President Asif Ali Zardari and Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Spanta on Friday agreed to convene a Pak-Afghan jirga, and make the initiative a frequent and effective process between the two countries.
Pak army effective or UAV effective?
The announcement was made during the visiting Afghan minister's meeting with Zardari at the Presidency. Issues regarding bilateral relations, and the regional security situation were discussed between the two leaders.
While praising Afghan hospitality during his visit to Kabul earlier this month, President Zardari said he was looking forward to welcoming his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai in Pakistan. Zardari said the Joint Declaration on Directions of Bilateral Cooperation, signed during his Kabul visit, provided a framework for bilateral relations in the future, adding the two sides would follow it for promoting mutual ties.
The Afghan foreign minister also met his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi at the Foreign Office. The two ministers expressed satisfaction over the ongoing bilateral cooperation, saying both the countries were ready to further strengthen the coordination, both at the strategic and tactical levels.
Foreign Minister Qureshi expressed the hope that the new United States government under Barack Obama would adopt a comprehensive and holistic approach in addressing the challenge of terrorism in the region. Qureshi hoped the surge in US troops' number in Afghanistan would be coupled with a political and development surge as well.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2009 00:00 ||
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Afghanistan will postpone its presidential election until Aug. 20, about four months later than the constitution specifies, to give incoming U.S. forces more time to stabilize the country's most violent regions, the national election commission said Thursday.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2009 00:00 ||
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(AKI) - An Egyptian firm based in the city of al-Sadat is alleged to have supplied Israeli soldiers with provisions during the recent Gaza military offensive despite restrictions on the flow of humanitarian aid for Palestinians, according to an Egyptian magazine.
"While Egyptians were pained by what was happening in Gaza, and the imams launched appeals to God to save the innocent in the Gaza Strip, Israeli soldiers fed on Egyptian delicacies," said the article published by Egyptian magazine al-Usbua.
The article, written by Egyptian journalist Akram Khamis in the magazine's latest edition, claims that during Israel's three-week long offensive, the firm's trucks carried food to Israeli soldiers through the al-Awja border area, 70 kilometres south of the Gazan town of Rafah.
"Many Egyptian trucks went back and forth along the road that takes you from Sadat City to the Israeli border, on the eastern part of Egypt, to deliver the goods of the food-producing firm, to another one that works for the Israeli army," the magazine claimed.
The journalist presented as proof certificates and permits issued by Egyptian authorities to enable to this commercial operation to be carried out.
The documents showed the name of the firm's owner and the delivery dates which coincided with the closing of the Rafah border by Egyptian authorities.
The government of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was widely criticised in the Arab world for failing to open the border crossings with Gaza to allow in humanitarian aid.
More than 1,330 Palestinians were killed and another 5,400 were injured during Israel's Operation Cast Lead. Thirteen Israelis were killed during the conflict.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2009 00:00 ||
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Jamaat-e-Islami is virtually isolated in the four-party alliance on the issue of trial of war criminals as two of its three other partners are keeping their distance from the religion-based party.
Supporting a transparent trial of war criminals, the BNP and Bangladesh Jatiya Party said it is Jamaat that has to face the situation.
Jamaat leaders admitted that they are unlikely to receive any support from others on the issue.
BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain recently said BNP and Jamaat will now work from their own standpoints as the four-party alliance was formed for elections only.
Against this backdrop, survival of the four-party alliance has come under question.
Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami formed a committee headed by party Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid to draw up its strategy and next course of action in connection with the possible war crime charges some of its leaders are now staring at, sources in Jamaat said.
Jamaat's highest policymaking body Majlish-e-Sura has given the party's working committee the authority to report the present political situation and the party's poor performance in the December 29 elections. It also gave the committee the authority to prepare a report on the issue of the trial of war criminals and a guideline in this regard to follow in future.
The Majlish-e-sura yesterday made the decision wrapping up its two-day meetings at Al-Falah Auditorium at Moghbazar in the capital.
Sources in the Majlish-e-sura hinted the possibility of changes at the party's top level at the end of this year when an election in Jamaat will decide its next top brass. They said the intention of the election would be to wash off the war criminal label of Jamaat.
Jamaat leaders hope that the United Nations will be involved in the trial, in which case the party would accept the verdict and remove the guilty people from the party.
The BNP secretary general yesterday said they would support the trial of war criminals if it is conducted properly without any political motive.
"We support the demand for the trial of war criminals in principle and none should have any objection against it," Delwar said talking to reporters at his home in Armanitola.
He also said the ruling party has to be alert about transparency of the trials. "It is an old issue and the trial should have been conducted a long time ago. It was the duty of those who were in power after the Liberation War, but they did not carry out the trials," he said.
Delwar said Awami League came to power in 1996 but they did not take any initiative to try the war criminals.
"We will keep a safe distance from Jamaat over the issue," a close aide to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia told The Daily Star last night.
"We do not want to interfere in the issue of trying war criminals as we want an end to the issue once and for all," the aide said over telephone, adding, "They [Jamaat] themselves will have to face the situation."
BNP standing committee member Shamsul Islam said, "We do not have any coalition with Jamaat at present. They were our ally in the national elections and it is over. BNP and Jamaat took part in the upazila parishad elections separately."
He, however, said the issue might be raised before the party's standing committee meeting scheduled for tomorrow.
Bangladesh Jatiya Party leaders also said they support the government's initiative to try war criminals. "Jamaat leaders who were involved in committing war crimes should be brought to book," a leader of the party told The Daily Star last night.
Meanwhile, Islami Oikya Jote Secretary General Abdul Latif Nezami said, "All Jamaat leaders, especially the incumbent ones, were not involved in war crimes in 1971. We therefore think that there is not much scope to maintain distance from Jamaat on this issue."
Jamaat-e-Islami directly opposed Bangladesh's independence and many of its leaders were allegedly involved in war crimes.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2009 00:00 ||
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#4
#2 does this mean that there is an axle of evil? Posted by: bman
#3 Yes and it needs to meet the Subaru of Freedom. Posted by: .5MT
The only effective solution to the Korea/Iran/Syria axle of evil is the Mack of Military Might and the Peterbuilt of Professional Pounding. Might not hurt to do some Dodge Ramming, either.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/31/2009 12:23 Comments ||
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#5
You forgot "Catapillar Crawling".
Posted by: Rednek Jim ||
01/31/2009 15:52 Comments ||
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Turkey's prime minister received a hero's welcome home Friday after he reproached Israel's president over the Gaza offensive and stalked off the stage at the World Economic Forum.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
That's what the Davos theatrics was all about - 'show' for the home folks. The Jews have always been a handy scapegoat for European or Muslim politicians.
An over 1,000-strong Ulema Council congregation at Jantar Mantar on Thursday demanded a separate criminal trial system for the nationÂ’s Muslims.
The gathering of Muslims from Azamgarh, led by 20 ulemas belonging to Islamic seminary Jameat-ur-Rashad in UP, claimed that a National Judicial Inquiry Committee be set up to look into cases in which the Muslim men were arrested by police on charges of terrorism but released by courts due to lack of evidence. “The Muslims freed of criminal/terror charges for lack of evidence should be compensated,” demanded the congregation. It also demanded scrapping of the recently passed anti-terror law — the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The crowd arrived at Delhi from Azamgarh in UP by a special train, called the ‘Ulema Express’. The demonstration, which began at 10 am, was also attended by students of the Jamia Millia Islamia and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Each of the ulemas who spoke to the cheering crowds, insisted that a judicial inquiry be set up especially to look into the September 17 Batla House encounter by a sitting Supreme Court judge. In that encounter, two terrorists from Azamgarh involved in the Delhi blasts were gunned down by the State police.
“It is unacceptable to the Muslim community that innocent, educated young men should be picked up by law-enforcement agencies without any proof, to be released later by the courts for lack of evidence. The media highlights them as hardcore terrorists and their lives are tarnished forever. There should be a provision for compensation to such people,” Ulema Council convener Amir Rashidi Madani said.
Blaming political parties for not supporting them on the issue, Madani said that the Ulema Council would field two candidates from Azamgarh Sadar and Lalganj Lok Sabha seats in the forthcoming Lok Sabha election. “We are also trying for a third alternative. A few parties have approached us for support. But we want that any alternative should be headed by the Ulema Council,” said Madani, whose son Aamir Talha was picked up by the Maharashtra ATS on terror charges. He was later released by the court.
The event was organised by the Coordination Committee of Indian Muslims, an umbrella organisation of five bodies and the Ulema Council of Azamgarh.
Posted by: john frum ||
01/31/2009 16:09 ||
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Tehrik-e-Taliban Swat chief Maulana Fazlullah has said Islam recommends slitting the throat of a man if he is charged with espionage, adding that this is also the Sunnat of the Holy Prophet (PTUI) (PBUH) and his companions acted upon this.
Fazlullah was replying to allegations that the Taliban slits throats of people and even digs up dead bodies of men from graves and then hangs them. "I am also ready for a debate with the Ulema on this issue," he added.
Talking to the BBC, Fazlullah said he has given permission for girls' education up to the fourth class, and hinted at lifting a ban on female education in the Swat Valley. "We will shape up a new strategy which will send a good message to the world," he said.
Fazlullah said he was ready to help establish the government's writ in the Valley in accordance with Shariat and spirit of ideology of Pakistan, but made it clear that he will not allow the revival of Lord Macaulay system in the area.
When asked about the destruction of schools by the Taliban, he alleged that security forces had also bulldozed some of the schools in the Valley and "we have videos to prove this."
The Taliban demolished those educational institutions, which the security forces were using as bunkers. Even obscenity was being promoted there, Fazlullah stated.
The Taliban chief maintained that the military operation has been intensified in Swat after Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani's visit to the area. He accused the security forces of killing civilians in Nangolai and Manglore and of throwing their bodies in the streets.
The government has already denied these allegations, The Nation reports.
#1
A little napalm in this guy's shorts would do wonders for his disposition.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/31/2009 12:25 Comments ||
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#2
Yes, mullah ulla bo-bulla, we're aware of your religion's preferred method of murder.
May I suggest you take up a new religion? You know, one without murder and throat slitting and suicide bombs, stonigs, acid attacks, child molestation, cousin marriage, bestiality, etc.
Rasatfarianism's nice and mellow. You might like it!
The Taliban on Friday distributed leaflets in Miranshah and Mir Ali in the North Waziristan Agency warning the Pakistan Army not to set up medical camps, open schools or hospitals in the area. The Taliban warned the army and the NGOs to stop their activities in the agency as 'through these activities they were misleading the tribal people'. "We warn the army and NGOs to refrain from mischief and carrying out such work otherwise they will be responsible for any losses," said the leaflet in Urdu, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Only the Taliban are allowed to treat, educate and feed the people. No one else may attempt to buy the support of the communities. The government must give us the materials for these activities. Or we will blow up the schools, burn hospitals and execute the teachers and doctors. Because we are humanitarian and we 'care.'
(AKI/DAWN) - Pakistan's prime minister's adviser on interior affairs Rehman Malik told the Senate that a new strategy had been worked out to combat militancy in the volatile Swat area.
Winding up a discussion on the situation in Swat on Thursday, he said he was confident that law enforcers would succeed in flushing out terrorists from the valley in a few weeks.
Malik said the new strategy would effectively deal with elements challenging the government's writ. In a blunt warning to the terrorists, he said: "We are after you. We will not let you do what you want to do."
The adviser said the situation in Mingora had been brought under control in four to five days through the new policy.
He said the militant organisations behind the trouble in Swat included Al-Qaeda, Tehrik-i-Taliban led by Maulana Fazlullah, Tanzeem-i-Islami, Tora Bora group and Qari Mushtaq group.
He said that a Taliban 'commander', Qari Hussain Ahmed, ran a training camp for suicide bombers in Waziristan and Maulana Naamdaar had a role in bringing suicide bombers from Waziristan to Swat.
Qari Hussain was reported killed in January 2008 when his house was destroyed in an air strike. Malik said the objective of the militants was not to enforce Islamic Sharia law, but to destroy Pakistan.
However, he said, the government would continue to pursue its policy of dialogue, development and deterrence, adding that the use of military force was not the only option for restoring peace.
He asked the militants to stop killing innocent people, lay down arms and start working for the country.
The adviser said that army contingents and paramilitary forces in Swat had been re-energised, curfew had been imposed in some areas and joint pickets had been set up.
Malik appealed to the media to black out terrorists and desist from glorifying them. Those attacking politicians and infrastructure, including schools and basic health units, were enemies of the country, he said.
He told the house that around 1,200 civilians had been killed and 2,000 injured in violence, while 189 military personnel had lost their lives.
Malik also said that 123 government schools and 10 private schools had been destroyed and many CD shops and barbers' salons set ablaze. He said a so-called 'Taliban court' had 'summoned' 40 people.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Ooooh Oooooh! I know! *raises hand*
How about: "kill them"?
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/31/2009 9:45 Comments ||
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(AKI) - Nine militants suspected of links to Al-Qaeda and the Taliban were due to appear in a Pakistani court on Friday accused over a string of suicide attacks that killed dozens of people and damaged the Danish embassy in the Pakistani capital Islamabad. Police said they arrested the gang earlier this week in the northeastern garrison town of Rawalpindi. The suspects are expected to be charged under anti-terror legislation and held in custody for up to 14 days.
The suspects are reportedly wanted chiefly in connection with five high-profile suicide attacks, including one outside the Danish embassy and another on an Italian restaurant in Islamabad. The devastating embassy car bombing on 2 June last year killed six people including a Dane. The blast caused severe damage to a nearby United Nations agency and damaged the embassy building and the residences of the Indian and Dutch ambassadors.
The bombing of the popular Luna Caprese Italian restaurant on 15 March last year killed a female Turkish aid worker and injured at least 10 other foreigners including four American Federal Bureau of Investigation or FBI officials.
Police also suspect the gang of helping orchestrate a suicide bombing near the Islamabad's Red Mosque on 7 July last year which killed 19 people, mostly policemen and injured dozens. The gang is also accused over the killing on 25 February last year of Pakistan's chief military medical officer and an attack earlier that month against an army medical corps bus.
Police claim that gang was involved in logistics and providing suicide bombers for targeted attacks, including one on Independence Day in the eastern city of Lahore on 14 August last year and an earlier attack on the Naval War College, also in Lahore.
The Pakistan Observer daily quoted senior police officers as saying the Rawalpindi gang had links to Al-Qaeda's top commander in Pakistan, Usama al-Kini, who was killed in a US missile strike in the South Waziristan tribal region bordering Afghanistan on 1 January. The gang's ring leader, Mohammed Illyas, also known as Qari Jamil, was identified as a former detainee in the US-run military prison for terrorist suspects, at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to an unnamed senior police investigator.
This article starring:
Mohammed Illyas
al-Qaeda
Qari Jamil
al-Qaeda
Usama al-Kini
al-Qaeda
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2009 00:00 ||
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Pakistan's commitment and efforts in fight against terrorism is more than any other country. Speaking at a Friday meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Gilani noted that the root causes of terrorism needed to be addressed to eliminate the menace. The Pakistani premier added that his country was facing economic and security challenges in this concern, The News International daily reported.
Gilani's comments come while the US and international forces in Afghanistan have frequently criticized Pakistan for 'not doing enough' in routing insurgency - especially in tribal regions along the Afghanistan border where militants attack NATO supply routes. This is while Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik announced on Thursday that a new strategy had been formulated to restore law and order in troubled northwestern Swat Valley. He assured that the security forces will flush terrorists out of the region over the next few weeks.
Moreover, Malik pointed out that the situation in Mingora is currently under control as a result of the new strategy - the details of which remain confidential.
According to an official count around 1,200 civilians have been killed and 2,000 others have been injured in various incidents of violence in Swat Valley. Some 189 military personnel have also lost their lives since clashes started in the area in late 2007.
This article starring:
Qari Mushtaq Group
Tanzeem-e-Islami
Tora Bora Group
Maulana Fazlullah
Tehrik-e-Taliban
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2009 00:00 ||
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Iraq's provincial elections have wrapped up without any reports of serious violence. Polls closed at 6 p.m. (10 a.m. EST) on Saturday -- an hour later than planned -- after millions of voters cast ballots for influential regional councils around most of Iraq. There were no reports of major violence.
Iraqi authorities imposed a huge security operation around the country that included traffic bans in major cities and extensive checkpoints and surveillance posts. The U.S. military also was out in force but did not take a direct role in the election security.
Results from the elections are not expected before Tuesday.
Polls opened shortly after dawn after a step-by-step security clampdown across the country, including traffic bans in central Baghdad and other major cities and closure of border crossings and airports. Iraqis passed through security checkpoints and razor-wire cordons to vote Saturday in provincial elections that are considered a crucial test of the nation's stability as U.S. officials weigh the pace of troop withdrawals.
Though there was no major violence during voting, there were some disruptions at the polls. A Kurdish official said hundreds of Iraqi Kurds stormed an election office in a disputed city after claiming many Kurds were not on voting lists for provincial elections. There were no reports of serious injuries.
The protest in Khanaqin on Saturday is part of lingering disputes over control of the city about 80 miles northeast of Baghdad. In August, Kurdish and Iraqi forces were locked in a tense standoff before the Kurds backed off.
Salahuddin Kekhaa, a Kurdish official in Khanaqin, says Kurds held a rally to claim that thousands of Kurds were left off voting list. Then they tried to break into the local election office but were turned back, he said
Ghufran al-Saidi, a Shiite lawmaker in the Sadr City district, said a military officer opened fire in Baghdad after voters chanted slogans at a polling station. He said two people were injured, one of them seriously.
Iraq's military spokesman, Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, told Al-Arabiya television that one person was killed and one injured after some people tried to carry mobile phones through security cordons.
The reason for the conflicting accounts was not immediately clear.
In Tikrit, about 80 miles north of Baghdad, three mortar shells exploded near a polling station, but caused no casualties, said police, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media. A bomb found near a Tikrit voting center was defused, police added.
In the Baghdad neighborhood of Karradah, Iraqi police and army soldiers manned a series of checkpoints -- some only 200 yards apart. Stores were closed and the streets cleared of cars.
A group of U.S. soldiers patrolled on foot, but well away from polling centers. The U.S. military assisted in security preparations for the elections, but said troops would only be called in on election day if needed.
In the western city of Fallujah -- once a center of the Sunni insurgency -- police used their patrol cars to help some people get to voting stations.
More than 14,000 candidates are running for 440 seats on the influential councils in all of Iraq's provinces except for the autonomous Kurdish region in the north and the province that includes oil-rich Kirkuk, where ethnic groups were unable to reach a power-sharing formula. Polls were to close at 5 p.m. Preliminary results are not expected before Tuesday.
Voters headed home waved their purple-tinted index fingers, which are dipped in ink to identify people who already cast ballots. The ink-stained fingers became an iconic image of Iraq's first post-Saddam Hussein elections four years ago.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, shadowed by a bodyguard, dipped his finger into an ink box after voting in the walled Green Zone enclave in Baghdad.
He appealed for a high turnout -- which would help boost his government's attempts to use the election as a sign of progress. "This gives a picture of trust in the government, the elections and the people's right to take part in this democratic process," he said.
Although violence is sharply down -- and with pre-election attacks relatively limited -- authorities were unwilling to take any risks.
An election without major attacks or charges of irregularities would provide a critical boost for Iraqi authorities as the U.S. military hands over more security responsibilities. But serious bloodshed or voting chaos could steal momentum from supporters of a fast-paced withdrawal of U.S. combat troops next year.
The provincial councils have no direct sway in national affairs, but carry significant authority through their ability to negotiate local business deals, allocate funds and control some regional security operations.
This election is also a possible dress rehearsal for bigger showdowns in national elections later this year, when the U.S.-allied government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki could face a power challenge from the country's largest Shiite party, the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council.
In Baqouba, the capital of the violence-wracked Diyala Province northwest of Baghdad, long lines formed. "We were not able to vote during the 2005 elections because of the deteriorating security situation," said Ahmed Jassim, 19. "But now we feel safe enough to go out and vote."
Iraqi special forces in full combat gear patrolled streets in Baghdad's Fadhil district, which was once a hub in the Sunni insurgents' car bomb network. The tense atmosphere there contrasted with the more relaxed mood in other parts of the city.
In Baghdad's Azamiyah neighborhood -- once a stronghold of support for Saddam Hussein's regime -- a voting station at a girls' high school still carried a small image of Saddam, calling him the nation's "hero and martyr."
But one voter, Zaid Abdul-Karim, 44, said the elections will hopefully ease tensions between Shiites who gained power by Saddam's downfall and Sunnis who perceive themselves as sidelined since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. "These are the people we need now: people who represent everyone in Iraq and have no sectarian bias," said Abdul-Karim, a government employee.
In the southern Shiite city of Basra, 40-year-old Haidar Mahmoud said he felt pressure to vote for the Supreme Council candidates, but changed his mind and backed al-Maliki's supporters. "If it wasn't for al-Maliki there would still be killing on the street. Maybe I can change Basra for the better by voting today," he said.
Among Sunni groups, powerful newcomers could reshape the political hierarchy. In Anbar province, the Sunni tribes which rose up against Al Qaeda and other insurgents -- and led to a turning point of the war -- are now seeking to transform their fame into council seats and significantly increase their role in wider Iraqi affairs. Their gains could come at the expense of the Sunni Iraqi Islamic party in the current government.
A couple who fled to Kuwait in 2004 to escape the violence returned to their northern Baghdad neighborhood to vote Saturday. Salih Zawad Ali and his wife Zeinab looked longingly around the Sulaykh district after casting their ballots. "I hope and pray we can come back," she said.
#1
Hows about that. They hold elections, no major violence and the seeds of democracy continue to germinate and spread the first, still vulnurable roots. You'd think the press and world would applaud. Oh wait...
Cypriot authorities on Friday searched a cargo ship suspected by the United States of carrying Iranian arms to Hamas militants in Gaza. Officials refused to divulge any details about the ship or its cargo.
The Cypriot-flagged container ship Monchegorsk is anchored off the island's southern port of Limassol, where it arrived Thursday after a stop in Port Said, Egypt. The U.S. military stopped the vessel in the Red Sea last week, but allowed it to continue because the U.S. could not legally stop its journey or seize its cargo.
Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias said the ship had violated United Nations resolutions, but gave no details, saying only that the ship was being searched. "We're handling this responsibly, I can't at this time make any remarks that ... may create more problems," Christofias said.
He added: "We are investigating what it's carrying and I've told you that we must handle these things very responsibly and very seriously and without a lot of clamor in the media."
A European diplomatic source said Thursday that the Cypriot authorities had detained what he called an Iranian arms ship en route to Syria.
The move apparently came after Israel and the United States requested that Cyprus stop the ship, based on suspicion that the boat was carrying a large amount of weaponry, including artillery rounds and rockets that Israel believes are destined for either Hezbollah or Hamas. The vessel left the Persian Gulf a few weeks ago and reached about 60 miles from Cyprus on Wednesday.
Cyprus' Parliament Speaker Marios Garoyian described issues raised by ship as very sensitive. "Our aim is to resolve the matter in the best possible way without harming the interests of the Republic of Cyprus ... The less that is said the better," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
we must handle these things very responsibly and very seriously and without a lot of clamor in the media."
What am I bid for this boatload of bombs? Who'll give me $5 million? 5 and a half? 6? Give me 6, 6, going once... Sold to the gentleman in the back with the mask.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Friday that Israel will strike against Gaza militants again if necessary.
Barak said he hoped the truce that ended Israel's three-week offensive against Gaza's Hamas rulers holds. But he stressed that Israel is prepared to act again if Hamas continues to fire rockets at southern Israel.
"Hamas was hit like it was never hit before," the defense minister told Channel 10 TV on Friday. "If we need hit Hamas again, we will."
Israel launched its offensive on Dec. 27 to stop eight years of near-daily militant rocket fire from Gaza at southern Israeli towns. Nearly 1,300 Palestinians were killed in the fighting, about half of them civilians, according to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights. Thirteen Israelis were also killed, three of them civilians.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Friday that Israel will strike against Gaza militants again if necessary.
Um, we knew that already Barak (and we hope you're not kidding)... why don't you move the narrative along on this:
Nearly 1,300 Palestinians were killed in the fighting, about half of them civilians, according to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights.
Instead of letting the Palestinian freakin' Center for Human Rights own the theme of civilian casualties, why not make some news by beginning every press discussion with:
"It's unfortunate that Hamas continues to hide behind the skirts and short pants of Palestinian women and children in order to cause civilian casualties."
"Clearly Hamas is the enemy of both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples... "
Say it until it sticks. Hey it worked for Cato the Elder.
Posted by: regular joe ||
01/31/2009 8:24 Comments ||
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#2
Oh, it's necessary.
Starting yesterday.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/31/2009 10:41 Comments ||
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(AKI) - Gaza's ruling Islamist group Hamas on Friday praised the Turkish prime minister's walkout from the Davos economic summit in protest at Israeli president Shimon Peres' defence of the recent Gaza offensive.
"Erdogan defended the cause of Gaza and all the victims of the Zionist war - especially women and children - in front of leaders attending the Davos forum and the head of the Zionist evil, Peres," Hamas said in a statement posted to its website.
Hamas hailed Erdogan's decision to abandon the Davos meeting as "victory for the victims of Gaza's al-Fakhura school and the thousands of people killed and injured in the Zionist massacre."
An Israeli aistrike on the United Nations run al-Fakhura school in northern Gaza on 6 January killed 40 people. Over 1,330 Palestinians died and more than 5,400 were injured in Israel's three week long offensive.
Israel - "the Zionist enemy" - would continue to commit crimes against Palestinians and to exploit international meetings such as Davos to downplay these, Hamas said.
Erdogan angrily left the forum when he was denied the chance to respond to remarks by Peres questioning what he would do if rockets were fired at Istanbul every night.
Erdogan, who accused Israel "knowing very well how to kill" was greeted by thousands of cheering people at the airport in Istanbul when he returned.
Thousands of Palestinians gathered in the streets of the West Bank after Friday prayers to show their support for Erdogan, responding to a call from Hamas, reported the Palestine-Information Centre website, which is said to be close to the hardline group.
Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad's spokesman Dahoud Shehab was quoted on Friday by Palestinian news agency Maan as thanking Erdogan for his staunch support for the Palestinian cause. "We wish Arab countries would do the same thing and react in a similar way to Turkey," Shehab said, quoted by Maan.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2009 00:00 ||
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Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos informed Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Friday of Spain's plan to amend legislation that granted a Spanish judge the authority to launch a much-publicized war crimes investigation against senior Israeli officials.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2009 00:00 ||
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Members of a Gaza family whose farm was turned into a "fortress" by Hamas fighters have reported that they were helpless to stop Hamas from using them as human shields.
They told the official Palestinian Authority daily newspaper that for years Hamas had used their property and homes as military installations from which the group would launch rockets into Israel, dig tunnels and store arms. According to the victims, those who tried to object were shot in the legs by Hamas operatives.
Palestinian Media Watch quoted the official Palestinian Authority daily, Al-Hayat al-Jadida as reporting on January 27, "The Abd Rabbo family kept quiet while Hamas fighters turned their farm in the Gaza strip into a fortress. Right now they are waiting for the aid promised by the [Hamas] movement after Israel bombed the farm and turned it into ruins."
According to the report, the hill on which the Abd Rabbo family lives overlooks Sderot, making it an ideal military position for Hamas fighters.
The Abd Rabbo family members emphasized to the paper that they were not Hamas activists and that they were still loyal to the Fatah movement, but that they had been unable to prevent the armed squads from entering their neighborhood at night.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2009 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
i tell you i for one am just "shocked"...
does Jimmah Carter know hamass would do such a thing?
Posted by: Abu do you love ||
01/31/2009 2:11 Comments ||
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#2
know? He would approve
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/31/2009 10:11 Comments ||
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#3
Indeed... Ima have recurer dream of holdering a sawed off shotgun and having mai pick of time travel.... 1932 or 1976, I always end up having to whiz....
Hamas is calling for new leadership to replace the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) dominated by its arch-rival President Mahmoud Abbas and factions loyal to him.
Claiming victory in a devastating 22-day war with Israel in which 100 Palestinians were killed for every Israeli, the group is reasserting control over the enclave and resuming its political challenge to the moderate Abbas.
Several thousand Hamas supporters rallied in Gaza yesterday in support of the call to abolish the PLO, made two days ago by the group's exiled leader, Khalid Meshaal.
Meshaal advocates a new umbrella body to represent Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and in the diaspora. His proposal was echoed in similar statements to cheering crowds yesterday by a senior Hamas political leader, Khalil Al Hayya.
In the first public appearance by a prominent Gaza Hamas leader since Israel's attacked on December 27, Al Hayya said the PLO was "dead", and sent to the "morgue" by those who founded it.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2009 00:00 ||
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(Xinhua) -- The United States will make an emergency contribution of 20.3 million U.S. dollars for humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip, the White House announced on Friday.
"The Obama administration today announced an emergency contribution of more than 20 million dollars to relief efforts in Gaza as part of the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
The money will go to UN agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which are distributing in Gaza emergency food assistance, providing medical care and temporary shelter, creating temporary employment and restoring access to electricity and potable water, according to statement by the State Department.
Some 1,400 Palestinians were reportedly killed and 5,500 others wounded in the Israeli aerial and ground strikes since Dec. 27, 2008.
The latest offensive by Israelis was to halt years of Hamas rocket fire on southern Israel.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
My email to president@whitehouse.gov:
Subject: charity for terrorists
Dear President Obama,
I was horrified to read that your administration has announced over $20 million in aid to the Hamas-controlled Gaza strip.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/31/content_10738795.htm
I could not be more unhappy to hear that my tax dollars are being wasted in this way, especially during a time of such financial difficulty here in the USA. Like many Americans, I have lost my job and am struggling to make ends meet.
There is no less worthy recipient for our tax dollars than the Hamas-supporting denizens of Gaza. They have voluntarily (and persistently) chosen the path of terrorism, and war. Perhaps if they had to suffer the consequences of their actions, they will not be so eager to continue pursuing the path of violence... and give peace in the region an opportunity to grow.
Please re-consider this awful, wasteful, and counter-productive decision.
#2
ION COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG > NEFA: ISLAMIC MOVEMENT OF UZBELISTAN RELEASES VIDEO MESSAGE FROM GERMAN MILITANTS FIGHTING IN UZBEKISTAN [ Love of Mullah Mohammed Omar + Come to Uzbekistan as 75% of country is already under their control]; + WAPO > KRAUTHAMMER: OBAMA MISLEADS AMERICA's STANCE ON MUSLIMS, + CONSERVATIVE GRAPEVINE > TOP FOUR MYTHS OF THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN STRUGGLE.
#7
The biggest problem is that he's going to "give" the money to the Useless Nitwits and the Red Thingy to distribute. We KNOW the Useless Nitwits are in bed with Hamass, and it's probably true of the Red Thingy, too. The split will be $10 million for Hamass, $10 million in graft and corruption for the Useless Nitwits and the Red Thingy, and $0.3 million for the people of Gaza.
I think I need to go clean the double-barrel.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/31/2009 12:42 Comments ||
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#10
Howdy I am a racist stupid Muslim who enjoys self-sodomy.losers! How does it feel to be a minority, a fascist one at that!
President Obama needs to do much more. He needs to first cut off all ties with Israel.
Then he needs to give the zionists an ultimatum-leave Palestine and go to Mongolia (the new homeland for the Jews) or we'll bomb you to kingdom come!
Mr. Obama, thanks, but you need to do much more. By the way, Mr. Obama don't listen to these Rantburger, white fascists. I can prove to you Mr. Obama, that the Rantburgers are fascists with pure logic. Here's how:
Rantburgers support zionists (whether they like them or not)
Zionists (and the zionist flag) were the only party officially sactioned by Hitler's Third Reich.
A=B;B=C;A=C thus Rantburgers are indeed fascists.
Please remeber Mr. Obama that zionists and their filthy white, fascist, Rantburger allies are the real enemies of America.
#12
Oooooh, that's funny! JUSTICE, you really are such an ignorant fool. You understand nothing, and you learn nothing, and then you display the result for all to marvel at, a living, breathing example of why you and yours are so despised around the world.
#13
Also Return to Zed, I hope you don't mind if mai new dawg is ride in the front seat. Also I has GPS so don't try any trickery... Ima watch the metre and no tip for you if cheat!
.(AKI) - Sri Lanka's president has urged the Tamil Tiger rebels to allow an estimated 250,000 civilians trapped in the northern war zone to flee to safety following reports of heavy civilian casualties during the conflict with government forces. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has pledged to guarantee safe passage for the civilians trapped in the region.
Human rights groups have accused the rebels of holding the civilians hostage and accused the military of launching heavy attacks in areas where civilians are located, including a government-declared "safe zone" in the north.
Sri Lanka's military says it is trying to secure the north-east coastline to encircle Tamil Tiger rebels as part of a final assault in the north of the island. Troops were on Tuesday moving north from the captured rebel town of Mullaitivu to take a 30kilometre stretch of land. The military says it hopes to control the entire north within weeks.
The United Nations has expressed concern about the fate of the civilians and one UN official said both sides appeared to have committed "grave breaches of human rights."
The rebels from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the military deny the charges.
In an appeal published on a government website on Friday, President Rajapaksa said the rebels' refusal to let civilians leave the area was endangering their lives. He accused the LTTE rebels of putting their heavy artillery inside the "safe zone" and using it as a "launching pad" for attacks on government troops.
"I urge the LTTE, within the next 48 hours to allow free movement of civilians to ensure their safety and security. For all those civilians, I assure a safe passage to a secure environment," he said.
The military said the president's statement did not amount to a unilateral 48-hour truce and said the offensive was continuing on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Paris-based Reporters without Borders (RSF) appealed to the president to allow both local and foreign journalists to freely report on the fighting against the Tamil Tiger rebels. The group also asked the government to bring an end to violent attacks against members of the independent Sri Lankan press. "Like the Israeli army in Gaza, the authorities in Colombo have decided to prevent media and humanitarian organisations from working freely," RSF said in a statement.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said humanitarian aid workers must be allowed to enter the strife-torn region and their premises must be protected from shelling and looting, as required by international humanitarian law. The ICRC noted it is the only international aid agency to have remained permanently in Vanni over the past four months with the agreement of both sides, working with the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2009 00:00 ||
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[2 views]
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#1
"Like the Israeli army in Gaza, the authorities in Colombo have decided to prevent media and humanitarian organisations from working freely," RSF said in a statement.
When the press stops acting like a wholly owned subsidiary of the enemies of freedom, when "international non-Governmental organizations" quit aiding, abetting, and directly assisting warring factions, then perhaps we could find a little outrage in our souls at their present "predicament". At the moment, not a drop!
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/31/2009 13:19 Comments ||
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The UN nuclear chief said on Thursday that Iran should fully disclose its nuclear programmes at the same time the US starts dialogue with Tehran without preconditions. Iran's foreign minister said President Barack Obama must declare how his policies will differ from former President George Bush's.
The manoeuvring over possible US Iranian dialogue came as Mohammad Al Baradei welcomed Obama's statements that the new US administration was willing to talk to Iran after the Bush administration's refusal to deal with Tehran.
In an interview on Tuesday, Obama condemned Iran's threats to destroy Israel and its alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons, but added: "It is important for us to be willing to talk to Iran, to express very clearly where our differences are, but where there are potential avenues for progress."
"That is the way to go," Al Baradei said at the World Economic Forum in Davos. "It is long overdue." "Iran should answer technical questions from the IAEA and the dialogue should start without preconditions," Al Baradei said in the presence of Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2009 00:00 ||
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[9 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
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.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Spanta on Friday agreed to convene a Pak-Afghan jirga, and make the initiative a frequent and effective process between the two countries.
(AKI) - An Egyptian firm based in the city of al-Sadat is alleged to have supplied Israeli soldiers with provisions during the recent Gaza military offensive despite restrictions on the flow of humanitarian aid for Palestinians, according to an Egyptian magazine.
Tehrik-e-Taliban Swat chief Maulana Fazlullah has said Islam recommends slitting the throat of a man if he is charged with espionage, adding that this is also the Sunnat of the Holy Prophet 
(AKI) - Nine militants suspected of links to Al-Qaeda and the Taliban were due to appear in a Pakistani court on Friday accused over a string of suicide attacks that killed dozens of people and damaged the Danish embassy in the Pakistani capital Islamabad. Police said they arrested the gang earlier this week in the northeastern garrison town of Rawalpindi. The suspects are expected to be charged under anti-terror legislation and held in custody for up to 14 days.
Pakistan's commitment and efforts in fight against terrorism is more than any other country. Speaking at a Friday meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Gilani noted that the root causes of terrorism needed to be addressed to eliminate the menace. The Pakistani premier added that his country was facing economic and security challenges in this concern, The News International daily reported. 
Iraq's provincial elections have wrapped up without any reports of serious violence. Polls closed at 6 p.m. (10 a.m. EST) on Saturday -- an hour later than planned -- after millions of voters cast ballots for influential regional councils around most of Iraq. There were no reports of major violence.
Hamas is calling for new leadership to replace the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) dominated by its arch-rival President Mahmoud Abbas and factions loyal to him. 
(Xinhua) -- The United States will make an emergency contribution of 20.3 million U.S. dollars for humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip, the White House announced on Friday. 
