid al-Suri designated himself a martyr and named an al-Q brigade after himself a month before he was killed.
And accounts of his death vary. Most say that he was shot by Pakis, but this report indicates he may have killed himself "to prevent being captured" or more heroically "to avoid killing fellow Muslims" (I presume to help his legend grow).
If he did 'martyr' himself deliberately, it seems he set up the dominos long before he stepped off that bus and went out in a blaze of glory.
#4
This part bothers me a lot After a long pause, he continued, "You know, the Taliban are blamed for all the problems, but in actual fact it is America which will never allow a ceasefire between the Pakistani army and the mujahideen. The Americans will force the Pakistani army to fight against us and therefore this battle will continue," Sadiq said.
"Man, you are fighting against the army and blaming America," I taunted him.
"I will tell you why. The Americans know exactly how near we are to Islamabad and they are aware of defections in the Pakistani army, and they are also aware that only one or two defections at the level of colonel will mean that the mujahideen will get their hands on some batteries of missiles which can carry nuclear warheads.
"And they [Americans] know the moment the mujahideen get that, the game will turn in favor of the mujahideen both in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and then nobody will be able to stop our march. So the Americans want a big battle between the army and the mujahideen so that the end game will be that they can step in and destroy Pakistan's nukes under the pretext that the Pakistani army cannot protect them from the mujahideen," Sadiq said.
The retards don't understand what will happen to their whole civilization if they use a nuke against us.....
#6
So I launched a series of questions. "It is still not clear who is in whose command. What is the command of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar [leader of the Hezb-i-Islami]? Is [veteran Afghan resistance figure] Jalaluddin Haqqani under [Taliban leader] Mullah Omar, or is he commanding separately? Who do the Pakistan Taliban answer to? To Mullah Omar? And what are Pakistani jihadis up to?
Sadiq smiled at the barrage of questions and responded with some breaking news, "Mullah Omar, the Taliban shura [council], al-Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban have resolved this issue once and for all. Soon the mujahideen will announce the revival of a [region-wide] Islamic emirate, and after this - like all fighting groups gathered under a single command in Iraq - all commanders in Afghanistan will fall under the umbrella of the Islamic emirate.
#7
3dc, what do YOU think would happen to their 'civilization' if they used a nuke against America? There'd be a whole lot of dead Americans, and the survivors-in-charge would be trying (and likely 'succeeding') to figure out what we said to make them do it. And if the Taliban leadership would grant permission, we might send a few FBI guys over to investigate who pushed the button - but they probably were atomized in the blast, so there won't be anybody to catch and punish.
#8
There are far too many circumstances where we still insist on fighting these scumbags "Queensbury Rules." Pershing understood this in his fight with the Moros, and at a critical juncture, presented them with his combined execution-burial in a pit with pigs. This just fractured the will of the enemy forces.
We do not have to be so overt and blunt, however. With some clever use of psyops, we could be ravaging enemy morale, and totally kill off their recruitment.
For example, they are very prone to superstition, so we start a rumor among them that ghostly "dogs from Hell" are appearing during the night to tear apart Jihadis and take their souls to Hell, for some undefined transgression. All that remains are torn up body parts.
We could do all sorts of other things, like spreading around "magical amulets" that make them impervious to NATO bullets, protect them from demons, and also give off electronic signatures in response to a strong RF signal at a particular frequency.
We could be using so many of these tricks that by now they wouldn't know whether to poop or go blind.
Admiral Lord West, the security minister, was today forced into an abrupt and humiliating U-turn after publicly opposing Gordon Brown's bid to raise the time limit on holding terror suspects without charging.
The former navy chief was drafted into the Government in the summer and asked to review Britain's defences against al-Qa'eda terrorists, and parts of that review will be presented to parliament later today.
The Prime Minister's most contentious anti-terror proposal is to look at raising the pre-charge detention time limit from 28 to 56 days. Civil liberty groups, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and dozens of Labour MPs have opposed any increase.
In a radio interview shortly after 8am this morning, Lord West made clear he, too, is unconvinced of the need to give the police more power to detain people who have not been charged. The security minister told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I want to have absolute evidence that we actually need longer than 28 days.
"I want to be totally convinced because I am not going to go and push for something that actually affects the liberty of the individual unless there is a real necessity for it."
Allies of the Prime Minister have suggested that secret intelligence reports prove the case for a higher time limit. But Lord West, who has access to classified intelligence, said he had seen nothing to persuade him. He said: "I still need to be fully convinced that we absolutely need more than 28 days and I also need to be convinced what is the best way of doing that."
Despite the apparently categorical message in his remarks, the minister later issued an unusual public statement in which he insisted that he had in fact meant to back the Prime Minister's plans.
The admiral's statement was issued by the Home Office shortly after Lord West had a breakfast meeting with Gordon Brown. It said: "I am quite clear that the greater complexities of terrorist plots will mean that we will need the power to detain certain individuals for more than 28 days.
"Already six individuals have been held over 27 days and the number of plots, and their growing international nature, will only make them more complex to investigate.
"I was stating this morning that there will need to be scrutiny in the system, and robust evidence against individuals, to safeguard their rights.
"I am convinced that we need to legislate now so that we have the necessary powers when we need them.
"The Government would be failing in its responsibility to protect national security if we waited until we needed more than 28 days to act."
Later, the Prime Ministers official spokesman dodged questions as to whether Mr Brown had ordered Lord West to make his second statement. I think he (Lord West) thought it was necessary to make sure that his position was properly understood, he said. The spokesman denied that Lord Wests credibility was now damaged, saying I dont think thats the case at all .he is a great expert on security.
In advance of the publication of Lord West's report, Mr Brown paved the way for tough new security measures by warning that terrorists could attack the UK anywhere and from any place.
Writing in The Sun newspaper, Mr Brown said: Terrorism can hit us anywhere from any place. He added: But just as the terrorists use every method and the very freedoms we enjoy to kill or maim people, so we must also adopt new tools to beat the terrorists, secure our borders and create a safe global society.
He said Lord Wests report contained key recommendations for the protection of our national security but that physical protections had to go alongside improved community relations. It is a battle we will have to fight street by street, community by community and year by year. But standing together, resolute and calm, we can win it.
The report is expected to recommend that sports grounds, shopping centres, cinemas, theatres and other at risk venues improve security, including employing specially-trained door staff. Schools and hospitals will also be issued with new guidance on protecting pupils, patients and staff, according to reports. Lord West will also call on architects to integrate anti-terrorism measures into new buildings. However, he will add that such measures, including barriers, should be as unobtrusive as possible.
It is understood his report is too sensitive to be published in full, and only his conclusions and some other limited points will be made public.
#1
We didn't really intended you to fight Jihad! Just to do something that will keep the Public quiet---so we can assure an orderly trensformation of UK into a caliphate.
#2
Writing in The Sun newspaper, Mr Brown said: Terrorism can hit us anywhere from any place.
This is the precise nonsense that really does diminish our civil liberties. In their mania to prevent discrimination of any kind, the left guarantees we all must suffer as every non-muslim suffers the indignity of being treated as a "terror" suspect. We should instead focus on jihadi subjects and recognize absolutely that we are not hit at random anywhere from anyplace. We are rather targeted as infidels by sword-wielding maniacs.
#3
I find it laughable (in an ironic sense) the GB talks about securing borders and protecting our national security as he runs pell mell to cede British sovereignty to the EU.
Someone ought to point out to him that "Britians borders" are in places like Poland, Spain, Italy, France, etc.
#6
I have to agree, detention with no charges is letting the forces of terror win. These are just the kinds of anti liberty changes they want in our society. Why the heck can't you charge them and keep them under existing law?
South Koreas president on Tuesday called for a summit with the United States, North Korea and China to formally end the war that has split the Korean peninsula for over 50 years.
President Roh Moo-hyun said such a meeting would help international efforts to scrap the Norths nuclear weapons programme and the conclusion of a peace treaty to replace the fraying armistice that ended the 1950-1953 Korean War.
In order to push for the prompt nuclear dismantlement of North Korea and the conclusion of a peace treaty, the leaders of the concerned countries need to make a joint declaration and set up a definite milestone, Roh said in a speech in Busan. Roh proposed calling the meeting the: Four-Party Summit Declaration for Ending the War and Constructing a Peace Regime on the Korean Peninsula. Political analysts have said Roh is pressing for a summit to secure his political legacy, but stands little chance of brokering the first-ever meeting between the leaders of the United States and North Korea - two long-time foes.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/14/2007 00:00 ||
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MEQ: You formed the Democratic Muslims in Denmark organization after the cartoon scandal... How is it going?
Naser Khader: Before the cartoon crisis, I never wanted to begin a Muslim organization. I'm a firm believer that Danish Muslims should aspire to integrate into Danish life, and I felt that a Muslim political organization would serve to undermine this. But, as Islamists claimed to speak for all Muslims during the cartoon crisis rather than speaking for themselves personally or organizationally, I changed my view. Moderate Danish Muslims needed their own political voice. So, I started the Democratic Muslims in Denmark organization in response....
One of the problems is intimidation:
MEQ: Moderate Danish Muslims, it is said, are scared to join the network. Is that true?
Khader: Many Muslim members dropped out of the Democratic Muslims of Denmark because they were threatened. One board member was attacked physically. Young females are especially vulnerable...
The total economic impact of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is estimated at $1.6 trillion by 2009, a congressional committee said in a report released Tuesday. Ooh! a Congressional Committee report! Before you start with the details, let me go get my blank stare and a pillow! I wouldn't want to miss anything!
That is nearly double the $804 billion in direct war costs the White House requested so far from Congress, the Democratic-led Joint Economic Committee said. Oxymoron alert!
The committee estimated $1.3 trillion in war costs by the end of 2008 for Iraq, and the remainder for Afghanistan. Did they subtract out the costs of maintaining a trained army sitting around on their butts doing nothing? Did they subtract out the equipment that should have been replaced during Clinton years but wasn't? Did they subtract out the cost of another 9/11 or nuked city or two or ten?
The total war costs could grow to $3.5 trillion by 2017, the committee estimated. 2017? Ooooo-kaaaaaay . . . .
The higher total economic impact comes from, among other things, the cost of borrowing money to pay for the war, lost productivity, higher oil prices and the cost of health care for veterans, the committee said. Lost productivity? I'd say it could be argued that war spurs productivity on some fronts as much as it takes it away on others. Higher oil prices would be here one way or the other due to enormous demand. And doesn't health care count as part of the economy? The dollars have to come from somewhere. It is higher for veterans because of the injuries they receive, but a lot of it is there already.
The committee calculated the average cost of both wars for a family of four would be $20,900 from 2002 to 2008. The cost for a family of four would go up to $46,400 from 2002 to 2017, the committee said. The average family of four doesn't pay a lot of taxes. It is the rich who pay for the war, along with 90% of the other stuff that this country buys. And don't forget the foreign investors, who have a stake in the economy.
The estimate was released as Democrats launch a new effort to force a withdrawal from the widely unpopular conflict. Senate Republicans dismissed the report as a political document, arguing that Democrats have "hyped" the war's impact on oil prices. Tell that to the ignorant.
"For every dollar we spend directly in Iraq, we're going to pay another dollar for the indirect, but immediate, costs of the war," Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, said. "We of the baby boom generation and our children and grandchildren will be paying for this war for a very long time to come." This war is as big as it is because of your waffling, hedging, and defeatism, Senator. And all who surround you.
"We cannot afford this war -- $12 billion dollars a month?" Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said. "We just can't. We can't continue." Cutting into your pork is it?
Schumer said finances will become a significant factor in the ongoing debate regarding the course of the conflicts.
"The cost of the war is becoming the $800 billion gorilla in the room when it comes to opposition in the war," he said. "It is becoming the first thing that people mention after the loss of life when they're opposed to this war."
"And the people who mention it, many of them, are not people who were against the war in the past," Schumer added. Details and definitions of "many", please? Or are you still having a tough time passing your stupid riders to the spending bills?
Office of Budget and Management Director Jim Nussle dismissed the report, saying "the Congressional leadership is attempting to manipulate economic data for public relations purposes." No! Say it isn't so!
"There are several ... distortions within the report, such as attempting to tie war costs to overall business investment and the price of oil."
Republicans, who said they were not included in the preparation of the report, also said the country has little choice but continue to bear the costs of the war. Or to bear the costs of not going to war . . . .
"We have been protected from attack here at home," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky said. "There's progress that is obviously being made in Iraq."
"We need to finish the job, and finish the job is to leave Iraq in a condition that it can defend itself and be an ally in the war on terror," he said. Besides, having bases there will make Pakistan less "necessary" and put a damper on the region's antics and "aspirations". Does that count for anything?
"What's their alternative?" Don Stewart, a McConnell spokesman, asked of the Democrats. "Should we not fund veterans? Should we not send MRAPs [armored personal carriers] to Iraq? Not fund the GI Bill?
[Hint: Don't waste much time on this, it's a rhetorical question.]
"And how much will oil cost if the progress in Iraq is reversed and al Qaeda shuts down the oil deliveries? What will that do to the markets?" Stewart asked. Take your time, Donks. Don't wanna burn out that brain cell!
Stewart called the report "a Democrat report, prepared by the head of the Democrat campaign committee" -- a reference to Schumer, the head of the party's effort to add Senate seats in 2008. Donks would be insulted at being part of the target audience if they had any brains, but by definition that makes them a Trunk.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino accused the Democrats of releasing the report for partisan reasons and to "muddy the waters" after a series of positive reports from Iraq -- including a reduction in violence, increased economic capacity of the country, and signs of continued political reconciliation "from the bottom up." Louder and more often along with references to supporing facts and details available on the whitehouse.gov website, please. It's called P.R., propaganda, advertising, etc., but whatever it's called it actually helps your cause.
"It's positive and we hope it is a trend that will take hold," Perino said.
Just like I hope the graphic I found will take hold in the RB pic archives! :-)
#1
Ya know, I heard this on the radio yesterday morning, but didn't think the article would be this long.
Whaddaya mean, the yellow highlighted stuff wasn't part of the original article? It's the best part!
Schumer, you'll remember, was the guy who told Harry the war would lead to more Democratic seats.
Besides, as someone here observed weeks ago, the Dems are setting up for their next position: Even if we win the war, it cost too much.
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/14/2007 6:23 Comments ||
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#2
"We cannot afford this war -- $12 billion dollars a month?" Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said. "We just can't. We can't continue."
Just a weak attempt to dilute Ms. Clinton's blunder: I have lots of Ideas. America can't afford them all.
Donks will eat this up because it prevents the GOP from using the bumper sticker, "America can't afford my ideas" or somesuch. But the basic problem that the Donks have is that the war against an Islamic Caliphate is real. Donks are all about grasping, clawing for power. The average voter is about securing a good life for themselves. Bad match.
#3
Hey Harry and Chuck, how about seizing the oil fields and cutting off a bunch of beturbanned heads? Then we can make a PROFIT and your mob buddies can even weasel in and get a cut.
Posted by: ed ||
11/14/2007 7:36 Comments ||
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#4
Outstanding commentary, gorb - laughed my a** off, though that was combined with the usual disbelief and discouragement that such illiterate (from many angles) idiocy can be spouted in public without humliation of the spouter. My exposure to MSM or NPR-like "news" sources is astoundingly tiny (takes some work), but I can just imagine how this was flogged by what one radio host aptly calls the media wing of the Donk party.
Sadly, though, no surprise. Economics, logic, facts, perspective, and serious adult analysis are not the strengths of the current Donk party. That they even exist as a national party is spectacular testimony to the mediocrity of most of the GOP.
#6
committee calculated the average cost of both wars for a family of four would be $20,900 from 2002 to 2008. The cost for a family of four would go up to $46,400 from 2002 to 2017
Let's do the arithmetic aloud, shall we? (All corrections gratefully accepted).
2006 - 2002 = 5 years, if we include both numbers as full years, and count on my fingers
$20,900 taxes / 5 = $4,180/year taxes
2017 - 2002 = 16 years, again including both end years and counting on my fingers
16 years x $4,180/year [2002-2006 rate] taxes = $66,80 according to my favourite calculator... considerably more than the congressional committee's estimate.
#8
IHT > ECONOMIC SENSE: US TURMOIL HAS A BRIGHT SIDE.
ALso from IHT.com > OBAMA AND THE PLANET; + HOT AIR > GUILIANI REP: RUDY WILL BE FIRST JEWISH PRESIDENT; + YAHOO > OVER 90% OF AMERS WOULD WELCOME BILL CLINTON BACK TO WHITE HOUSE + ONLY SIX PERCENT OF AMERS AGAINST US HAVING A WOMAN PRESIDENT. *IOW, World [including MAHICO/MEXICO] would like to see a MINORITY PERSONAGE AS US PRESIDENT - Females, Non-Euro/Nordic descent, DARKER THE SKIN THE BETTER.
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) - President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said Wednesday he expects to step down as army chief by the end of November and begin a new presidential term as a civilian, warning that Pakistan risked chaos if he gave into opposition demands to resign.
In an interview with The Associated Press, he accused former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, currently under house arrest, of fueling political turmoil and rejected Western pressure to quickly lift emergency rule, which he indicated was likely to continue through the January elections.
"All those who are blunt enough to tell me to my face what the reality is, all of them think, yes, it will lead the country to chaos if I do not handle the political environment now with me remaining as the president," he said at his army office.
The U.S.-backed general had originally planned to quit as chief of the powerful army by Thursday, when his presidential mandate and the term of the current parliament expire, but he said he was forced to delay the restoration of civilian rule until a court ruling on his recent re-election.
He said the exact timing would depend on the Supreme Courtwhich he purged of independent-minded judges when he suspended the constitution on Nov. 3but expected it to happen within this month.
The U.S. and other Western allies have been pushing for him to quit his military post and end the emergency, warning that it could seriously undermine the legitimacy of the elections that are meant to end eight years of direct military rule since he took power in a coup.
Washington wants Musharraf to share power with other moderate forces to combat rising Islamic extremism that the general cited as the justification for seizing emergency powers.
Same author as that of the Neo-Taliban article today.
Note the quickly planned trip by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. To me this suggests the Paki-Abombs are really property of the Saudis. Any chance the bombs would be moved to Saudi for safety on top of the Saudi ICBMS?
I just have so many questions about all of this and do not feel "warm and fuzzy" about any of it.
First the Bhutto teaser lead-in
KARACHI - Benazir Bhutto, just weeks after returning from years of exile to take part in the United States-sponsored master plan for her to share power with President General Pervez Musharraf, has launched a scathing attack on the general, demanding that he step down unconditionally.
"It is time for him to go. He must quit as president," the former premier was quoted as saying on Tuesday from behind the barbed wire that is keeping her under house arrest at her residence in Lahore.
Now the meat of the rant... US WANTS OUR BOMBS SECURE. The converse would be that they don't want their own bombs secure. That's really scary.
The remarkable falling out between Bhutto and Musharraf since he declared a state of emergency nearly two weeks ago on the surface dashes all US hopes for a stable democratic government in Pakistan amenable to Washington's dictates in the "war on terror".
Yet the seemingly calamitous developments - which have provoked widespread demonstrations against Musharraf's government - might in fact still fit into the US's grand scheme for the embattled country: to gain control of its nuclear weapons so they do not fall into the hands of Islamist fanatics.
Interesting, no argument that we are conspiring to take the bombs rather a scream that we want to deprive loons and nutz of the bombs, and ergo since it is the Great Satan's will then the its bad so the loons deserve the bomb? Is that the point?
Contacts close to the power circles in Pakistan told Asia Times Online that there is a feeling that the US is prepared to take "hurricane" measures to ensure the safety of the country's nuclear arsenal. The thinking goes that by changing horses and supporting Bhutto, the US could exploit the current unrest by dictating new terms to Pakistan in the "war on terror" and coerce it into allowing the US to safeguard its nuclear stockpile.
A prime argument if there ever was on for a 4th world failed state not to be permitted anything
US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte is due to travel to Pakistan this week to meet with senior officials and call for free and fair elections, echoing Bhutto's stance. This ties into King Abdullah's complaint, further down the story, to the Pope about the past 150 years and absolute power.
Islamabad is acutely aware of US concerns, and has taken the trouble to reassure Washington. "There were so many messages from the West through the media as well as directly that Pakistani weapons could be seized by Islamic extremists that our Foreign Office clarified [to the US] that our nuclear installations are so safe that they cannot even be monitored by American satellite, let alone that somebody sitting in a place like Tora Bora [in Afghanistan] could guess where they are," a contact told Asia Times Online.
The boasts that the US can't even see their installations from space.... Really? Really? Are they betting the bank on that? Which bases in Saudi have the stored the majority of the bombs? Is this needed to be a "fact" due to the absolute power argument made to the Pope (later in article)
Indeed, the US belief that it could in some way get its hands on Pakistan's "red" nuclear buttons, by exploiting unrest for which it is partly responsible, sends alarm bells ringing in Islamabad. "button's"? Plural? Interesting.
Enter, therefore, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, whom Musharraf is expected to meet "soon" in Riyadh for what the official Pakistani media describe as "important discussions".
Musharraf aims to convey to the West - and to the US in particular - through King Abdullah that the Americans would never be allowed to fill any vacuum in Pakistan. Rather, chaos will play directly into the hands of the very militants and extremists the West fears so much and who have ever-growing bases just hours from the capital in the tribal areas on the border with Afghanistan. $220/bbl oil if we keep fixating on the shell game with the bombs? Is that Abdullah's game?
In a similar manner, King Abdullah's recent groundbreaking visit to Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican was also aimed at warning the West of the dangers of its policies towards the Middle East and the Islamic world. Then we see a bunch of mumbo jumbo about the King laying down the line for the Pope.... Unfortunately this may not be mumbo-jumbo but rather a reflection of their world mis-views.....
King Abdullah is no fundamentalist, but culturally he is deeply aware of the Arab tribal Islamic ethos in terms of which opponents are made aware of each other's ideas. Interesting phrasing of that sentence. Threatening phrasing in-fact.
The monarch expressed his view to the pope that the Judeo-Christian frame of mind over the past 150 years has been a major stumbling block to world peace - especially in the Middle East - and the institution of the Catholic Church is supportive of it. The modern world must end?
He elaborated that Muslim ruling elites are as a result becoming marginalized from their people and thus the masses could not be controlled. He demands the right to be a lord over all and complete control ergo the past must come back
He clearly warned the pope to advise Western leaders that their policies would create an explosive situation in Palestine in the very near future and nobody, not even he (Abdullah), would be able to control it. Would Abdullah care to explain in detail what he knows about this explosion? It would help to nip it in the bud. Otherwise, he is equally guilty of conspiracy.
Musharraf's meeting with Abdullah is a major milestone as it provides the opportunity for Washington to be persuaded against following a policy that pits Musharraf against Bhutto so that space is created for the Americans to meddle. Spin back to the entry teaser. Bhutto is bad.
Following her call on Tuesday for Musharraf to step down, Bhutto spoke to cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan and leaders of the opposition and even to the premier Islamic party, Jamaat-i-Islami, to sound them out on building a national opposition alliance with her Pakistan People's Party to oust Musharraf.
Bhutto has previously called for Musharraf to step down as chief of the army, but she has never before insisted that he should not even be tolerated as a civilian president.
A senior leader of the Jamaat-i-Islami told Asia Times Online that Bhutto was not simply making half-hearted efforts, she was very serious and committed to forming an opposition alliance to end the rule that Musharraf began when he staged a coup in October 1999.
The tiger that the US is riding is becoming harder to dismount. Why are we back in the discussion? I thought our part was just stopping the rogue bomb?
#1
I'm not surprised that the Saudis are nervous. Didn't Cheney tell them if we got nuked Mecca would become glass?
Posted by: Thrairt Oppressor of the Lichtensteiners6029 ||
11/14/2007 12:42 Comments ||
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#2
Useful inlines, 3dc. Did the vice president say such a thing as Thrairt Oppressor of the Lichtensteiners6029 suggests? I thought that was something Rantburgers only dreamt about.
#4
Great inline. Like to jump on that wagon: "..let alone that somebody sitting in a place like Tora Bora [in Afghanistan] could guess where they are,"
It isn't a guess if someone tells them where are.
King Abdullah's recent groundbreaking visit to Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican was also aimed at warning the West of the dangers of its policies towards the Middle East and the Islamic world.
Does that mean the writer thinks that the pope controls the governments of the west? What say you Protestants? Others?
He elaborated that Muslim ruling elites are as a result becoming marginalized from their people and thus the masses could not be controlled.
Not worried about a slave construction worker uprising are we? These ruling elites trump the behavior of government and/or tribal ethos?
#6
See also WAFF.com/TOPIX > PAKISTAN: AMERICA'S NEXT BATTLEGROUND. If any nation needs invadin' soon, in order to save itself + America's WOT = "imperialist" global agenda, its PAKISTAN NOT IRAN???
The president of Pakistan, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, rejected an appeal by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to lift the state of emergency, insisting in an interview on Tuesday that it was the best way to fight rising militancy and to ensure free and fair elections. "The emergency is to ensure elections go in an undisturbed manner," the president of Pakistan, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, said in an interview with The New York Times today.
He defended the emergency decree issued 10 days ago that scrapped the Constitution, dismissed the Supreme Court and resulted in the arrests of 2,500 opposition party workers, lawyers and human rights advocates. I totally disagree with her, General Musharraf said in an interview with The New York Times at the presidential building here on Tuesday. The emergency is to ensure elections go in an undisturbed manner. He said last week that elections would go ahead by Jan. 9.
General Musharraf said the decree was justified because the Supreme Court had meddled in politics, specifically the validity of his re-election, and because of the serious threat from terrorists. He sharply criticized Benazir Bhutto, the opposition leader, saying that she was confrontational and would be difficult to work with.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
11/14/2007 00:00 ||
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An Islamist cell which executed Maldives first-ever terror strike had connections with Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives in India, investigators have discovered.
Moosa Inas, a Laamu atoll resident charged with having triggered the explosive device which went off in Males Sultan Park on September 29, had travelled to Thiruvananthapuram in December 2005. Inas arrived in Kerala on a flight through Colombo, and then crossed the India-Pakistan border at Attari to meet contacts linked to the Jamia Salafiyya in Faisalabad a seminary that has produced key Lashkar commanders.
Twelve tourists were injured in the explosion, which was executed both to signal Islamist opposition to the government and to cripple the islands economy.
Designed using a low-grade explosive, the device was similar in its construction to those which went off recently in Ajmer and Hyderabad.
Designed using a low-grade explosive, the device was similar in its construction to those which went off recently in Ajmer and Hyderabad, barring a switch to prevent accidental detonation a response to the high incidence of wrong-number calls in Maldives mobile networks.
Maldives authorities say at least 10 key operatives, including computer engineer Abdul Latif Ibrahim and Ali Shameem, have fled to Pakistan. Both were on a watch list of suspects the Maldives government believed were preparing to receive training at Islamist facilities in Pakistan. Inas, however, was deported from Colombo along with another suspect, Ahmed Naseer, before they could catch connecting flights to Karachi.
Little information on Inas contacts in Pakistan where he again travelled in 2006, transiting through Colombo and Dubai has so far been made available by the joint Maldives-U.S. team which is investigating the Sultan Park bombing. However, a growing mass of evidence suggests that Lashkar cadre in India were activated to support the cell of which he was a part.
Asif Ibrahim, a Maldivian national arrested in Kerala in April 2005, told investigators that he had been tasked with the setting up of a support unit for a new Maldives-based terror group, the Jamaat-ul-Muslimeen, in Thiruvananthapuram. Asif Ibrahims handlers hoped that the unit would be able to procure bomb components more easily than in Maldives, where a strict national identity card system makes such purchases vulnerable to police investigation.
Although Asif Ibrahim was unable to set up the cell, the Lashkar activated several local operatives in support of the enterprise. Jamshedpur resident Tariq Akhtar was summoned to Dhaka in 2005, where he received orders from the Pakistan-based Lashkar commander Abdul Aziz to meet Islamists in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives. Mumbai resident Shami Ahmad Shah was tasked with obtaining a fake passport for Akhtar.
Interestingly, Indias intelligence services warned last year of efforts by the Karachi-based mafioso Dawood Ibrahim Kaksar to set up operations in Maldives through a Dubai-based firm, Dolphin Management Services. Elements linked to the Dawood mafia are thought to have been involved in at least one recent effort to ship Lashkar terrorists to Mumbai through the Indian Ocean.
Terror funded by tsunami aid?
Experts believe that at least some of the infrastructure for the Maldives terror cell might have been financed with funds provided by the Idara Khidmaq-e-Khalq, the Lashkars charity wing. Although the IKK is proscribed by the U.S. and India, it continues to operate legitimately in Pakistan, raising several million dollars a year through religious donations. According to documents published online by the IKK, the organisation spent Pakistani Rs.17.2 million on tsunami relief in Maldives, Sri Lanka and Indonesia during 2005 its single largest charitable operation.
However, government officials in Maldives say there is no record of the IKK having registered for relief work a sign that the funds might have been funnelled to Islamists who then used it to build terror infrastructure. Similar strategies had helped the Lashkar-e-Taiba significantly expand its presence in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir after the earthquake of 2005. According to reports that appeared in the United Kingdom and the U.S. media, part of the estimated $10 million raised by the IKK for earthquake relief was used to fund a 2006 plot to blow up 10 transatlantic commercial flights.
This article starring:
ABDUL AZIZ
Lashkar-e-Taiba
ABDUL LATIF IBRAHIM
Lashkar-e-Taiba
AHMED NASIR
Lashkar-e-Taiba
ALI SHAMIM
Lashkar-e-Taiba
ASIF IBRAHIM
Jamaat-ul-Muslimeen
ASIF IBRAHIM
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Dawood Ibrahim Kaksar
Jamia Salafiyya
MUSA INAS
Lashkar-e-Taiba
SHAMI AHMED SHAH
Lashkar-e-Taiba
TARIQ AKHTAR
Jamaat-ul-Muslimeen
Dolphin Management Services
Idara Khidmaq-e-Khalq
Jamaat-ul-Muslimeen
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Posted by: Fred ||
11/14/2007 00:00 ||
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In her most decisive remarks against Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf yet, the former Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, on Tuesday held him directly responsible for the countrys crisis. She demanded that he step down both as Army chief and head of state, appearing to signal that she had parted ways with him for good.
In a series of telephone interviews to Western media after she was put under house arrest here, Ms. Bhutto declared that it was time for President Musharraf to quit. This is a significant change from her past policy of never attacking him directly as she engaged in power-sharing talks with him.
No more negotiations
But Ms. Bhutto said there could be no more negotiations as the President had gone back on the roadmap to democracy he had promised her by imposing the Emergency. I think he has to leave. He is out of his depth. He has failed to build a democratic base. He should quit as the President and Army chief. Hes turned out to be the main obstacle to building an alliance of moderate forces that are standing up to extremism, the Pakistan Peoples Party leader told BBC.
Put under house arrest
The Punjab government placed her under house arrest in the early hours of Tuesday, preventing her from leading a long march to the capital Islamabad. Hundreds of policemen were deployed around the house of a prominent PPP politician, where Ms. Bhutto was camping since Sunday to prepare for the march.
The former Prime Minister was served with a seven-day detention order, and the house declared a sub-jail. The road on which the house is located in the posh Defence area has been barricaded. Three massive trucks stationed behind the barricades blocked out any view of the house, in which Ms. Bhutto is locked down with a few party aides.
Security precautions
In Islamabad, an Interior Ministry spokesman said there was a real threat to Ms. Bhuttos life and the government was taking extra security precautions in the interests of her safety.
A PPP spokesperson said thousands of party workers had been arrested. Despite the governments move to lock up as many of its members, the party had been able to go ahead with its long march as planned, led by its Punjab head Shah Mohammed Qureishi.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/14/2007 00:00 ||
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(Xinhua) -- Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairperson Benazir Bhutto said Tuesday that her party will possibly boycott the upcoming general elections, local media reported. Bhutto made the remarks in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore during a telephone interview with a group of reporters.
Not what you'd call a brilliant idea.
Bhutto said that she would seek to build an alliance to restore democracy with other opposition leaders, including former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The chairperson was staying at the PPP leader Latif Khosa's residence in Lahore before a planned march to protest against the state of emergency in the country, the suspension of the constitution, the detention of judges and arrests of lawyers and political workers.
According to local media reports, police officials arrived at the Khosa house early Tuesday with detention orders for Bhutto, who would be confined under house arrest for seven days to prevent her from leading a long march of over 300 km from Lahore to the capital of Islamabad. Musharraf declared a state of emergency in the country and issued a provisional constitutional order on Nov. 3. On Nov. 11, he also announced that general elections including the national assembly and the provincial assemblies would be held simultaneously before Jan. 9.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) supporters on Tuesday began the long march protesting emergency rule without Benazir Bhutto, as dozens of cars set off from Lahore while she remained under house arrest, her party and police said. The PPP motorcade departed from Lahore towards Kasur, party official Shah Mahmoud Qureshi told AFP. There is a caravan of more than 100 cars heading out of Lahore. We are on our way, Shah said. Police confirmed several dozen cars and an unspecified number of protesters had formed a caravan. Meanwhile, the Punjab government thwarted the PPPs long march by arresting dozens of party leaders and workers, Daily Times learnt.
PPP Chairwoman Benazir Bhutto, Senator Latif Khosa, PPP Secretary General Jahangir Badr, some leaders from southern Punjab and several Central Executive Committee members remained confined to Senator Latif Khosas house. Party leaders said Bhutto would announce her future strategy after holding a party meeting.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Hmm wonder where they got that "Long March" title? How could they tell if a caravan of 100 cars left Lahore was supporters or simply regular traffic?
The government on Tuesday restricted the import of a total of 14 items, including satellite dishes, decoders, receivers, Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG), encoders, modulators, High Power Amplifiers (HPAs), Integrated Digital Receivers (IRDs), Broadband Global Access Network (B-GAN) and Low Noise Amplifiers (LNAs). From now onwards, only importers that get a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) would be allowed to import such equipment. If any consignment of such equipment arrives in the country that is not supported by a NOC from PEMRA, it would be confiscated at the import stage, according to an official at the Commerce Ministry.
Due to the ban on the telecast of private television channels following the imposition of emergency, the sale and import of satellite dishes, decoders, receivers, DSNG and similar items had increased. Viewers are able to watch most banned channels, including programmes on political developments, the Swat operation and protests by lawyers and opposition parties. The Commerce Ministry has issued a notification SRO stating that according to the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of Section 3 of the Imports and Exports (Control) Act of 1950, the federal government is pleased to direct that the Import Policy Order of 2007 would be amended to ban all satellite equipment.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Yup, Can't have informed Sheeple.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/14/2007 13:40 Comments ||
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The US appears to be preparing for different eventualities as the political crisis in Pakistan deepens, according to a report in the New Times on Tuesday.
One US official told the newspaper, Nobody is ready to cut him (President General Pervez Musharraf) off at the knees yet. But another official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly on the issue, said that many people within the administration were worried that General Musharrafs missteps would soon erode his base at home that he could be forced to give up power.
BB still in: The Washington Post, however, reports that while Bhutto has warned that she would hold no talks with Musharraf as long as the Constitution was suspended, analysts say that, despite those remarks, Bhutto is still open to a power-sharing deal with Musharraf. The Financial Times writes, Western diplomats in Islamabad said the seemingly harder line taken by Bhutto was unlikely to mark a complete end to several months of behind-the-scenes discussions between negotiators representing her party and the Musharraf government.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#2
Bhutto started overreaching from the moment she arrived back in pakiwakiland. Anyone in the US administration who is counting on her to be some sort of political savior is gonna be disappointed.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
11/14/2007 11:51 Comments ||
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#3
The word they're looking for is survivor, not saviour.
The Interior Ministry on Tuesday warned that terrorists posed a threat to leaders including former premier Benazir Bhuttos. The ministrys spokesman, Brig (r) Javed Iqbal Cheema, told a weekly press conference that terrorists could target the treasury as well as opposition leaders. He said the ministry had warned Bhuttos security advisers that she was under a serious security threat.
Bhuttos house arrest: Cheema defended putting Bhutto under a seven-day house arrest in Lahore, saying the government could not afford any risk to her security. The government decided to put her under house arrest to ensure her security as well as that of the citizens. He said the countrys law and order had been improving fast since the proclamation of emergency on November 3.
He said the army had been operating in the NWFP since July 2007 without a formal requisition by the former NWFP government, adding that the armys deployment in Swat was made after former NWFP chief minister Akram Khan Durrani had consented to it in a National Security Council meeting held in June in Islamabad.
He said the present NWFP caretaker government had formally asked for the armys deployment in restive areas on Monday, APP reported. He said there was no deal between the government and militant leader Baitullah Mehsud regarding the release of security personnel. The government under any such deal, he said, had not released any terrorists.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Major donor Japan warned on Tuesday it might cut aid to Pakistan after the military regime declared emergency rule and placed Benazir Bhutto under house arrest.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Police baton-charged and fired teargas shells on Tuesday to disperse protest rallies by the Awami National Party (ANP) and the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), arresting several provincial leaders and activists of the ANP. The ANP demonstrators, protesting against the imposition of emergency rule in the country, clashed with police at Namak Mandi, Shuba Bazaar and Soekarno Chowk when police resorted to violence and arrested the ANP provincial leaders. The protesters hurled stones at the police and attacked them with sticks. However, the intense shelling forced the protesters to disperse.
Arrested: The police rounded up ANP Provincial President Afrasiab Khattak, Vice President Khawaja Muhammad Khan Hoti and provincial leaders Hashim Khan Babar, Wisal Khan, Arbab Najeeb and dozens of party activists. The ANP rally was part of its programme to protest against the state of emergency. The ANP also plans to hold a rally and public meeting in the provincial capital on November 16.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Excerpt:
During October, al Qaeda was again the most targeted group. Most al Qaeda -related activity occurred in the Doura and Fadhl Districts of Baghdad, Arab Jabbour, Hawr Rajab, Tarmiyah area, Mosul, Samarra, and Bayji.
Key leadership losses for al Qaeda during October included: Military emir of Mahmoudiyah, Saddam Hussein's cousin and financier, Abu Duha- Mosul security emir, South Baghdad and Fadhl area emirs, New Baghdad emir, East Anbar emir, Foreign fighter facilitation emir in Bayji, Abu Obeida- North Tigris area emir, al Qaeda -linked Jaysh Mohammed emir. An "emir" is a term for a senior military commander.
On October 22, Osama bin Laden released a statement concerning al Qaeda 's past activities. In the statement, he chastised the group for attacking the local population. The statement was made in a public format as a means of public humiliation and as an apology to the moderate Muslims in the region. The statement acknowledges the number of losses al Qaeda has had over the years. With the statement, bin Laden is attempting to salvage the al Qaeda "brand" as well. Sudan is also mentioned as an alternate target for the transnational jihad movement. Since November 2006, approximately 10,100 members of the group have been killed or captured to include at least three top tier leaders.
Posted by: ed ||
11/14/2007 07:26 ||
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#1
Muslims do not handle setbacks, losses, or being on the losing side very well, especially if they can jump ship to the winning side.
BAGHDAD - Iraqi parliament was set to discuss Tuesday a draft agreement regulating the relations between Iraq and the US. The parliamentary session is also likely to confer the amendment of the UN Security Councils accord extending the presence of multi- national forces in Iraq, the reports added.
I think the discussions will take some time before reaching an agreement between the US and Iraq, deputy Mahmoud Othman for Kurdish Alliance said, stressing that all parties should speed up the talks.
Abbas Al Bayati of the United Iraqi Alliance said parliament would resolve within the coming weeks the due date of extending UN Security Council Resolution 1546 about the presence of multi-national forces. Al Bayati added the parliament would host the Iraqi Foreign Hoshyar Zebari and other senior officials and leaders to hear their views about the reasons behind the extension of foreign forces presence in Iraq, which should be unanimously approved.
Al Bayati noted that Iraq should seek the termination of article number six, which allows the United Nations to interfere in the countrys internal affairs. Such an agreement should be signed after the Iraqi government confirms its ability to have power over the situation and compensate for the withdrawing forces, Al Fadila Party deputy Bassem Sherif said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/14/2007 00:00 ||
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A top parliamentarian from radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadrs political bloc on Tuesday called for the dissolution of Iraqs parliament and the holding of fresh legislative elections.
If the parliament continues to work the way it is, it will be an obstacle to democracy. I demand that President Jalal Talabani dissolves the parliament and holds fresh elections, Baha al-Aaraji, spokesman for the 32-member Sadr parliamentary bloc, told reporters. This parliament is a source of worry to the Iraqi people. The sectarian differences are evident among the parliaments members and that is affecting the people, he said. Aaraji said the differences were causing the delay of key legislation such as the oil law and the de-Baathification law.
Not representing aspirations: Stressing that he was expressing his personal views and not those of the bloc, Aaraji said parliament was not representing the aspirations of the Iraqi people.
The oil law for example has many negatives but 70 percent of the law is aimed at serving the people. But some groups have taken the decision to reject the law. There is no discussion on this, he said. We have to discuss and see what benefits the people and then iron out the negatives.
The bill opens up the long state-dominated oil and gas sector to foreign investment and provides assurances that receipts will be shared equally between Iraqs 18 provinces, a measure Washington regards as key to efforts to reconcile the countrys divided communities. Aaraji said the de-Baathification bill, which will reverse a prohibition on former members of ousted dictator Saddam Husseins Baath party holding public office, is also being held up in parliament. There should be a proper judicial criteria. Not all Baathists are criminals. There are some Saddamists who should be held accountable. But this law has become a means to politicise the issue, he said.
Nassar al-Rubaie, the head of the Sadr bloc in the parliament, said Aaraji was expressing his personal views. He is not representing the official position of the bloc.
The Sadr bloc on September 15 withdrew its 32 MPs from the Shiite coalition heading Prime Minister Nuri al-Malikis national unity government in Baghdad.
While it stressed it had no intention of pushing Maliki out of his job, it accused him of failing to consult the bloc over decisions affecting the United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) coalition.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Iraqi parliament should request dissolution of Muqty. I recommend concentrated H2SO4.
Posted by: Steve ||
11/14/2007 7:33 Comments ||
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#4
actually new elections might well be in US interests. Not clear it could be done within the Iraqi constitution, but thats hardly a centuries old document. Would require a "soft coup"
Israel might soon be able to demand that the Palestinian Authority cover the costs of Kassam rocket damage, according to a new bill that passed a preliminary reading in the Knesset plenum Wednesday.
The bill, an initiative of MKs Yisrael Hasson (Israel Beitenu) and Limor Livnat (Likud), would finance repairs of all damages related to Kassam fire - evacuating residents of Gaza periphery settlements, repairing damage to buildings, medical costs and psychological treatment - from the tax funds that Israel collects for the Palestinian Authority and transfers on a regular basis. The bill also stipulates that the costs for securing residential houses, shelters and bus stations in Gaza periphery settlements come from the PA tax money.
Thirty-seven MKs voted for the bill, while 23 voted against. Earlier this month, a ministerial committee headed by Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann approved the draft to be voted on in the plenum. Hasson further proposed that the bill, if made into a law, would be enforced retroactively, beginning with the disengagement from Gaza last year.
Apart from initiators Hasson and Livnat, MKs Shai Hermesh (Kadima) and Matan Vilna'i (Labor) also signed the draft.
"I am happy the MKs common sense was stronger than the government's opposition," Hasson said after the vote. "It is important that [attendants of the] Annapolis [peace conference] will also see the plight of the children of Sderot. It's time for relevant officials to take responsibility for their actions."
MK Livnat said that "this is the first step in ending this outrage of giving [the PA] money that is then used for terrorism." Clearly, this violates the Rights of paleostinians, hopefully, the UN or an equally respectable International Body will put an end to this fiendish scheme.
Israel's new, state-of-art satellite surveillance system is reported to have been key in the September 6 raid in Syria. Alongside the innovative space system, the Israeli Navy is upgrading its fast patrol fleet.
The weekly journal Aviation Week reports that Israel employed several new intelligence-gathering and strike systems in its recent strike on what some say was a Syrian nuclear facility.
The attack was made possible by a new reconnaissance satellite, the Ofek-7, launched this past June.
Brig. Gen. Haim Eshet, director of space programming at Israel's Defense Research and Development Directorate, told Aviation Week that Ofeq-7 has upgraded the IDF's operational capabilities by dozens of percent. He said that the pictures provided by the satellite are improved by imagery enhancement algorithms which deliver a sharp image of the target in real time to combat forces enabling precision bombing.
Another senior IDF officer told the prestigious magazine that in some areas, the operational capabilities of the satellite far surpass what one could conceive of in his imagination.
The primary aircraft for the Syrian raid, Aviation Week reports, were some of the new, two-man F-16Is (Sufa or Storm) that Lockheed Martin began delivering to the Israeli air force (IAF) in February 2004. Sensors on the $45-million F-16I include radar with high-resolution synthetic aperture mapping capability, 30% more range than other mechanically-scanned radars.
Doubling the Navy's Fast-Patrol Fleet
On the Israeli maritime front, the navy will soon receive the first of seven fast patrol craft, which will nearly double its coastal defense capabilities. The new craft include four Super Dvora Mk-IIIs, made by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), and three Shaldags (Kingfishers) manufactured by Israel Shipyards. The deliveries will begin this month, and all seven are scheduled to have arrived by the end of 2009.
Israel already has eight fast patrol vessels - six Super Dvoras and two Shaldags - that it deployed over the past three years.
In addition to traditional patrol, search-and-rescue and coastal-defense roles, the ships will be optimized for counterterrorism, anti-infiltration and weapon-smuggling missions, defense officials told DefenseNews.com.
Designed for rapid acceleration to top speeds of about 50 knots, the ships can accommodate crews of up to 10. The Super Dvora measures 25 meters long and 5.65 meters wide, while the Shaldag is slightly shorter and wider. They will be armed with a manual 20mm cannon on the stern, two smaller machine guns on each side, and the Rafael Typhoon, a 25mm automated cannon.
Israel's technological-military prowess continues to have a market abroad, as well. The latest likely customer is Turkey, which is reportedly negotiating for the purchase of an Arrow ballistic missile defense system and a model of the Ofek satellite.
"Does Israeli law apply on the Temple Mount or does it not?"
Majadle answered: "In my opinion, certainly not." Eldad reminded him that in answering parliamentary questions he speaks for the entire government, but Majadle was unfazed: "I will say my opinion. Before I am a government minister I am first and foremost a person and a citizen and a Muslim. With all due respect for the law, the law was meant to respect the religion, the person and the citizen and protect him, and not the other way around, enslave him," he explained. "Therefore I say clearly: Al-Aksa, Al-Haram al-Sharif [as the Temple Mount is called by Muslims ed.], cannot be under the authority of Israeli law."
Eldad interrupted him repeatedly, reminding him that he had sworn allegiance to the State of Israel "I may be a minister for one, two or ten years but I was born a Muslim and a Muslim I shall die." I respect Israeli law... but if there is a contradiction between the law and my deep faith as a Muslim, I announce that I will know what to choose."
Hey Majadal, we too have a choice..... you unfrozen cavemen aren't it.
#3
This is another issue I've pointed out about Israel. No other nation on Earth cedes sovereignty of any part of its territory to anyone, except for embassies. And then, only in a quid pro quo.
Israel should assert ownership of all holy sites in Israel. And while it is clear that they may be very liberal in allowing others their use, that is all they have, the use, not ownership. Thereafter, as tenants, they must not only obey all rules, or the holy site may be forbidden to them and allowed for use by a different sect, or no sect at all of a religion.
The Wahabbi management of the al-Asqa mosque would poop its pants if the Israelis even offered to turn management of the mosque over to the Sufis. For their part, the Sufis would be ecstatic, and would be most likely very law abiding tenants.
#4
The Temple Mount is more holy to me than it is to muslims and that is only if I concede muslims have a legitimate religion in the first place (I do not). If anything, the Temple Mount should be entrusted to me and mine, not some Dark Ages Orc cultist.
#6
If Israel asserts ownership of the Temple Mount/Al Aqsa Mosque, the Vatican will have fits. Last I heard they were very indignant at the idea that anyone but the Church have ownership of Christian holy sites, particularly Israel, and Jewish ownership of the Temple Mount sets an uncomfortable precedent. Perhaps things have changed under the new pope, but I haven't heard anything.
Hosting a historic encounter between the leaders of Israel and Palestine only days ahead of an international Middle East conference, Turkey yesterday called for a broader participation in the U.S.-brokered summit aimed to revive stalled negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians.
I hope that Syria is also invited to Annapolis and they attend, Turkish President Abdullah Gül told reporters at a joint press conference with his Israeli counterpart, Shimon Peres.
Best way to guarantee a stone cold failure is to have the Syrians present. Second best way is to have the Paleos present.
The Israeli president and Palestine's visiting leader Mahmoud Abbas will be meeting in Ankara with the initiative of Turkish President Abdullah Gül. Before today's tripartite meeting Peres and Gül discussed bilateral issues as well as the upcoming U.S.-sponsored negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians in Annapolis, Maryland.
At the press conference, Gül said Turkey expected the Annapolis talks to yield concrete and tangible results. He warned against any unilateral action that could lead to tension ahead of the Annapolis talks and underlined all parties including Syria should participate in the conference for a path toward comprehensive negotiations.
The Palestinian-Israeli dispute does not only concern the two peoples but although they'll eventually make a decision, this problem getting chronic affects the region. Everyone should try their best for a solution to this problem It is important to have Syria participate in this meeting, he said.
Gül was responding to a question whether a tangible result could be achieved if Syria and other countries do not participate. As a country having friendly ties with all countries in the region Turkey wants the international conference to be all-inclusive to find a solution to the Israeli and Palestinian dispute, which it believes is not only a problem of the two peoples but also affects the stability in the region.
On his part, Peres welcomed the participation of all moderate countries, saying the voice of peace will be stronger and louder with more participants attending. But he accused Syria of not taking steps for peace. All participants are decided not to let Annapolis be a failure, not to let this chance pass, Peres said. He cautioned against high expectations from the meeting, but said it could serve as a starting point, and that Turkey's participation would also be useful.
Turkey, a NATO member and Israel's closest ally in the Islamic world, has in the past played as a mediator between Israel and its Muslim neighbors.
Likening predominantly Muslim Turkey to an eagle, Peres said one wing wanted to advance further, while the other wing wanted to balance politics. Peres praised Turkey with its democratic freedom, economic growth and the way of handling its internal problems.
He also expressed belief his country could now make peace with Palestinians. I believe we can make peace now with Palestinians, he said but added it might not happen quickly. It takes time to make peace.
How long does it take to make peace with people who expressly want you dead?
On Iran's nuclear program, Peres said he and Gül had disagreed. The visiting president accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, building long-range missiles and sponsoring terrorism, while Gül reiterated that countries should have the right to acquire nuclear energy only for peaceful means. We are against any type of weapons of mass destruction and we would not want to see them in our neighborhood, he added.
On a question whether Turkey could play a role in the release of the captured Israeli soldiers, Gül said that they have engaged in some efforts to save the soldiers. But Gül did not give further details on Turkey's efforts. The Israeli president said he officially invited Gül to pay a visit to Israel.
In September, Turkey demanded an apology from Israel after it said Israeli jets crossed into Turkish airspace and jettisoned fuel tanks during a raid on a military target in Syria. Gül said that the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, had offered an apology for the incident and said: "I believe the matter is now closed."
Peres pointed to the Israeli support for Turkey's fight against terrorism during the meeting with Gül. He stressed the Israeli side understood the terror problem in Turkey and extended its backing, said the Turkish diplomatic sources.
Israeli sources said Peres focused on the use of high nanotechnology to combat terrorism.
Say what?
The alleged genocide of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire also appeared on the agenda of talks between the two leaders. Gül asked the Israeli leader to use his influence over the Jewish associations in the United States in the face of attempts to introduce a genocide resolution, said the sources.
Gül suggested that Israel open up an embassy in northern Cyprus and that ferryboat trips start between Israel's Haifa and northern Cyprus, according to the Israeli diplomatic sources. Peres, however, said he does not have an authority on these issues but will communicate Turkey's demands to relevant authorities once he returns home.
Israel will live in peace if it makes peace with the Palestinians and ends its occupation of Arab lands, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said here Tuesday. If there is peace between Israel and the Palestinians and the occupation of Arab lands ends, Israel will also live in a sea of peace, security and stability in the Middle East, Abbas told a joint press conference with Israeli President Shimon Peres and his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul.
Abbass comments came ahead of a US-sponsored international conference later this year in Annapolis, Maryland, aimed at reviving the Middle East peace process that broke down seven years ago. If this happens, there will no longer be wars or enmity and all the peoples in the region will live in security and stability, the Palestinian leader said, speaking through a translator.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#3
There won't be peace if the "Palestinians" get hold of it - they'll just be at each other's throats eventually instead, both locally and globally. It would be better if the Arabs quit Israeli lands.
Muslim Representative Wahab Akbar, who was killed by a bomb at the Batasan complex Tuesday night, ruled his southern island province with an iron fist.
Akbar, 47, who helped plant the seeds for what would later become the Abu Sayyaf, was killed as he left the House of Representatives in Quezon City. Three other people also died.
Elected earlier this year as a congressman for Basilan, he built a formidable family dynasty in less than 20 years.
His first wife Jum succeeded him as governor and his second wife, Cherry-lyn, was elected mayor of the capital, Isabela City.
Muslim men are allowed four wives in the Philippines.
In an interview a few years ago Akbar said he was prepared to "instill terror in the hearts" of the people of Basilan to bring peace and development to his "godforsaken land."
Born on April 16, 1959, in the village of Lantawan, he joined the struggle for an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines at the age of 14, fighting alongside his father in the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) headed by Nur Misuari.
Although he was from a poor background, his father managed to send him to an agricultural school, where he cultivated a flair for public speaking.
He became a Muslim scholar and preacher studying in Syria and Libya where he met Abubakar Abdurajak Janjalani, an MNLF comrade who shared the same belief that the group had betrayed the Filipino Muslims, according to sources.
Together, they launched the Abu Sayyaf and in the 1990s the group made international headlines by launching random bombings and kidnappings targeting foreign tourists and missionaries.
Akbar cut his ties with Janjalani, who was killed in a police raid in 1998. He then became one of the government's staunchest supporters in the war on terror.
Akbar's reason for changing sides is not clear in the murky world that is Philippine politics. Sources say the government had no alternative but to embrace him due to his connections on the island.
While he commanded a strong following in Basilan, he also accumulated a long list of political enemies.
For decades the rugged jungles of Basilan have provided protection for the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf and elements of the Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asian terror network responsible for the Bali bombings in 2002 that left over 200 dead, many of them foreigners.
Since late last year the Philippine military, assisted by US Special Forces advisers, has waged a relentless campaign against the Abu Sayyaf on Basilan.
At least two of Akbar's associates were said to have been involved in the beheading of 10 Marines earlier this year in an ambush on Basilan, an accusation Akbar denied.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran's former senior nuclear negotiator has been charged with passing classified information to foreigners, including the British Embassy, the Iranian intelligence minister said Wednesday, according to the official IRNA news agency.
Hossein Mousavian, the top negotiator under reformist former President Mohammad Khatami, was briefly detained in May, again on suspicion of espionage, according to the semiofficial Fars news agency.
"He has been informed of the charges that he has given the British Embassy information contrary to the security of the country," IRNA quoted Intelligence Minister Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi as saying.
There was no word on when his trial would begin.
"From the viewpoint of the Intelligence Ministry, he is a criminal. ... This is definite and provable. But the decision (on the case) rests with the judge," Ejehi said, according to Fars.
On Monday, hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad blasted critics of his nuclear policies as alluring she-goat temptresses "traitors" and accused them of spying for Iran's enemies, using his strongest rhetoric yet against domestic opponents and raising concerns of a possible crackdown.
But Ejehi named Mousavian directly, saying "influential persons have called the judge and tried to get him (Mousavian) acquitted."
Ahmadinejad has moved to exert greater control over the nuclear issue, replacing Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, with a close loyalist, Saeed Jalilia step that angered even some conservative politicians.
The president has long faced domestic criticism that he was failing to improve the worsening economy, and has needlessly worsened the nuclear standoff with the West with his inflammatory speeches.
Mousavian's successor, Hasan Rowhani, delivered an unusually sharp rebuke to Ahmadinejad last month, saying he was making more enemies for Iran with his policies.
Iran's refusal to suspend uranium enrichment has been the main trigger for existing U.N. Strongly-worded letters sanctions and the threat of new ones.
Iran, which sez it has a Legitimate Right to enrich to generate power, has repeatedly said it will not mothball its program.
#1
If I ruled Western Intelligence, and I had a mole in Iran, I would be leaving clues around to incriminate someone else, ideally someone I wanted to damage 'for cause'. I'm thinking Ahmadinejad himself leaked the nuclear secrets in one of his bragfests with fellow Muslim 'leaders' (it might even be true, but I don't really care.)
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner met feuding Lebanese leaders on Tuesday to help them resolve a political impasse over a delayed presidential election that is threatening Lebanon's stability. The Lebanese presidential election is the latest obstacle in a year-old political crisis pitting the Western-backed government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora against the opposition, led by pro-Syrian Hezbollah.
Kouchner's main focus in his 24-hour trip to Beirut is to nudge fiercely divided Maronite Christians towards agreement on a compromise presidential candidate. The president has to be a Maronite according to Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system. Kouchner met Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir who described the meeting as "very positive."
France has been at the forefront of an intensive mediation drive to try to resolve the political crisis which is Lebanon's worst since the end of the civil war 17 years ago.
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11/14/2007 00:00 ||
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French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner tried Tuesday to achieve a breakthrough in Lebanon's ongoing political crisis, asking Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir for a list of presidential candidates and criticizing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah for opposing the election track.
Kouchner's fifth visit to Lebanon in six months coincides with a flurry of diplomatic initiatives to nudge Lebanon's feuding parties to agree on a consensus candidate to succeed Syrian-backed President Emile Lahoud, whose extended term in office expires Nov. 24.
After talks in Beirut, Kouchner said he was cautiously optimistic about chances to end the deadlock and hoped to return to Lebanon next Monday after visits to Israel and the Palestinian territories over the weekend.
Parliament speaker Nabih Berri has already postponed three sessions for MPs to elect a successor to Lahoud, and there are fears a last-ditch parliament session set for Nov. 21 could also end in failure. In addition to meeting with Sfeir, Kouchner held talks with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora , Berri, Parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri , former president Amine gemayel and Lebanese Forces' leader Dr. Samir Geagea . He met with Sfeir later in the day and afterwards talked to reporters . Kouchner said he has asked Sfeir to prepare a list of candidates backed by all the sects as well as by the opposition and the majority and "the patriarch did not reject."
He criticized Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, without mentioning him by name, by expressing "regret for hearing threatening statements made two days ago indicating that the option of electing a president is not the best track."
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#1
any links to a transcript of this speech? What did Nasrallah actually say?
Lebanon's ruling March 14 coalition took aim at Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Monday, condemning the Hezbollah leader's Sunday speech as a blow to ongoing attempts to resolve the impasse over the selection of a new president. Speaking on behalf of the Cabinet, Information Minister Ghazi Aridi called Nasrallah's speech "harsh and bitter."
"Nasrallah's speech has destroyed the Lebanese people's hope [to reach consensus]," Aridi said after a meeting with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora on Monday. "Is the speech directed against [Parliament Speaker Nabih] Berri? Is it a message that goes beyond Lebanon? Have we reached a point where consensus cannot be reached to elect a new president?" he asked.
Democratic Gathering bloc leader MP Walid Jumblatt also criticized the speech, but refrained from identifying Nasrallah by name, instead referring to him as "someone who has announced the death of all political initiatives aimed at resolving the Lebanese crisis, which he himself ignited."
"Someone appeared before us yesterday threatening and menacing as usual ... and announced to the Lebanese the beginning of a new era of wars and conflicts which he hopes will change the face of the region, and certainly through the Lebanese gate," Jumblatt said in his weekly interview with his Al-Anbaa mouthpiece to be published on Tuesday.
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According to Al Markaziyeh news the Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman has privately informed Prime Minister Fouad Siniora that he intends to submit his resignation immediately after the election of a new President of the Republic but prime minister Siniora refused to discuss this issue at this time.
Suleiman's name came up on several occasion as a consensus presidential candidate , but since he is a government employee he could not be considered as a legal candidate. According to the constitution a government employee can only be considered as a candidate two years after the end of his service , in other words he has to resign two years prior to consideration for the presidential position. In order for him to be considered now for the position the constitution has to be amended and the country is not prepared to take such a step at this stage.
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(Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said on Tuesday that China supports a peaceful solution to Iran's nuclear issue through diplomatic negotiations. "China stands for the maintenance of the international non-proliferation system and supports a peaceful solution to Iran's nuclear issue through diplomatic negotiations," Yang said during his meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
China believes that Iran has the rights to peacefully use nuclear power and appreciates Iran's repeated declaration of no intention to develop nuclear weapons and its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Yang said. Yang, who arrived in Tehran earlier Tuesday, told Ahmadinejad that China hopes that Iran will strengthen its cooperation with the IAEA and make progress in its contact with the European Union(EU). China also hopes that all parties concerned will show flexibility and make efforts to achieve a peaceful solution to the Iranian nuclear issue, Yang said.
For his part, Ahmadinejad said that Iran is making good cooperation with the IAEA and is willing to maintain active contacts with the EU. Iran is also ready to continue its communication with China and other sides over its nuclear issue, Ahmadinejad said.
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(AKI) - Jailed Egyptian terrorist leader, Sayd Imam, ideologue of the Islamist group, Jamaa al-Islamiya, is to release a new manual expected to call for an end to militant operations in Arab-Islamic countries and the killing of civilians. Sayd Imam, a surgeon still known by his underground name of "Dr Fadel", is expected to stress his distance from the al-Qaeda terror network in the book and strong criticism of the organisation's strategy.
The controversial new manual written by Sayd Imam and a group of Egyptian Islamic Ulema or scholars, will be released in Egypt on Sunday and is expected to shake up al-Qaeda. The new manual will call for an end to all Jihadi operations inside Arab-Islamic countries as well as an end to the killings of civilians in general and tourists, in particular, of all nationalities.
Sayd Imam is currently imprisoned in a Cairo jail. He was the founder and first commander of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad organisation, whose supporters assassinated President Anwar Sadat in 1981 and later worked with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan in the war against the Soviet Occupation.
He worked with al-Qaeda number two, Ayman al-Zawahiri, another Egyptian doctor and now Bin Laden's deputy, before being kidnapped in Yemen after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Imam was interrogated by the CIA and extradited to Egypt where he has been serving a life sentence since 2004.
How's time in stir?
According to a representative of Jamaa-al-Islamiya, Najih Ibrahim, the book is "a very important document because it is the most important initiative by the Jamaa al-Islamiyah directly to its members in Egypt and around the world."
Reports say that Jamaa al-Islamiya was once the largest Jihadist organisation in the Arab world which mounted countless armed attacks starting in the 1980s until it called a ceasefire after the massacre of 62 foreign tourists at Luxor in 1997.
According to the Saudi newspaper al-Watan, Sayd Imam was forced by the Egyptian authorities to write this document while in prison. The 80-page book appears to have been written in exchange for money.
Despite this, al-Watan, believes that its criticism of al-Qaeda is likely to have a direct influence on the organisation and in particular on Ayman al-Zawahiri. Al-Zawahiri was a good friend of Dr. Fadel, who is well-known throughout the Jihadi world for having written some of the most important books on Jihadi ideology.
Sayd Imam's manual is expected to generate a crisis within al-Qaeda.
Imam's lawyer, Montaser al-Zayyat, told the Egyptian newspaper al-Misriun, that Osama Bin Laden has begun a series of consultations within the terror organisation to prevent new divisions. There is concern that Sayd Imam's manual may provoke discontent and defections within al-Qaeda.
The mischief I could do ...
Sayd Imam has a strong influence within the Jihadi world and can influence the militants in various al-Qaeda cells. "For this reason, Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri are aware of what this can do and recently had a summit in which they expressed their concern," said Zayyat.
It's this concern that led Osama bin Laden to release his an audio message in October in which he admitted mistakes made in Iraq and said that they should be corrected. It also also led to a message by al-Zawahiri in November announcing that the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group have joined al-Qaeda - a move believed to have been taken to calm tensions in view of the expected publication of Sayd Imam's book.
This article starring:
Ayman al-Zawahiri
Najih Ibrahim
Sayd Imam
Islamic Jihad
Jamaa al-Islamiya
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#1
Purely tactical. For Muslims, peace is war by other means.
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.
The total economic impact of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is estimated at $1.6 trillion by 2009, a congressional committee said in a report released Tuesday.
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) - President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said Wednesday he expects to step down as army chief by the end of November and begin a new presidential term as a civilian, warning that Pakistan risked chaos if he gave into opposition demands to resign. 
An Islamist cell which executed Maldives first-ever terror strike had connections with 
In her most decisive remarks against Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf yet, the former Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, on Tuesday held him directly responsible for the countrys crisis. She demanded that he step down both as Army chief and head of state, appearing to signal that she had parted ways with him for good.
Police baton-charged and fired teargas shells on Tuesday to disperse protest rallies by the Awami National Party (ANP) and the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), arresting several provincial leaders and activists of the ANP. The ANP demonstrators, protesting against the imposition of emergency rule in the country, clashed with police at Namak Mandi, Shuba Bazaar and Soekarno Chowk when police resorted to violence and arrested the ANP provincial leaders. The protesters hurled stones at the police and attacked them with sticks. However, the intense shelling forced the protesters to disperse.
A top parliamentarian from radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadrs political bloc on Tuesday called for the dissolution of Iraqs parliament and the holding of fresh legislative elections.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran's former senior nuclear negotiator has been charged with passing classified information to foreigners, including the British Embassy, the Iranian intelligence minister said Wednesday, according to the official IRNA news agency. 
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner met feuding Lebanese leaders on Tuesday to help them resolve a political impasse over a delayed presidential election that is threatening Lebanon's stability. The Lebanese presidential election is the latest obstacle in a year-old political crisis pitting the Western-backed government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora against the opposition, led by pro-Syrian Hezbollah.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner tried Tuesday to achieve a breakthrough in Lebanon's ongoing political crisis, asking Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir for a list of presidential candidates and criticizing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah for opposing the election track.
