[Quqnoos] Afghanistan and Pakistan are talking about how to make peace with insurgents fighting US troops in Afghanistan, reports say
The discussions reflect the beginnings of a thaw in relations between Kabul and Islamabad, which is increasingly focused on shaping the aftermath of what they fear, could be a more abrupt withdrawal of US troops than is now anticipated.
At Pakistan's suggestion, Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha, the chief of Pakistan's powerful intelligence agency, made an unprecedented trip to Kabul last month to discuss with Afghan President a wide range of possible cooperation, including mediating with Pakistan-based insurgents.
The previously undisclosed visit came as the United States, gradually warming to the idea of reconciliation with insurgents, encourages improved relations between the two governments, which have long viewed each other with suspicion.
Haqqani's adoption in recent years of suicide bombings and complex urban assaults has made his faction, based in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal area, a top threat to military gains and political stability in Afghanistan.
The CIA and US military think that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency retains links with, and possibly assists, Haqqani, and they have pressed Pakistan to target his sanctuaries.
The remarks come as Pakistani officials deny that they support Haqqani, who they say spends much of his time in Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/20/2010 00:00 ||
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CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico The mayor of a Mexican town near the U.S. border was assassinated on Saturday.
Federal police confirm that Guadalupe Distrito Bravos Mayor Jesus Manuel Lara Rodriguez was gunned down in neighboring Ciudad Juarez. Lara had recently moved there because of security concerns in his own town about 30 miles to the southeast.
[Al Arabiya Latest] A top U.S. envoy called Saturday for an independent investigation into the violence that has devastated southern Kyrgyzstan,
That'll do it -- problem fixed. Thank you, President Obama.
as amateur video emerged of unarmed Uzbeks gathering to defend their village during the attacks.
Prosecutors charged Azimzhan Askarov, the head of a prominent human rights group who shot the video, with inciting ethnic hatred. Askarov had accused the military of complicity in the bloody rampages that sent hundreds of thousands of Uzbeks fleeing for their lives.
The country's rights ombudsman Tursunbek Akun insisted the charges against Askarov were fabricated, and activists in Bishkek demonstrated before U.N. offices to demand his release.
The clashes have killed up to 2,000 people and set off a massive wave of refugees, with 400,000 people crammed in squalid camps with little access to clean water and food on Kyrgyzstan's sun-parched border with Uzbekistan.
Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake, speaking after talks with Kyrgyz officials, said an international investigation must be held into the possible causes of the violence.
"It is important for the provisional government to establish the atmosphere of trust and security so the refugees in Uzbekistan and the internally displaced persons in Kyrgyzstan can feel confident that they can return to their homes and live in safety and harmony with their Kyrgyz neighbors," he said.
"I think clearly there was an ethnic element to the violence that took place. But the United States does not have any independent information about what happened ..."
Kyrgyzstan's tiny, under-equipped army has struggled to bring order to the south and relief organizations have been unable to reach the worst-affected areas for security reasons.
Some Kyrgyz officials have said a referendum on a new constitution, due be held on June 27, should be postponed until the situation stabilizes.
The United States and Russia, both operating military air bases in the strategic Muslim nation, are concerned that continued turmoil in Kyrgyzstan could spread to other parts of Central Asia, a vast former Soviet region north of Afghanistan.
The violence erupted on June 10 with coordinated attacks by unknown individuals in balaclavas and quickly spiraled into fierce fighting between Uzbeks and Kyrgyz, witnesses said.
Mainly Uzbek households were targeted in three days of unrest, with entire neighborhoods burned to the ground. The U.N. says an estimated 1 million people were affected.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/20/2010 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Several hundred people have attended party serving sausage and wine on a Paris street after the event was banned from a different location.
Reclaiming the street, even if in a different neighborhood.
Organizers had planned on holding the event in a heavily Muslim neighborhood of the French capital. The so-called "Sausage and Booze" gathering was seen as offensive to Muslims, and police banned the event earlier this week.
That didn't stop some 300-400 people from turning out for the party Friday. Some carried French flags.
Instead of the neighborhood originally chosen, it took place on the famed Champs-Elysees avenue near the Arc de Triomphe.
Police officers looked on as revelers tucked in to sausages and drank wine from plastic cups. The event apparently took place without incident.
Alcohol and pork are forbidden by Islam.
Forbidden for Muslims to consume, not to walk past or even to serve to unbelievers.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/20/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Good on ya. Couple more of these and spitting in the face of your oppressors and I'll take back all the cheese eating surrender monkey jokes I have said.
#3
Remember, this is the same France who is telling the Moose-Limb schoolgirls that they can't wear their head towels and are considering a ban on the burkah.
[Iran Press TV Latest] The Turkish premier vows to annihilate the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) as the military takes the militants under retaliatory strikes.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, "Our fight will continue until the terrorist organization has been annihilated," Reuters reported on Saturday.
The group launched its armed campaign against Ankara in 1984, as part of a quest to establish an independent Kurdish state in southeastern Turkey. More than 40,000 people have lost their lives ever since.
The Turkish military said on Saturday that it had lost eight soldiers in a PKK attack in the country's restive southeast near the border with Iraq, adding that two others had been killed in a subsequent landmine blast, reported DPA.
Twelve of the gunmen had also died in face-off with the Turkish soldiers.
Reuters cited a statement published on the Turkish military's General Staff's website as saying that, responding to the assault, "the Air Force struck targets identified in the northern region of Iraq," which is the hideout for several thousands of the gunmen.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by much of the international community, including Iran, the United States and the European Union member states.
This month, they resumed their assaults, calling off a unilateral ceasefire.
The resurgence has prompted the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader, Devlet Bahceli to call for a National Security Council meeting and re-introduction of a state of emergency in southeast Turkey.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/20/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
If that's the case then quit whining about Gaza!
An Israeli minister has called for the removal of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has condemned the deadly Israeli attack on an aid flotilla, from office.
"The Turkish people aren't the enemy, but Erdogan is Israel's enemy," Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov was quoted by the Israeli daily, Ha'aretz as saying on Saturday.
"This isn't a healthy situation, and unless he leaves office there is no room for optimism," he added.
The remarks come as relations between Israel and Turkey hit a new low following Tel Aviv's military attack on the Turkish-backed Freedom Flotilla aid convoy in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea on May 31, killing at least 20 human rights activists.
That's one of Iran PressTV's medium-sized lies. Only nine were killed, and they were hired terrorists who were trying to kill or kidnap the Israeli soldiers.
The relief mission had set sail to break Israel's siege of the Gaza Strip.
The Turkish Prosecutor's office in Istanbul has started an investigation in which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considered the main suspect behind the assault.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Chief of Staff of the Israeli military Gabi Ashkenazi are also reported to be investigated.
Erdogan recently repeated his condemnation of the aggression. "We have not remained silent against this piracy and injustice, and we will not do so, and we will seek solutions within the framework of international law," he said.
Erdogan added that the Israeli "government" was Turkey's "problem."
That's because the current prime minister of Turkey is a vile insect.
Tel Aviv has so far refused to offer either apology or compensation for the deadly attack or its actions in its aftermath. It has also defied a demand by the United Nations for an international probe, insisting it would run its own inquiry into the attack.
Ankara has, meanwhile, introduced a roadmap to "completely" cut all bilateral ties -- worth billions of dollars, Turkish paper Today's Zaman reported.
Have they added private transactions to the list, then? 'Cause otherwise the separation will not be complete. But then, so long as Turks buy computers with Intel inside, among so many other things, they'll be adding profits to the Israeli bottom line, poor darlings.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/20/2010 00:00 ||
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New York's police commissioner says it's a big mistake to write off failed attacks as the work of incompetents, and he's developed his own intelligence apparatus to make sure they don't succeed.
What rankles Raymond W. Kelly? Two things, he tells me as we sip lukewarm coffee in his conference room on the 14th floor of One Police Plaza, the dilapidated police headquarters overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge.
"It's dangerous to write people off just because they've been arrested," Mr. Kelly warns. "These cases are the result of intelligence information and excellent investigative work at all levels."
The first, New York's police commissioner tells me, is "incompetence," an inescapable fact-of-life, or so it would seem, in any large bureaucracy (he has 50,000 employees). A second is the media's tendency to downplay New York's hard-won victories against terrorism -- the failure or foiling of some 11 serious plots against the city since 2001 -- by describing the would-be perpetrators as incompetent or stupid.
Continued on Page 49
#2
The standard rule of thumb is that bombers are the hardest to catch, because they generally hold all the tactical cards. So unless they foul up with their opsec, they get away.
I knew some EOD whose favorite thought problem was how they could stop a modern city, on a budget. It was the flip side of their job--figuring out how to contend with a smart bomber.
NYCPD has been aware of this since the Mad Bomber, who kept it up for 16 years.
somehow i doubt the police commisioner of NYC is sitting in dilapidated headquaters.
Posted by: chris ||
06/20/2010 19:20 Comments ||
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#4
"It's dangerous to write people off just because they've been arrested," Mr. Kelly warns. "These cases are the result of intelligence information and excellent investigative work at all levels."
WASHINGTON -- Fighting homegrown terrorism by monitoring Internet communications is a civil liberties trade-off the U.S. government must make to beef up national security, the nation's homeland security chief said Friday.
As terrorists increasingly recruit U.S. citizens, the government needs to constantly balance Americans' civil rights and privacy with the need to keep people safe, said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.
Let's ask ourselves: what would Janet Napolitano have said if George Bush had proposed this in 2002 or 2006? What would the Democrats have said? That's the answer as to whether or not this is a good idea.
But finding that balance has become more complex as homegrown terrorists have used the Internet to reach out to extremists abroad for inspiration and training. Those contacts have spurred a recent rash of U.S.-based terror plots and incidents.
"The First Amendment protects radical opinions, but we need the legal tools to do things like monitor the recruitment of terrorists via the Internet," Napolitano told a gathering of the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy.
But we don't trust you, Holder and Bambi ...
Napolitano's comments suggest an effort by the Obama administration to reach out to its more liberal, Democratic constituencies to assuage fears that terrorist worries will lead to the erosion of civil rights.
The administration has faced a number of civil liberties and privacy challenges in recent months as it has tried to increase airport security by adding full-body scanners, or track suspected terrorists traveling into the United States from other countries.
"Her speech is sign of the maturing of the administration on this issue," said Stewart Baker, former undersecretary for policy with the Department of Homeland Security. "They now appreciate the risks and the trade-offs much more clearly than when they first arrived, and to their credit, they've adjusted their preconceptions."
Underscoring her comments are a number of recent terror attacks over the past year where legal U.S. residents such as Times Square bombing suspect Faisal Shahzad and accused Fort Hood, Texas, shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan, are believed to have been inspired by the Internet postings of violent Islamic extremists.
And the fact that these are U.S. citizens or legal residents raises many legal and constitutional questions.
Napolitano said it is wrong to believe that if security is embraced, liberty is sacrificed. She added, "We can significantly advance security without having a deleterious impact on individual rights in most instances. At the same time, there are situations where trade-offs are inevitable."
We all recognize that. But we don't trust you to understand that balance and to handle these issues.
As an example, she noted the struggle to use full-body scanners at airports caused worries that they would invade people's privacy. U.S. officials, said Napolitano, have worked to institute a number of restrictions on the scanners' use in order to minimize that. The scans cannot be saved or stored on the machines by the operator, and Transportation Security Agency workers can't have phones or cameras that could capture the scan when near the machine.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/20/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Let me get this right:
- Listening in on known terrorists and terrorist organizations who's telephone conversations pass through U.S. Networks is a big no-no.
- Listening in on private Email conversations of Innocent U.S. Citizens is ok.
You have to wonder if Homeland [In]Security was deliberatly lax to allow the recent terrorist attacks just so they can call for this type of monitoring.
#2
You have to wonder if Homeland [In]Security was deliberatly lax to allow the recent terrorist attacks just so they can call for this type of monitoring.
gotta break a few eggs, yadda yadda
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/20/2010 9:53 Comments ||
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#3
I suggest we film every politician 24 hours a day.
#5
"Her speech is sign of the maturing of the administration on this issue"
No doubt that it is a maturation, of sorts.
But the reach-out needs to be done by the administration to the nation and across the political spectrum, not just to "its more liberal, Democratic constituencies". Especially considering the administration's previous remarks and 'report findings' regarding the less-liberal portion of the population.
The American envoy, Richard Holbrooke, says Pakistan should be wary of committing to an Iran-Pakistan natural gas pipeline because any US sanctions on Iran could hit Pakistani companies.
Mr Holbrooke says he is sympathetic to Pakistan's energy needs.
But he also says that new legislation is being drafted in the US Congress to target Iran's energy sector, and that Pakistan should "wait and see".
Pakistan and Iran signed a 7.6 billion US dollar natural gas pipeline deal in March.
8:51 pm ET by tw: tipper -- you hit submit a moment too soon. This belongs in Pakistan/WoT Background, not Tech Notes/WoT.
#3
WMF > RUSSIA, US, + WEST [EU= EuroZone] WORRY THAT KYRGYZTSAN VIOLENCE WILL RESULT IN KYRGYZSTAN BECOMING A REGIONAL PARADISE OR SAFE HAVEN FOR ISLAMIC MILITANTS + ORGANIZED CRIME GROUPS. STRATEGIC THREAT TO XINJIANG + CHINA'S ENERGY NETWORK FROM CENTRAL ASIA.
* SAME > KYRGUZSTAN THREATENS TO EXTEND LEASE ON US MILBASES IN ORDER TO ENTICE/MOTIVATE RUSSIA TO SEND TROOPS, OTHER ASSISTANCE TO TO DEFEAT VIOLNET PROTESTS.
* SAME > "KONSOMOLKHVAYA PRAVDA" RUSSIAN MEDIA: RUSSIA FORMALLY REJECTS US PROPOSAL TO SET UP UN-LED PEACEKEEPING FORCES IN KYRGYSTAN. FEAR BY RUSSIA OF US "FRIENDLY INTERVENTION" AGZ RUSS INTERESTS. IMPORTANCE OF US, RUSSIA IN LEAD TO PREVENT KYRGYZSTAN/OSH VIOLENCE + KYRGYZSTAN-BASED MILITANT GROUPS [Multi-State affecting FAGANA BASIN] FROM SPREADING TO XINJIANG + CENTRAL ASIA.
Al-Qaida's American-born spokesman has repeated the terror group's conditions for peace with America, calling on President Barack Obama to withdraw his troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, end support for Israel, stop intervening in the affairs of Muslims and free Muslim prisoners.
In the second, 24-minute part of a video released in March and posted on militant Web sites Sunday, Adam Gadahn said the Democrats' loss in January of the Massachusetts Senate seat underlined Obama's falling popularity.
In white robes and turban, Gadahn told Obama: "You're no longer the popular man you once were, a year ago or so."
Gadahn is wanted by the FBI since 2004 with a $1 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction. He is also known as Azzam al-Amriki, Arabic for American.
Posted by: chris ||
06/20/2010 19:18 Comments ||
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#3
HOMER SIMPSON > [drool]HMMMMMMMMM, F-L-U-F-F-Y BBBUUUUNNNNNIESS...
See also DRUDGEREPORT > [Adam Gadahn]AL QAEDA WARNS OF NEW ATTACKS DEADLIER THAN BEFORE. Warns that AQ + RADIC ISLAM HAVE BEEN NICEY ABOUT UNILATER SHOWING RESTRAINT + SELF-CONTROL IN LIMITING THE MAGNITUDE/SCALE OF ATTACKS AGZ THE USA, + that the number of Muslim casualties compared to the US indics = shows that AQ = Radic Islam hasn't even begun to "EVEN THE SCORE" agz America.
DAILY TIMES.PK > "AMERICAN AL QAEDA" DICTTAES DEMANDS TO PRESIDENT OBAMA.
To wit,
* TOTAL OR COMPLETE US MILITARY WITHDRAWAL from Any + All Muslim States around the World, "from AFGHANSTAN to ZANZIBAR".
* DITTO TOTE END TO Any + All US SUPPORT - MIL + MATERIEL - FOR ISRAEL, direct or indirect.
* DITTO CEASING of US INTERFERENCE in MUSLIM AFFAIRS, i.e. RELIGION, SOCIETY, POLITICAL, ECON, + OTHER IN MUSLIM WORLD.
* RELEASE ANY + ALL MUSLIM US CAPTIVES [read, FIGHTERS e.g. GITMO], irregardless of their Backgrounds, ALLEGED OR REAL CRIMES, ETC.
Even iff the US ever does successfully defeat AL QAEDA, MILYUHNS + ZILYUHNS +WILYUHNS of WORLD MUSLIMS WIL TAKE UP THE FIGHT AGZ THE US-WEST.
IIUC, GADAHN = "OR ELSE", i.e. LOCAL, WORLDWIDE ISLAMIST JIHAD-INSURGENCIES WILL NEVER END, + US [includ ALLIES] RISKS SUFFERING NEW 9-11-STYLE-OR-WORSE TERROR STRIKES in RETALIATION.
#5
[Adam Gadahn]AL QAEDA WARNS OF NEW ATTACKS DEADLIER THAN BEFORE. Warns that AQ + RADIC ISLAM HAVE BEEN NICEY ABOUT UNILATER SHOWING RESTRAINT + SELF-CONTROL IN LIMITING THE MAGNITUDE/SCALE OF ATTACKS AGZ THE USA
The only successful attack in the U.S. that I can think of since 9/11 was the military psychiatrist, although there were some cases of Sudden Jihad Syndrome not directly affiliated with any organization. Sadly for Al Qaeda, their most recent threats have fizzled. The pantibomber failed dramatically, the Afghans who wanted to blow up New York City on 9/11/2009 were caught after dumping the raw materials so painstakingly acquired, the Times Square bomber couldn't get proper raw materials due to certain precautions taken years ago...
It's nice that even Al Qaeda have noticed President Obama's falling approval ratings. A pity they haven't probed the numbers to understand the basis for the fall, and why demanding President Obama's surrender is an ineffective tactic.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Latest figures show that US military drone missile attacks in Pakistan have killed nearly four hundred people in 2010, Press TV has learned.
The figure shows an increase in the Pentagon's attacks over the past few months. Overall, 36 strikes have been lunched since January this year, killing at least 390 people.
The latest drone strike, which claimed 15 lives on Saturday, targeted a house in a village near Mir Ali town in North Waziristan.
Washington claims its airstrikes target militant hideouts, but most of the attacks have killed civilians -- since August 2008, such strikes have killed nearly a thousand people in rural areas.
Actually, almost all those killed have been bad guys rather than true civilians. But Iran PressTV couldn't possibly admit that.
The attacks were initiated under former US President George W. Bush and have escalated under President Barack Obama.
The issue of civilian casualties has strained relations between Islamabad and Washington with the Pakistani government objecting to the attacks.
Publicly objecting, privately not so much. And the locals appreciate that the bad guys are removed from their midst, sparing both sons and daughters from unwelcome attentions.
A United Nations report says the US-operated drone strikes in Pakistan pose a growing challenge to the international rule of law.
As I understand it, international law allows the threatened party to retaliate if the responsible government doesn not control it's citizens.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/20/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
i wish it was hundreds of thousands
Posted by: chris ||
06/20/2010 10:45 Comments ||
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#2
The Iranians and the rest of South Asia had better hope that I never end up in a position of authority anywhere. I don't have any hangups about being as mean, evil, wicked, bad, nasty, cruel and heartless as it's needed to do the job. Most muslim countries would have had huge smoking holes after 9/11 if I'd been in charge.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
06/20/2010 21:51 Comments ||
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[Dawn] Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Saturday lashed out against terrorists and said the entire nation stood united against terrorism.
While addressing a public meeting in Multan, Gilani said that the PPP abolished dictatorship through democracy. He said that the PPP adopted the policy of reconciliation and built consensus to get the 18th Constitutional Amendment passed from the parliament.
The premier said that the PPP not only gave constitution but also restored it. The credit for strengthening parliament also goes to the party, he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/20/2010 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Al Qaeda's network had been "severely degraded" by joint US-Pakistani efforts, the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan said on Saturday.
"The al Qaeda network has been severely degraded in recent years in efforts that both our countries work on," Holbrooke told a joint news conference with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
Asked whom he would hold responsible if al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and the Afghan Taliban chief, Mullah Mohammad Omar, were hiding somewhere along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Holbrooke demurred.
"Many of their associates have been apprehended or killed. Even those two people ... are still at large but they are under intense pressure," he said.
Holbrooke praised Pakistan's sacrifices in the fight against militants on its soil and said he hoped more would be achieved.
"In regard to the war itself, Pakistan has made progress, but it doesn't mean that we've reached the end of the road. This is a tough, long struggle and much more needs to be done," he said.
"People all over the world should be more aware of the sacrifices Pakistani people and the army have made in pushing back militants in Swat, South Waziristan and other northwestern regions." Holbrooke added.
He said that the US did not only increase aid to Pakistan's military but also extended its support to other sectors as well.
Holbrooke claimed that the Obama administration was well aware of Pakistan's energy demands and the issue was a top priority for the US.
Holbrooke announced $11.1 million in humanitarian aid for Pakistanis suffering from the effects of the conflict with homegrown militants in the northwest of the country.
"In July I'm expecting Secretary Clinton to visit Islamabad for a second session of the strategic dialogue," Qureshi told the joint news conference.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/20/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Holbrooke told a joint news conference with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
finally Holbrooke found someone to meet with. Musta caught Qureshi unawares
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/20/2010 9:56 Comments ||
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[The News (Pak)] In preparation for anti-Naxal operations in the Indian heartland, the Indian Army has earmarked five divisions to deal with the Naxal insurgency, which has been described by the Indian prime minister as the single largest threat faced by India. The
Luckhnow based Central Command has been tasked for training 50,000 troops and be prepared to deploy them at a short notice when called upon by the civil administration. Once launched, this would be the single biggest deployment of the Indian Army following its counterinsurgency duties in held Kashmir and the North Eastern region.
The Indian Army is also taking measures to improve the effectiveness of unified commands set up in each affected states, comprising the CRPF and the state police commanders, to check the Maoists' offensive. Four Brigadiers experienced in counterinsurgency operations have been deputed to the Union Home Ministry who will be appointed as operational advisers to the unified commands in the worst Naxal-hit states of Orissa, Jharkand, West Bengal and Chhatisgarh.
According to observers, the Indian Army is already overstretched with the counterinsurgency duties and fatigue is evident through rising incidents with lack of morale. However, the Naxal threat is getting beyond the capability of the paramilitary forces to contain.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/20/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Making sure people had clean water to drink and food to eat would do wonders against the Commies.
#2
Gromky, what makes you think they don't? What makes you think it would make any difference even if that was the problem?
Posted by: Secret Asian Man ||
06/20/2010 12:51 Comments ||
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#3
The fewer problems someone has, the less likely they're willing to lose what they have by fighting the government. Most of the Naxels are nothing but ideologically-united bandits, and the unity is pretty loose. One major improvement the government can implement that will have an almost immediate effect is improving transportation. It's extremely difficult to get to anywhere but the local village in this part of India. Building and maintaining good roads would not only allow the Indian military to move more freely through the area, but would also open up the area for more trade. Even the Brits didn't move very well in that part of India.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
06/20/2010 21:57 Comments ||
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BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: The Iraqi foreign ministry undersecretary said on Saturday that recent acts of violence, including the attack by seven suicide bombers on the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI), would not slow down the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, scheduled for August and December 2011.
The U.S. pullout will take place by virtue of an agreement between the two countries,' Labid Abbawi told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Seven suicide bombers had attacked the financial complex, which includes the CBI, in central Baghdad on June 13, 2010, leaving 18 killed and more than 70 others wounded as well as the death of the attackers.
The Iraqi government then said that the operation carried the Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) hallmark as indicated by investigations that followed the bloody incidents, confirmed later in a statement in which the so-called Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), a group affiliated to the AQI, claimed responsibility for the operation.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/20/2010 00:00 ||
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The Prime Minister's Office on Sunday released the new guidelines for the Gaza blockade, saying "the Israeli government's policy is meant to protect its citizens from terror, rockets and any other hostile activities from Gaza." The measures were approved in a Sunday morning security cabinet meeting.
The government will make a new list of products that may not be imported into Gaza, which will include only weapons, materials used to make weapons, and "problematic materials" that can be used for both civilian means and weaponry.
[this is a 'victory' of sorts for Tony Blair who negotiated this agreement as emissary of the UN -- the next steps will be to complain about the 'problematic materials', demand 'neutral countries' monitor ships and of course break the blockade entirely]
Posted by: lord garth ||
06/20/2010 15:02 ||
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What the hell are our ships doing going through the Suez Canal?
Strikes me they're sitting ducks there. I wouldn't trust Egyptian or any other foreign troops to protect them.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
06/20/2010 16:11 Comments ||
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#3
Our ships ALWAYS transit the Suez on the way to the gulf. There is absolutely nothing unusual or strange or different about this deployment. In fact, having gone back in the archives and noticed this:
Despite freezing temperatures, several thousand sailors with the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower received a warm send-off Saturday morning as they departed for a six-month tour at sea.
That was in January ... fast forward 6 months and you come to July. It is almost early July. It is time for Ike to come home.
#4
Barb, While my experience is history ( like early-90's) when we went thru the Suez on a CV, not only were there ground troops lining both sides, but we had 2 F-14's on the cats, manned and engines turning, ready to launch if a threat was detected. and also some H-3 helicopters with various configurations of Marines for quick response. I also think ( never confirmed) that other CV's ( not in the canal) had airborne assets in place to provide another layer of defense.
[As an aside, being a metalsmith I often wondered what sort of additional load the catapult lauch gear on the Tomcats would see without having the benefit of any sort of wind-assisted lift ( hard to turn into the wind in a closet).]
#5
ION CNN + FOX NEWS > Although the USDOD hasn't made a final decision about sending the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON to the YELLOW SEA = SEA OF JAPAN, most of the NEWS PERTS believe the USDOD will eventually decide to send the GW or other CVN BG.
NUCLEARIZING IRAN + RADIC ISLAM will likely be content iff KIMMIE UNILATER SENDS A CHINESE-MADE TLCM OR IRBM AGZ THE USS "GW" or other HIGH-VALUE US-ROK, OR USFJ MILBASES [Yokusuka, Sasebo] BECUZ IT WILL KEEP THE US PRE-OCCUPIED WID A POTENTIAL CHINA + RUSS GEOPOL CONFRONTATION ON THE KOREAN DMZ, i.e. THE FAR SIDE OF ASIA AWAY FROM IRAN + ME???
[Iran Press TV Latest] Freedom Flotilla activists say that the Israeli forces who arrested them stole some of their personal possessions and have still not returned them.
The Israeli military attacked the Freedom Flotilla in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea on May 31, killing nine Turkish citizens on board the M.V. Mavi Marmara and injuring about 50 other people who were part of the team on the six-ship convoy.
Israel also arrested and later released nearly 700 activists from 42 countries who were on board the ships of the Freedom Flotilla, which was attempting to break the siege of Gaza in order to deliver 10,000 tons of humanitarian assistance to the long-suffering people of the territory.
The activists were "abducted and imprisoned, many of whom were beaten and wounded and nearly all their belongings confiscated," AFP quoted the UK-registered Palestine Legal Aid Fund as saying earlier in the week.
The British daily The Guardian said on Friday that the Israelis not only seized money and goods destined for the impoverished people of Gaza but also confiscated most of the personal possessions of the Freedom Flotilla activists.
Soldiers had used confiscated debit cards to buy items such as iPod accessories, while mobile phones seized from activists have also been used for calls, it added.
Californian activist Kathy Sheetz has alleged that she has been charged more than $1,000 in transactions from vending machines in Israel since June 6.
"They've obviously taken my card and used it," British activist Ebrahim Musaji told the newspaper.
"When they take things like people's videos and debit cards and use them, and their mobile phones, it becomes a bit of a joke," he said. "We were held hostage, we were attacked, and now there's been theft. If the police confiscate your goods in the UK, they're not going to use your goods and think they can get away with it."
Israel is still holding at least £1 million (over $1.4 million) of commodities and cash from the confiscated relief supplies and personal possessions, The Guardian quoted the Freedom Flotilla activists as saying.
The newspaper said some passports, three of them belonging to British citizens, have still not been returned.
Spies of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency have been known to use fake passports to provide cover identities.
The issue became a serious scandal for Israel when it was discovered that the Mossad agents who assassinated Hamas commander Mahmud al-Mabhuh in Dubai on January 19 had used foreign passports to enter and leave the United Arab Emirates.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/20/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
whenit was discovered that the Mossad agents who assassinated Hamas commander Mahmud al-Mabhuh in Dubai on January 19 had used foreign passports to enter and leave the United Arab Emirates.
accusations reported as fact. Press TV journalism!
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/20/2010 9:59 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Rifles, hand grenades, knives....
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
06/20/2010 10:16 Comments ||
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#3
No not everything, the Israelis left you with your imbecile Intelligence Quotient of 50.
[Straits Times] THE government will not stop the Islamic missionary activities of local groups although it has been found that foreigners are spreading the teachings of the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) in the country, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Senator Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom said on Saturday.
He said the local missionary groups were spreading the correct Islamic teachings and did not resort to violence and militancy.
'The (missionary) groups in the country are operating in the right way and are contributing to the good and are not linked to the JI. Do not have wrongful assumptions about these groups, which will give rise to negative perceptions. We are monitoring those groups which have links abroad and have an agenda of a violent nature,' he told reporters after presenting aid to 210 needy pupils of religious primary schools.
Jamil Khir was asked to elaborate on government measures to ensure that missionary activities in the country were not influenced by the JI movement. He said the ministry would cooperate with the Home Ministry to help prevent the JI movement from gaining a foothold and spreading its teachings in the country.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said recently that investigations showed that the JI operatives had been working independently to recruit Malaysian students to participate in the 'jihad' (holy war) abroad.
The matter came to light following the detention of 10 JI members early this year. All of them had been deported.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/20/2010 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] As women activists in Lebanon prepare a blockade-busting voyage to Israel its UN envoy has warned the world body that the Jewish state is entitled to use "all necessary force" to stop them.
In a letter to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon quoted by Israeli radio stations and Internet news sites on Saturday, Ambassador Gabriella Shalev said Israel suspected that organizers might be linked to Lebanon's Hezbollah.
"Israel reserves its right under international law to use all necessary means to prevent these ships from violating the existing naval blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip," the website of newspaper Haaretz quoted her as writing.
It appears that a small number of ships plan to depart from Lebanon and sail to the Gaza Strip which is under the control of the Hamas terrorist regime," she added.
"While those who organize this action claim that they wish to break the blockade on Gaza and to bring humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza, the true nature of the actions remains dubious."
An international furor erupted after the Israeli navy stormed a six-ship aid flotilla heading for Gaza on May 31, killing eight Turks and a Turkish-American on board. Israel said its commandos acted in self-defense after being attacked.
Following the outcry, Israel said on Thursday it was easing its land blockade of the Gaza Strip, which for the past three years has been controlled by Palestinian Hamas militants. But it said the sea blockade would continue.
A group of dozens of Lebanese women activists is planning to set sail for Gaza on a ship loaded with medical supplies in a new bid to break Israel's four-year blockade of the Palestinian territory.
The women have not yet announced a departure date but on Thursday they gathered near a shrine to the Virgin Mary in south Lebanon to pray she bless their vessel, christened "Mariam" in her honor.
"The participants are committed to making progress and our only weapons are faith in the Virgin Mary and in humanity," spokeswoman Rima Farah told AFP.
Deny Hezbollah involvement
Dozens of Christian and Muslim women gathered in prayer in a cave near Our Lady of Mantara in the town of Maghdushe, where Mary was said to have waited for Jesus while he was preaching nearby some 2,000 years ago.
The women deny Hezbollah involvement in their planned trip and the militant group itself said on Friday that it was not backing the voyage of the Mariam, because it did not want to give Israel a pretext to attack the activists.
Preparations are also underway by other pro-Palestinian activists to send an aid ship carrying educational supplies and journalists from Lebanon to Gaza.
Israel fought a deadly war with Hezbollah in the summer of 2006. The battles destroyed much of Lebanon's infrastructure and killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mainly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mainly soldiers.
Israel came under international censure over its May 31 seizure of a six-ship aid fleet bound for Gaza, in which nine Turkish activists were shot dead by naval commandos in clashes on the lead boat.
It says the blockade is essential to stop arms reaching Gaza's Hamas rulers. The group has fired thousands of rockets and mortar rounds into Israel and killed nearly 300 Israeli civilians in suicide bombings since 2000.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday warned the Beirut government that it would bear responsibility for any "violent and dangerous confrontation" with any vessel sailing to Gaza from Lebanese shores.
"You are responsible for the boats leaving your ports, which have the clear and stated intention of trying to break the naval blockade on Gaza," he said in a statement.
Last year, a Lebanese freighter which tried to deliver aid to Gaza was intercepted by Israeli warships.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/20/2010 00:00 ||
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Iran's Foreign Ministry has rejected comments attributed to it regarding Russia and China's 'yes' vote to the UN sanctions resolution against Tehran.
An informed source with the ministry dismissed on Saturday remarks by an Iranian lawmaker who was quoted as saying in a local publication that authorities in charge of Iran's foreign policy apparatus regard Moscow and Beijing's yes vote to UN Security Council Resolution 1929 as a 'well-intended' move.
"The viewpoint of the (Iranian) Foreign Ministry is what was announced in the weekly press conference of the Foreign Ministry spokesperson last week, and the words ascribed to the ministry officials are not true", the informed source told reporters.
"Form our standpoint, there is no difference between the yes votes to the illegal (UN) Security Council resolution against the interests of the Iranian nation", added the informed source.
The same source underlined the ministry expresses its protest to the move, and will take into account any action taken by other countries when it comes to mutual relations.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/20/2010 00:00 ||
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Iran's defense minister says the country's missile capability is aimed at defending the nation against any military aggression, and poses no threat to any country.
Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi's comments came in reaction to remarks by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates who had said Iran could launch "scores, even hundreds of missiles" into Europe, reported IRNA.
"Washington launches such propaganda to expand its domination over Europe, find a pretext to avoid dismantling nuclear weapons in the area and put pressure on Russia", added the top Iranian general.
Iran's defense chief also reacted to Gates's comments that Russia is 'schizophrenic' in its approach toward Iran.
"The US is trying to undermine Moscow's position by provoking regional divisions and disrupting relations among nations in the region", underlined the Iranian defense chief.
"Russia shouldn't fall for the United States' psychological warfare and deception", added Iran's defense chief.
"Experience shows the US is not interested in peace and security, nor does it respect the interests of other countries", reiterated General Vahidi.
"They (Americans) have even sacrificed their closest allies for their illegitimate interests and expansionism", he highlighted.
He also dismissed Washington's 'inept' handling of its foreign policy, and added "the policy will fuel international hatred of the US and weaken its power".
Posted by: Fred ||
06/20/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
He also dismissed Washington's 'inept' handling of its foreign policy, and added "the policy will fuel international hatred of the US and weaken its power".
When he's right, he's right.
Posted by: Formerly Dan ||
06/20/2010 16:12 Comments ||
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#2
ION WMF > CHINA'S NAVAL BUREAUS ARE REVIEWING AND MODIFYING COLD WAR SOVIET "ULANOVYSK" NUCLEAR SUPERCARRIER DESIGNS AS THE BASE FOR PLAN'S FUTURE NUCLEAR AIRCRAFT CARRIERS.
* SAME > US SHOCKED: PLAN DEPLOYINH LARGE NUMBERS OF SUBMARINES IN THE CHINA SEAS. CHINA'S DF-21C ASBMS + DH-10 LACM BALLISTIC MISSLES PRESENTLY EXTENDS PLA'S EFFEC ANTI-CARRIER STRIKE RANGE TO ALL OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN BETWEEN THE FIRST + SECOND ISLAND CHAINS.
* SAME > US DEPLOYMENT OF GMD-TMD IN EAST ASIA REGIONS WILL INDUCE CHINA'S UNCONDITIONAL EXTENSION OF ITS STRATEGIC DEFENSE LINES TO THE SECOND ISLAND CHAIN [Guam-CNMI + Micronesia/
Marshall islands + Australia]. DECLINE OF COLD WAR US SECURITY ROLES, MIL PRESENCE IN JAPAN + SOUTH KOREA BASES WILL FOSTER ROLLBACK OF US POWER TOWARDS EASTPAC, HAWAII STATE + US-CAN WEST COAST.
* SAME > CHINA COVERTLY RESISTS FORMAL DPRK-ROK INTEGRATION AND NATIONAL RE-UNIFICATION FOR FEAR OF SPARKING UPRISING AMONG EAST CHINA'S ETHNIC KOREAN MINORITY. UNIFIED KOREA MAY BECOME ANOTHER POST-1975/SAIGON "UNIFIED VIETNAM" HEADACHE FOR CHINA.
1979 Sino-Viet War > now POST-INTEGRATION/UNIFIC SINO-KOREAN WAR???
* SAME > MALAYSIAN MEDIAS: US IN LT MAY FORMALLY RE-ESTANLISH ITS MIL PRESENCE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA [1990's closure of Clark AFB + SUbic PHIL Bases]. MALAYSIA COUNTNG ON US MILITARY POWER/FORCE TO SUPPRESS + DEFEAT CHINA'S CLAIMS OF SOVEREIGNTY IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEAS.
IIRC, COMMIE DPRK + DEMOCRATIC ROK > collectively comprise roughly ONE-FOURTH-OR-SLIGHTLY-LESS THE LAND AREA OF THE FORMER "THREE KINGDOMS" OF KORYE [ancient Korea].
* SAME > WEST POINT EXPERT: US DOESN'T FEAR CHINA'S MIL MODERNIZATION AS MUCH AS IT FEARS MAOISM-LED REVOLUTIONARY/REVOL-BASED IDEALISM, CHINESE NATIONAL PRIDE, + GEOPOL/MILPOL AGGRESSIVENESS AS REFLECTED IN OFFICIAL CHINESE POLITICAL + MILITARY DOCTRINES.
IOW, Chin "flexing its muscles" at cost to US interests.
* SAME > 1950's POST-KOREAN WAR SECRET: DECLASSIFIED US CIA DOCUMENTS REVEAL THAT, IN CASE POST-ARMISTICE NORTH KOREA CHOSE TO RESUME WAR AGAIN AGZ SOUTH KOREA, THE US PLANNED IN RESPONSE TO MILITAR ATTACK NORTH KOREA + PARTS OF RED/MAOIST CHINA WID NUCLEAR WEAPONS[Jilin, Qingdao, Shenyang, +Tian, etc. Mil Regions]. US-LED NAVAL BLOCKADE OF CHINA'S WEST COASTS FROM TAIWAN, US MIL OCCUPATION OF HAINAN ISLAND.
IOW, GEN. MACARTHUR wasn't alone in wanting to use Nukes agz DPRK + Red China.
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.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Several hundred people have attended party serving sausage and wine on a Paris street after the event was banned from a different location.
