Nepali troops backed by helicopters have attacked Maoist camps in the jungles in the west of the country, as part of a new offensive against the rebels launched after the king seized power a week ago. Dozens of Maoists have been killed in the strikes on training camps and shelters near the western city of Nepalgunj, newspapers reported on Tuesday, but the army said it was still waiting for details. A senior military officer in Nepalgunj told Reuters by telephone troops were returning to the city after Monday's operation, but he did not yet have casualty figures. The army said at least three Maoists had been killed in other clashes and a soldier had been killed defusing a land mine the same day. The rebels have not commented on the latest clashes.
King Gyanendra sacked the government, suspended civil rights and seized power in what some analysts said was a move to give free rein to the army against the rebels to end a nine-year rebellion to topple the monarchy and set up a communist state. More than 11,000 people have been killed -- almost a third of that number since late 2003 when the last round of peace talks collapsed. Late on Monday, domestic and international lines began working again for the first time in a week. As phone links were restored with other parts of the country, residents said the country remained largely peaceful but people remained apprehensive. "At least 40 activists have been arrested from this area that we know of," said Tanka Khanal apprehensively , a resident of the town of Biratnagar. "Some people are going to India to escape trouble."
"We want peace," said Uday Shreshtha in Nepalgunj. "We hope whatever the king has done will take us on the path to peace. People are scared of Maoists, soldiers and the police."Â
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/08/2005
9:51:50 AM ||
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US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made no acknowledgement of Yasser Arafat's grave when she met the Palestinian Authority leadership in Ramallah on Monday before concluding a whirlwind trip to Israel and the PA.
God, I love this woman.
Unlike a long line of other leaders who paid some kind of homage to Arafat's grave at the entrance to the Mukata, when visiting PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), Rice's car simply pulled into the compound, passed the grave and Rice got out and walked into the building. On the way out, she also made no acknowledgment of the grave, unlike other leaders, like EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana who laid a wreath or British Prime Minister Tony Blair who walked by and nodded. One US official said that the question of how Rice would comport herself around the grave did not come up in preparatory meetings for the visit. "It was not an issue," he said. The PA decided not to make a fuss about the issue to avoid marring relations with the US.
Bwahahahaha!
Posted by: Steve ||
02/08/2005
9:41:38 AM ||
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#1
I don't know diplomatic protocol, but she could have at least spit on it.
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2005 9:57
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#2
Obviously she didn't have to pee at the time......
#5
Unlike a long line of other leaders who paid some kind of homage to Arafat's grave at the entrance to the Mukata, when visiting PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), Rice's car simply pulled into the compound, passed the grave and Rice got out and walked into the building.
#7
I HAVE NEVER BEEN PROUDER TO BE AN AMERICAN AT THIS POINT! Good call Doctor Rice, Arafat was a long-time terrorist and obstruction to any thing called peace. I agree with Ed that a small gesture (raised middle finger, spitting, or defecation) might have done a lot to bring closure to that chapter of U.S.-Arab relations.
#9
Flipping it the bird, spitting on it, etc., would have given Arafart some recognition. Negative recognition, but recognition nonetheless.
Better to have ignored it completely as Dr Rice did. She made a statement without doing a thing.
#10
Mojo: It's the last word in public facilities.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
02/08/2005 14:46
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#11
Dr. Rice did the right thing. Move forward, no recognition to the Arafish, who did nothing but make Paleo lives miserable and steal their money in the bargain. She is taking the high ground.
While we are discussing Dr. Rice, her approach to France and Germany is good also. Hey, we have some good things going on in Iraq. Come and be part of a good thing. What are they going to say? But NEVER NEVER allow them to profit on our backs. We do not have to advertize this. Make nice window dressing with the EU on Iran. We still make plans for the bad scenario.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/08/2005 15:51
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An Iraqi wanted by police for alleged involvement in the beheadings of people working with U.S.-led forces in Mosul has been arrested by police in the town of Tikrit, police said Tuesday. They said Khaled Zakiyah was captured while visiting relatives in Tikrit, 110 miles north of Baghdad.
"Hi, Mom! I'm home!"
"Stick 'em up!"
Dozens of Iraqi soldiers, police and contractors have been killed in Mosul over the last few months, many by beheading. In a statement, the Iraqi government said another suspected insurgent, Basher Mutar al-Tikriti, had been captured in Sharqat, northern Iraq, on Jan. 13. A government statement said Tikriti was a relative of Saddam Hussein and was suspected of supporting and sheltering members of Saddam's regime, including Saddam's son Qusay, after the U.S.-led invasion. It said Tikriti was also suspected of financing insurgents and providing them with weapons.
This article starring:
BASHER MUTAR AL TIKRITI
Iraqi Insurgency
KHALED ZAKIYAH
Iraqi Insurgency
Posted by: Steve ||
02/08/2005
9:27:37 AM ||
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#1
hope his detainment is informationally productive, short in time, and extremely painful. Make him whimper and cry like a little girl on Iraqi TV, then kill him
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/08/2005 10:20
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#2
Frank, Iraq is a rule-of-law democracy now. So...Make him whimper and cry like a little girl on Iraqi TV, let him be convicted by a jury as the result of a proper trial... then kill him
#6
"...was captured while visiting relatives in Tikrit..."
See, this is why I never visit my relatives.
Posted by: Matt ||
02/08/2005 12:12
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#7
The main point is that the Iraqi authorities have him and they will deal with him, per their customs. Our job is to make sure that there are no New Yawk Lawyuhs advising the Iraqi government. And Ramsey Clark is not welcome there, either.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/08/2005 13:10
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#8
What are the chances that he's totally innocent, but such a pain in the ass that his relatives dropped a dime on him because they just couldn't bear the thought of having to put up with him visiting for a month?
#9
What are the chances that he's totally innocent, but such a pain in the ass that his relatives dropped a dime on him because they just couldn't bear the thought of having to put up with him visiting for a month?
#11
What are the chances that he's totally innocent, but such a pain in the ass that his relatives dropped a dime on him because they just couldn't bear the thought of having to put up with him visiting for a month?
I don't know.
But while we're extracting death as slowly and painfully as possible from Mr.Tikriti, lets put Ramsey Clarke through the same drill except much more slowly and much more painfully!!
#12
I wonder how the Iraqis will handle their big backlog of jailed murderers and bombers, including Saddam and his generals. Will there be a series of trials followed by one big mass execution? How about a mass trial followed by executions spread out over time climaxing with a sprung trap for Saddam? Some how I don't see a lot of life or time served sentences being handed out.
Posted by: Billy Hank ||
02/08/2005 20:04
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A lieutenant has been disciplined after using an Army helicopter to deliver a pizza to his girlfriend. The incident on 25 January saw the unnamed officer divert from a routine training flight over Stanford, Norfolk, to take the fast food. The Ministry of Defence refused to name the officer, from 659 Squadron, or divulge how he was punished. A spokesman said: "The chain of command doesn't condone these sorts of actions. The individuals have been disciplined."
The lieutenant may be delivering pizza for a living now.
He added: "During a routine low-level training sortie, somebody decided it would be an opportunity to use it for a delivery." The extra cost caused by the diversion is not known. The pizza was understood to have been delivered to a female officer cadet at an Army range at Thetford, Norfolk.
I guess we all know what kind of tip our young lieutant was hoping for.
The Ministry of Defence spokesman did not confirm what toppings were on the pizza.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/08/2005
9:20:23 AM ||
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#1
When I was an undergraduate, a recent AFROTC graduate came by one Sunday morning and visited his old frat house . . . in an F-4 Phantom. I happened to be on the sidewalk in front of the house when he went by with the afterburners lit.
I understand he spent the rest of his enlistment in non-flight status.
Posted by: Mike ||
02/08/2005 9:41
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#2
The English really mean it when they say "Delivery in 30 minutes or less."
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2005 9:45
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Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
02/08/2005 20:14
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#10
True Story: When I was stationed in Michigan in the late 70s-mid 80s, there was a XXX drive in in the little town of Mio that had an interesting policy: if you came in in a military vehicle of any kind, you got in for free, no matter how many people were in it. The owner kept a gallery of pics of the winners, the all time grand prize being TWO CH-47s with about twenty guys each aboard.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
02/08/2005 22:58
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Please tell what is the meaning of purity I know but I want to know the full description about this what is written in (Quran). Wudhu and ghusl explained.
Rasulullah (saw) said , Tahoor (to purify oneself) is half of faith. Primarily there are two categories of Hadas impurities). 1- Hadas-e-Akbar (major) 2- Hadas-e-Asghar (minor).
Hadas-e-Akbar is that impurity which requires one to make ghusl (take a bath), for example, after having a wet dream or sexual intercourse with ones wife. There are three requirements in order for the ghusl to be valid.
1. Rinse the mouth.
2. Rinse the nostrils.
3. Wet the entire body.
For more Imam hygiene tips, go to the link.
==== To be continued.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
02/08/2005
8:48:32 AM ||
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#1
Hygiene? I hope these tips are every bit as 'scientific' and clean as the recommendation that people not cover their nose/mouth area when sneezing. Apparently the great and all knowing (not)prophet mohammed didn't understand the spread of germs from sneezing and coughing. But that doesn't seem to matter since he apparently knew all about how salt water and freash water don't mix together centuries before anyone else. Incredible! I mean, who cares about devout muslims going around spreading sickness and disease and spewing snot into the air we breathe when we can see that mohammed knew so much about the behavior of water long before anyone could possible have known it?!
#3
Thus we can see the difference between a religious system set up by thoughtful, intelligent and forward looking people and one cobbled together out of the detritus of half-remembered stories and superstitions of an uneducated nomadic subsistence culture.
The Jewish laws as written in the Torah are actually quite good at keeping you healthy in a primitive society.
Posted by: Jame Retief ||
02/08/2005 11:32
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#4
And we can see a big difference between the kind of questions asked of imams and rabbis.
I have read ask a rabbi sites on the web before, but for some reason, I dunno, I have never got the impression that the questioners were overly obsessed with bodily discharges and worrying about the most obsessive minutia. Nor did I get the impression that they were ijits.
I think that there is a difference in how average Jews understand ritual purity from the way the average muslim does. There seems to be a different spirit in Judaism from where I stand anyway. While it is very important for observant Jews to observe the law as exactly as possible, nonetheless, the law and its observance seems to have a different end for them. The relationship between Jews and the God of Israel is different in spirit, a covenant relationship, a marraige, a love match and observance of the law is meant to be a vehicle to that end.
I don't presume to be teaching any Jews about this because this is something I know you already know and you probably know it better than I do. I write about it to offer contrast to what muslims believe about their relationship with God which seems much less mature and deep. Ritual purity becomes a much greater obsession with them because in islam, God's love is dependent on whether his creatures please him. If he says to be obsessed with cleanliness, then if the muslim wants God's love then he better obssess with cleanliness. They don't have the concept of a God who loves unconditionally in the sense that while he may punish those who go astray, he does not abandon those to whom he has given his promises. It is not a love relationship, or a covenant relationship with muslims and in fact in several parts of the koran and hadith it is explicitly denied as being such. The muslim conception of God is leagues more distant and remote than the Jewish vision and ritual purity must be maintained in order to appease the great deity and receive success from him in exchange. Its a transaction.
Of course among the folk, God is probably imagined to be much warmer and closer since this is the most natural conception of God among monotheists. But for any of the muslim folk who do have this warmer God in mind, they also are more casual in their observance. For those who really take islam seriously and study the sources and are strictly observant, the cold distant Awesome Terror predominates because that is the God that is derived when the whole text of the koran and hadiths are added up.
Jews on the other hand can be strictly observant and yet the warm, intimate God seems to predominate among them. Strict observance seems to result in something different. Deep study produces something wholly different. The results seem to reflect that the whole Jewish enterprise is based on mutual love between God and his people in which God promises to be with Israel unconditionally and his people promise to keep his law as an expression of their love for Him.
Does that sound about right? I'm sure there are exceptions that can be brought up and schools of thought that might be closer to the islamic way, but by and large, there is a mighty difference in spirit. It comes from the words. The words matter. The specifics matter. The details matter. I don't think its possible to reach more than a superficial resemblence while using different books, divided by gulfs of experience, culture, personality, and habits of religious study. This ask an imam page is an excellent illustration of that.
#5
I have read ask a rabbi sites on the web before, but for some reason, I dunno, I have never got the impression that the questioners were overly obsessed with bodily discharges and worrying about the most obsessive minutia
then you obviously aint read the right rabbis :) First we're notorious for arguing about obsessive minutia - you have spent much time examining any serious discussions of Jewish law. As for the discharges, i suggest you google Niddah on the web. Or Mikveh. Id really rather not discuss this with a woman in public (some Orthodox women have asked for a quasi ordination of women rabbis to cover only this sphere of the law, so they dont have to discuss it with male rabbis)
But the concern with minutae in Judaism IS spiritual - its dedicated to G-d, and is seen as an expression devotion to His word, and making His word permeate our actions and thoughts. I know MUCH less about Islam, but IIUC its at least claimed that something similar happens in Islam.
The main areas of superiority I claim for Judaism is a background thats got more capability of opening to women, and the fact that were NOT proselytizers, which means an entirely different approach to the G-d and the human race. (I would say some things about pluralism and rationalism, except that Judaism hasnt ALWAYS been for those things, nor Islam ALWAYS against, and im not sure how much of that is intrinsic and how much is historical accident). Its NOT that we're less concerned with minutae (Im speaking of traditional Judaism here, not Reform)
To kasher china, earthenware, porcelain, corningware, corrella, pyrex, duralex enamel, and glazed stoneware, put in a self-cleaning oven for a full cycle. Replacing with new dishes might be the best solution as intense heat may damage dishes.
Valuable porcelain dishes which have not been used for one year may be kashered, with a rabbi's permission, by dipping in boiling water 3 times.
Glassware used for cold, or for tea and coffee, may be kashered by soaking in room temperature water for 72 hours, changing the water every 24 hours. "
This is a simple approach. And i would note it takes an Orthodox POV. The Conservative Rabbinate considers Pyrex to be as easily kashered as Glassware, IIUC. ;)
#7
In Islam the Mullahs can and do dictate EVERY aspect of muslim life with the threat of death hanging over every "disobediance". Being on the outside looking in, it doesn't seem to me the Rabbis go to the extreme the Mullahs do. In Islam God has enemies. In Judaism and Christianity God loves everyone. In Both Judaism and Christianity personal choice and personal responsibility for one's actions are paramount. In Islam everything that happens is God's Will so therefore the individual is not personally responsible for what he does. This may be a simplistic view but then again I am a simple person.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/08/2005 16:27
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#8
There is a difference in the question one asks a Rabbi.
I asked a Rabbi if I should purchase a 1911A1 or a Browning HighPower. He told me the 1911A1 was a better thing to have if needed. I trusted in his good judgement and bought a 1911A1.
#9
Both Judaism and Christianity personal choice and personal responsibility for one's actions are paramount. In Islam everything that happens is God's Will so therefore the individual is not personally responsible for what he does.
Theres actually a Jewish prayer that asks G-d to scatter his enemies.
For ex, I think youd be hard pressed to find a rabbi who would deny that Hitler was an enemy of G-d. But its not whole groups of unbelievers, youre right.
#11
yah, well, my rabbi is a dedicated Cubs fan, so I dont know Id want to take his judgement about anything secular I wasnt sure we he was well versed in ;)
#14
Please tell what is the meaning of purity I know but I want to know the full description about this what is written in (Quran). Wudhu and ghusl explained.
Explanation (Johnny Carson in his turban):
Quit being such a putz asking God about what is pure and impure. If you are that distressed about sexual fluids, go see a shrink.
#15
Hadas-e-Akbar is that impurity which requires one to make ghusl (take a bath), for example, after having a wet dream or sexual intercourse with ones wife.
Has anyone thought to mention a change of the frickin' sheets on the bed?
#17
"After passing stool I notice some bleeding. Is this blood napaak."
-I wish I could make stuff up this good. If you need an organized religion just to tell you how to wipe your own ass then your already phuked in my book. What's so amusing about this is people actually give up their God given reason and self confidence to be replaced by fear and self doubt. Prolly why I think I'm becoming a deist more and more each day.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/08/2005 19:17
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#19
hmmm. wonderin if any yas saw thisn one:
Is Osamah bin Laden is really a hero of Islamic Ummah? Do Taliban government of Afghanistan done right by demolishing the Buddah statues?
1. Usama ibn Laden is a practising Muslim, and thus, our brother in Islam.
He has made many sacrifices for the Deen, in particular, the Jihaad of
Afghanistan. While we respect him for this, we do not raise any person to
any position, except that which Allah Ta'ala wishes.
2. He himself has denied involvement. Why should we then doubt him? Even if
a billion Kuffaar say the opposite, the word of a single practising Muslim
is more acceptable to us.
3. It was an Islamic duty for the Taliban to have destroyed the idols.
#20
does he hunt SPOD? must be Reform, then. an observant O or C Jew cant hunt, except in unusual circumstances. You cant kill an animal for sport, and you cant eat meat that wasnt ritually slaughtered. So you can only hunt if A. youre killing a nuisance animal or B. Youre killing for something useful, but not meat for Jews to eat - you could kill for fur, or I suppose to sell meat to gentiles.
Not sure if Venison for Homeless shelters, or a gift of Venison to your gentile neighbor would count. Of course I could ask my Rabbi :)
Of course if youre talking weapons for selfdefense, thats something else.
#21
does he hunt SPOD? must be Reform, then. an observant O or C Jew cant hunt, except in unusual circumstances. You cant kill an animal for sport, and you cant eat meat that wasnt ritually slaughtered. So you can only hunt if A. youre killing a nuisance animal or B. Youre killing for something useful, but not meat for Jews to eat - you could kill for fur, or I suppose to sell meat to gentiles.
Not sure if Venison for Homeless shelters, or a gift of Venison to your gentile neighbor would count. Of course I could ask my Rabbi :)
Of course if youre talking weapons for selfdefense, thats something else.
#22
does he hunt SPOD? must be Reform, then. an observant Orthodox or Conservative member of my people cant hunt, except in unusual circumstances. You cant kill an animal for sport, and you cant eat meat that wasnt ritually slaughtered. So you can only hunt if A. youre killing a nuisance animal or B. Youre killing for something useful, but not meat for memebers of my people to eat - you could kill for fur, or I suppose to sell meat to gentiles. Not sure if Venison for Homeless shelters, or a gift of Venison to your gentile neighbor would count. Of course I could ask my Rabbi :) Of course if youre talking weapons for selfdefense, thats something else.
#23
does he hunt SPOD? must be Reform, then. an observant Orthodox or Conservative member of my people cant hunt, except in unusual circumstances. You cant kill an animal for sport, and you cant eat meat that wasnt ritually slaughtered. So you can only hunt if A. youre killing a nuisance animal or B. Youre killing for something useful, but not meat for memebers of my people to eat - you could kill for fur, or I suppose to sell meat to gentiles. Not sure if Venison for Homeless shelters, or a gift of Venison to your gentile neighbor would count. Of course I could ask my Rabbi :) Of course if youre talking weapons for selfdefense, thats something else.
Article deleted. You want attention, Crystle, find it somewhere else, but don't advertise here, or else we'll send 'Boris' your way.
Posted by: Crystal Broyles ||
02/08/2005
8:45:39 AM ||
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#1
Hmm.... Why does the MSM give the people who took that school in russa a pass and refuses to mention that they were all muslim (Islamics)? And also fails to mention that they bayonetted babies and took young girls off to rooms to be gang-raped?
Why did the MSM give Saddam's rape rooms, rape squads, people shreaddrs and mass graves a 'pass' while getting all hell-bent about a few idiots in a prison?
Why does the MSM refuse to have any stories about human rights abuses in Iran - wasn't a 11 year old boy whipped to death for eating during ramada?
Could it be becuse these items are comitted by... Muslim? And in the case of Sudan, Arab Muslims who are oppressing the Black muslims to take their land and because they are 'black' (with a heart like that of a donkey according to the Islamic holy scrptures)? And the MSM is giving them a free pass? When was the last time you saw the MSM go after Muslims states?
#2
Crystal, you are on the right track, but your numbers are out by an order of magnitude. Nobody knows how many have been killed in Sudan over the last twenty years but it is in the millions perhaps as high as 5 million.
I find it striking that regular coverage of Dafur started 6 months ago with '70,000 deaths' that number didn't change for months and was regulary quoted then the media stopped quoting a death figure even though its clear a lot more people have died.
If you genuinely want to solve this problem then start with the media's digraceful coverage of this issue.
#3
Will we wait and only act after hundreds of thousands more Sudanese have been killed,..
Here's a suggestion: get the EU to do something, anything, besides talk about it. After all, it's in their backyard, and we're busy at the moment. When that happens, then start talking about something that "we" can do about the problem.
#4
BAR-Let's call their bluff. We offer to supply x% of the military forces to enforce humane treatment and resettlement of black Sudanese by the Sudanese government, IN CONJUNCTION WITH X% of forces which the EU or AU can supply. Make an offer of military assistance; if the EU shies away, which Euros will no doubt do because they don't believe in military interventions, then it will become one more pony show of international concern, in which case I say, let'm get the limelight and handle it themselves.
[Crickets chirping...is anybody there?}
Posted by: AMA ||
02/08/2005 10:36
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There's not much more in the way of details at the link.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- An Indiana National Guardsman who received a Purple Heart for wounds sustained in Iraq has been charged in the death of an Iraqi citizen, the Army said Tuesday. The Iraqi died at the same time Cpl. Dustin Berg, 21, was wounded, the military said. Berg also faces charges of false swearing and the wearing of an unauthorized award. A hearing was scheduled Thursday at Fort Knox, Ky., to determine whether the case will proceed to a court-martial. The Iraqi died in November 2003 near Nippur, south of Baghdad, said Gini Sinclair, a Fort Knox public affairs officer. She declined to release further details about the case.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
02/08/2005
8:44:45 PM ||
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#1
Blinding Flash of the Obvious [BFO]. There are a number of these actions going on at the moment, getting little attention in the MSM except for the prison case which once the conviction started coming in sort of disappeared off the television. Why? Because it shows that the US military, unlike the vast majority of countries' military and UN General Assembly membership, actually does actively prosecute crimes committed by its personnel. We don't need no stinking international court to do our work or be hijacked into another anti-american circus. However, it would not serve the MSM and their loving transnationalists agenda to actually reveal that.
Purba Banglar Communist Party leader killed in gunfight with police
KUSHTIA, Feb 7:A regional leader of the outlawed Purba Banglar Communist Party (Janojudha) was killed in a gunfight between his accomplices and police at Pakcola bridge at Arla village under Daulatpur police station of Kushtia in the early hours of today, reports BSS. The leader Shaheen Mollah, 25, son of Ator Ali of Shehala village was arrested by police from his house on Monday evening, police said today.
"Evening, Shaheen, beautiful night, ain't it? You're coming with us."
They said on the basis of his confessional statement, they took him to Arla village to recover arms late last night.
Gee, I wonder what's going to happen next?
As soon as they reached the Pakcola brige area, his accomplices opened fire on police in a bid to snatch him. Police replied to the fire triggering the gunfight. Shaheen Mollah was hit by bullets from his accomplices killing him on the spot.
"Ouch, ouch, ya got me! Rosebud......"
Two police constable Najibul Ahsan and Abul Hossain were wounded during the encounter. They were admitted to hospital. One revolver and two bullets were recovered from the spot. Police said the fugitive Shaheen was wanted in a number of cases including five murders. The body of Shaheen Mollah was sent to Kushtia general hospital for autopsy.
Clash leaves 40 hurt
HABIGANJ, Feb 6 : At least 40 people, including women, were injured in a clash between two groups of people at Ramnagar village in Sadar upazila on Saturday, repots UNB. Police said there was longstanding rivalry between Surat Ali and Afsor Ali of the village over cultivating fish in Ghatia Beel (water body) and a clash ensued between their supporters over the issue on Thursday leaving five people injured.
"Get your grubby hands off my bass!"
Later, as a sequel to the incident, both the groups equipped with lethal weapons went to the beel and locked in the fierce clash on Saturday morning leaving 40 people injured, eight seriously.
"Fish Fight!!"
On information police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.
Mystery shrouds bomb blast at Nilphamari jatra
Nilphamari:The bomb blast at a jatra in remote Vabonchur village in Golmunda union in Jaldhaka upazila is still shrouded with mystery with some local people claiming that Islamist militants were behind the incident.
When things go boom, that'd be my first guess.
Police could neither arrest any of the culprits nor the victims, 12 days after the incident. Some viewers claimed earlier that some unidentified bearded persons hurled two bombs on the stage at about 2 am on January 27 when a female artiste was performing a dance.
Let's see, female "artiste" dancing seductivly, mysterious unidentified bearded persons, 2 am, explosives, yup, sounds like the turban set to me.
The performer-- Chhaya Rani-- was seriously injured. She sustained burn injury on different parts of her body, they claimed. Police visited the spot four days after the incident, but by that time, all evidences were removed. Police could not collect any splinter or any other evidence, police said. They filed a case under the Explosives Act on February 1 but could not trace her out. Some locals claimed that she is under treatment at a Rangpur hospital, others say she is hiding to evade arrest or interrogation.
Or worried about bearded men trying to finish the job
Talking to this correspondent, some people claimed that the militants had gone there in a microbus but others refuted the claim, saying the road leading to the inaccessible area is not fit for such a vehicle to ply. Chairman of Golmunda Union Parishad Mominur Rahman told Nilphamari Police Superintendent Abdullah-al-Mamun Chowdhury and newsmen that the function was not a 'Jatra' but a session of folklore song. He said he had informed Jaldhaka Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) immediately after the incident. When contacted, the Nilphamari SP rejected the claim that the attackers had gone there in a microbus because the area is inaccessible. He declined to say anything when asked whether it was an act by Islamist militants. The matter is being investigated, he said.
This article starring:
Purba Banglar Communist Party
Posted by: Steve ||
02/08/2005
8:44:26 AM ||
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In early 2003, the U.S. bought nine 62 ton D9 armored Caterpillar bulldozers into Kuwait for the Iraq campaign. The D9s, and their Israeli made armor kit, were purchased because of the Israeli success with the dozen in urban warfare against Palestinian terrorists. America had used the D9 during the 1960s in Vietnam, but after that only used the smaller (35 ton, with armor kit) D7. The D9 was not needed for urban fighting in Iraq during 2003, but was found very useful (much more so than the smaller D7) for combat engineering tasks. The D9 quickly cleared highways of debris and built temporary roads for combat vehicles. One D9 was thought to be as useful as four D7s, and there is a lot of enthusiasm among combat engineers to keep the D9s, and get more of them. In 2004, the D9s were used for combat operations in places like Fallujah.
Actual headline featured in Google News' top U.S. stories section: Gonzales confirmed: war criminal to head US Justice Department
On a somewhat related note, I received the following e-mail from Google News recently that might be of interest to other bloggers wondering what the criteria are for inclusion as Google News sources:
Hi Michelle,
Thank you for your note. We have reviewed www.michellemalkin.com but cannot include it in Google News at this time. We do not include news-related blogs or other news-related sites that are written and maintained by a single individual. Similarly, we do not include sites that do not have a formal editorial review process. We appreciate your taking the time to contact us and will log your site for consideration should our requirements change.
Regards,
The Google Team
By coincidence, reader Patsy Griffiths alerts me that Charles Johnson at the indispensable Little Green Footballs received a similar turndown from Google News:
Hi Charles,
Thank you for your note. We reviewed http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog and cannot include it in Google News at this time. We do not include sites that are purely news aggregators, and we were not able to find any stories on your site that were not from outside sources.
We will log your site for consideration should we alter our policy. Thanks again for taking the time to contact us.
Regards,
The Google Team
Glad to know I'm in good company, but as Charles points out, Google News' criteria are rather odd:
I replied, pointing out that LGF has become rather well-known for a story that was not "from an outside source"—Bush Guard Documents: Forged—and offered to give them links to numerous other original pieces we've published. Our first request received a reply in less than an hour. So far there's no response to our second request.
Note that the Google News index now searches quite a few blogs (including Power Line, Polipundit, and Wonkette) and includes other sites with, to say the least, serious credibility problems (including hard-core anarchist site Infoshop, and Justin Raimondo's paleocon antisemitic site antiwar.com). In this context, Google's reply to me seems rather odd.
Yes, and especially so when you see that LGF is excluded from Google News sources while uruknet.info, the nutball news outlet that labeled Alberto Gonzales a "war criminal" and that publishes propaganda reports from Saddam Hussein's legal team, gets top Google News headline treatment.
Something's definitely screwy. In my letter, Google News said "we do not include sites that do not have a formal editorial review process." Is the presumption that group blogs have a formal editorial review process because they are run by more than one person, but that an individual blog is incapable of satisfactory self-editing? If an individual blog does investigative reporting or publishes original documents, as LGF has done and as this blog occasionally does, is the "formal editorial review process" requirement waived?
Why is Democratic Underground a Google News source, but not LGF? Why is a blog that recycles gossip and drinking games a Google News source, but not this blog?
Got something to say about all this? Send your comments to source-suggestions@google.com
Posted by: Anonymoose ||
02/08/2005
8:26:22 AM ||
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#1
It's their inclusion of Wonkette that annoys me. She's a nothing, created out of whole cloth in order to give journalists a "safe" blogger to call upon.
Wonkette is the "Monkees" of blogging.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
02/08/2005 9:00
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Bad business RC, that means the Archies of bloggerdom are right around the corner.
#7
Lol, DB! Wonkette, the #2 skank in America, calling anyone else a skank is waay funny. Her literal butt-buddy Washingtonienne is #1, of course, in case you were wondering...
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas says he and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon have declared a truce to end four years of Middle East violence. Mr Abbas said the ceasefire, which starts immediately, would lead to a "new era of peace and hope". The announcement was made at historic talks in Egypt, the highest level since the Palestinian intifada began in 2000.
The talks are also being attended by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah. TV pictures showed Mr Abbas and Mr Sharon smiling as they shook hands across a table at the talks. The Palestinians, Mr Gissin told Reuters news agency, would effectively announce the "cessation of the... intifada". For its part, Israel would declare it would "refrain from any military action providing there would be peace and quiet on the ground", said Mr Gissin, an adviser to the Israeli prime minister. A package of measures to ease restrictions on the Palestinians would also be revealed, he said.
Saeb Erekat, also speaking to Reuters, said there would be a "mutual declaration of cessation of violence against each other". He anticipated the establishment of joint committees to oversee the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails and the phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from Palestinian areas of the West Bank.
In the Gaza Strip, Hamas spokesman Mahmoud Zahar suggested the organisation would take no decision before hearing from Mr Abbas on the outcome of the summit. "We agreed before with Mahmoud Abbas that if he succeeds to achieve our national goals, he should come back to the Palestinian factions to discuss the issue, and after that we will decide our stand," he said.
Posted by: Bulldog ||
02/08/2005
8:05:52 AM ||
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#1
Looks like our "unqualified" Secretary of State Rice has struck again. Ted Kennedy will no doubt announce that the US must immediately leave Israel and the Palestinian territories or it will cause 50,000 Americans soldiers to be killed and result in "another Vietnam Quagmire".
Posted by: Steve ||
02/08/2005 11:25
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Is it cold today in hell, Yasser?
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/08/2005 11:33
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Good for her! But she did allow herself to be photographed in front of a picture of the Fish, and that has gotten several regular posters at LGF riled up.
#5
1. I was initially skeptical about Condi as Sec of State. I must admit, shes doing well so far.
2. I would like to think Arafat is watching this, and suffering.
3. I wanted to post to LGF and ask them why israel insider no longer posts terr incidents. It relates peripherally to a side bet i had with someone there. It seems unregistered folks cant comment anymore. Theyre fairly morose over there, not surprisingly. But not as morose as the anti-Israel lefties, I think.
#6
This is only a first little baby step - almost microscopic - with thousands of giant steps necessary to follow. Although one cannot say it is meaningless, no one in America should over hype this joint declaration of a truce to end four years of Middle East violence. Rather it is an obvious opportunity to change policy.
Posted by: Rock ||
02/08/2005 16:20
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ISRAELI Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas have met for the first top-level summit between the two sides in more than four years.
The two are expected to issue a joint ceasefire declaration at the culmination of the summit hosted by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on the shores of the Red Sea.
Mr Sharon refused to have any contact with the late Palestinian Authority president Yasser Arafat, who died on November 11 and was replaced by Abbas.
Mr Sharon had earlier met Mr Mubarak for the first time at the summit.
Mr Sharon has not visited Egypt since being elected four years ago.
Mr Mubarak has visited Israel only once, for the funeral of assassinated premier Yitzhak Rabin.
Posted by: God Save The World ||
02/08/2005
6:21:18 AM ||
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INDONESIAN prosecutors have dropped plans to seek the death penalty for firebrand Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir. Instead, they will seek a jail term for the alleged terrorist leader after several key witnesses failed to testify against him.
Defence lawyers said the case against their client was weak. Prosecutors asked judges today to sentence Bashir to just eight years on terrorism charges that can be punished with execution by firing squad. The charges included inciting the bombings of nightclubs on Bali in 2002 that killed 202 people, 88 of them Australians, and the 2003 attack on Jakarta's JW Marriott hotel, which killed 12.
Chief prosecutor Salman Maryadi told the South Jakarta District court that evidence clearly showed Bashir, 66, was guilty of offences that had led to the endangering or loss of lives. "The defendant is proven guilty of carrying out terror acts as stipulated in the law ... and proven guilty of causing the fires (in the Bali blasts) which caused the deaths," he told the makeshift courtroom in a south Jakarta auditorium packed with Bashir supporters.
Bashir, dressed in a grey jacket and white skull cap sat quietly as the prosecution's submission was read out. Scores of his supporters expressed outrage at Mr Salman's request to the five presiding judges. "Prosecutors are cruel," they yelled.
One of Bashir's lawyers, Wirawan Adnan, said the request had been a token gesture after a string of high-profile witnesses either did not show or refused to testify against the defendant. That has left prosecutors relying almost solely on the testimony of bespectacled Malaysian Mohammad Nasir Abbas, who became the most senior Jemaah Islamiah leader to roll over when he testified last December that he had been sworn into JI by Bashir.
"This is just something they have come up with to save face," Mr Adnan said. "They could not go on with the death penalty charges."
Officials say Bashir was the spiritual leader of the al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah terror network blamed for a string of deadly terrorist attacks across South-East Asia. In September 2003, a court acquitted Bashir of several terrorism charges and said there was no evidence that he was the head of Jemaah Islamiah. Instead, he served 18 months for immigration violations and was re-arrested using anti-terror statutes as soon as he was released last April.
Bashir has repeatedly denied the charges against him and says he is being victimised because of western pressure and because he campaigns for strict Islamic law in Indonesia. Last week, he said Islamic militants who carried out bombings in Indonesia had been misguided. "I don't agree with the violent acts," he said.
This article starring:
ABU BAKAR BASHIR
Jemaah Islamiyah
MOHAMAD NASIR ABAS
Jemaah Islamiyah
Posted by: God Save The World ||
02/08/2005
6:20:11 AM ||
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"Nope. We've still got it. Block 14, cell 2. It ain't gettin' out..."
FORMER Guantanamo Bay detainee Mamdouh Habib will seek compensation from the New South Wales Government if he is forced to move after his home address was publicised, his lawyer said today. NSW Police Commissioner Ken Moroney denied police had released Mr Habib's address to the media after a weekend break-in at his Guildford home in western Sydney. But Mr Habib's lawyer Stephen Hopper said police had confirmed to a journalist the location of the break-in was Mr Habib's address. He said the family would first take the matter to the NSW Ombudsman. "We're going to make a formal complaint and we'll see what happens with that complaint," Mr Hopper said today.
"We shall complain to the management!"
Compensation would be sought if privacy concerns forced the Habib family to move to another location, he said. "They don't have to move," he said. "That's a decision to be taken by the family and they're considering their options."
NSW Premier Bob Carr rejected Mr Hopper's request for compensation over the disclosure of Mr Habib's address. "If there is any complaint about the police there's a forum where lawyers can take that complaint and that is the Police Integrity Commission," Mr Carr said. Asked about Mr Carr's suggestion of the PIC, Mr Hopper said: "Bob Carr's not the family's lawyer."
The Premier said he would seek advice from the police about the matter but the Government would not compensate Mr Habib. "Mr Habib's lawyers would have to fight a long battle in the court to make a case for compensation and I don't think they'll be successful," said Mr Carr. "If you opt to operate on the frontier of legal behaviour and have associations with extremist groups, your life may not be the same and you're not going to come to us and seek compensation and have us give in."
Mr Habib, who reportedly made a deal to tell his story to Channel Nine's 60 Minutes program, was held by the US as a suspected terrorist at its military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He was released without charge and returned to Australia last month, almost three years after his arrest. Prime Minister John Howard has not ruled out charges being laid against Mr Habib under Australian law. Mr Habib also has threatened to sue the federal Government for turning its back on him while he was held by the US. The police investigation into the break-in at Mr Habib's home is continuing.
This article starring:
MAMDUH HABIB
al-Qaeda
Posted by: God Save The World ||
02/08/2005
6:15:56 AM ||
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"It's not? It's not Australia? I thought it was Australia. Don't you have kangaroos and such here?... New Zealand? Really? What do they have in New Zealand?... Kiwis? And sheep? And those fruits that look like great big hairy grapes?"
Cherie Blair opened her controversial Australasian speaking tour last night with a spectacular gaffe, forgetting which country she was in. Diners at the charity event in New Zealand listened in shock as she confused them with their arch-rivals in Australia. The Prime Minister's wife, despite charging a reported £125,000 for her six-date tour of the two countries, then made the same mistake again. "Calling us Australians was the worst faux pas you can imagine - and she did it twice," said a businessman after the speech. "I don't think she benefited herself with her presentation. And it was boring. I give her a two out of 10." Cherie's brand of platitudinous, illogical and nonsensical PC mind-farting is feted by the UK's chattering Guardianista class. Count yourselves lucky you don't get to hear more of it.
British newspaper journalists were removed from the Auckland Convention Centre shortly before the half-hour speech began. [L]ater, after a dinner of prawns, rack of lamb and pistachio cheesecake, she struggled to live up to her superstar billing, according to members of the audience. "I thought Cherie was very poor," said Caroline Canning, 34, an insurance executive. "She flogged her book, and for a woman of her credentials she could have had a lot more weight and talked about her work with human rights. Instead it was all about who painted which walls in Downing Street - peripheral crap. Sharlene McDonald, 45, also an insurance executive, said: "I'd give her three out of 10. We were expecting nine out of 10." A local celebrity chef, Peta Mathias, said: "I was expecting something more intellectual. I had no idea she would be talking about the book." Mrs Blair, wearing a bright turquoise silk coat and dress, entered the conference hall alongside the prime minister, Helen Clark, to a standing ovation and the strains of a song called You Are Amazing. An amazingliability, perhaps.
Ticket sales in Auckland and the proceeds of a charity auction have already raised nearly £180,000 from Mrs Blair's New Zealand visit, without counting commercial sponsorships. It has been reported that she will receive a third of proceeds, the same proportion as the charities.
Posted by: Bulldog ||
02/08/2005
6:12:09 AM ||
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#1
Wait a minute. Mrs. Blair is allowed to accept £125,000 for speechifying while her husband is the UK Prime Minister? It seems to me she runs the risk of people paying her in order to influence her husband. Does she have plans to talk in Paris about her wonderful wall painter?
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2005 6:36
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"I was expecting something more intellectual. She arrived in Perth, Western Australia where I live today. The sound bite at the airport portrayed her as a typical witless Pom. 'The weather is really nice here.' Like she had no idea it is always hot and it never rains in the summer here. Human Rights Lawyer must be an undemanding profession.
Otherwise I am hoping that all the Iraq war supporters get re-elected. It will be a historic rejection of the left's agitprop So far Aznar is the only exception due to the special circumstances of Madrid, but I really have to stretch things to hope Blair gets re-elected
#4
Human Rights Lawyer must be an undemanding profession.
Well, duh. Half the time you just ask for money so you can "fight American imperialism" and the other half you suck off the Saudi teat while defending jihadis in court.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
02/08/2005 8:58
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A boy of four drove his mother's car on a late-night trip to a video shop. Although not tall enough to reach the accelerator, he knew how to engage the automatic gearbox. The idling engine took him slowly to the store, 400 yards from his home in Sand Lake, Michigan. It was 1.30am and the shop was closed, so the boy began driving home. Weaving about and with its headlights off, the car attracted police patrolman Sgt Jay Osga, who followed the apparently driverless vehicle. It then turned towards the boy's block of flats and hit two parked cars. When Sgt Osga switched on his police lights, the boy reversed into his car. A shocked Sgt Osga then discovered who was driving. The mother said she taught him how to drive sitting on her lap. No charges will be brought against the unnamed boy or his mother.
Posted by: Bulldog ||
02/08/2005
5:51:08 AM ||
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#1
400 yards? This is why our chillrun are getting fat!
#7
My daughter is 4 and this is just up her alley . . . never will this episode be mentioned in my home . . .
Posted by: Jame Retief ||
02/08/2005 14:06
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Walked into my grandparents house once around this age and said, "Cars go boom." Caused all kinds of excitment, lol.
Apparently I'd gotten into one and pulled it out of park, letting it roll into another just a few feet away. Good thing for me that they didn't live on a hill. :)
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
02/08/2005 15:08
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#9
Glad that you're okay LOR, 4 is a little young for a shaheen. (yes, I know, I know, they do blow up so young these days.)
Kid's do the most amazing thing's , stunt's etc.
the little guy, obviously snuck out of the house
and perhap's has ONLY a Mommy- absent father. Mom was sleeping. The car door's need to be locked
and the car keys OUT OF REACH- just like the chemical's under the sink. When I was 6 I got the chicken pox- my scalped itched so much , I grabbed my father's shaver and shaved my entire head and went to school bald for awhile!
All kid's do these types of action's/behavior's
Why sue civil?? Nobody was hurt- simply pay for damage to the car's that were hit. Case's like that CLOG THE COURT'S.
Andrea Jackson
Posted by: Andrea ||
02/08/2005 16:36
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Tony Blair will this week throw his weight behind the embattled United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, after a report castigated the UN for mismanaging billions of pounds in the oil-for-food programme for Iraq. The Prime Minister and Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, will appear alongside Mr Annan at a day-long seminar in London's Banqueting Hall on Thursday to discuss UN reforms. The joint appearance will be seen as a powerful gesture of British endorsement for Mr Annan in the face of calls from US Congressmen for him to resign because of the oil-for-food (OFF) scandal. "We fully support Kofi Annan as secretary general. The Prime Minister has made clear that the secretary general is doing a good job," said a Downing Street spokesman. Mr Blair appears to have decided that Mr Annan should be supported in trying to overhaul the UN bureaucracy along the lines suggested by a panel of "wise men" last year. This includes admitting more permanent members of the Security Council and drawing up a common definition of terrorism.
Posted by: Bulldog ||
02/08/2005
5:48:54 AM ||
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#1
"...the secretary general is doing a good job..."
Hmmmmmmm. Perhaps I do not understand the Position Description. What are a UN SecGen's duties?
1. Provide cushy positions for relatives.
2. Protect employees engaged in criminal acts.
3. Work against the USA and Israel.
4. Protect genocidal regimes.
5. Protect dictatorships.
#2
Mebbe Cherie still hasn't learned how to hum "God Save the Queen" while twirling tassels with counter-rotation for balance and wearing the French Maid outfit he likes so much. Or perhaps she can't get the hang of snapping the riding crop properly. Tony's distinctly irregular performance in Foreign Affairs (from the US POV) may be the product of, and synched with, his success and failure cycle in far more domestic affairs. Since she's out of town, I suggest the Tories kidnap him and get him properly laid. Clear the man's mind of the fog. Purely for therapeutic purposes in the interests of National Security, you understand.
Nothing else explains such a rank obvious stupid statement. Jackass.
#4
.com, there's an election coming up, and Tony has to keep the looney left happy a little while longer -- if not happy, at least off his heels. He's just tossing them a bone for now, my guess.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/08/2005 9:57
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#5
Actually keeping Kofi in charge has many advantages:
1. It embarrasses the pro UN leftists.
2. A threatened Kofi tends to make fewer anti American and anti Israeli remarks.
3. A threatened Kofi will find it harder to ignore other UN outrages.
4. Leftists are less likely to defend UN inaction in Darfur.
Mark Bowden, Wall Street JournalEFL. On building Iraq's "New Model Army."
On the 11th anniversary of the Battle of Mogadishu, which I wrote about in "Black Hawk Down," Maj. James Lechner was again fighting an urban battle, this one in Samarra, Iraq. . . . "There must be something about me and the first week in October," Maj. Lechner wrote me in an e-mail shortly after his forces helped retake the city. . . . Maj. Lechner was upbeat after the assault on Samarra: "It was very interesting and a big success," he wrote. "It was the first time an Iraqi Army unit was given its own objective to take and fought side by side with U.S. units (previously in Najaf, infantry assault units came in behind U.S. units). The story details are a combination of modern war and Aladdin." . . . But it had not been easy training the 7th Battalion to perform so well, and the main problem was not with Iraqi soldiers. These he found both in training and battle to be courageous, smart, motivated and willing to endure harsh and difficult conditions to accomplish their missions. "Given time to rehearse and tape drill, there were almost no tasks or complexity of operations the soldiers could not have performed," Maj. Lechner wrote.
No, his problem was not with foot soldiers, it was with their officers. One of the central problems with training up an Iraqi force is a military culture fostered by Saddam. The problem is not lingering loyalty to the toppled tyrant, but loyalty to the way he ran his army. Maj. Lechner noticed that the Iraqi commanders in his battalion tended to equate rank more with privilege than with responsibility. They were reluctant to stay on duty with their units for any length of time without "special passes or extended leaves," he said. The higher up the chain of command, the worse the problem. Just prior to going into action in Samarra, the Iraqi battalion commander took a leave. He didn't return until the city was secured. Up and down the officer ranks Maj. Lechner found a marked propensity to steal from their units, falsifying records, embezzling funds and even extorting money from their own men. . . .
The old Saddam-era officers were both reluctant to assume responsibility and to share authority, so they resisted American efforts to train competent Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs), the experienced sergeants who are the first line of command in today's military. Strong NCO leadership gives units in battle far greater flexibility to respond to unexpected situations and to demonstrate initiative. Under the Saddam model, authority is jealously guarded and reluctantly exercised. Decisions are passed up the chain of command by field officers unwilling to take risks. . . . It has become generally accepted wisdom that it was a mistake for the Coalition Provisional Authority to disband Saddam's army after American forces took Baghdad two years ago. If Maj. Lechner's experience is typical, then retaining the old force would have just created a whole different set of problems, and might well have further set back efforts to create a flexible, effective Iraqi army. Solving the problem in the 7th Battalion ultimately required rooting out nearly all of those officers who had served under the old regime. . . .
Posted by: Mike ||
02/08/2005
5:48:49 AM ||
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#1
As den Beste pointed out long ago, it's not Saddam's legacy but Arab militaries in general. If we get this right the world might actually see the first Arab army that can win something...
#2
Someone asked the other day what the endgame in Iran looked like. IMO it features a professional Iraqi military, in a Shiia/Kurdish run Iraq, redressing the injustices against their bretheren across the Iranian border.
#3
No brainer here. NCOs are the backbone of any army. The "strategic corporal" as we say, that 20 yr old kid that's going to have to make the tough decision that has the chance to make either a good or bad CNN moment. This is proof that we made the right call in disbanding the Iraqi army. The problem was we should've just fired all the senior SNCOs and officers and kept all the non-comm's & non-rates. We should've promoted from within that left over group based on initiative, integrity, intellect, and leadership potential. Seems we are getting on the right track now.
#4
I suspect the legacy is less Saddam's than Soviet. Literally, since the Battleship Potempkin incident, the Soviet Union was terrified of a professional NCO "class" in their military. So NCOs were a rarity, with most forward units being officers and junior enlisted. The concept was that enlisted personnel were just fairly mindless extremeties to the officers, like extra arms. Needless to say, this had myriad problems, especially in routine maitenance and normal operations in peacetime. It was exacerbated by an extreme unwillingness to tolerate initiative below flag officer rank. So a big emphasis, even in WWII, was to take out any C&C headquarters unit--which could, and many times did, neutralize a major unit for 48-72 hours, until a new commander could be sent to them. If a Soviet unit had not been ordered to engage the enemy, unless they were fired on, they would just sit there waiting for further orders, within sight of the enemy--making them a superb target for ToT artillery.
#6
Moose is on the point. When the US sent Military Assistance Groups to the former Soviet colonies of Eastern Europe, the leadership of those militaries were taken aback by the amount of authority and responsibility the Americans placed in their NCOs. The comment I recall from Afghanistan is that the Taliban fighters complained that with the Russians, all they had to do was shot the officer and the troops would retreat, but the Americans would just keep coming.
#8
Moshe Dayan was once asked what the secret of his success was and reputedly replied, "Fight Arab armies."
Even when Arabs have effective NCO corps (Jordanians in the West Bank in 1967) the corruption and incompetence of their officer corps allowed the Israelis to make relatively short work of them, even though some units fought effectively at the platoon and company level. They couldn't coordinate combined arms and between units.
When I was in IOBC, we had perhaps a dozen Arab officers there as part of some military assistance program or another. They were beyond contemptible. Once they realized how physical the training was, most field excercises miraculously began to coincide with "Islamic holy days." Tensions began to rise and the names of several of the Arabs became slang for sloth and incompetence. One of the Arabs finally lost it in the middle of a field problem: "This is fucking bullshit. In my army, private carry fucking rucksack. Officer ride in jeep. Private dig fucking hole. Not officer." Kind of sums it all up, don't it?
#9
There is absolutely a "caste" system in most, if not all, Arab armies. My brother-in-law was with the Marines who went into Kuwait in the first Gulf War. They captured a company, about 150 men, whose achilles tendons had been cut by their CO so they couldn't run then the officers skeedadled.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/08/2005 9:50
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#11
When I learned a bit about the American Armed Forces I was surprised by how differnt relations between men and officers were, respective to my experience with the French Army. NCOs didn't get half the reponsabilities and respect from officers (1) they had in America, they had little chances to become officers were limited and only for low rank (Bigeard went from private to four star general but it was the British who made him an officer while in America I know from at least two Chieffs of Staff who started as privates, Gaving being one of them), soldiers were told to obey, not think and in many ways were treated like valets.
It was not as bad as in Arab Armies: our officers ate the same meals, carried their rucksacks, worked harder than men and were expected to preceed men into battle not to trail them like Arab officers but we weren't a band of brothers.
In Napoleonic armies French officers were close to men and privates could hope to become Marshalls. I strongly believe that this was a factor in Napoeleonic victories. I strongly believe that the model of a distant French officer looking to his men with contempt, modelled after 1815, has been a major factor in the mediocre performance of post-Napoleonic French armies: people don't fight well when they think their officers would lose little sleep over useless deaths.
#12
Looking at history, the armies that have outeperfoemd all others are solid at the NCO level. Teh primary history lessons I learned were gleaned from the Germans in WW2 - their NCO corps kept them cohesive and functional far beyond any other nationality's limits. US Units "broke" sooner, but rallied far quicker due to their NCOs.
In the 80's, we tried to incorporate both elements - gaining the staying power and professional cohesion of German NCO's of WW2 and the flexibility and initiative of US NCOs in WW2, in order to take advantage of the resiliance and ingenuity of the "average" US Soldier/Marine.
It's paid off handsomely in 91 in Kuwait, in Haiti, and recently in Afghanistan and in Iraq.
If we teach the Iraqis hw to run squads and platoons well, they will have an enormous impact in the region: not only because they will be the most effective non-Israeli force native to the region, but also because the impact these NCOs will have on their society in terms of breaking social molds and the tacit "caste" system.
#13
Looking at history, the armies that have outeperfoemd all others are solid at the NCO level. Teh primary history lessons I learned were gleaned from the Germans in WW2 - their NCO corps kept them cohesive and functional far beyond any other nationality's limits. US Units "broke" sooner, but rallied far quicker due to their NCOs.
In the 80's, we tried to incorporate both elements - gaining the staying power and professional cohesion of German NCO's of WW2 and the flexibility and initiative of US NCOs in WW2, in order to take advantage of the resiliance and ingenuity of the "average" US Soldier/Marine.
It's paid off handsomely in 91 in Kuwait, in Haiti, and recently in Afghanistan and in Iraq.
If we teach the Iraqis hw to run squads and platoons well, they will have an enormous impact in the region: not only because they will be the most effective non-Israeli force native to the region, but also because the impact these NCOs will have on their society in terms of breaking social molds and the tacit "caste" system.
#14
Looking at history, the armies that have outeperfoemd all others are solid at the NCO level. Teh primary history lessons I learned were gleaned from the Germans in WW2 - their NCO corps kept them cohesive and functional far beyond any other nationality's limits. US Units "broke" sooner, but rallied far quicker due to their NCOs.
In the 80's, we tried to incorporate both elements - gaining the staying power and professional cohesion of German NCO's of WW2 and the flexibility and initiative of US NCOs in WW2, in order to take advantage of the resiliance and ingenuity of the "average" US Soldier/Marine.
It's paid off handsomely in 91 in Kuwait, in Haiti, and recently in Afghanistan and in Iraq.
If we teach the Iraqis hw to run squads and platoons well, they will have an enormous impact in the region: not only because they will be the most effective non-Israeli force native to the region, but also because the impact these NCOs will have on their society in terms of breaking social molds and the tacit "caste" system.
From the Sofia News Agency
Greek Parliament has elected Karolos Papoulias President of Greece with 279 lawmakers voting in support of his candidature. Papulias, 76, will replace Konstantinos Stefanopoulos as head of state, Greek media informed. Papulias has had close relations with PASOK's founder Andreas Papandreou. His active political career dates after his return from Germany in 1974, when the colonels' dictatorial regime was ended. In 1981 he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in PASOK's government and stayed there until 1989. When his party returns to power in 1993, Karolos Papoulias takes on again the country's top diplomatic job until 1996. Papoulias is lawyer by profession and speaks also German, Italian and French.
#2
Didn't they (PASOK party) used to have actress Melina Mercouri (Movie - Zorba the Greek) as the culture minister griping about the corrupting influence of American Levi Bluejeans on Greek culture?
The Kh55s sold to Iran and China are 3000km range cruise missiles designed for a 200 kiloton warhead. The naval version is the SS-N-21
KIEV, Ukraine - A government probe into lucrative illicit weapons sales by officials loyal to former President Leonid Kuchma has led to secret indictments or arrests of at least six arms dealers accused of selling nuclear-capable missiles to Iran and China, a high-ranking intelligence official said Friday. The deals with Moscow-allied nations — which violate international nonproliferation treaties — put pressure on Ukraine's new president to halt the country's well-established illegal arms trade as he tries to boosts ties with and join NATO and the European Union.
President Viktor Yushchenko has promised to investigate illicit weapons-dealing, including a U.S. allegation that Kuchma approved the sale of a sophisticated Kolchuga radar system to Iraq despite U.N. sanctions against Saddam Hussein's regime. Kuchma denied the allegations. Ukraine's intelligence agency, the State Security Service, launched its investigation of the case involving Iran and China on Feb. 14, 2004, during Kuchma's presidency. But the probe was not publicized until this week, when lawmaker Hrihoriy Omelchenko — a reserve colonel in the intelligence service — wrote Yushchenko asking him to pursue a full investigation. Omelchenko made his letter available to The Associated Press.
Six missiles purportedly ended up in Iran and another six allegedly went to China, although export documents known as end-user certificates recorded the final recipient of some 20 Kh-55 missiles as "Russia's Defense Ministry," according to Omelchenko's letter. He didn't say what happened to the eight other missiles. The missiles allegedly sold to Iran were unarmed, but are designed to carry 200-kiloton nuclear warheads. Western nations have accused Iran of trying to develop a nuclear weapons program, an allegation Tehran denies. China is a declared nuclear weapons state.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2005
5:21:26 AM ||
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#2
Merely a scratching of the surface. People have known for a long time the probability of these types of sales from former Soviet satellite countries. Former Soviet=MASS corruption.
Eastern Euro/Russian/Ukrainien corruption is the benchmark for corrupt dealings globally: finesse, secrecy, imagination, gall, absence of ethics, scale.
#3
These sales are the products of unrestricted greed.
The only way to stop them is by killing the dealers by assassination. When these dealers know they will die they won't be tempted to try these sales.
Taxpayers funding Washington's $20,000-per-household budget have long known they are not getting their money's worth. Farm subsidies are among the most wasteful uses of taxpayer dollars. The budget-busting $180 billion farm bill enacted before the 2002 elections not only encourages the crop overproduction that depresses crop prices and farm incomes, but also undermines trade and encourages other nations to refuse American exports.
Perhaps worst of all, farm subsidies are not distributed to the small, struggling family farmers whom lawmakers typically mention when defending these policies. Rather, most farm subsidies are distributed to large farms, agribusinesses, politicians, and celebrity "hobby farmers." This paper analyzes how Washington distributed farm subsidies in 2002 and illustrates that farm subsidies continue to represent America's largest corporate welfare program.
Snip
Higher incomes. In 1999, the average farm household earned $64,437--17 percent more than the $54,842 average for non-farmers. Incomes were even higher among the 136,000 households with annual farm sales over $250,000--and who also receive the largest subsidies. Their 1999 average income of $135,397 was two-and-a-half times the national average.2 (See Chart 1.) Farmer incomes are not only high, but also quite stable from year to year, despite agricultural market fluctuations.
Very interesting. read it all at the link. I have a small farm and I get no subsidy while Ted Turner gets millions.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/08/2005
4:44:58 PM ||
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#1
This has been going on for a long time and occurs in all developed countries for example, a cow in Norway gets a government subsidy of more than USD1,000. Why urban electorates are willing to massively subsidize affluent and frequently rich rural residents is a complete mystery to me.
EFL....guess he wants to make up for supporting Kofi Iran is a sponsor of terrorism and should realise it must not obstruct progress towards Middle East peace, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has said. His words to MPs come after President George Bush branded Iran "the world's primary state sponsor of terror". Mr Blair stressed the importance of the European Union's talks with Tehran over its nuclear activities and said it was important it fulfilled its obligations. Iran says its nuclear programme is aimed at generating electricity. "Well, the environmentalists say we're running out of oil!"
The UK premier told the House of Commons liaison committee on Tuesday he agreed with President Bush's criticisms of Iran. "It certainly does sponsor terrorism, there is no doubt about that at all," he said. "I hope very much that if we can make progress in the Middle East that Iran realises it has an obligation to help that, not hinder it."
The US has refused to rule out a military strike on Iran, but has said it will try to resolve the dispute by diplomatic means. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last week said military action was not on the agenda "at this point". Mr Blair was asked if anybody would believe him were he tell Parliament that action was needed against Iran because it had weapons of mass destruction. He replied: "I'm not saying that and, secondly, it depends what the evidence base is."
He also defended his record before the Iraq war, saying the Iraq Survey Group had reported weapons scientists had been ready to restart work. Mr Blair said it was a good sign that the US and Europe were working together on the issue. And he warned Iran and Syria that they would make a "very severe miscalculation" if they thought they could reduce the chances of an attack on themselves by allow insurgents to cross into Iraq to weaken US troops.
LONDON, England -- A Welsh rugby fan cut off his own testicles to celebrate Wales beating England at rugby, the Daily Mirror reported on Tuesday. Geoff Huish, 26, was so convinced England would win Saturday's match he told fellow drinkers at a social club, "If Wales win I'll cut my balls off," the paper said. Friends at the club in Caerphilly, south Wales, thought he was joking. But after the game Huish went home, severed his testicles with a knife, and walked 200 metres back to the bar with the testicles to show the shocked drinkers what he had done.
OK, I've been drunk in my life. But, never, ever this drunk.
Me, neither. And I can prove it.
Huish was taken to hospital where he remained in a seriously ill condition, the paper said. Police told the paper he had a history of mental problems.
Hey, at least it was over a rugby match and not soccer.
Wales's 11-9 victory over England at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff was their first home win in 12 years.
Big deal. The Red Sox didn't win a World Series for 86 years, you didn't see any of us cut our nuts off.
A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Army's right to force soldiers to serve past the dates of their enlistments, the so-called "stop loss" policy that can keep men and women in uniform during war or national emergencies. Spc. David Qualls had sought a preliminary injunction to prevent the Army from forcing him to remain on active duty, claiming his enlistment contract was misleading. He signed up for a one-year stint in the Arkansas National Guard in July 2003 but was later told he would remain on active duty in Iraq until 2005.
U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth for the District of Columbia said the enlistment contract does notify those who sign up that the government could extend their terms of service. While acknowledging minimal harm to the Army if he ordered Qualls released, Lamberth said similar claims could lead to substantial disruption and diversion of military resources. The enlistments of an estimated 7,000 active-duty soldiers have been extended under the policy, which the Army says is needed to provide experienced soldiers for battle. As many as 40,000 reserve soldiers could be ordered to stay longer. The government maintained that the enlistment contract provided that soldiers may be involuntarily ordered to active duty in case of war, national emergency or any other condition required by law, which the government contended would include extensions of existing contracts. Qualls was ordered in December to return to Iraq while Lamberth reviewed his lawsuit. In January, Qualls volunteered for another six-year stint in the Guard.
#1
The rehash the issue, under Section 8, Article I of the Constitution, Congess by its authority to make the laws of the Army and Navy enacted under Title 10 United States Code :
TITLE 10 > Subtitle A > PART II > CHAPTER 39 > para 671a.Members: service extension during war
"Unless terminated at an earlier date by the Secretary concerned, the period of active service of any member of an armed force is extended for the duration of any war in which the United States may be engaged and for six months thereafter."
#2
Also, no matter how many active years you serve the military has you for 8 years. This is pointed out at least 5 or 6 times before you swear in for the second time and become a full member of the military. They can call your ass back for 8 years after you initialy sign. While it does suck to be called back, that is what you agreed to when you signed the papers. So buck up, shut up and move out private.
It's not often that a professor tells a packed crowd at Columbia University that Edward Said was a political extremist and that faculty members in the school's Middle East studies department encourage Islamic terrorism.
Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz showed up at the intellectual home of Said, a literature professor who was a fierce critic of Israel, to rebuke Columbia's faculty and administration for tolerating an atmosphere on campus that he said promotes the hatred of Israel.
"This is the most unbalanced university that I have come across when it comes to all sides of the Middle East conflict being presented," Mr. Dershowitz told hundreds of students and a smattering of Columbia faculty members. "I have never seen a university with as much faculty silence," he said.
At a campus already divided by a controversy that has flared for months - one that pits a handful of Jewish students against some professors in the Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures department - the appearance of Mr. Dershowitz was the latest indication that the most serious crisis of President Lee Bollinger's tenure is far from over.
One of the best-known defense attorneys in the country, Mr. Dershowitz, who is 66, said he would help organize an independent committee to look into the student complaints if the faculty committee appointed by Mr. Bollinger came to a "biased" conclusion. Without mentioning names, Mr. Dershowitz said the external committee would include Nobel Prize winners.
Members of the New York City Council, too, have called for an outside investigation of the student complaints.
Drawing a few laughs, Mr. Dershowitz said the prospects of "peace in Israel itself are greater than they would be on this campus." He continued, "The kind of hatred that one hears on campuses like Columbia, and let me say especially Columbia, is a barrier to peace. They are encouraging the terrorists. They tell the terrorists you will have academic support even if you oppose the peace process."
At times he singled out for censure an assistant professor of modern Arab politics, Joseph Massad, who is accused of ordering one of his students to leave his classroom if she continued to deny Israel's alleged atrocities against Palestinian Arabs. Mr. Massad, who denies that the incident took place, is among dozens of Columbia professors who in 2003 called on the university to divest itself of financial holdings in companies that support Israel.
"Anybody who advocates for divesting only from the Jewish state ... at a time when Iraq was posing a great threat to the world, when Iran was posing great threats ... when China is oppressing million of Tibetans, when the Kurds are still denied independence and statehood, to single out only Israel for divestiture at that point in time cannot be explained by neutral political, even ideological consideration," Mr. Dershowitz said.
Mr. Massad, who argues that Israel is a racist state, has publicly urged Palestinian Arabs to continue their resistance against Israel and supports the creation of one binational state containing both Israel and the occupied territories.
"If you were a space alien from a distant planet and your spaceship landed at Columbia University, you wouldn't think necessarily that the reality is a two-state solution," Mr. Dershowitz said. "You would think there is another potential reality - the one-state solution, the secular national state of Palestine."
He said those at Columbia who advocate the end of a Jewish state as a solution to the Middle East conflict "deliberately ignore the lessons of history," adding, "I do not believe that those who advocate it genuinely believe that a one state solution would produce a secular bi-national state."
Mr. Dershowitz said he was struck by the reluctance on the part of faculty members at Columbia to demand publicly more intellectual diversity within the Middle East studies department. Such silence, he said, has turned the controversy at the university into a student-versus-teacher dispute. "Having tenure means you have no excuse for not speaking out," Mr. Dershowitz said. "I'm appalled at how many professors at Columbia University privately support Israel, and privately support many of the students, but are publicly afraid to speak out."
Mr. Dershowitz, a criminal lawyer who has in recent years become one of Israel's most visible public advocates, was invited and paid to speak by the David Project. The Boston-based group was also responsible for producing a documentary video, "Columbia Unbecoming," a compilation of student accounts of classroom experiences, that prompted Columbia last fall to launch the internal investigation into the conduct of professors of the Middle East studies department.
#2
SHALOM to Attorney Dershowitz, I have read all his book's and meet him in person. Alan has always smelled the roses, coffee to full aroma.
He is great at smelling a skunk also, which is what he has done here.
PEACE ***
Andrea
Posted by: Andrea ||
02/08/2005 17:36
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#3
Dershowitz realized sooner than almost anyone that the Left, of which he remains an enthusiastic member, has become so pathologically anti-Israel as to be antisemitic. He has been using his lofty position as a very respected Harvard Law professor to rebut, fisk and attempt to educate those who publicly expose their bigotry on the subject. This lecture at Columbia is part and parcel of his on-going effort. He has also written several useful books on the subject at the popular level -- see Amazon.com and similar sites for the titles.
#4
tw - *applause* Excellent, no - perfect explanation of Alan's recent efforts. He's nailing a lot of hides to the wall. Best of all, he weaves a den Beste style of logic box - impossible to escape. To deny to is admit being a raving moonbat moron. Keep it up, Alan, you're on a roll!
#5
Dershowitz is doing well on this issue. He is however on the wrong side of just about every other issue. I have seen him go frothy all to often. His rabid desire to grab all my guns makes this just too little and too late.
$100 million Cash-for-Favours Scandal. Schadenfreude is a shameful vice -- but I just don't like Chretien, who is related to Jacques Chiraq by marriage.
Two feuding Canadian prime ministers will this week add spice to a probe into a cash-for-favors corruption scandal which threatens the future of the minority Liberal government.
Prime Minister Paul Martin and predecessor Jean Chretien will appear before the inquiry, which is looking into how C$100 million ($80 million) in government funds was funneled to firms with close Liberal links at a time when Chretien was in power.
Voter anger over the scandal cost the Liberals their parliamentary majority in last June's election and Martin confidants fear the longer the probe continues, the less chance the Liberals will stand at the next vote.
Transport Minister Jean Lapierre, a close ally of Martin's, said over the weekend that the daily testimony was like "water torture" for the party. "It's very difficult to have a positive message when every night the reputation of (Liberal) politicians is at stake," he told the Canadian Press.
He may well have been referring to sensational headlines above the testimony of senior Chretien aide Jean Carle, who admitted last Friday he had created a false paper trail to hide one particular C$125,000 deal. "If this had been a drug deal that (the paper trail) would have been called 'money laundering'... it's the same principle, isn't it? Am I wrong?" he asked Carle. "You're not wrong," replied Carle. The inquiry started last September and is supposed to end in December 2005.
Most of the C$100 million was spent in the French-speaking province of Quebec as Ottawa mounted a public relations campaign to boost its image in the wake of a failed 1995 independence referendum.
"In Canadian terms a corruption issue doesn't get much bigger ... so the stakes for the Liberal Party are amazing," Chretien biographer Lawrence Martin told CBC television.
Chretien aides say he will try to blame bureaucrats for the scandal but those close to Martin -- who has been at odds with his arch rival since the two men ran for the leadership of the Liberals in 1990 -- said last year the former prime minister must bear some of the responsibility.
The scandal erupted on Feb. 10 last year, shortly after angry Martin supporters forced Chretien to retire early. Martin immediately set up the inquiry and said there must have been some political direction behind the scandal.
Chretien -- who sacked Martin as finance minister in June 2002 -- is scheduled to testify on Tuesday and possibly Wednesday and Martin will appear on Thursday. It will be the first time a sitting and a former Canadian prime minister have given evidence at the same inquiry.
Congressional anger with the European Union over strategic security issues is boiling over again after talk in Brussels that the EU might lift its arms embargo on China.
Lawmakers say this would put U.S. security interests directly at odds with those of the Europeans.
Sen. Jon Kyl, chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, circulated a paper last week saying that if "the EU ignores U.S. security concerns, the United States will once again be forced to reduce its reliance on collective institutions such as the EU" and the United Nations.
Should the EU lift the ban on the Beijing dictatorship, the Arizona senator added, it would force the United States "to redouble its efforts to build ad-hoc coalitions of the willing on key tests and issues in the U.S. national interest."
Kyl's use of the term "coalitions of the willing" was a reference to the Iraq war, which has pitted many European governments against the United States.
The 10-page paper came after a House resolution passed 411-3 earlier in the week deploring a possible lifting of the arms embargo, which could happen as early as June.The resolution stated, "Such a development ⊠is inherently inconsistent" with U.S. policy and "would necessitate limitations and constraints" on U.S.-European relations.
#1
Time to remind the fellows about the Alabama incident. The Alabama was a commerce raider ship built in England in the Civil War. Left England manned by English sailors and commanded by Confederate officers, to spread destruction among America's merchant marine. So effective was the Alahama and her sister ships that vast numbers of American shipping reregistered under the English flag. It would take a world war to reverse that effect. The American government sought redress of this destruction. Of course the English government refused to pay for their part in the affair. Until - a confrontation arose with France later in the century. The American government then pointed out that if the English held that their participation was legitimate in the Alabama affair, then the entire east coast ship building capability and manpower would be available to their pending opponent. The matter was resolved. If the French and Germans would like to become the merchants of death with the Chinese, there can be an opportunity in the future for the Americans to sell the finest military equipment on the planet to someone who is not as tolerant of French or German whines as we are.
#3
Time to find out who the 3 @$$h@t$ are who voted against it. Lemme wager that one is Barbara Lee.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
02/08/2005 17:11
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I am glad that Sen. Kyl is bringing this to the forefront. I am also heartened that the House resolution passed 411 to 3. I wonder who the three were that voted against it, and why. 16 years after Tianamen square, things have not changed for people under the Chicoms. The EU is hurtin' for funds because of the loss of market from Saddam.
PS4664, your comment is right on. There is a serious price to be paid for selling out one's allies and oneself for some silver.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/08/2005 17:14
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#5
uh, but PS, we're not currently at war with China.
#6
And yet, here we are, hat in hand, on bended knee, supplicants to European favor this week. Our move is either delectably dishonest or disgustingly submissive.
#7
HR 57 - the three nays : McKinney (of course), Oberstar, and Paul
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/08/2005 17:26
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#8
condi aint on no bended knee. Shes trying to reconcile based on shared interests, which is perfectly right. Theres a middle ground between submission and hostility.
#13
Obviously we're not at war w/China. I think the Taiwan equation comes into play anytime anyone wants to give the Chicoms any new toys that we may have to find a counter measure for. Hence, it's a security concern and the French et al know it.
#15
Jarhead-I usually like what you have to say, so maybe I am off base here. I just wonder how long a list those "common interests" make, and whether that list isn't trumped by declared intent by certain EU members to see the US weakened. This is one sure way of doing it, and seems to follow the European model of heading down a dangerous road with no Plan B.
#17
The great powers have always armed native potentates. None of this shiny new weaponry prevented any of the great powers from beating the natives, though. We will simply have to spend more on defense, and not sell it to the Europeans. That will hit them where it hurts - in their pocketbooks. Is there anyone who thinks we can't beat the EU in an arms race? Dismantling NATO might be another useful step.
#18
There is a serious price to be paid for selling out one's allies and oneself for some silver.
But wait! I thought *we* were the money-grubbing capitalist warmongers eager to sell our grandmothers for a coin. What a topsy-turvey world!
Of course, the EU knows it can get away with this because it will not be them cleaning up the mess when push comes to shove. Same with selling nuke tech to the Iranians. Same with Saddam. At least Oil For Food sounded noble.
I'm not sure if I said something in the past about "common interests" or if that was LH. For my part I think we have legit serious concerns about chicoms getting more EU technology because of the Taiwan situation. I think that's obvious. I feel that you're quite correct, the French/German govts know this and are playing on it because one, they need the capital & two, it may be a way of snubbing us. Like you said about no plan b, if we get into a possible conflict w/china, that would be disasterous for the world economy imho. I don't know if the EU is looking fifty years down the road by doing this. In the mean time, France for her part has made numerous assertions about counter weighing the U.S. A typical Allie in my thought might think such a thing but to openly make that statement brings a latent hostility to the discourse. I think that's the way many Americans read that as well.
My political thought is that countries never really have friends, they have interests, when those interests are shared by other countries alliances can be made.
#21
Zhang-Isn't that an ironic reversal of what we did to the Soviet Union? Only this time, WE would be the ones spending ever-increasing amounts of money in an attempt to outrun another country's military capabilities? Is there a tipping point, economically, beyond which that won't be feasible for the US? Just asking...
If it played out that way, there would be a second irony. Indirectly, Europe would have actually brought Bin Laden's fondest wish to fruition: destruction of the US through economic means.
#22
Is there anyone who thinks we can't beat the EU in an arms race?
That depends. If the arms race is being financed by China using surplus dollars to pay the Euros [Germans are not shabby technologists or arms makers, as I recall] for technology they can then pirate or mass produce with low cost labor while we fail to resolve the Social Secuirty issue, it could become interesting.
I could see Pat Buchannan gaining a larger following.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
02/08/2005 18:18
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#23
This is a tacit admission that the US sees China as its #1 potential enemy. And this is official notice to Europe that they had better be DAMN careful which side of this potential conflict they pick. Trying to play the middleman, like they did with supplying arms and permitting smuggling with Iraq is no longer acceptable. This could literally destroy most of the major internationalist organizations, such as the UN, NATO, the WTO, and any number of economic, military and political organizations. It even begs the question: Are you declaring your alliegence to China against the US?
#24
I've been hoping that the EU would come to its senses over this - looks like it's not going to happen.
The consequences of lifting the embargo - for what, 20-30 billion dollars worth of arms sales? - so completely outweighs the benefits that you have to wonder if they're sane.
So long as it kills internationalist organisations, that's fine with me, as the Coalition of the Willing is working, and I agree with Jarhead - countries have interests, not friends.
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
02/08/2005 18:36
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#25
It seems to me there is a concerted effort in certain European Governments to undermine the U.S. I think they want to return to a time when Europe called all the shots worldwide. This is a way for them to play the role of the the person in the schoolyard who was always trying to pit the 2 strongest ones against each other so he could come out on top. They can't challenge the U.S. directly so they do it through their proxy, China. This is a very dangerous game because the proxy may become strong enough to turn on it's handlers.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/08/2005 19:01
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#27
J187: Zhang-Isn't that an ironic reversal of what we did to the Soviet Union? Only this time, WE would be the ones spending ever-increasing amounts of money in an attempt to outrun another country's military capabilities? Is there a tipping point, economically, beyond which that won't be feasible for the US? Just asking...
If it played out that way, there would be a second irony. Indirectly, Europe would have actually brought Bin Laden's fondest wish to fruition: destruction of the US through economic means.
The Soviet Union was spending about a third of its economy on defense. The rest of the economy was being run into the ground by Party apparatchiks convinced that the Party knew best. Great talents were imprisoned, sent to Siberia or shot for not being politically-correct. (That is the traditional meaning of politically-correct - anyone who deviated from the Party line was putting himself in danger of physical harm up to and including death). Ultimately, the Soviet Union fell, not because of it spent too much on defense, but because its economy fell apart. Spending too much on defense merely accelerated that collapse. Thanks to Reagan's efforts, the Russian empire did not get the breathing space necessary to reconstitute itself as a capitalist dictatorship, unlike China. Russia fell apart, and is no longer a great power except for its nukes. And once the missile defense system becomes comprehensive, any Russian pretensions to superpower status will effectively have vanished.
We spent 50% of our GDP on defense annually for four years while fighting WWII - outproducing friends and enemies combined. We are spending about 4% today, and have a vigorous non-government run private sector that can sustain much larger defense expenditures. At the height of the Cold War, we spent about 8%. There's no way the EU can outspend us - we have a bigger, stronger and more dynamic economy than theirs.
#29
Well fuck them -- yeah, I know this sounds like "my country right or wrong," laugh it up -- but does anyone see a good counter to this? And I don't mean Zenster-level either ... I mean something that could actually be done. :P
#30
Ron Paul is a nut, first-class, clueless, not evil like the Lefty Dems, just lives on a different planet, and is best ignored. This is why I stayed Republican and did not join the Libertarians. Totally naive on foreign policy.
The rumor is that, because he is such a space case, the Saturn moon Titan has petitioned to become part of his district in Texas. The residents there consider we owe them since we landed a probe there, and made a mess of a favored recreation spot... {facetious snicker}
He is also the only Republican who voted against congratulating the Iraqis on their election...
Hs was the ONLY MEMBER OF CONGRESS who didn't congratulate Yushchenko on winning the Ukraine presidency. Even the leftie nutcases like McKinney voted for that one...
#31
This is a very dangerous game for the Euros to play, but I think their greed will not let them do otherwise. We have to look at what technology they actually sell. Will it be super-quiet coastal subs that threaten our carrier operations near Taiwan? Will it be aircraft that we can blow out of the sky with our currently superior craft? Tanks? SAM's? I guess other than the subs I am not overly concerned by any of this. If the Chicoms get the Eurofighter, the F-22 will blow it out of the sky. If they get the Leapord or Challenger II tank, I will put my money on the Abrams, A-10 and Apache. One other thing is that, at some point, this is going to piss off the Russians too. Then Europe might really be squeezed.
#32
One other thing is that, at some point, this is going to piss off the Russians too.
You got it Remoteman...
Tsar Vlad I will get a might testy about any sino-European deals...
I think W & his team should keep an eye on this point and play it to our advantage...
#34
MD: That depends. If the arms race is being financed by China using surplus dollars to pay the Euros [Germans are not shabby technologists or arms makers, as I recall] for technology they can then pirate or mass produce with low cost labor while we fail to resolve the Social Secuirty issue, it could become interesting.
The gains for the EU will be limited. The Chinese will use the EU as a bargaining chip against Russia. Note that Russia makes pretty good stuff, but has been reluctant to hand over the production technology to China. Once the EU agrees to sell stuff to China, Chinese leaders will pressure Russia to hand over the production technology as a condition of buying arms from Russia. I see China getting stronger and making more arms indigenously using Russian and EU technology, but the likelihood is that both parties will end up selling at or below cost and transferring their production to China. (The Chinese drive a very, very hard bargain). And in time, China will end up pushing the EU and Russia out of the low end of their traditional markets. I don't think this is really such a big deal - the EU is going to regret opening this Pandora's box.
#35
I was over at the OECD site. Could it just be naked economic motivation on the part of the Euros? With the Euro becoming more expensive, the EU 15 are now running a (admittedly tiny) trade deficit (as of Oct 2004). Internal markets are shrinking due to depopulation. Germany is running a surplus, but has record unemployment -- reunification is still hurting them. I think that they're more desperate than we know.
#36
Remoteman: This is a very dangerous game for the Euros to play, but I think their greed will not let them do otherwise. We have to look at what technology they actually sell. Will it be super-quiet coastal subs that threaten our carrier operations near Taiwan? Will it be aircraft that we can blow out of the sky with our currently superior craft? Tanks? SAM's? I guess other than the subs I am not overly concerned by any of this. If the Chicoms get the Eurofighter, the F-22 will blow it out of the sky. If they get the Leapord or Challenger II tank, I will put my money on the Abrams, A-10 and Apache. One other thing is that, at some point, this is going to piss off the Russians too. Then Europe might really be squeezed.
This is a setback in the sense that we'll have to spend more money on weaponry. I suspect we're going to have to ramp up defense expenditures to about 6% to deal with it. I'm putting my money on China as the new Russia, in terms of the conventional arms rival to beat. Once the Euros and the Russians start fighting each other over to build armaments plants in China, you are going to see a China that is the new weapons exporter to reckon with. From then on, it won't just be mortars, RPG's and AK's. The Euros are going to regret this, big time.
#37
11A5S: I was over at the OECD site. Could it just be naked economic motivation on the part of the Euros? With the Euro becoming more expensive, the EU 15 are now running a (admittedly tiny) trade deficit (as of Oct 2004). Internal markets are shrinking due to depopulation. Germany is running a surplus, but has record unemployment -- reunification is still hurting them. I think that they're more desperate than we know.
Trade surpluses don't mean a thing. We were running huge trade surpluses during the 50's and the 60's, and the European economies were growing faster than ours. The Japanese economy is running big trade surpluses, and its economy has been on hold for the better part of 20 years. For many developed economies, a trade surplus is an indication that the domestic economy is doing so badly that consumers don't feel confident enough to spend any money.
Posted by: john ||
02/08/2005 20:30
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#39
Welcome to the Big Show, Condi!
Posted by: john ||
02/08/2005 20:31
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#40
ZF, you are absolutely right that the EU is going to set up their own competition. If the Russians play the same game, they will too. The current and projected Chinese manufacturing capability is being ignored by both. Once they get the local production capability, watch out. And yes, we will have to retain/build the capability to deal with massed conventional arms. This will have to be done in combination with our focus on asymetrical warfare/nation building.
#41
My take, based on things I've read here and there, is that China is struggling internally, and the struggle will only get worse, in several dimensions:
1. Demographics: Because the one-child thingy followed hard on Mao's original call for large families, there is a huge baby boom type bump in population that soon will have to be supported in its old age by a much smaller number of spoiled "little emperors" and "princesses". And following hard on that is the multi-million deficit of females, which means lots of unhappy men without the moderating influence of wife and family to care for.
2. Environment: unregulated factories polluting air, water and soil throughout the country; overuse of farmland and fertilizers causing severe erosion and wearing out the topsoil; lack of water for power and consumption (that's why they built that huge dam ... the missile magnet whose name escapes me at the moment), coupled with continued severe flooding, which destroys housing and industry, and causes further erosion of the soil.
3. Discontent: as the gross inefficiencies of the Communist economy continue to be shaken out, huge numbers of people have lost their jobs -- and there is no safety net that I am aware of. These people are, naturally enough, not very happy with their government. Separately, the hyper-successful educated class is learning to think independently along the financial/business metric, and will soon translate that -- along with technological/computer savvy -- to independent political thought. The combination of unhappy intellectuals with unhappy masses is what led to the success of Mao Tse Tung's communists in the first place -- the thought of what is to come cannot be conducive to peaceful slumber in the bedrooms of China's current rulers.
Not to mention the quiet inflation caused by the severe imbalance between exports and imports, and the increasing, and increasingly visible, gap between rich and poor... As I re-read this post, I am beginning to wonder if China will be able to survive in its current form long enough to wage the war that they are now working toward.
I hope for educated criticism of these thoughts which I've thrown out for you. Just please be gentle ... you all know my limitations are vaster than my abilities.
#43
The answer to your question, trailing wife, as to whether China will survive, from an American whose parents immigrated from Taishan:
I DAMN WELL HOPE NOT.
Posted by: Edward Yee ||
02/08/2005 21:26
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#44
The EU hopes to distract and weaken the US. They do not see the PRC as a threat to themselves.
Responses? About $0.15 of every dollar that WalMart (and all the others) sends to China goes to the PLA. The PLA is investing heavily in advanced manufacturing capabilities as well as buying foreign weapons ie. they now produce their own Su-27 and Su-30 aircraft.
We could decide that our security is more important than our cheap crap at WalMart.
We might consider 300 Pershings with the appropriate business ends to Taiwan.
Japan could be large scale nuclear in less than 12 months.
#45
Dismantling NATO might be another useful step.
Precisely what I was thinking.
Once freed of NATO obligations, we could then remove ALL U.S. military personnel and equipment from Europe; to leave them to their future, whatever that might be. The Poms would probably be worthy of support if needed, but that would be IT.
TGA, if this were to happen, you'd better get your ass over to the U.K. or over here to our shores as soon as practicably possible.
#46
MD: 1. Demographics: Because the one-child thingy followed hard on Mao's original call for large families, there is a huge baby boom type bump in population that soon will have to be supported in its old age by a much smaller number of spoiled "little emperors" and "princesses". And following hard on that is the multi-million deficit of females, which means lots of unhappy men without the moderating influence of wife and family to care for.
This is largely wishful thinking. If there's one thing that humans are good at, it's making babies. The Chinese can turn on a dime on this issue. And babies are prized in Chinese culture. If the government were to stop population control, the population will ratchet right up again. China isn't overpopulated either - its population density is one of the lowest in East Asia.
MD: 2. Environment: unregulated factories polluting air, water and soil throughout the country; overuse of farmland and fertilizers causing severe erosion and wearing out the topsoil; lack of water for power and consumption (that's why they built that huge dam ... the missile magnet whose name escapes me at the moment), coupled with continued severe flooding, which destroys housing and industry, and causes further erosion of the soil.
This is Earth-worshippers engaging in wishful thinking - that humans deserve to be punished for disrespecting Gaia. This kind of thing is easily fixable once China moves up the development scale. The same kind of thing happened in other developing countries in East Asia before they got rich enough to start protecting the environment. And this kind of thing makes a lot of sense. Who even remembers the mercury poisoning at Minamata, Japan, during the 1970's? Did that herald the complete destruction of Japan's environment? If Israel can make farmland out of the Negev Desert, China can reverse whatever damage it does in its dash to development. Northern New Jersey is full of Superfund sites where manufacturers who did not know any better dumped heavy metals in the soil (this is why New Yorkers refer to New Jersey as the Garden State with a snicker). All this handwringing is just wishful thinking.
TW: 3. Discontent: as the gross inefficiencies of the Communist economy continue to be shaken out, huge numbers of people have lost their jobs -- and there is no safety net that I am aware of. These people are, naturally enough, not very happy with their government. Separately, the hyper-successful educated class is learning to think independently along the financial/business metric, and will soon translate that -- along with technological/computer savvy -- to independent political thought. The combination of unhappy intellectuals with unhappy masses is what led to the success of Mao Tse Tung's communists in the first place -- the thought of what is to come cannot be conducive to peaceful slumber in the bedrooms of China's current rulers.
At no time in Chinese history, have safety nets been part of the existence of ordinary Chinese. Even during the full-blown Communist era, every able-bodied Chinese had to work for his rations. China doesn't have a problem with unemployment - anyone who is willing to work can find work. Some people who have had cushy jobs at state enterprises are now somewhat dissatisfied because their sinecures are no longer available. But the reality is that China has held together for over 2200 years because its administrators are skilled in applying the right mixture of coercion and compromise. The shortest-lived indigenous dynasty has lasted 200 years. I think the Communist Party is going to be around for a while, yet.
TW: Not to mention the quiet inflation caused by the severe imbalance between exports and imports, and the increasing, and increasingly visible, gap between rich and poor... As I re-read this post, I am beginning to wonder if China will be able to survive in its current form long enough to wage the war that they are now working toward.
I'm not sure what the trade surplus means for Chinese buying power, but every major exporter in East Asia has seen major increases in their buying power. The gap between rich and poor is one of those things left-wing journalists and assorted journalists harp upon in their quest to make respectable taking money from people who've earned it, and handing it to people who haven't. The reality is that revolutions are fueled by incompetent governments, not the gap between rich and poor. Throughout China's history, revolutions have been fueled by famines, not periods of prosperity, when the gap between rich and poor was at its greatest. Bottom line, I don't think we should expect China to fall apart.
It may seem that I've become much more pessimistic about China (from the standpoint of US national interests). Well - I am. I used to take the press's commentary on China as gospel. I put my knowledge of Chinese history on hold and accepted what journos reported at face value. But I've been there quite a few times in past few years. Every time I've gone, I've seen improvements in infrastructure - unflashy things that speak to local government officials that understand what economic growth requires. My feeling is that China will approach Malaysia and Thailand's per capita GDP in the next decade. Multiplied by 1.2B people, China will become a power to be reckoned with.
Severely EFL A government-appointed board of inquiry investigating the partial collapse of a Paris airport terminal [the futuristic Terminal 2E at Charles de Gaulle airport] found serious errors in construction, including concrete that had not been sufficiently reinforced. Airports of Paris, the company that operates the major airports in the capital, said it had not received a copy of the report and had no other comment. Falling glass, steel and masonry killed four travelers - two Chinese, one Czech and one Lebanese - and injured three others on May 23, 2004 when a roof collapsed in the departure hall. A preliminary report by experts released in July said that a weakness in the concrete that formed the terminal's vaulted roof may have contributed to the collapse.
#1
Make it a 30-hour work week, Jacques, it'll spread the deaths over a longer period of time, yielding a lower death rate. Might even meet EU regulations. Lessee, how many deaders does it take in what time period to qualify for "genocide"?
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom ||
02/08/2005
17:51 ||
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"Dr Nunn and her neighbours tried to protest at a planning inquiry that, other than health implications, the mast would hit property values and impact on local amenities."
Well, she's got a point there: that is one damn ugly-looking cellular tower to be located only 130 feet from your door.
The ones we have here around residential neighborhoods are disguised as Norfolk Pines. It's not a very convincing imitation if you look closely, but more than good enough to remove the eyesore factor.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
02/08/2005 20:00
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She is shown to be a calm and serious person in this article. But her Moonbat status was well evidenced in the last story where she sent through the whole litany of alleged health problems the tower was causing.
by ARTHUR CHRENKOFF, Polish emigrant, lawyer, speech writer, Austrailian blogger extraordinaire. Can also be seen at his personal blog, along with his other Roundups (Iraq, Muslim World, Europe, etc -- just keep scrolling down, and look also in the right margin for links), and at Winds of Change, along with summaries and analyses of the situation in other areas around the world of interest to the members of this fascinating group blog. Go to the home page and just keep scrolling!
Saudi Crown Prince Abdallah's Speech at the Conference
Saudi Crown Prince Abdallah bin Abd Al-Aziz gave a speech at the opening of the counter-terrorism conference. The speech aired on Channel 1 of Saudi TV on February 5, 2005. To view the clip, visit http://memritv.org/Search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=521.
Saudi Cleric Musa Al-Qarni: Spreading Islam by the Sword is, at Times, Justified
An interview with Saudi cleric Musa Al-Qarni was aired on Iqra TV on February 3, 2005. To view the clip, visit http://memritv.org/Search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=523.
Saudi Researcher Suheila Hammad: The Jews and Neo-Cons are Responsible for Terror in Saudi Arabia
Saudi journalist Suheila Hammad was interviewed on Channel 1 of Saudi TV on February 3, 2005. To view the clip, visit http://memritv.org/Search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=522.
More translations at the link.
This article starring:
MUSA AL QARNI
Learned Elders of Islam
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2005
1:49:03 AM ||
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via http://www.jihadwatch.org
The details surrounding the murder of four Coptic Christians in New Jersey are so gruesome that even the defenders of radical Muslims are getting fidgety. The Council on American-Islamic Relations went on record asking police officials to investigate the possibility that the killings were motivated by "bias."
"May God give comfort to the family and friends of the victims," the president of CAIR in New Jersey, Magdy Mahmoud, said last month. Despite CAIR's acknowledgment that bias may have played a role in the killings, Coptic Christians, including relatives of the victims, are expressing concern over the ability of law enforcement officials to investigate fully any connections between Muslim extremism and the deaths of Hossam Armanious, 47, his wife, Amal Garas, 37, and their two children, Sylvia, 15, and Monica, 8.
Family members are loath to condemn Muslim extremists for the murders, but say that the details of the killings are similar to murders perpetrated by extremists in Egypt, where Coptic Christians have been bound, gagged and had their throats slit.
Though the results of the autopsies will not be released until March 14, according to the prosecutor's report and death certificates, the preliminary causes of death are "stab wounds to the throat." I have spoken to - and had in-depth interviews with - family members, one of whom viewed the bodies at the Alvarez-Marshello Funeral Home before they were prepared and placed in closed caskets. They told me that the necks of each of the victims were "slit" across the throat. Below the slit of the parents' necks, three holes, about the size of the thumb, were "drilled" or "twisted" into the lower part of their throats. The daughters had two similar holes inflicted on their throats as well. These eyewitnesses say they have evidence of this in photographs taken of the bodies. The photos are said to be gruesome.
A statement from the Hudson county prosecutor, issued January 18, said that evidence of robbery is present in the case. It said that money was not found at the scene, that Armanious's pockets had been turned out and his wallet was emptied. A pocketbook had been emptied, the statement said, and drawers had been rifled in the home. The statement also said, however, that jewelry was present in the apartment. A computer was recovered in the children's bedroom. No signs of desecration of religious artifacts were found. No messages concerning religion were left by the actors, the statement said.
CAIR agrees with police findings that robbery is one possible motive for the crime. The group's Web site says: "Investigators are focusing on robbery as a possible motive because no money or jewels were found in the home."
But the Coptic community remains skeptical. Anies Garas, whose daughter, Amal, was among the victims, told me: "The police have vouchered all of the jewelry," he said. "None of it was taken. In fact, my daughter was still wearing a ring worth $3,500 after she was murdered." Mr. Garas says that though a small amount of money was taken, no valuables were removed from the house.
When Michael Meunier, the president of the U.S. Copts Association, met with the prosecutor last week he expressed serious concerns about the progress of the investigation. "The prosecutor told me that robbery was no longer the focus and acknowledged that this was the worst murder he has ever seen," Mr. Meunier said. "He told me he believes it was a vengeful crime."
Many Copts fear that New Jersey officials are caving in to pressure from Islamic lobby groups and the Egyptian government in order to "whitewash" this investigation. One of them, Rafique Iscandar, told me that he is fearful that investigators will discount the possibility that the murders were committed by radical Islamists who want to intimidate Christians in the United States, as they do in Egypt.
Mr. Iscandar and Hossam Armanious met in 1982 at Luxor, Egypt, where the two worked together in the construction business. They quickly became best friends. Mr. Iscandar even lived with the Armanious family for a time. "We made a lot of money together," he said. "It was easy for Hossam to hire people for construction jobs. Everyone knew and trusted him."
In 1985, Mr. Iscandar began complaining to the Egyptian authorities in Luxor about the increased oppression of Christians in Egypt. He says he spoke out about the forced conversions, the kidnapping of Coptic women by terrorist groups, the beating of Christian women and men in the streets, and the destruction of Christian properties and businesses, which he said he often witnessed.
As he became more vocal about this, Mr. Iscandar said, he received numerous death threats and was forced to go into hiding in 1987. He surfaced in Egypt for the last time in 1988 to attend his mother's funeral, where he met Armanious.
As Muslims began dominating Egyptian tourism, squeezing out Christian businessmen, thousands of Coptic Christians fled Egypt because of a diminishing livelihood and the escalating persecution. Armanious and his family also fled these conditions to settle with Mr. Iscandar in Jersey City. He worked in Mr. Iscandar's convenience store for about eight months, until he was hired by the Marriot Hotel near Princeton.
"Hossam was one of the last people to support me before I fled for my life in Egypt," Iscandar said sadly. "I was a hunted man there, but he gave me money and helped me to disappear to the U.S. He gave me my life and now he is dead."
As the perpetrators of the Armanious murders roam free, members of the Coptic community continue to live in fear of future attacks.
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2005
1:30:41 AM ||
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#1
CAIR's influence should be removed - they'll be supporting anyone arrested
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/08/2005 10:44
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... or telling them to dispose of the evidence ahead of a search warrant...
... or leave the country ahead of an arrest warrant..
If U.S. foreign policy planners were Machiavellian enough, one could be led to believe that they planned the whole affair surrounding former Pentagon golden boy Ahmed Chalabi, the man most likely to become the new prime minister of Iraq. But their track record -- and history -- has proven otherwise.
Chalabi, a long-time Iraqi exile who initially based himself in London, was at first supported by Richard Perle, a neo-conservative policy-setter.
Chalabi first came into the limelight over his debacle in Jordan in 1992, when his Petra Bank went bust leaving more than $300 million in debts. The Jordanians sentenced him in absentia, and a court in Amman found him guilty of 31 counts of embezzlement and bank fraud. He was given 22 years in hard labor. Chalabi, however, never served any time.
He was helped out of Jordan in a car provided for by Prince Hassan, the brother of then King Hussein. He made his way to London, where he survived on the monthly stipend of $340,000 allocated by the Defense Department's Defense Intelligence Agency. Chalabi claims he is innocent. He says he was framed by Saddam Hussein and King Hussein, who connived to put an end to his anti-Saddam activities. Chalabi maintains that he is in possession of documents proving his innocence.
He founded the Iraqi National Congress -- an opposition group of Iraqi exiles. Chalabi and some of his associates were at times dubbed by their critics as "the Rolex Revolutionaries" due to accusations of extravagant lifestyles.
Chalabi was instrumental in convincing the Bush administration to topple Saddam, prompting one high-ranking American official to say that anyone who can get the United States to invade Iraq on his behalf must be a "very clever politician."
But soon after the fall of the Baathist regime, Chalabi quickly fell out of favor with the Pentagon when it was alleged that he funneled sensitive documents to Iranian intelligence -- an accusation also denied by him. Last May American troops and Iraqi police stormed into his Baghdad home ransacking through his belongings as Chalabi was reported to lament, "Why, Bush? Why? Is this your freedom and democracy for Iraq?"
Since his return to Iraq following the removal of Sadddam, Chalabi had received permission to open an office in Tehran, a country he has visited a number of times. Journalists who traveled with Chalabi to Iran reported that he was received in the Islamic Republic with full honors and given the red carpet treatment -- literally.
Since his fall from favor with the U.S. administration, Chalabi, a Shiite, re-aligned himself with Iraq's most revered Shiite religious authority, the Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani. It was undoubtedly one of his smartest moves. Again, analysts remarked that if U.S. intelligence was Machiavellian enough, they would have orchestrated the whole episode. What better way to give Chalabi credibility among many Iraqis, particularly among those opposed to the U.S. occupation, than to make him appear a pariah to the United States?
Since parting ways with the Pentagon, Chalabi spent time winning favors and cultivating support with Tehran's mullahs and convinced Sistani to include him on his electoral slate.
Iraqis who voted Sunday chose a slate rather than a candidate. Given that the names of most candidates were not revealed due to security concerns, many Iraqis voted for the slate their religious leaders told them to vote for. Chalabi was the lead candidate on Sistani's slate. If Sistani's slate wins, Chalabi will most likely become the next prime minister of Iraq.
Sunday's vote was hailed as historic around the world, as indeed, it was. However, what was largely overlooked in the euphoria of "bringing democracy" to Iraq is the new geo-political reality this vote has created.
President Bush was quick to declare another mission accomplished even though it may be somewhat premature to think that democracy prevailed. The reality of Sunday's election is that it helped create the first Arab Shia state -- something Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had tried to do since the 1979 Islamic Revolution but never succeeded.
"I firmly planted the flag of liberty for all to see that the United States of America hears their concerns and believes in their aspirations," said Bush last week.
Iraq's move toward democracy should without the shadow of a doubt be applauded, and it is to be wished that it spreads to the rest of the Middle East. But anyone who has spent any time in the Middle East will counsel extreme caution and tell you that nothing ever goes according to plan.
The elections were a step in the right direction, but they also took Iraq a step closer to Iran. With any luck -- and some U.S. coaching -- the Iraqis will take a good hard look at Iran's theocratic system and shy away.
Sistani has repeatedly voiced his intention not to turn Iraq into another Islamic republic, opting instead for a more secular approach.
Nevertheless, the result of Sunday's election gives the Shiites a second foothold in the Middle East, a move that will encourage their coreligionists in nearby Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, where they constitute important -- if at times somewhat turbulent -- minorities. Shiites also comprise the majority in Lebanon, and Syria's minority Alawis, though not considered Shiites, originate from Shiism. Syria's ruling Assad family is Alawi.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005
12:59:46 AM ||
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#1
If Sistaniâs slate wins, Chalabi will most likely become the next prime minister of Iraq.
Incorrect. whoever wrote this hasnt been following Iraqi politics too closely.
#4
a move that will encourage their coreligionists in nearby Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, where they constitute important minorities. The dimwits in the media just don't get it. In the middle east ethnicity trumps religion every time. The people who will be 'encouraged' by a Shiia/Kurdish Iraq are their coethnics across the border in Iran.
If U.S. foreign policy planners were Machiavellian enough, one could be led to believe that they planned the whole affair surrounding former Pentagon golden boy Ahmed Chalabi, the man most likely to become the new prime minister of Iraq. But their track record -- and history -- has proven otherwise.
The line of trucks and cars waiting to approach this Iraqi- and U.S.-manned checkpoint on the border with Syria stretches for dozens of miles. Drivers are forced to wait days before they're allowed to pass into Iraq. And many are turned back. Most of them are men of fighting age.
A force of about 500 Iraqis patrols this area of the border. Overseen by U.S. Marines, the Iraqis call themselves the "Desert Wolves." Many are former soldiers from Saddam Hussein's regime and most are recruited from Tikrit (Saddam's hometown), Samarra and Baghdad.
They were trained in Jordan to take over for a border police force that was largely disbanded because of corruption. Acting on the orders from the interim Iraqi government, Marines stripped many of the former guards of their weapons and vehicles.
Securing these borders is a priority of Task Force NAHA, based at Camp Korean Village near the town of ar Rutbah. And at the remote Al Walid border crossing, just over two dozen Marines work with the Iraqis, overseeing their inspection of cars and trucks.
The U.S. military is also supervising a complex of 32 forts being built along the borders with Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria. The Marines move the Iraqis into them as quickly as possible, because in the past the forts have been looted and destroyed before they could be manned.
U.S. officials say the number of foreign fighters they've detained has decreased in this area. But while the order to turn back men at the al Walid checkpoint may be having some effect, military officials admit they still see evidence the Syrian-Iraqi border is being infiltrated elsewhere.
Flyovers suggest desert berms have been breached and there is evidence of "rat lines," where foreign fighters may be making their way into the country.
At one outpost in the so-called "Triangle," where Iraq's border meets Syria and Jordan, 50 Iraqis are manning a fort, still under construction. It sits so close to the border, Syrian soldiers are clearly visible, and come out to watch, as a convoy of Marines heads to the fort to check on the progress of the Iraqis. When the Marines arrive, the Iraqi commander asks for kerosene (for heating) and drinking water.
U.S. military officials admit supplying these outposts will be difficult and they're working with the Iraqi government to speed up deliveries. Logistics will continue to be a problem as more of the forts are built and manned.
Still, Capt. Abbas, the commander of this unit of Desert Wolves, says his men feel good about the job they're doing. He says they believe much of the violence in Iraq is being inflicted by foreigners. In the future, he hopes to keep those outsiders from making their way into the country undetected.
The Marines hope the border patrol forces will eventually number more than 1,200.
"But this is a start," said Marine Capt. Chris Curtin. "They understand and have demonstrated a desire to make a difference out here."
And when the Iraqis become more competent at their jobs, Curtin says that will not only protect U.S. forces fighting insurgents elsewhere in the country but will stabilize all of Iraq.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005
12:56:57 AM ||
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Of course if you're building facilities like this, you need to put in place all the associated infrastructure - roads, bridging, communications equipment, depots, etc. You know, exactly the same things you'd need to have for forward assembly areas , sort of like those we had in Kuwait just before we rolled into Iraq. And if they are in place, the amount of build up time before crossing the LD drops to hours rather than weeks.
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's father-in-law carried out a suicide bombing in the Shia holy city of Najaf that killed a leading Iraqi cleric, according to two senior Kurdish intelligence officials.
"Oh Luuuu-ccy, I got some good news and some bad news for you ..."
"Waaaahhhhhh ...."
The attack in August 2003 killed more than 85 people, including Ayatollah Muhammad Bakr al-Hakim, who led Iraq's largest Shia political party. The bombing was carried out with an explosives-laden ambulance driven by Yassin Jarad, the father of al-Zarqawi's second wife, the Kurdish officials said.
Jarad had slipped into Iraq several weeks before the bombing from the Jordanian town of Zarqa, where al-Zarqawi was born, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. At least a dozen other suicide bombers from al-Zarqawi's hometown have infiltrated Iraq over the past 18 months, the officials said.
Details of the Najaf bombing emerged in recent weeks during interrogations of three top al-Zarqawi associates captured by Iraqi and U.S. forces, the officials said. The involvement of a close al-Zarqawi relative in a major suicide attack highlights the difficulties of capturing Iraq's most wanted man. "This shows how stupid loyal the people surrounding al-Zarqawi are to him," said one of the officials. "They are clearly willing to die for him."
But the level of detail being provided to interrogators by al-Zarqawi's operatives suggests Iraqi and U.S. officials are closing in on the militant and unraveling some of his security procedures. "We are getting close to finishing off al-Zarqawi and we will get rid of him," Iraq's deputy prime minister, Barham Saleh, told a Jan. 27 news conference in Baghdad.
One of al-Zarqawi's top lieutenants, Abu Omar al-Kurdi, who was captured in a Jan. 15 raid in Baghdad, has provided detailed information about his boss' movements, hiding places and communication methods, the intelligence officials said. Two other aides arrested in January also have been providing information: Anad Mohammed Qais, a top military adviser, and Salah Suleiman Loheibi, head of al-Zarqawi's Baghdad operations.
In September or October, the Kurdish officials said, al-Zarqawi smuggled his second wife and their children from Jordan to Iraq, apparently fearing Jordanian authorities might arrest them. He also was worried about retaliation from Iraqi Shias -- especially the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the group once led by al-Hakim -- in case his father-in-law's role in the bombing became public.
Al-Zarqawi's first wife and her children were already safely hidden in Iraq, according to the officials, who noted that the movement of family members demonstrates the sophisticated level of security and logistical preparations put in place by al-Zarqawi. "He is not just making security arrangements for himself, but also for his wives and children," said one of the officials. "To me, this shows how comfortable and confident he is that he won't be captured."
So we pinch a wife or two. That'll shake him to his roots.
The officials speculated that al-Zarqawi moves around alone much of the time and keeps his two wives and children in separate hideouts. The officials said those safe houses are most likely around the northern city of Mosul or in Anbar province, a vast region that borders Jordan, Syria and Saudi Arabia. Anbar also includes the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi. "I don't think that his family members are on the run with him," one official said.
Several months after the attack, al-Zarqawi circulated an audiotape in which he praised the assassination. "God has honored us by killing al-Hakim, who was devious and treacherous and an enemy of true Muslims," al-Zarqawi said. "Let the world know that, with God's assistance, we are going to kill the heretics' imams and wipe them all out."
After al-Hakim's killing, his younger brother, Abdulaziz, assumed control of the Supreme Council. Abdulaziz al-Hakim led the main slate of Shia candidates in last week's parliamentary election.
One of the Kurdish officials said the bomb that killed the ayatollah was built by al-Kurdi, "the most lethal" of al-Zarqawi's lieutenants. The official noted that, after al-Kurdi's capture, al-Zarqawi likely changed his hideouts and communication procedures. "He is taking new precautions," the official said. "He knows that his security has been compromised."
This article starring:
ABU MUSAB AL ZARQAWI
al-Qaeda in Iraq
ABU OMAR AL KURDI
al-Qaeda in Iraq
ANAD MOHAMED QAIS
al-Qaeda in Iraq
SALAH SULEIMAN LOHEIBI
al-Qaeda in Iraq
YASIN JARAD
al-Qaeda in Iraq
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005
12:55:09 AM ||
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Helluva way to deal with in-laws you can't stand.
PARIS (AP) -- Trying to mend fences with Europe, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday "it is time to turn away from the disagreements of the past" that alienated longtime allies over the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
France was the most vocal opponent of President Bush's handling of the war with Iraq, and the new secretary of state deliberately chose Paris for the major address of her first official tour of Europe.
But Rice did not back down from Bush's pledge to spread freedom across the globe and added a challenge to Europeans.
"America stands ready to work with Europe on our common agenda and Europe must stand ready to work with America," she said in a speech at Paris's Institute of Political Studies.
Following her speech, Rice answered a series of questions, ranging from Iraq's effort to establish a democracy to the development of biological weapons. She told the students and guests that the Iraqis would now engage in a political process to form a government that was not at odds with religion.
"What we must understand there is no inherent conflict between Islam and democracy," she said.
Earlier in Rome, Rice said she is optimistic about the chances for Israel and the Palestinians to reach accommodation, in part because of a new thirst for peace throughout the Middle East. She cautioned that "there is still a long road ahead."
"There seems to be a will in the Middle East because people want to live in a different kind of Middle East," Rice said.
She had harsh words for one neighbor of Israel.
"Syria has been unhelpful in a number of ways," Rice said, adding that Syria knows it must clamp down on terrorism before relations with the United States and the rest of the world can improve.
"I would hope Syria would not want to be isolated and would not want to have bad relations with the United States. ... I would hope Syria would react in a more positive way.
"You cannot on the one hand say you want a process of peace and on the other hand support people who are determined to blow it up."
She also underscored her position that the new Palestinian leadership will need to move resolutely to control violence against Israel by its own people.
She acknowledged limitations of the Palestinian security forces that the United States will work to shore up, but said "there are places where they can act ... and they need to act where they can act."
For example, she said when the Palestinian forces arrest someone, they should hold them, when they see a bomb-making facility they should destroy it and when they see smuggling they should stop it.
Sudan refused to arrest those responsible for atrocities in Darfur, and rebels intensified attacks against police forces, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Monday.
"Nope. Nope. Ain't gonna do it!"
"Take that, coppers! Hrarrrr!"
In a six-month review of the Darfur crisis, Annan, in a report to the U.N. Security Council, said the government implemented some promised measures but ignored others and instituted a "road-clearance" project that wiped out villages in an attempt to retaliate against armed rebels. The report was issued on the eve of a Security Council meeting on Tuesday at which Ali Osman Mohammed Taha, Sudan's vice president, and John Garang, head of the main southern Sudanese rebel group, are to brief members about their landmark north-south agreement signed last month to end a two-decade old civil war. Annan said he was investigating how a planned U.N. peacekeeping mission in the South could help the African Union, which is monitoring the Darfur crisis. But he stopped short of recommending the peacekeepers go to Darfur, which would require Khartoum's permission.
On the other hand, invading Sudan, chasing the existing government out of the country, pacifying the janjaweed and instituting law and order wouldn't require Khartoum's permission.
"The last six months have seen a substantial increase in lawlessness, in particular banditry and abduction, which have dramatically increased since October," said the report. "Fighting on the ground continues, and those responsible for atrocious crimes on a passive [sic] scale go unpunished. Militias continue to attack, claiming they are not part of any agreement. The government has not stopped them."
All in good time. All the black guys aren't dead yet.
THE ABU Sayyaf warned the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) against pursuing peace talks with the government, as they vowed to press on with the fight to establish an independent Islamic state in Mindanao. "To our brothers in the MILF don't waive our nation's honor, dignity, and right even in exchange for the whole world," Abu Solaiman said in a statement he read over GMA Network's radio station dzBB. "No amount of development can pay for our homeland's illegal and immoral occupation or annexation," Solaiman, the group's spokesman, said.
Solaiman enjoined the remaining members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) to continue the struggle against "enemies of Islam." "Continue the struggle until we attain either of the two -- victory or martyrdom," Solaiman said.
I'll take "martyrdom" for $500, Alex
Peace talks between the government and the MILF are set to resume in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this February. Officials said the agenda includes the "ancestral domain" of the rebels.
They're going to bring up Saudi Arabia?
Solaiman said the "enemies of Islam" were out to sow division in the MILF, but he said this would work to the Abu Sayyaf's advantage. "They would only be successful in differentiating those within their ranks who prefer to sell their honor, dignity, and right for a measly sum from those noble and brave brothers like those in Sultan Kudarat and Maguindanao who chose to fight it out to protect Islam," he said. "The Mindanao equation has developed into a clearer picture, much to our advantage," he said. Solaiman said recent attacks on military installations in Sulu Island by Misuari supporters and Abu Sayyaf members were meant to protest the government's "treacherous ways" in dealing with the MILF.
Sounds like Abu Sayyaf is getting worried the MILF is going to sell them out.
This article starring:
ABU SOLAIMAN
ABU Sayyaf
ABU Sayyaf
Moro Islamic Liberation Front
Moro National Liberation Front
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005
12:50:35 AM ||
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âContinue the struggle until we attain either of the two -- victory or martyrdom,â Solaiman said.
Or legalized gay marriage. Whichever comes first.
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2005 9:49
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A Muslim rebellion entered its second day on the southern Philippines island of Jolo Tuesday as the toll rose to 16 dead, military officials said. Skirmishes were reported around the town of Panamao between several hundred followers of Nur Misuari, a politician and former separatist guerrilla leader, and Philippines security forces. Thirteen Marine soldiers died in one ambush in Patikul in southern Jolo on Monday after fighting erupted earlier in the day between soldiers and rebels, Lieutenant Colonel Buenaventura Pascual said.
Also on Monday another soldier was slain in fighting in Panamao while two Muslim soldiers, who were rebuilding a mosque as part of a civic project, were killed in an attack in Parang, Brigadier General Agustin Dema-ala said. Dema-ala, commander of an anti-terrorist task force based on Jolo, said there were reports of the rebels also suffering casualties.
The rebellion started when at least 400 Misuari supporters had attacked several Jolo military detachments at dawn Monday, armed with recoilless rifles and other assault weapons. Aside from the military outposts, security sources said the raiders also targeted government projects including bridges, roads, and clinics.
Military officials said they believed the Misuari faction had received help from the Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim kidnap gang based on Jolo that is on the US list of foreign terrorist organizations.
Misuari, who led a decades-old Muslim separatist rebellion in the south from the early 1970s, signed a peace pact with the government in 1996, and was later elected governor of a Muslim autonomous region in the area. But he and his followers launched a new rebellion in 2001 after the national government refused to endorse his re-election bid. The government crushed the uprising in Jolo and nearby Zamboanga city with the loss of more than 100 lives and Misuari fled to nearby Malaysia, where he was arrested and deported in early 2002. Misuari is now detained at a police camp south of Manila while on trial for rebellion.
This article starring:
NUR MISUARI
Moro National Liberation Front
Abu Sayyaf
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005
12:48:48 AM ||
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Federal troops cannot catch Shamil Basayev because he is a well-off man. The special services report that ethnic Chechen businessmen from St Petersburg to Tyumen make donations or pay tribute to him. The federals cannot buy Basayev's head even for [the bounty of] 10m dollars because Chechens do not believe a single word of theirs. And no-one in Chechnya will give a penny for the life of the informer who will have guts to do this.
Judging by his interviews to the electronic media, Basayev tries to dissociate himself from Al-Qa'idah whenever he can and says that he does not receive any centralized financial assistance from it and mainly collects money in Russia, from Chechen policemen, businessmen, from robbery and racket. Naturally, he uses different terms such as "trophies", "donations" and "protection money". Of course, one does not feel inclined to believe Basayev's words, especially the electronic ones, but what he says is generally confirmed by special service troops who operate in Chechnya.
"From the point of view of geography of his influence, Basayev is more successful than anyone else," an anonymous high-ranking counterintelligence officer, who has already been mentioned in previous articles, told me. "He used to reach Moscow and send 'producers' to St Petersburg. He does recruiting and financial work in the Diaspora of the central and European regions of Russia. His people travel to Siberia. There is a lot of money there, say in Tyumen Region which is rich in oil and gas. And there are plenty of Chechens in this business there. Basayev takes money precisely from them. Of course, he does this neither personally, nor through people from his entourage, but through a third party. I mean through relatives of Chechens who live in Chechnya but who have relatives in other regions.
Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
SHAMIL BASAIEV
Chechnya
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005
12:45:41 AM ||
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A very old data point, but Solzhenitzyn, writing of a near successful escape from the gulag, relates that his protagonist was ratted out by absolutely everyone he came across during his escape attempt _except_ the Chechens. They have a very strong clan structure and code of silence.
#2
There is a crippling double standard in the chechen sense of honor and fairness ... it will dog and damn them so long as the "he's an animal but our animal and therefore not a mere animal" sort of logic is accepted and taken to it's extremes ... the events at Breslan were criminal and heinously so ... nobody can honestly dispute that ... yet it's OK ... God help them and save them from their self proclaimed leaders and field commanders and assorted thugs/traitors/etc etc.
Isn't this a pretty public admission that they're a front?
Kavkaz Center's editors received a statement issued by the Shariah Unit of Dagestani Resistance Forces (Mujahideen). The statement says:
In the name of God, Most Compassionate, Most Gracious. Peace and blessing be to Commander of All Mujahideen Prophet Muhammad, to his family, to his disciples and to all of those who followed them in the Jihad until the Day of Judgment.
Due to the information that was being spread through Dagestani (pro-Russian) mass media, claiming that Dagestani Mujahideen (Resistance Fighters) did not suspend their war operations on the territory of the Republic of Dagestan, which allegedly is a violation of the order of Commander-In-Chief, President Aslan Maskhadov, on unilateral suspension of offensive war operations on the territories of Chechnya and Russia, The Shariah, the Congress of Islamic War Council (Jamaat) of Dagestan hereby clarifies:
The order mentions the unilateral suspension of offensive war operations only on the territories of Chechnya and Russia. No order was received about suspension of any war operations on the territory of Dagestan.
Therefore, The Shariah War Council will continue carrying out its combat operations in accordance with the ratified plan until the next appropriate order comes from Commander-In-Chief, President Maskhadov.
Meanwhile the sources of Russian invaders reported that combat clashes were going on throughout the whole day last Saturday on the outskirts of the city of Makhachkala (capital of Dagestan) in the vicinity of Mount Tarki-Tau. No details of the battle were reported, except for one commando of Russian special forces being killed and several wounded. No information has been available about casualties among Dagestani Armed Forces, against whom the military operation was allegedly being conducted.
The combats stopped in the vicinity of Tarki-Tau by Saturday evening. Sources of the Russian invaders reported that the operation against Dagestani Armed Forces was accomplished, but the armed unit of Dagestanis somehow managed to escape. (Allegedly, Mr. Muslim Makasharipov was spotted in that unit).
This article starring:
ASLAN MASKHADOV
Dagestani Resistance Forces
MUSLIM MAKASHARIPOV
Dagestani Resistance Forces
Dagestani Resistance Forces
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005
12:38:41 AM ||
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No doubt the status of Dagestan, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Karachaevo-Cherkessia is intimately tied to the issue of Chechen independence ... The North Caucasus is being less and less controlled by Moscow. The Independent Gazette (Russian name «Nezavisimaya Gazeta») writes that Islamic organizations tied to Chechen underground structures and coordinated from one center are claiming the role of power structures in the region more and more persistently. The network of war councils (Jamaats), which has now spread all across the North Caucasus, started to form after the first Russian-Chechen war. Today most of such war councils are in Dagestan, Chechnya and Ingushetia. There are a little less of them in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachaevo-Cherkessia, although their number in these republics is constantly increasing. This is why when Commander Shamil Basayev says that he moves freely across the North Caucasus, he is not being cunning, for he can find like-minded associates everywhere.
Large-scale «counterterrorist cleansings» do not have much effect in the fight against underground war councils, the newspaper says. The Independent Gazette also reminds about the recent events in Dagestani capital Makhachkala, in capital of Kabardino-Balkaria Nalchik and in the city of Nazran, Ingushetia. The newspaper reports that there is a war council headquartered in Stavropol Province, Southern Russia, as well. This is the Nogai War Council (AKA Nogai Battalion), which was formed during the first Russian-Chechen war on the order of Commander Basayev to control the prairie towns of Neftekumsk District of Stavropol Territory and neighboring Shelkovo District of Chechnya. However, the Nogai War Council has been operating not only in its home prairies lately. The Resistance Fighters have been carrying out combat raids to neighboring regions on a regular basis, just like their companions from other republics, the Independent Gazette («Nezavisimaya Gazeta») reported.
This article starring:
SHAMIL BASAIEV
Chechnya
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005
12:36:52 AM ||
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The leader of an Islamist militant gang has been detained in the autonomous Russian republic of Dagestan, Interfax news agency said Monday. The Degestani department of Russia's Federal Security Service, also known as the FSB, the Stavropol Territorial Department and the Dagestani Interior Ministry detained Islam Batsiyev, the self-styled emir of Khasavyurt Jamaat, in the village of Kachaloi in Dagestan's Babayurt district on Sunday, the Dagestani FSB department told the news agency.
This article starring:
ISLAM BATSIYEV
Khasavyurt Jamaat
Khasavyurt Jamaat
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005
12:34:18 AM ||
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The ringleaders of bandits in Chechnya plan their confederates to infiltrate the bodies of power and administration of the republic, the press release of the Regional Operational Headquarters (ROH) for controlling the counter terrorist operation in the North Caucasus, received by RIA Novosti on Monday, reads.
As the document says, a participant in the illegal armed formations gave himself up to the law-enforcement bodies the day before, and confessed hat he had been a member of a gang from May 2004.
According to the militant, in his presence several commanders of small bandit groups said that money had to come from abroad. He explained that the matter concerned, in particular, monetary assistance from an Arab country for the needs of the poorest inhabitants of Chechnya. In actual fact, this money got into the hands of the leaders of large bandit formations.
"By the information of the militant who gave himself up, it is planned to spend part of the foreign currency received on implementing the plans of the bandits' ringleaders to include their accomplices in the republic's bodies of power and administration," the document reads.
Furthermore, as it is noted in the document, the bandits intend "to move their people" into the bodies of power by means of bribes during the parliamentary elections scheduled for the end of this year.
"It also ensues from his testimony that a large group of foreign mercenaries, consisting of 30-40 bandits who underwent training at a training camp in one of Arab countries, must shortly arrive in Chechnya," the document goes on to say.
This group is now staying on the territory adjoining Chechnya, and is preparing to cross the border, the press release reads.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005
12:33:23 AM ||
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Guess what foreign Arab country that is? I think I can.
A large group of foreign mercenaries are getting ready to penetrate into Chechnya soon, a representative of the regional headquarters for the anti-terrorist campaign in the North Caucasus told Interfax on Monday. "A surrendered militant told the police about 30-40 foreign mercenaries are planning to penetrate into Chechnya," he said.
Hmmmm. Mercenaries. Furrin mercenaries. Must be from Monaco, or mebbe Iceland. Y'know those Serene San Marinans are always looking to turn a buck...
The surrendered militant was a member of an illegal armed unit acting in the Vedeno district of Chechnya. "The surrendered militant said that ringleaders had captured money sent from an Arab country to the Chechen poor. We are working to find out how the money could get into the hands of bandits," he said.
If you turn over a couple of holy men and shake 'em a bit, I bet some spare change'll fall out.
Check the sofa after they take a nap ...
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005
12:32:10 AM ||
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I'll bet they're really nice boys, prolly from the far flung Isles of Langerhan, just looking for a little excitement and led astray. Night basketball is sooo much cheaper and much more fulfilling.
#3
The Mercs are probably from the peace loving, Nato member and soon to be EU bastion of democracy commonly known as the Turkish Empire, just ask the Kurds or the Armenians.
#4
Jernigan said some of the classes were also reading the book "Because of Winn-Dixie," about a homeless dog.
"The kids love it," she said. "That is what I think motivated them that much." Those classes raised the most items, beating the classroom goal of 100 each.
Taken from http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/local/10733986.htm
looking for interesting dog books, go to http://www.dogbooks.mypetdogs.com
Pakistan has denied allegations that its disgraced nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan may have sold secrets to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other Arab countries.
"No! Certainly not!"
A Time magazine report that his secret nuclear arms network was broader than initially thought was "baseless and sensationalised", the information minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, said. A year ago Dr Khan admitted on television selling nuclear knowledge to Iran, Libya and Iraq. Since then Pakistan has insisted that his international network has been dismantled but had refused to let the International Atomic Energy Agency or foreign intelligence agencies interview him. He denied a specific allegation that 16 cylinders of uranium hexafluoride gas, a critical ingredient in producing weapons-grade uranium, were missing from the Khan Research Laboratories, which are at the heart of Pakistan's nuclear programme.
"The inventory is complete," he said, adding that there was "no way to deliver A Q Khan to anyone". The extent of Dr Khan's arms network may be raised by [Britain's] foreign secretary, Jack Straw, when he visits Islamabad next week.
Pakistan says it is conducting its own investigation of Dr Khan's network, but the US and Britain are worried that the nuclear secrets could end up with al-Qaida or other terrorists. The US ambassador in Islamabad said Pakistan had undertaken to share the results of the investigation. Pakistani nuclear analysts believe the extent of Dr Khan's network suggests that other officials were involved, hence the reluctance to let foreigners question him.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005
12:30:45 AM ||
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their national hero--a thief and a con artist--nice folks
Posted by: SON OF TOLUI ||
02/08/2005 2:27
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Iraq's interim Interior Minister Falah al-Naqib said on Monday he believed the country could establish full control of its internal security within 18 months.
But the minister said not all of Iraq's neighbours were fully cooperating in helping to seal its borders against foreign fighters seeking to join an insurgency against the U.S.-backed government, including a significant number from Sudan.
"I would say within 18 months we will be able to have ... full control of our internal security," Naqib told reporters at a counter-terrorism conference in Saudi Arabia.
"But that will depend on a couple of things -- the political situation in Iraq, and then the ministry of defence also have their own schedule," the minister added.
Naqib similarly declined to be drawn on when foreign troops might withdraw. "We have agreed that when we have been able to build up our forces and we are able to protect our country and our internal security, we will ask the foreign forces to leave Iraq," he said.
Naqib said Iraq was working with its neighbours to stop foreign fighters crossing its borders to join an insurgency which has been raging against the American-backed government and U.S.-led troops since the 2003 war that toppled Saddam Hussein.
Without naming any countries, the minister made clear that not all were fully cooperating.
"We are coordinating with neighbouring countries -- most of them, not all of them -- to work out this subject," he said. "Some are in agreement 100 percent. Some of them ... we have to work more with them."
Iraqi and U.S. officials have complained that Iran and Syria are not doing enough to seal their borders against guerrillas seeking to join the Sunni-led insurgency.
Naqib said the largest contingent of foreign fighters taking part in the insurgency was from Sudan, where al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was based for the first half of the 1990s, and were being attracted to Iraq "by money or other reasons."
"Maybe they (Sudanese) are 30 percent of the total numbers we have," the minister said.
He said Iraqi and coalition forces had captured people "very close" to al Qaeda operative Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and voiced hope they were getting closer to the Jordanian militant himself.
"He is running around the country, he is not staying in one place," the minister added.
Naqib said some foreign fighters were just turning up at points along Iraq's thousands of miles (km) of frontiers and attempting to cross, but many were working through contacts inside Iraq who knew routes for smuggling them in.
"Most of our border police stations have been destroyed during the war. We're rebuilding it and hopefully we'll be able to control our borders in a very short period of time," he said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005
12:26:24 AM ||
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Algerian anti-terrorist units killed two Islamic militants as a military offensive moved through a rebel stronghold east of the capital Algiers, state radio said today. The rebels were killed yesterday in a mountainous region of Boumerdes, near the village Gherzoual, some 60 km (40 miles) east of Algiers, the radio said. The attack came two days after security forces dismantled a GSPC bomb-making unit and killed four of its members in the Boumerdes province, according to newspaper reports.
This article starring:
GSPC
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005
12:19:54 AM ||
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Two Pakistani journalists have been killed and another injured after gunmen opened fire on their car in the tribal region near the Afghan border. A fourth journalist, working for al-Jazeera television, who was also in the car, escaped injuries. They were returning to the town of Wana, in the South Waziristan region, after covering a meeting of tribal elders, when their car was ambushed.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005
12:18:26 AM ||
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#1
Wonder if Eason Jordan has naything to say about this?
Posted by: Mike ||
02/08/2005 5:40
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#4
Welcome Indre and Mareks. I assume you are in Scott's class. You have joined this site when most people in the US are still sleeping, but activity will increase in a few hours. I hope you will take some time to read previous days posts or search on opics that interest you. Some of the posts and comments are funny, infuriating, and profane, but they are always informative. Please feel free to add any news and opinion you find interesting.
A Yemeni sheik fighting charges that he helped finance Al Qaeda once claimed that a bitter dispute had led Osama bin Laden to issue an edict, or fatwa, to kill him, an F.B.I. agent testified yesterday. But the agent, Brian Murphy, testified in Brooklyn Federal Court that the fatwa remark was made as the sheik and an aide gave accounts of their activities that the agent said included contradictions, falsehoods and claims of failed memory. Mr. Murphy was testifying in the third week of the trial of the sheik, Mohammed Ali Hassan al-Moayad, and the sheik's lover assistant, Mohammed Mohsen Yahya Zayed, who are charged with providing material support to Al Qaeda and to Hamas, a Palestinian group that has been labeled a terrorist organization by the United States government.
He interviewed the sheik and Mr. Zayed on an airplane as they were being extradited to the United States from Germany on Nov. 16, 2003. In those interviews, Mr. Murphy told the jurors, he confronted the men with statements suggesting an interest in financing jihad that both defendants had made during secretly recorded conversations in a Frankfurt hotel the previous January. Mr. Murphy testified that Sheik Moayad had claimed on the plane that because of his diabetes, "he was having a difficult time remembering" details and at times flatly denied statements on the tape about agreeing to give money to Al Qaeda and other groups.
Mr. Murphy, who supervised the entire investigation, said the sheik claimed that he had seen and been frightened by armed soldiers at the Sheraton hotel at the Frankfurt airport and "would say anything" during the meetings, which were recorded on hidden devices in his suite. Prosecutors have suggested that there were no soldiers at the hotel. Mr. Murphy testified that Mr. Zayed was caught separately in a series of contradictions. At first, Mr. Murphy said, Mr. Zayed had claimed that he had not been in the room when jihad was discussed and had been in the bathroom. Mr. Murphy said that when confronted with his statements from the Frankfurt tapes, Mr. Zayed "got extremely angry and said he'd rather die for Allah than cooperate with us."
Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
MOHAMED ALI HASAN AL MOAIAD
Learned Elders of Islam
MOHAMED MOHSEN YAHYA ZAIED
Learned Elders of Islam
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005
12:14:41 AM ||
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The al Qaeda wing in Iraq said a world anti-terror forum in Saudi Arabia amounts to a campaign against Islam, and vowed on Monday that it would continue its Holy War until Islamic law rules.
The international security conference, which began on Saturday, aims to forge common strategies to tackle terror and gives Saudi Arabia a platform to showcase its successes against al Qaeda and its co-operation with the West. "All kinds of infidels and tyrants have gathered to agree on one thing and that is to fight Islam and the mujahideen who are following God's orders to protect this blessed religion...All their plans and deployments are useless ... and this (conference) is proof that they fear the mujahideen and that the enemies, tyrants and their allies have tasted bitter defeat and are facing a big crisis," said the group which is headed by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
Then the group excused itself to go unbunch its collective panties and resume charitable works like renovating ice cream trucks, insh'Allah.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005
12:12:22 AM ||
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#1
who writes zarq's stuff--he's got a sixth grade education before he became a full time thug and jihadi--abdullah's gotta piss of azizi and naif and resurect his padre's old off the ikwahn campaign because nobody believes this camelshit conference except six guys at qorvis
Posted by: SON OF TOLUI ||
02/08/2005 2:39
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#2
a world anti-terror forum in Saudi Arabia amounts to a campaign against Islam
Suicide bombers killed 27 people in attacks in two Iraqi cities on Monday in the worst violence since the country's historic election eight days ago. Al Qaeda's wing in Iraq, led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, claimed responsibility for both blasts and vowed further attacks on "apostates and their masters," an apparent reference to U.S.-led forces and the Iraqis who work with them. U.S. forces stormed a house in Baghdad to free Egyptian telecommunications engineers kidnapped in Iraq, the head of their Egyptian parent company told Egyptian television. "Two were released when U.S. forces barged into where they were being held in Baghdad and the other two escaped on their own ... The Americans caught one of the kidnappers," said Naguib Sawiris, chairman of Orascom Telecom. Sawiris said the four Egyptians were safe and the company had contacted their families to inform them that they were free. A U.S. military spokesman said he was unable to immediately confirm the report, but the military were making checks.
As the counting of votes continued following the Jan. 30 polls, a Kurdish coalition moved into second place, pushing a bloc led by interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi into third. A Shi'ite alliance is still well in the lead.
At least 15 civilians were killed and 17 wounded when a suicide car bomb exploded outside the main police headquarters in the town of Baquba, northeast of Baghdad. Police said the bomber tried to ram his car into the police station but was blocked by a concrete barrier and detonated his explosives near civilians instead.
In the northern city of Mosul, 12 people were killed and four wounded when the other suicide bomber blew himself up among a crowd of police officers in a hospital compound. A large crater was blown in the road and at least five cars were destroyed. Most, if not all, the victims were thought to be police officers waiting to collect their salaries. "A lion in the martyrs' brigades of al Qaeda Organization for Holy War in Iraq attacked a gathering of apostates seeking to return to the apostate police force in Mosul near the hospital," al Qaeda's Iraqi unit said in a statement posted on a militant Web site. "The martyr was wearing an explosives belt and blew himself up after he entered the crowd." A separate mortar attack on the city hall building in Mosul killed one person and wounded three.
The Islamist militant group Army of Ansar al-Sunna said it shot dead an Iraqi translator working for U.S. forces and posted a video of the killing on the Internet. The video showed the hostage appealing to other translators not to deal with U.S. forces before he was blindfolded and shot in the head.
An Iraqi group which claims it is holding an Italian journalist abducted in Baghdad on Friday said it would release her soon because she was not a spy, a statement on an Islamist Web site said. The Islamist militant group had threatened to kill Giuliana Sgrena, a journalist with communist Rome newspaper Il Manifesto, if Italy did not withdraw its 3,000 troops from Iraq. "Since it has become absolutely clear that the Italian prisoner is not involved in espionage for the infidels in Iraq, and in response to the call from the Muslim Clerics Association, we in the Jihad Organization will release the Italian prisoner in the coming days," the statement dated Monday said. It was not possible to verify the statement. The Muslim Clerics Association, a group of Iraqi clerics seen as influential among insurgents, had called for her release.
More than a week after their first multi-party election in 50 years, Iraqis are still awaiting the final result, although partial figures showed a coalition of Iraq's main two Kurdish parties has moved into second place in counting so far. The leading Shi'ite alliance has around 2.3 million votes, the Kurds have 1.1 million and Allawi's bloc has around 620,000. Officials stressed the results did not necessarily give a clear picture of the final distribution of votes. They also revealed gunmen had looted polling stations in northern Iraq during the election, tampering with ballot boxes and preventing thousands of people from voting.
One of the key figures in the Shi'ite alliance which is leading the poll rejected calls for U.S.-led troops to leave Iraq immediately. "If the multinational forces left now, Iraq could face a bloodbath. I believe this 100 percent," Ibrahim Jaafari, head of the Dawa Party and a leading contender to be Iraq's next prime minister, told Reuters.
This article starring:
ABU MUSAB AL ZARQAWI
al-Qaeda in Iraq
Army of Ansar al-Sunna
Jihad Organization
Muslim Clerics Association
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005
12:11:19 AM ||
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The Army's Green Berets, a key weapon in the war on terror, are operating at under their authorized strength because of the high-attrition qualification course and because of the lure of higher-paying security work at private companies, military officials say.
A number of military analysts and politicians have noted the Green Berets' importance in hunting al Qaeda terrorists and called on the Pentagon to increase significantly the Green Berets' ranks. For example, Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, said during the presidential campaign that the number of Green Berets — officially called Special Forces — should double.
But an examination by The Washington Times shows that there has been no budget authorization for significantly more Green Berets because Army Special Operations Command cannot fill all the billets it had before the September 11 attacks.
"Special Forces cannot be mass-produced overnight," said Maj. Robert Gowan, a command spokesman. "We work very hard to maintain our standards." A Green Beret, who asked not to be named, said, "We are always understrength because we cannot find enough qualified candidates. ... The notion of expanding Special Forces was always a pipe dream. Special Forces could never get bigger without the Army getting bigger. The more milk, the more cream."
Elite Green Berets are a perfect fit for the war on terror because they train for the kind of unconventional warfare now going on in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Today, a Green Beret force of five active-duty groups stands at 98 percent of billets. It had been at 94 percent before the September 11 attacks. The soldiers deploy from the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th and 10th Special Forces groups headquartered at bases in North Carolina, Kentucky, Colorado and Washington state.
The Army is producing slightly more Green Berets as the chiefs of U.S. regional commands, called combatant commanders, place increased mission demands on the commandos. The five groups boast 3,950 Special Forces-qualified soldiers today, compared with 3,850 three years ago. The Army managed the slight increase of 100, not by increased budgets for more billets, but by graduating more soldiers to both meet the mission demand and to cover losses as some soldiers left for higher-paying private-sector jobs. Still, only about one-third of recruits successfully complete the grueling 63-week qualification school and earn the unit's signature green beret. The Army was graduating about 350 soldiers per year in 2002, but last year nearly doubled the number to 620.
"We are slightly understrength, but we are working to fill those shortages," Maj. Gowan said. "The training to become a Special Forces soldier is tough, rigorous and long. To produce the type of warrior we want, it has to be."
The standards helped produced victory for the United States in Afghanistan. Green Beret A Teams infiltrated the country, teamed with local Northern Alliance and other guerrillas and defeated the Taliban with the help of pinpoint air strikes. Green Berets, long kept out of counterterrorism on a large scale, suddenly saw their reputation and popularity skyrocket.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, very much a fan of what special operations forces can do, further enlisted Special Forces to fight in Iraq, Yemen, the Horn of Africa and the Philippines. Green Berets have even been tapped for clandestine spy missions in some al Qaeda-heavy countries. In Iraq, Green Berets teamed up with Kurdish fighters to destroy the al Qaeda-linked terror camp of Ansar al Islam. It was one of dozens of Special Forces missions, some conducted behind enemy lines.
Mr. Rumsfeld was not the only person who noticed their attributes. Private companies in need of bodyguards and security experts started dangling higher-paying jobs. A senior enlisted Special Forces soldier, who earns $40,000 to $50,000 a year, can double his income performing private security. The Bush administration is asking Congress for bonus money in next year's budget to entice special operations troops to stay.
Army Special Operations Command acknowledged some Green Berets are quitting, but could provide no retention statistics. Figures on Green Beret casualties during the war on terrorism were not immediately available yesterday.
A Special Forces source said the Army designs the long qualification course to weed out the weak — quickly. "What really gets most of the people are the higher reasoning functions that are made even more difficult because they are conducted under stress from a lack of food and sleep," said the source, a graduate of the Berets' Qualification Course at Fort Bragg, N.C. "Many have never been really alone their entire lives. Now they are expected to work alone, in the middle of nowhere for days at a time." The source added, "The most physically rigorous portion of the training is the initial 'selection and assessment.' This is done to weed out the weak by running them hard."
The source, who has been deployed on secret missions overseas, said Mr. Rumsfeld remains popular within the special operations community despite his political problems over Iraq. "He is fully for the transformation of the military to fight the wars to come. That puts Special Forces front and center," the source said. "He is implementing things we've recommended for years. Special Forces has been allowed to do what we've said we could do for 30 years and have now proved it."
#1
I've a question for all you military experts out there.
First, I understand and applaud the high qualifications for SpecOps troops. The question is inherent in this statement "A Special Forces source said the Army designs the long qualification course to weed out the weak â quickly."
Do we need to weed out so many, quickly? Or, is it possible to train some of those who get weeded out quickly into those who would meet the qualifications? I'm thinking of an NFL draftee who doesn't make the team, but, after more training turns into a star. (Think Kurt Warner's trip from being cut through NFL Europe and Arena league)
Granted fast is good and slow probably more expensive, though since the failures are still in the Army, not very. If we need more do we really need a lot more raw material? Or could a different type of training course (think Junior College) serve to bulk up the pool?
#2
Actually, you can reapply for most SpecOps training courses; there are more than a few operators who failed the first time out. But, it would not be a good idea to have a "farm team" for Green Berets. Ideally, the Airborne and Ranger units serve as the break-in units that Green Berets tap in the Army. Also, some guys that make excellent Airborne/Ranger/QRF are just not suited for the demands of A-Teams. That is why there are a variety of elite forces in the military structure, with differing specific requirements.
#4
There's a "recon indoc" that Force Recon does. Series of physical events that you have to pass done in a one day period. If you pass you move on to do the recon program itself. If you fail, you can try again pretty much whenever they do the indoc. I think you have to have a high standard in order to be accepted into the Green Berets, if you want to lower standards you have to accept a lower degree of physical proficiency.
#5
In the vain of the comments, a lot of the train up for the program is done on the individual soldier's time. While there may be some support at the platoon or company level, you will usually not find the brigade or division spending time and resources on 'prep' courses. I suspect if this was really a high priority issue, the message would go out to the divisions and installations to establish such a prep course for potential candidates which gives them the time and prelimiaries in getting ready for right-of-passage portions of the courses.
#6
I'm not sure that would really do what we want to do. Special Forces is a unique and demanding role. When on a mission, these guys are generally out of uniform - and hence not protected by the Geneva Conventions (assuming the GCs would otherwise be honored by the country in question). They learn languages and culture skills and a lot more besides physical fitness things.
Bottom line: you have to really want this and you have to be willing to work without a lot of support structure around you. Those who train up themselves probably have those attributes. Those that need the support of higher command to do it probably don't.
Posted by: too true ||
02/08/2005 18:13
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#7
SwissTex:
Congress sets maximum limits on the size of various forces, as well as component forces. The set the Marines at X, Army at Y, Navy at Z ships, and so on. Whether the services actually can recruit up to those numbers is another matter. In the 1970s [shudder], the military was often well below its maximum strength. Sometimes, the maximum is really meant as a limit, and the military decides that it doesn't really need that many, so doesn't even try to hit the limit. And of course, Congress needs to appropriate the money to fund the force levels it authorizes.
So, in this case, Congress has said that Special Forces shall be no more than XX. Obviously, for this kind of war, you probably really want as many as you can get, so if the military can't have XX, it's probably not because they don't want to, but they can't. Four years ago, we only had 0.94 * XX, while now we have 0.98 * XX. So, we're doing better, but we still are allowed to have more, provided we can find people of the right ability.
There are many possible reasons for the shortfall. One is that perhaps we simply don't have that many people capable of meeting the requirements. Another is that they don't re-enlist, so we have to keep training new ones just to break even, and can't put enough in the pipeline to grow.
#9
Special Forces is a brain outfit. The physical quals are necessary, but this is not a bunch of guys who win by humping 150 pounds faster than the enemy.
They are master linguists and superb cultural anthropologists. That's on top of being first-rate soldiers. The commander of the A team that fought with and brought Karzai to Kabul majored in Arab studies in college.
For hard-hitting firepower, we have....the Army and Marines. Smaller groups within the Army, such as Rangers, are trained to fight as conventional soldiers in more difficult situations. SEALs are commandos. Force Recon in the Marines is a recon unit. Like the SEALs, many of their missions succeed without the enemy knowing they're there, although they can also hit with tremendous force. But, being small units, their ability to sustain a fight is limited.
Different strokes, as they say.
But Special Forces is far more than well-conditioned super soldiers.
Their original mission was to go behind enemy lines and organize resistance, sort of a follow-on from the Jedburg teams of WW II. For that reason, many of the first teams were actually foreign nationals, escapees from the Sovbloc.
Clearly, this is more than a matter of weapons mastery and physical conditioning.
Posted by: Richard Aubrey ||
02/08/2005 20:26
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#10
Mr. Aubrey and too true,
I certainly do not want qualifications dumbed down. But, it seems that if we really want more SpecOps types it would be worth it to have a prep school for them. It's a little much to assume that youngsters (when your over 50 they are depressiningly young) come into the service with enough raw skills to survive the test with no significant support for their training. Languages and cultural skills can be taught as can superior physical skills it a person is willing to learn and the training is available. If we really need more of these folks than are available at this level we can probably develop them with a little more lower level training. Some kids can go right from high-school to the pros, most need the seasoning and training that they get in college.
Do we have that level of training? Doesn't sound like it, and it sounds like it would help.
Shieldwolf, are the Rangers really a "farm team" for the Berets? Sounds like it from your post, but, I could be wrong.
#11
If we would quit paying the contractors three times what we pay the Green Berets then maybe they wouldn't steal our troops by offering them twice their normal pay. Guess who makes out on this deal - the contractor keeping their cut. I know we needed the contractors in the short run, but this is ridiculous. Long term we continue to spend like drunken sailors and pay contactors to steal troops we pay to train and then pay the contractor three times as much for the same soldier - This lies firmly at Rumsfeld's doorstep. He can fix it.
#12
Ship, my understanding is that the third bn = three new LAR companies they want to add to the the 3 existing LAR battalions we have. There's some other little suprises I can't mention yet over a blog until it comes out in the Marine Times.
#13
There is one glaring problem with this entire story, that being that Special Forces are, well, "specialized". They generally do *one* kind of mission, as the Army Rangers do a different kind of mission, as Army helicopter mechanics do their kind of a mission. So, in effect, John Kerry has called for something akin to doubling the number of helicopter mechanics in the Army. But does the Army need twice as many? Have they doubled the number of helicopters? Many people mistakenly assume that the Special Forces are the military equivalent of the CIA. This is not to say that they aren't very, very good at what they do, but if you have personnel who work parallel to the Special Forces, but have a different mission, one that they are specialized for, you have a far better combined operation. And there are lots of other jobs that *do* run parallel to the Special Forces, some military and some not.
For further information: http://www.socom.mil/
From the ever-informative Khaleej Times. Hat tip to Beautiful Atrocities If your horoscope is looking a bit worrying for the coming Lunar New Year, a Hong Kong company has just the thing to put it right: feng shui underpants. "Our feng shui master says that having something lucky in contact with your skin would bring spiritual balance, so we thought lucky underpants would be ideal -- they are as intimate as you get," said Amy Law, a spokeswoman for the company.
On Wednesday millions of Chinese around the world will welcome the new year of the rooster, the next in a recurring 12-year horological cycle, each of which is represented by a different animal of the zodiac. Ancient belief has it that each year reflects the character of its associated beast and as roosters are considered unpredictable, the coming 12 months are expected to [be] volatile. The underpants, which come in red, grey and white and in boxers for men and briefs for women, depict a dragon on the front in accordance with Chinese belief that the mythical creatures balance out the erratic nature of roosters. "If you have a dragon on your underpants, you will be protected," said Law.
There was a "well proportioned" bikini (it was red) sort of attached to a girl (early 20's-I'm 51 so I can call her a girl) at the beach last summer, and a very obvious but petite snarling dragon peering out from... well... you know what I am getting at?
Port authorities found thousands of small steel balls hidden in water pots in a shipping container that consigned to the Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation, the army reported. Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels, who fought a two decade civil war against the government, are known for loading suicide bombs with metal balls to cause maximum damage. The rebels control a large area in the ethnic Tamil-majority north and have authorised the Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation to co-ordinate tsunami relief work there. The military website said the balls "could be used for production of bombs or explosives." The report said the pots, believed to have been shipped from Britain, are being held for investigation. A spokesman for the Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation said it would comment only after seeing the military's report.
This article starring:
Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005
1:16:11 AM ||
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#1
It's that horrid little Tamil pseudo-soldier, again. I am so convinced the shipment does not contain steel balls for him.
Delegates from the United States and archfoe Iran engaged in a "heated" exchange at a counter-terrorism conference in Saudi Arabia, the local media reported but a US official insisted the encounter was "professional."
"The exchange that took place in the first general assembly was a professional one reflecting differences in views between the US and Iranian delegations," a US embassy spokesperson in Riyadh told AFP. But the English-daily Saudi Gazette said the Iranian and US delegations at the closed-door conference were reportedly "locked in a heated exchange... when the issue of what constitutes terrorism arose."
Diplomatic sources told AFP that Saturday's address by US Homeland Security Advisor Frances Townsend had prompted the head of the Iranian delegation to give a speech in response. There were no details on the content of his speech. In her address, Townsend said she invoked US President George W. Bush's remarks from his State of the Union speech in which said Iran "remains the world's primary state sponsor of terror." But a member of the Iranian delegation said the US accusations were "baseless," adding that "Iran is a country that has been negatively affected by terrorism throughout the past two decades."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005
1:15:13 AM ||
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#1
Here's an interview of Townsend (several images) with Jim Lehrer from August. I have no doubt that being a woman put the shitheads in the freak-out zone without saying a word. Having the gall to call a spade a spade was prolly too much for the reps for the Mad Mullahs.
#2
Baghdad Bob Syndrome (known in medical circles as BBS) has clearly spread beyond the borders of Iraq into Iran. It has not yet reached epidemic proportions, but all signs are that,given the resistance to treatments of reality, it will soon reach epidemic proportions. "These infidels actually believe they are qualified to define what terrorism is!", seems to be the first sign that the syndrome has set in. There is no know cure for BBS, but there is hope. There are promising developments in experiments where sufferers are force-fed large doses of the golden rule.
Posted by: AMA ||
02/08/2005 9:33
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#3
What the f*ck were official US representatives doing in this, otherwise fully, conference of terrorist nations?
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2005 9:46
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#5
But the English-daily Saudi Gazette said the Iranian and US delegations at the closed-door conference were reportedly "locked in a heated exchange... when the issue of what constitutes terrorism arose."
Taking pictures! You have to have names and pictures if you want to be able to identify the bodies later . . .
Posted by: Jame Retief ||
02/08/2005 11:39
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#9
Well it's about time.
My favorite:
"Iran has suffered greatly from terrorism over the past 2 decades..."
Precisely how? How many of your busses of children were blown up? How many office buildings were mistaken for airports? How many tankers filled with HE were detonated outside your barracks?
No, jackasses, the Iranian PEOPLE have suffered greatly because your FUNDING it elsewhere has drained the coffers and isolated them from the rest of the civilized world.
Heated exchange...whatever, but for diplomats, that's a VERY good development...Bring it.
Kavkaz Center's editors received a video statement made by the Commander of Brigade of Martyrs (Shaheeds) "Riyadh as-Salihiin" ("Gardens for the Righteous") Abdallah Shamil Abu-Idris Basayev (Commander Basayev), where he states that Moscow's claims about his death or illness are all false.
"Lies! All lies! Why, I'm healthy as a horse!"
Chechen Commander says that he is in a perfect health condition and never had any problems with his kidneys, and that his leg is all right; he also confirmed that his units have temporarily suspended all offensive combat operations on the territories of Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (CRI) and Russia on the order issued by President Aslan Maskhadov. The Chechen Commander accuses the Russian side of lying and refutes the statement made by Russian propagandistic sources claiming that President Maskhadov issued an order on suspension of offensive operations allegedly because his relatives were captured. In his 4-minute-long video statement, recorded February 6, 2005, in one of the administrative districts of Chechnya, Commander Basayev (Abdallah Shamil) stated once again that the war will be continuing until the Russian troops leave the country and until the Chechen State becomes sovereign and independent.
I dunno. I've seen him look better. Is he sure he's not dead? Is there a "Basayev" GI Joe?
This article starring:
ABDALLAH SHAMIL ABU IDRIS BASAIEV
Riyadh as-Salihiin
ASLAN MASKHADOV
Riyadh as-Salihiin
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005
11:49:15 PM ||
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#1
[Off-topic or abusive comments deleted]
Posted by: about dog food TROLL ||
02/08/2005 3:24
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#2
You know, he has looked better! ... the old photo of him with the happy arabic script covered baseball hat talking on a little hand held radio is my personal favorite ... he's come a long way from that happy warm day ... and look, he's got alot to show for his personal effort and accomplishments since then ... (it's not everyday that one gets to plan the successful killing of a couple hundred school children, teachers and parents is it????) ... WOW ... look at the payoff the Chechen people have seen from all that hard work!!! ... they have a peaceful and prosperous multiethnic and multiconfessional nation that is respected and warmly embraced by it's neighbors and the world! ... it's all a real testiment to his wisdom and intelligence isn't it!? ... stay the course, eh? ... the "G.I. Basayev doll would be a talking one and it would say "I like my job!"
#4
LAS VEGAS -- The commander of an Army Reserve detachment is begging friends back home to send food for Iraqi police dogs.
Taken from http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/4050736/detail.html
If anyone need any reliable and accurate information about dog food, I would recommend http://www.dogfood.mypetdogs.com
Posted by: about dog food ||
02/08/2005 3:24
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I was very moved by the story of Mr Richard Kral, a Slovak gentleman found staggering drunk down a snowy trail a few days back. He'd been motoring through the Tatra Mountains in his Audi when he got buried by an avalanche. Opening the window and frantically clawing at the snow, he grasped that he couldn't dig his way out faster than the white stuff would come into the car and bury him. So he looked around and his eye fell on the 60 half-litre bottles of beer he happened to have with him. He had a drink and midway through realised that he could urinate on the snow to melt it. And he did: "Man Peed Way out of Avalanche," as one headline put it. "It was hard," the plucky Slovak told the local press, "and now my kidneys and liver hurt."
Alas, they've got a much tougher job. The snow is still coming down, and they've got nothing in the back of the car except the same watery beer they've been chugging for three years: "They Are Waiting for the Rivers of Blood," proclaimed the headline over Robert Fisk's column in the Independent, another classic for fans of the beloved comic genius to cut out and add to treasured clippings - such as his coverage of the Afghan war ("Bush Is Walking into a Trap") and his confident assertion that there were no Americans at Baghdad airport and that the blundering Yanks had merely stumbled upon an abandoned RAF airfield from the 1950s.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: tipper ||
02/08/2005
11:41:20 AM ||
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#1
...the Canadian prime minister, a renowned sophisticate and indeed a fluent franco-phone, who last year declared in public that China was the most important nation in the Southern Hemisphere.
...the traditional argument made by the Germans...that they're an ancient volk while the Americans are an artificial uncultured mongrel "half-degenerated sub-race" (Kant in 1775).
#4
Damn straight, Angie! :) In fact, I can hear the strains of Euro anti-Americanism coming in faintly now, to the tune of Officer Krupke:
"They're no good, they're no good, they're no earthly good, deep inside of them, they are no good!" (They MUST be talking about Americans.)
But the "war on terror" is more accurately a race against time - to unwreck the Middle East before its toxins wreck South Asia, West Africa, and eventually Europe. The doom-mongers can mock Bush all they want. But theyâre spending so much time doing so, theyâve left themselves woefully uninformed on some of the fascinating subtleties of Iraqi and Afghan politics that his Administration turns out to have been rather canny about.
#7
means to persevere through the lies and those that tell them, the ultimate truth always comes for all to see and vidicates the wronged. Or some shit like that.
Al-Qarni: "The uproar and the chaos that we see today in the human race — the killing, the acts of aggression, the rape, the robbery, and the disgrace of honor — what causes this is that the banners which are hoisted high are those of the Jews, the Christians, and other religions and faiths, and not the banner of 'There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is Allah's Messenger.'
"Let's have a look at what is written in the Koran. What position must we adopt towards Allah's enemies? Is it the position we have adopted? First of all, we must be aware of the fact that at present we see that [the West] doesn't want us even to say the words 'Allah's enemies.' They don't want us to say that the Jews and the Christians are Allah's enemies. They don't want us to say that the Jews and the Christians are the enemies of the Muslims and the enemies of Islam.
"This is fixed and established in the Koran and in the traditionâŠ
"If this is so, if this is something fixed, how is it that we find in the things that we say, among our children, our own flesh and blood, among Muslims, people who are in denial of these things, who deny that there is a great enmity between Muslims and non-Muslims? It is true that we say that Islam's fundamental approach is that of mercy, and that the fundamental principle of Islam is [that it is a] mercy for human beings. But [it is for] he who submits to Allah's religion and extends his hand to allow Allah's religion to spread all over the earth and to make Allah's word supreme — it is toward him that religion is merciful. However, whoever fights against Allah's religion, and fights those who love Allah, distorts the image of Islam and the Muslims and does so much to weaken IslamâŠ
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/08/2005
1:13:15 AM ||
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Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday tapped an Army general as a Middle East "security coordinator" to assist with Israel's planned withdrawal from Gaza and to help with training and equipping of the Palestinian forces.
Miss Rice, who completed her first trip to the region as America's chief diplomat, invited, on President Bush's behalf, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to visit Washington separately in the spring.
"There are going to be specific things the parties need to do, and we will not hesitate to say to the parties when those obligations are not being met," Miss Rice said. "That is part of our role." She told Mr. Abbas, as she did Mr. Sharon the day before, that Washington is committed to the peace process, but it would step back for the time being and allow moderate Arab states in the region to be the leading mediators.
"Gen. Ward will also work with Egypt, Jordan and others to coordinate assistance to the Palestinian Authority as it rebuilds its security capacity to end violence and terror and restore law and order," he said.
"It is very important that the United States not somehow supplant the bilateral security discussions and cooperation that the Israelis and the Palestinians are involved in," Miss Rice said. "They are going to do even more, I believe, in the future, and the United States does not have to be party to everything that goes on," she said. "In fact, it is a good thing when the parties can resolve problems on their own."
Because of Washington's decision to remain backstage during negotiations, Miss Rice chose not to appoint a special envoy for the peace process.
Gen. Ward is deputy Commander officer of U.S. Army Europe and the 7th Army. Miss Rice, to whom he will report, chose him because of his previous experience as commander of the NATO Stabilization Force in postwar Bosnia-Herzegovina and a recent assignment in Egypt, the senior official said. He also has served in Somalia, Germany and South Korea.
The senior official said Gen. Ward's small staff would include mainly people from the State Department, but employees of the Pentagon and other agencies also are likely to participate.
During a joint press conference with Mr. Abbas, who was elected Jan. 9, the secretary announced that $40 million would be given to the Palestinians within 90 days in a "quick action program" to help with job creation and rebuilding infrastructure. The money will be diverted from the $75 million the United States already had appropriated in this year's budget for projects in Gaza. It will be returned to that account when Congress approves the $350 million in aid Mr. Bush pledged last week.
#3
This really raised my eyebrows. My suspicion is that this 3-star will be "the general of the west", one of four 3-stars who will report to the 4-star head of the Iraq Regional Command. The "west" will include Egypt, Israel, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. The "east" will be Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The "north" will be Turkey and the Central Asia states, and the "south" will be all of northern and central Africa. Jokingly, I guess you could then call the 4-star "The Son of Heaven" (ref: Tai-Peng rebellion).
Amid the ruins of Fallujah, white flags are emerging - alerting US and Iraqi forces to the presence of Iraqi families moving back home, clearing the rubble, and trying to renew hope. Residents say that the insurgents who made the city a virtual no-go zone are gone. They were violently cut out of this former stronghold by US forces during a monthlong battle in November - the toughest urban combat for US forces since Vietnam - that pulverized this city of some 300,000. But now, the US Marines and the Iraqi government face a new challenge: convincing Fallujans that the insurgency here is over and that their ravaged homes can and will be rebuilt. "This is probably the safest city in the country," says US Marine Lt. Col. Keil Gentry, executive officer of Regiment Combat Team 1 (RCT1), that controls Fallujah. "Is it blooming everywhere? No. But it's like the beginning of spring, with signs of green emerging here and there."
An unexpected measure of success came on election day last week. Nearly 8,000 people here defied insurgent threats and voted, according to US military officials. That figure accounts for 44 percent of all votes cast in Anbar Province, which includes the Sunni triangle, where antielection feeling was so strong that less than 7 percent voted at all. Iraqis say the result shows how secure Fallujahns are beginning to feel, and note with added surprise that more than a few said their ballot was for Iyad Allawi, the US-backed interim prime minister who ordered the Fallujah invasion. "It's better that the Americans are here," says Abdulrahab Abdulrahman, a teacher who carries a folder containing a compensation claim for the damage to his house. "I have the freedom to be a student, or whatever I want to be." The mujahideen "are gone," he says, clearly pleased, standing on a street strewn with rubble. "They are finished."
Children wave at the Marines, and accept candy that the men keep in cargo pockets, alongside stun grenades and extra rifle magazines. Many adults wave, too, though some look sullenly past. But even as many Fallujans shift from anger to accommodation, there are complaints. There is little electricity and less running water. When Mr. Abdulrahman sees a marine pointing his rifle at pedestrians far down the street to get a better look through his rifle scope, the Iraqi scolds: "Don't do that. You could shoot a child."
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Bobby ||
02/08/2005
11:25:49 AM ||
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February 8, 2005: How can you tell if al Qaeda is winning, or losing, the war on terror? How do you even tell who the major players are in al-Qaeda? Like baseball, one's best bet is to use a scorecard. The scorecard for al-Qaeda ("The Base") is pretty complex.
Al-Qaeda was originally built like a large corporation. It has a board of directors of 24, with Osama bin Laden as the CEO (official title is Emir-General). Bin Laden also has 15 people in what could be described as his "inner circle" of aides. Al-Qaeda also had training camps in six countries in September, 2001 (Afghanistan, Indonesia, Chechnya, Albania, Sudan, and the Philippines), with eight commanders. Al-Qaeda also maintained cells in numerous Arabian and European countries.
Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, the United States and allies have been hunting down the leadership of al-Qaeda. Among the big fish (the "Board of Directors"), seven are dead and ten are in custody. Four members of the "inner circle" are also in custody. This is 53 percent of the senior leadership for al-Qaeda. Osama bin Laden is still at large, along with Ayman al-Zawahiri (the deputy commander of al-Qaeda) and Abu Mohammed al-Masri (the planner of the attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania). However, five out of the eight training camp commanders are dead or in custody.
Other statistics of note: Eighteen al-Qaeda financiers are dead or in custody. Among those still at large, though, are two of bin Laden's sisters, two of his brothers-in-law, and a Swiss banker by the name of Ahmed Huber. Huber also has extensive connections with neo-Nazis in Europe. The real financial resource for al-Qaeda remains untouched the dozen or so Saudis who are called the "Golden Chain." All are at large, and all can still provide enough resources for bin Laden to regroup and strike again.
Al-Qaeda's military committee has also been decimated. One is dead (killed by a CIA Predator firing Hellfire missiles), fourteen, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Ramzi Yousef, have been captured. These include the commanders in Singapore, Java, Southern Europe, and Japan. Several are at large, including the operations chiefs in Kosovo, Tunisia, and Somalia.
Subordinate networks in several countries have been rounded up or decimated. In Jordan, five out of the six major al-Qaeda figures are in custody; in Syria, only five major terrorist figures are still at large dozens of al-Qaeda members are currently incarcerated, but three major Hezbollah figures are still on the loose. Syria, however, remains a sponsor of Hezbollah. Egypt has rounded up all of the major al-Qaeda figures, as have Italy, Belgium, Germany. The United Kingdom, Spain, and France have rounded up many al-Qaeda figures as well. Many of the major al-Qaeda figures in Saudi Arabia are dead or apprehended, but a number of figures involved in the Khobar Towers bombing are still at large some with connections to Hizbollah. In Turkey, 75 percent of the big fish connected with al-Qaeda are dead or in custody. Most of the support structure for the 9/11attack, including Mukhabarat agent Ahmad Khalil Ibraham al-Ani (who the Czechs insist met hijacker Mohammed Atta in Prague), are in custody.
But in some places, the network is pretty intact. Many major Taliban figures are still on the loose. So are all three members of al-Qaeda's WMD Committee, and all of those involved in a Bolivian hijacking plot.
Short version, al-Qaeda is on the run throughout most of the globe. Even Abu Musab Zarqawi, in charge of all al-Qaeda elements in Iraq, is on the run as elements of his infrastructure are taken apart. Eight of Zarqawi's top aides are dead. Twenty others have been captured. Zarqawi was unable to disrupt the elections on January 30, a serious loss for the terrorists. Al-Qaeda is still potent, as the attacks in Madrid proved, but they are clearly reacting to the multi-pronged offensive in the United States.
This article starring:
ABU MOHAMED AL MASRI
al-Qaeda
ABU MUSAB ZARQAWI
al-Qaeda
AHMED HUBER
al-Qaeda
AHMED KHALIL IBRAHAM AL ANI
al-Qaeda
AIMAN AL ZAWAHIRI
al-Qaeda
KHALID SHEIKH MOHAMED
al-Qaeda
RAMZI YUSEF
al-Qaeda
Golden Chain
Posted by: Steve ||
02/08/2005
11:09:19 AM ||
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#1
Iknow many would like to see higher numbers, but this was extremely hard to do. Infinite thanks/respect to our green beret's, seals, marines/recon, combat controllers, fighter/bomber pilots, mil. intel, rangers/101st/82nd/10th mtn., and any other tip-of-the-spear units...
#5
The real financial resource for al-Qaeda remains untouched â the dozen or so Saudis who are called the âGolden Chain.â All are at large, and all can still provide enough resources for bin Laden to regroup and strike again.
THERE is where we will get the most bang for the buck. These 12 Saudis need to be taken out by whatever means necessary. That will send a message to other Saudis that feel the need to be pious by being generous givers to terrorist causes.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/08/2005 15:59
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February 8, 2005: Iraqi army and police forces are mow in charge of security in 12 of the country's 18 provinces. These forces currently have 136,000 trained and equipped personnel on duty, with another 3,500 completing their training this week. These forces belong to several different organizations. The Interior Ministry has 79,000 police and security personnel. These include regular police; special police commandoes (SWAT teams), plus public order and police mechanized battalions; border guard units; and VIP bodyguards ("dignitary-protection elements.") The Defense Ministry has 57,000 troops assigned to the Iraqi army, intervention forces (SWAT teams), National Guard, air force, navy and special operations (the Iraqi Special Operations Forces). These forces are organized into ninety battalions, or which 88 are operating, and two more are still in training, and will be in operation by the end of the month. The battalions tend to be smaller than American units, averaging 400-500 men each. There are some women in police units.
Desertion is still a problem, but it was always a problem in Iraq. Saddam's army was notorious for many, if not most, of the troops fleeing when the shooting started. This is being addressed by more careful selection and training of officers and NCOs. American trainers are not shy about appealing to Iraqi pride, and pointing out that Iraqis can perform as well as American troops if they have good leadership and training. Even though Saddam's Republican Guard got smashed every time they stood and fought, they were able to at least do that because they had better trained and equipped officers and troops. Iraqi officers and NCOs are getting more training than ever before, and it is beginning to pay off. The Iraqis also have the example of American officers and NCOs, and increasingly, Iraqi units that are trained and led, by Iraqis, but in the American style.
There's nothing mysterious about, "the American Style." This consists of intensive training for the troops by officers and NCOs who know what they are doing. Most importantly, the officers and NCOs take care of their troops. The Iraqi custom was for officers to consider themselves a class apart and treat the troops like dirt. That is discouraged now, and it is emphasized that this poor treatment was the major reason for the desertions, and Iraqi units coming apart in combat. It is emphasized the military competence has nothing to do with being Iraqi or American, and everything to do with training and leadership. It's not easy to change cultural customs, but as more Iraqis buy-in to leadership and training techniques that work, they create Iraqi units that serve as a models of effectiveness for other Iraqis.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve ||
02/08/2005
11:06:59 AM ||
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#1
The quality of society's military derives from the nature of that society. Tribesman will fight like tribesman, and no amount of traning can change that.
#2
Another aspect of armies that are very familiar with the US military: they realize that it would be suicide for them to ever fight the US. The "Bright Star" exercises with Egypt, for example, have convinced every officer and NCO in their ranks that this must be their very last option, behind even replacing their government, like the Turkish army. On the plus side, American tactics are the very best on the market, and they are learning them for free, making their army far more formidable than their neighbors, even those who are numerically superior. Once the Americans are gone, the Iraqis will be more than able to whup the Iranians in a land war, if needs be, for example.
#3
"American Style" means putting ideas to the test, improving designs when they are successful and scrapping them and trying something new when they aren't. It's a fearless and constant striving for excellence. Others often fail-not because of nationality, history, geography, money, etc-they fail because they are too arrogant to admit when an idea is wrong so they can never go back to the drawing board and start anew. The idea of failure for some is so devastating that carrying through on the illusion is far preferable to starting from scratch and working, sweating, scratching your way to success.
The great part of American culture is that any race, any gender, any religious belief, falls away as insignificant in the face of the American freedom to pursue excellence-in any field, including the fields of the military. Add to that a cultural loyalty to working together and a commitment to treating others well and you have the formula that leads to success.
#5
Iraqis can perform as well as American troops if they have good leadership and training.
But it's easier if your Dad fought in Korea, your Cousin in Vietnam your greatgranddad in Belleau Wood. JarHead knows. A lot is handed down generation by generation. Why are the Finns so damn good and the Iraqis so bad? Why are the Japaneese so much more efficient in war than the Chinee? (zf for the last 400 years). It's culture.
#6
A biography on T. E. Lawrence I read a decade or so ago contained a list of rules (written by Lawrence himself) in the index that all British officers under Lawrence's command had to learn by heart when dealing with Arabs. The most pertinent one for today is that when the officer has discussed with the Arab a plan of action, it was up to the officer to remind the Arab of the plan at every opportunity when the plan was being disregarded. Remind, remind, cajole. We agreed on this before and now you want to change?
Posted by: chicago mike ||
02/08/2005 18:32
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ISRAELI and Palestinian leaders proclaimed a formal end to more than four years of bloodshed at a summit in Egypt today.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he agreed with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to stop all violence. Mr Sharon declared an end to military action at the meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, which was seen as a step back towards peace talks.
"We have agreed with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to cease all acts of violence against Israelis and Palestinians wherever they are," said Mr Abbas at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
"The calm which will prevail in our lands starting from today is the beginning of a new era."
Mr Sharon said: "For the first time in a long time there is hope in our region for a better future for us and our grandchildren."
It was the highest-level meeting between the sides since a Palestinian uprising blew up in 2000 after peace talks collapsed.
The two sides did not sign a formal ceasefire agreement and Israel emphasised it was dealing only with Mr Abbas's Palestinian Authority and not the militants behind attacks.
The host, President Hosni Mubarak, and Jordan's King Abdullah added their weight to a summit that could prepare the ground for the revival of a US-backed "road map" towards a Palestinian state beside a secure Israel.
The US has emphasised its new commitment to pursuing peace after the death of iconic leader Yasser Arafat, who was seen by Washington and Israel as an obstacle.
"Optimism is certainly justified at the moment as far as the Middle East is concerned," US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Italian state television after a brief visit to the region on which she met Mr Abbas and Mr Sharon.
"...I saw that these leaders have understood that it is time to move ahead," she said.
However, Islamic militant factions have so far agreed only to a conditional ceasefire, while neither side shows signs of budging on key obstacles like borders, and whether Palestinian refugees get a "right to return" to land in what is now Israel.
Israeli and Palestinian flags flew side by side in the sunshine at the Red Sea resort. Hundreds of Egyptian police, some with sniffer dogs, were deployed to ensure security.
Violence broke out in September 2000 after the collapse of talks for a Palestinian state on land captured by Israel in the 1967 war. Some 3350 Palestinians and 970 Israelis have been killed.
But despite today's announcements, doubt remains over the vital agreement of militant groups behind suicide bombings, rocket and shooting attacks, though they have gone along with a de facto truce.
"There is no sense now in talking about a truce," Hassan Youssef of Hamas told Al Jazeera television. "We have not seen any serious pressures on the Israeli side to take measures on the ground to prove its seriousness."
The factions have said Israel's promise to free 900 out of 8000 Palestinian prisoners, to pull back troops and end assassinations are not enough.
Although Mr Abbas wants to co-opt the militants, rather than use force to rein them in, Israeli officials said they wanted the groups dismantled and suggested that even continued rocket building by the groups would be a ceasefire violation.
Mr Abbas, then Mr Arafat's prime minister, met Mr Sharon in 2003 at the summit that gave birth to the road map. But the peace plan soon foundered amid violence.
Israel says it is ready to coordinate with Mr Abbas on its plan to withdraw settlers from occupied Gaza and part of the West Bank this year if violence stops and Palestinians rein in militants, as they are meant to under the road map.
Palestinians fear Israel aims to cement its hold on the West Bank, and demand the Jewish state abide by a road map commitment to freeze settlement growth and also stop building a barrier inside the West Bank. Israel says it stops suicide bombings.
More potential pitfalls for peacemaking lie ahead.
Mr Abbas holds strongly to the Palestinian line that a state must include all the West Bank, including Arab East Jerusalem, and Gaza, and that refugees and their millions of descendants should have the right to return to lands in what is now Israel.
Those demands remain deal-breakers for Israel, which wants to keep major West Bank settlement blocs, sees East Jerusalem as part of its own "indivisible capital" and categorically rules out the possibility of refugees returning to the Jewish state.
Posted by: tipper ||
02/08/2005
11:03:16 AM ||
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#1
Mr Abbas holds strongly to the Palestinian line that a state must include all the West Bank, including Arab East Jerusalem, and Gaza, and that refugees and their millions of descendants should have the right to return to lands in what is now Israel.
In other words, Abbas is open about his plan to peacefully bargain Israel's existence away. If Sharon agrees to Palestinian right of return to lands in what is now Israel, the Jew-hating, "Zionist entity"-hating Palestinians will have made Israel -- just using the common tools of majority rule in a democracy -- Judenfrei within the year.
#2
Not to worry trailing wife. This cease fire is going to end just like all the previous ones, and all the future ones --- until the the general problem of ROP solved.
#3
With all this hope and peace and love and goodwill a-floating around, Sharon needs to play the game. Abbas cannot deliver. But since everyone is on this goodwill kick, the US will throw money away on the Paleos PA on their promise of an agreement. The US should insist on some milestones before we give money away. Just like dealing with a client with a bad credit history.
Back to the peace overtures by Abbas. Nothing will happen because Hamas and Hizb'Allah will not let it happen. They are radical Islamists and they are nutcakes. They do not think rationally, so they will never let Israel exist.
So what to do? Israel needs to
1. Quietly complete the wall,
2. Abandon undefendable settlements in Gaza and the West Bank,
3. Quietly set up devastating counterbattery fire to take out terrorists that set up missile attacks on Israel.
4. Go through the motions of negotiation and talking nice in the 1 in a million chance that Abbas can deliver.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/08/2005 15:11
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#4
All these media outlets talking about a formal end to fighting, bloodshed, etc. need to remember that this "truce" hasn't changed any basic positions, nor has it changed the reality on the ground. The Paleos want something that Israel cannot give them, if it wants to ensure its own security, and Hamas, IJ, and the rest of the terror-peddlers haven't gone away.
#5
Agreed, AP, B-rama. Abbas can't and won't dismantle the various terror factions. And because they continue to exist, they will never allow the paleos to accept a reasonable negotiated offer. After all, the Clinton/Barak/Arafat deal was better than anything Sharon will ever accept, and the paleos still think that deal didn't go far enough.
My fear is that the only strategy Abbas use to walk away from this is if he makes what Israel deems to be unreasonable demands, i.e., unlimited "right of return," all of Jerusalem as the capital, etc. That would make Israel the bad guy, again. There's already pressure on him to make these demands.
It's probably not a matter of if this thing will fall apart, it's a matter of when.
So: build the wall, play the PR game (negotiate, make a big deal of making painful concessions, etc), gather intelligence about which paleos are doing what, shore up defenses, and wait.
#6
My fear is that the only strategy Abbas use to walk away from this is if he makes what Israel deems to be unreasonable demands, i.e., unlimited "right of return," all of Jerusalem as the capital, etc. That would make Israel the bad guy, again.
I don't know about that; whereas before the media could skew the story the way they saw fit and rest assured that little if any challenge would be made against it, such is no longer the case.
Iran's top nuclear negotiator said Tuesday that Tehran wanted to resolve decades of differences with the United States and warned that a U.S. military strike wouldn't destroy all of Iran's nuclear facilities.
Iran's top leaders have tried in recent days to ease increasing tensions with Washington amid a war of words. President Bush last week accused Iran of being "the world's primary state sponsor of terror."
"We are not seeking tension with the United States," negotiator Hasan Rowhani told the state-run television. "We are seeking to resolve our problems with America but it's the Americans who don't want problems be resolved."
"There is no problem in today's world that can't be resolved," said Rowhani, who is secretary of Iran's powerful Supreme National Security Council.
Washington believes Iran is secretly using its civilian nuclear program to build a nuclear bomb. Iran denies the allegation, saying its nuclear activities are geared solely toward generating electricity.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites) on Friday said that a military strike against Iran was "simply not on the agenda at this point," but Bush has not ruled out a military strike as an option.
But Rowhani said that a U.S. military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities would fail.
"Iran's nuclear technology is in the hands of its scientists and workshops throughout the country. All of them have the ability to produce centrifuges. Therefore, America will not be able to destroy our nuclear facilities and mines through a military strike," he said.
Israel has warned that it may consider a pre-emptive strike against Iranian nuclear installations along the lines of its 1981 bombing of an unfinished Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak near Baghdad but Iranian officials have said any possible attack would fail.
Iran's nuclear facilities are spread throughout the country and partly built under the ground making an aerial attack a possible failure.
The broadcast said Iran began a new round of nuclear talks with the Europeans in Geneva on Monday.
Iran this week called on the Europeans to speed up the talks, reflecting frustration over lack of progress over European insistence that Tehran turn its temporary suspension of nuclear activities into a permanent stop.
Iran suspended uranium enrichment and all related activities in November, hoping to build trust and avoid U.N. Security Council sanctions. The International Atomic Energy Agency has agreed to police the suspension.
Under an agreement reached with the European Union (news - web sites), Iran will continue suspension of its enrichment activities during negotiations with the Europeans about economic, political and technological aid. Iran has said it will decide within three months whether to continue its suspension, which is monitored by U.N. nuclear inspectors.
Rowhani said Iran will never scrap its nuclear program and won't give up its rights under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty which allows Iran access to peaceful nuclear technology.
"Talks can't continue for a long time. The Europeans have been told that the period of negotiations has to be within months not years," he told the television.
"And the condition to continue the talks is progress. Therefore, if by the end of the (Iranian calendar) year (March 20), there is no progress in the talks, we will not be obliged to continue the talks," Rowhani said.
He also insisted that Iran now possesses the technology to control the whole nuclear fuel cycle — from extracting uranium ore to enriching it.
"We have the ability to extract uranium, process it into yellowcake and enrich it and produce fuel. We can claim that we control the nuclear fuel cycle," he said.
Posted by: tipper ||
02/08/2005
10:47:53 AM ||
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#1
We are seeking to resolve our problems with America but itâs the Americans who donât want problems be resolved
Bullsh*t - you just don't like our solutions: stop supporting terrorists, give up your nuke program, give the mullahs the boot. See? That was easy.
#2
We are seeking to resolve our problems with America but itâs the Americans who donât want problems be resolved
Seems like all those magic mullahs have a chioce.
1)Microwave weapon on the Ministry for Maiming and Lashing building*. Lotsa magic mullahs inside getting off on the videos of the punishments meted out to the citizenry.
...or...
2)A few selected mullahs in high positions of authority could receive a cruise missle enema. The cruise missle smeared with LARD!
...or...
3)Or verified dismantlemet of the U-235 and Pu enrichment plant.
*I think this is officially called: Ministry For Promotion Of Virtue And Prevention Of Vice
A new CNN/USA Today/Gallup survey shows that President George W. Bush's approval rating has increased to 57%, up from 51% three weeks ago. The approval increase appears to be related to the recent Iraqi elections, which the poll shows went better than most Americans expected. In general, the public is more positive now than it was before the elections about the way Bush has handled the situation in Iraq, as well as how the war is faring for the United States. At the same time, the poll shows little change in Bush's job approval rating on the economy or on Social Security.
The poll, conducted Feb. 4-6, shows that Bush's overall approval rating is the highest it has been in over a year. In fact, his approval rating has not exceeded 55% since a Jan. 9-11, 2004, poll, when 59% of Americans indicated their approval of the way Bush was handling the presidency. In the wake of the Democratic primaries and caucuses that followed, along with troubles in Iraq (such as the Abu Ghraib prison scandal), Bush's rating dropped as low as 46% (in May) and then fluctuated around 50% during the rest of the year. (See poll figures at link)
Posted by: tipper ||
02/08/2005
10:43:20 AM ||
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#1
Not surprised, but I bet a lot of the Liberal will be! Of course this has been surpressed in the MSM.
#2
The approval increase appears to be related to the recent Iraqi elections, which the poll shows went better than most Americans expected.
They expect it to be different based upon the lies and distortions of the MSM. This would have been the margin of the election if we had a truely fair and balanced MSM.
The coalition of Iraq's two main Kurdish parties has won about 24 per cent of the vote in Iraq's 30 January general elections, putting the group in second place behind the top Shi'ite coalition, according to partial vote count results. The results put the Kurdish Alliance - comprising the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party - ahead of another Shi'ite bloc, led by interim Iraqi prime minister Iyad Allawi, which is now in third place with around 13 per cent of the vote. The United Iraqi Alliance, sponsored by top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has so far won more than half of the votes for Iraq's 275-seat National Assembly.
Shi'ites make up about 60 per cent of Iraq's 26 million people, while Kurds make up one-third and Sunnis about 20 per cent. The final vote count is expected on Thursday. At least a two-thirds majority is needed to make key appointments and to approve the constitution. In the meantime, more than 40 people have been killed in two days of violence in Iraq. On Monday, 27 people were killed in suicide bombings targeting Iraqi security forces in Baquba and Mosul, news agencies reported. On Tuesday, at least 13 people were killed and at least 11 others were wounded in an explosion at an Iraqi army-recruiting center in Baghdad, according to agency reports. Also in the capital city, gunmen killed two sons of Iraqi Shi'ite politician Mihal al-Alusi, an outspoken critic of Syria and Iran.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/08/2005
10:32:40 AM ||
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#1
I posted a "commentary" with all the results from the Iraq Election Commission. Here is a more readable list with the top parties only...
About 41% Counted 4,618,417 _ 275
List # Party Total % Reps
169 Unified Iraq Coalition (Sistani) 2,339,755 50.66% 150
130 Kurdistan Alliance List 1,141,016 24.71% 73
285 Iraqi List (Allawi) 620,459 13.43% 40
283 Islamic Group of Kurdistan Iraq 45,212 0.98% 2
352 National Independent Cadres and Elites 43,865 0.95% 2
324 Nation Union (Communist) 43,814 0.95% 2
255 Iraqis List (al-Yawer) 42,156 0.91% 2
204 Al Rafideen National List (Assyrian Christian) 27,404 0.59% 1
111 Islamic Action Organization In Iraq Central Direction 25,477 0.55% 1
258 National Democratic Alliance 19,417 0.42% 1
175 Tukman iraq front 19,103 0.41% 1
All Others 250,739 5.44% 0
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is featuring a nude Dennis Rodman in its new anti-fur ad. Rodman -- shown seated, in profile -- urges people to, "Be comfortable in your own skin and let animals keep theirs." PETA says Rodman is the first man and the first sports star to pose for its anti-fur campaign. "Think Ink, Not Mink," says the ad featuring a tattoo-covered Rodman. The ad was timed to coincide with fashion week in New York City.
Thankfully, there is no link to the picture.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/08/2005
10:24:50 AM ||
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#1
Ewww....
The thought of that alone makes me want to kill some squirrels.
#2
Killing the squirrels over that thought is an insult to squirrels. Maybe if you killed a hippy instead...
Posted by: Charles ||
02/08/2005 11:26
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#3
Kill and skin a hippy?
What would you do with the meat? It's not like you could let it rot and animals wouldn't eat something that filled with drugs . . . and it will never go away . . .
Posted by: Jame Retief ||
02/08/2005 11:43
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#4
I never thought I'd say this, but . . . "Dennis, put the wedding dress back on!"
Posted by: Mike ||
02/08/2005 12:19
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#5
A pierced and tattooed basketball has-been immitating a Mastiff dog for animal rights nutballs.
#8
All right Goddamit! This PETA shit has gone toooo far. I went to the site The Muckster linked re. Mercedes Benz cloth seats, and about choked on my Copenhagen. As the owner of 2 Merks with REAL cow hide seats, I feel betrayed by Mercedes for even thinking about pandering to these SpecialPrecious slimy little noodle-nosed greasy haired scum wads. By the way you fuckerheads, I hope that I ate a chop or burger from one of the steers that gave their life so that my butt could be comfy when I'm out Benz'in around.
#9
Aw hell, Bodyguard. You should have upgraded to the baby fur seal seats. They're worth every penny.
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2005 20:15
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#10
Bodyguard-
As my sirloin stealing grey & white shorthair cat would say... "N-Gow!" (I Agree) - Joined in majority opinion by the dogs, GERMAN SHEPHERD, and Poodle...
Only in dissent is the Persian Cat (Islamic?) who has her own attitude...would probably appreciate PETA
Seriously -- remember Benz is a German company, and we know they have been in the P. C. wilderness since shortly after the wall fell...
#11
Next time a PETA nut complains about your leather jacket or fur point out to them how nice you are to the planet. Within 50 years after you throw it away it is composted. 10,000 years from now their polyethylene fiber coat will still be uncomposted in the landfill!
Some residents of Chicago's largely Hispanic Pilsen section are upset over a new doll in the popular American Girl series because her storyline says the Mexican-American youngster and her family left the "dangerous" neighborhood for a better life in the suburbs.
Many in the West Side neighborhood say the characterization is insulting and inaccurate.
"It's very offensive and it's really a slap in the face to the hardworking people of the Pilsen community," said Alvaro R. Obregon, who lives near where the doll, Marisol, supposedly lived before setting out for suburban Des Plaines.
According to the biography that accompanies the doll, which was introduced just after Christmas, she is the daughter of a transit worker and an accountant. One day her mother tells Marisol the family is leaving their apartment for a house in the suburbs.
The old neighborhood "was no place for me to grow up," the doll's story says. "It was dangerous, and there was no place for me to play."
American Girl officials said that they never intended to insult the community.
"Our feeling is that when people read the book in its entirety, I think they'll see the picture that we painted of Marisol in the book is from a very warm, lively and very close-knit community," American Girl spokeswoman Stephanie Spanos said Wednesday.
Spanos added that the "dangerous" comment was a reference to traffic in the big city and that Marisol's parents moved to Des Plaines because they wanted a house and a yard for their daughter to play in.
...Rodrigo Herrera, who runs a small debt-collection business in Caracas, Venezuela, has no such bailout policy. His business name is Dr. Diablo, Spanish for Dr. Devil. He is perhaps one of the world's most effective, and most unusual, bill collectors.
Dr. Diablo doesn't break your bones, or shoot holes in your kneecaps. He embarrasses you to death.
Let's say that you are really behind on your car payments. The car dealership hires Dr. Diablo, who shows up at your office, or home, or maybe even your church, dressed as the devil and accompanied by a carload of women in skintight costumes and a vicious dog.
He makes lots of noise with the siren on his SUV, which is painted with hellfire flames. In general, Dr. Diablo makes sure that your neighbors, or your boss, know that you, until now a pillar of the community, are actually a deadbeat.
While its previous owners considered adult entertainment "immoral," Adelphia Communications Corp., the country's fifth-largest cable television provider, last week became the first to offer hard-core adult films on pay-per-view to its subscribers.
"It's a very lucrative source of funds," said Dennis McAlpine, a media and entertainment industry analyst. "The cable companies and the satellite companies are programming agnostics in the sense that they don't care what the programming is. It's what the viewers want to see."
Viewers can watch such sexually explicit movies in the Hilton and Marriott hotel chains on video services like LodgeNet or on "On Command," which is owned by Liberty Media, formerly a part of AT&T; at home via DirecTV, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch's Newscorp; or via virtually every cable company, including Cox, Time Warner and Comcast.
Sexual content at Hiltons. How inappropriate.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
02/08/2005
10:18:04 PM ||
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Pakistani police arrested four Sunni Muslim militants suspected of planning suicide attacks on Shi'ite processions during the Islamic month of Muharram that starts later this week, police said on Tuesday. Police found around 17 kg of explosives and other material used for bomb making during an overnight raid on a hideout in a poor neighbourhood in the volatile southern port city of Karachi, they said.
And happy holidays to you, too...
One of the militants, Mohammed Asghar, belonged to the outlawed Sunni Muslim group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Gul Hameed Soomo, an additional inspector general of police, told Reuters.
Not that there's a whit of difference between the two...
The two groups have been involved in several high-profile attacks since Pakistan joined the U.S.-led war on terror after al Qaeda's strikes against the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. "The four arrested men are part of a terror cell which wanted to carry out suicide assaults on Shi'ite Muslims during Muharram," Soomo said. Police were still hunting the leader of the gang and two of his followers, Soomo said.
This article starring:
MOHAMED ASGHAR
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi
MOHAMED ZAHID
Harkat-ul Mujahideen al-Almi
MOHSIN KHAN
Harkat-ul Mujahideen al-Almi
SAID OMAR
Harkat-ul Mujahideen al-Almi
Harkat-ul Mujahideen al-Almi
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2005
06:20 ||
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Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2005
05:28 ||
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#1
For a moment there, I thought it was 1) we need a five-star resort for our HQ as we investigate what's going on here, and 2) 24 hr catering with French chefs.
#2
(a) The caviar served to UN commission was of inferior quality.
(b) The female companions provided for the commission members were too old (past 15).
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2005
05:27 ||
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#1
Giuliana Sgrena, a 56-year-old reporter for the communist daily Il Manifesto
The Italian government has been a very high profile member of the Coalition of the Willing. A thousand thanks. However, they have their fair share of LLL as we do. Thought there was something 'odd' about this news story when it appeared. This explains it.
The owner of the house in Umm Al-Haiman - the scene of a shootout between terrorists and security forces - identified as Mohammed S.A. told police during interrogation he belongs to the terrorist cell. He also gave State Security police detailed information about the structure of terrorist cells and how terrorists coordinate with each other. He added, he and another terrorist identified as Ahmed Motlaq were in charge of storing explosives. He added the terrorists are financed by a Saudi citizen, identified as Abu Zaid.
That's a pseudonym, of course. Everybody gets to be an Abu Somebody. Sounds like the Kuwaitis are being pretty ruthless with the truncheons. Good thing they're not being occupied by Iraq, or Human Riots Watch would be all over them.
A reliable source from the Al-Najat Society said in view of the terrorist activities in the country several persons are interested to learn more about Islam. The society has called upon donors to support the society with financial assistance to cope up with the increasing number of new 'students'.
"Those boyz need arms and ammunition, so dig deep, Brethren and Sistern!"
This article starring:
ABU ZAID
Peninsula Lions
AHMED MOTLAQ
Peninsula Lions
MOHAMED S.A.
Peninsula Lions
Al-Najat Society
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005
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Pakistan denied on Monday that nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan sold nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries after Time magazine reported that the United States was investigating the matter. AQ Khan admitted last year to leaking nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea. The latest edition of Time said US officials were investigating whether Khan also sold sensitive technology to Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed dismissed the report as "baseless and sensationalised", though a Foreign Office spokesman said the case was not yet closed. "As far as Iran, Libya and North Korea are concerned, there was an admission. But there is no truth as far as Saudi Arabia and other countries are concerned," the minister said. "Nothing has gone (to these countries) from the KRL. Its complete record is available," he told Reuters, referring to the Khan Research Laboratories. Foreign Office spokesman Masood Khan said Pakistan was ready to investigate further if fresh evidence emerged. But, he insisted the government had dismantled Khan's network.
"The international black market network, as far as it is related to Pakistan, has been dismantled. It has been neutralised," he told a weekly news conference. "The allegation has been made several times in the past, but this is part of a disinformation campaign. It is baseless (and) does not have any substance," he added. "It is a rehash of several speculative stories which have appeared in the media in the recent past." Masood Khan said the probe into AQ Khan's nuclear black market was not over and insisted that Islamabad had done its duty to the international community. "We have not closed investigations. If new fresh leads emerge we would like to check them out and if fresh evidence is furnished to us we would like to look into that," he said. "We have done more than any other country in the world. There are other countries... it was alleged that they were involved in the international black market. We are yet to see if they are looking for skeletons in their cupboards." The information minister and the Foreign Office spokesman both denied claims that 16 cylinders of uranium hexafluoride gas used for uranium enrichment were missing from KRL. "Our inventory is complete and nothing is missing from KRL," Rashid said. He added that there is no pressure on Pakistan to hand AQ Khan over to another country or the IAEA for interrogation.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005
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#1
It could be argued that there is a difference between selling (for money) and trading (for equivalent value). I seem to recall that Saudi Arabia hired a number of Pakistani soldiers for their army. Do you suppose the amount paid for the hired troops could possibly be equivalent in value to a certain number of atomic weapons/bombs to be delivered at another time?
#2
Saudi Arabia financed much of the Pakistani nuclear effort. The question is, did SA get a few Paki nuke warheads in exchange, to fit on top of their 3000km range Chinese DF-3A IRBMs? BTW, 3000km range seems to be popular in the Middle East. It's almost if they are targetting all of Europe.
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2005 7:19
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If SA didn't get nukes (which I think is a reasonable assumption), then they likely got an assurance of some in the future. The Soddies and Paks are entwined like a rope (or like a Mafia family if you prefer Paul Moloney's analogy).
A Kuwaiti Interior Ministry official confirmed a report that militant suspects captured in recent police raids confessed to planning to use ice cream trucks packed with explosives to attack US military convoys traveling to Iraq. Some 40 terror suspects have been handed over to prosecutors since the beginning of Kuwait's unprecedented crackdown on Muslim militants last month, and more were being investigated by police. Members of a militant group told interrogators they wanted to park the ice cream and snack vans loaded with explosives next to highways and detonate them as US military convoys traveling to and from Iraq passed by, the Al-Watan daily reported on Friday.
On Sunday, most of the vans had disappeared from major highways and increased numbers of police cars were monitoring the roads. The snack vans, which also sell ice, are common on highways at this time of year when many Kuwaitis drive into the desert to camp. Suspects in custody include two women - the wife of the ringleader who allegedly helped him prepare explosives and the wife of one of five suspects who surrendered to police in Sulaibiyah Saturday. One woman captured Saturday, who was identified as a "non-Kuwaiti," was "hiding a machine-gun under her abaya," according to the official, referring to the black head-to-toe traditional cloak that some women in the country wear. The official said many of the suspects were led by a militant preacher named Amer Khlaif Al-Enezi, who was apprehended last month.
The five arrested Saturday, two Saudis and three Jordanians, were not tied to Al-Enezi's terror group, but were wanted for investigations about "many security-related suspicions,' the official said. In Amman, Jordanian government spokeswoman Asma Khader could not confirm any arrest of Jordanian nationals in Kuwait, but said if the reports were correct the men "are considered outlaws and should be tried in accordance with Kuwaiti law."
This article starring:
AMER KHLAIF AL ENEZI
al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005
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#1
Brings new meaning to the shop-worn name we had for them way back when I was a carpenter, ptomaine trucks.
#5
I just want to say I love these magazine covers.
I can remember(as a kid)seeing my Mom read that mag.
My grandmother read them, until sometime in the Seventies when real life got juicier than the mags. I remember her disgust that "Now the Whole School Knows My Secret!" involved a high school girl who was afraid her classmates would discover that she played the mandolin, or balalaika, or something equally dorky.
Police recently arrested two Kuwaitis during a raid on a camp in Amghara and seized from them a quantity of arms and ammunition, reports Al-Seyassah daily quoting a reliable security source. The same source said, one of the men is a retired Lieut-Colonel, ex-employee of Kuwait's Ministry of Defence and the other is a fugitive wanted by the State Security police.
They sound like important catches, better than just a couple cannon fodder...
The daily quoting another security source said police also arrested another Kuwaiti man in the same area for possessing arms and ammunition. It has been reported the man appeared nervous when police were checking his identification papers at a police checkpoint. Police searched the man's car and found the ordnance which was hidden in his vehicle.
Security forces also arrested a Kuwaiti man during a raid on one of the camps in Amghara and seized from him a handwritten letter said to have been addressed to an unidentified person outside the country, reports Al-Qabas daily. The letter says fugitive Khaled Al-Dosari, who is wanted in connection with the recent spate of shootouts between terrorists and security forces, and a group of men are planning to 'escape' from the country. The suspect has been referred to the Public Prosecution and investigations are continuing to ascertain if the letter was written by Dosari himself or by members of his cell. Meanwhile, the daily quoted two eyewitnesses as saying they saw Dosari driving a green French car in Salmiya, while some others reported seeing the man driving in Salwa.
This article starring:
KHALED AL DOSARI
al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005
00:00:00 AM ||
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Pakistan is "sitting on a cluster of political, demographic and social time bombs," according to Owen Bennet-Jones, a BBC journalist who has served in the region and written a book on Pakistan.
Tell us about it...
The British broadcaster and author believes that beyond the growing appeal of radical Islam, the most glaring threats are posed by the booming population, and, secondly, the "atrocious" education system.
A crummy exclusively religious-based education that involves lotsa time prosyletizing jihad would tend to contribute to the growing appeal of radical Islam, I'd guess...
He points out that Pakistani liberals and Western observers who have warned "for years" that the madrassas are akin to "jihadist production lines" have been ignored. One million Pakistani children now attend these schools where the syllabus consists solely of the Quran, jihad and martyrdom, he adds.
That's what I just said, only a little more polite...
Bennet-Jones's observations form part of a review of Stephen Cohen's new book, The Idea of Pakistan, published in the Washington Post on Sunday. After pointing out that the Pakistan Air Force has been bombing "targets on its own soil" in South Waziristan for the last year, Bennet-Jones wonders "what kind of country needs to bomb its own turf".
A country that doesn't control its own turf. A country where a considerable proportion of the inhabitants haven't quite managed to understand the word "country."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005
00:00:00 AM ||
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#1
Fred---you put the wrong picture up. Take down Perv and post "Masters of the Obvious." Love that pic...
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/08/2005 13:13
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I think Pakland is four or five or possibly six proto-states, teetering on the brink
The punjabis outnumber the others - sindis, baluchis, Pashtuns - by a huge number. The question is will the Punjabis retain the unity ant the will and the political dexterity to hold the country together. Will it split like the USSR or go on like dozens of third world countries. Remember theres a HUGE bias in the international system toward the unity of de jure states. Even Congo has stayed united on paper, not to mention Somalia.
Kuwait said Sunday it has approved a new "strategy" to combat terrorism following gunbattles with Islamist militants and vowed to crush terrorists.
I hope it goes a little beyond arguing with them in chat rooms...
The cabinet reviewed during its weekly session a "strategy to deal with the phenomenon of terrorism and extremist ideology," prepared by Kuwait's National Security Council, an official statement said, without giving details. "The cabinet asked the council to ... coordinate with other concerned authorities to formulate practical programmes necessary to combat the ideology of extremism and violence at all levels with the aim to uproot this scourge." The cabinet also approved the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and referred it to HH the Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah before sending it to parliament for endorsement. The treaty was adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 1999 in a bid to drain sources of funding terrorists.
Interior Minister Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah said the number of terrorists being hunted by Kuwaiti security forces was "small" and would be crushed. "The gang of terrorists is small and will be wiped out completely ... Criminals and wanted men will not escape the hand of justice," the minister told the state KUNA news agency.
Islamic Affairs Minister Abdullah Al-Maatuk on Sunday formed a panel of religious scholars and academics with a mission to "strengthen moderate (Islamic) ideology and confront extremism". The panel is an offshoot of a government committee formed in August and headed by the minister to combat extremism following a crackdown on a network that was recruiting fighters for neighbouring Iraq. Kuwaiti officials have linked the militants to the al-Qaeda network and counterparts in Saudi Arabia, itself battling a wave of terror attacks. Parliament voted last Tuesday to give security forces tough new powers to search for and confiscate illegal weapons in private hands. The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Sunday refuted reports that one of its imams was among those arrested by security authorities over the recent security incidents.
"No, no! Certainly not!"
In statements to KUNA, Information and Media Director Adnan Al-Medhahka said the concerned individual has nothing to do with the ministry but used to, voluntarily, lead and preached worshippers in a make-shift shack and not a ministry mosque. The official meanwhile noted, a seminar will be held to awaken youth who are being lured and misled with religious-coated slogans by vested interests. The seminar will be presented by Mohammad Al-Awadi. He urged all those interested to attend.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005
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The Saudi treasurer of a US-based charity who has been accused of funding terrorism, has written a letter to the US Congress calling for a dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Washington. A director of the Al-Haramain Foundation, Soliman al-Buthi was placed on the UN list of terrorism financiers and accused of having links to al-Qaida and Usama bin Ladin.
In his letter, al-Buthi warned against the perception in the US that Saudi charities were being used to fund terrorism. "The common United States practice of freezing charities and charitable organisation officials' bank accounts based upon 'secret evidence' only serves to reinforce the image the United States simply wants to end faith-based giving rather than truly rooting out the evils of terror finance," he said in the letter dated 2 February. Giving money to charity, known in Arabic as Zakat, is a tenet of Islam.
Without zakat, the holy men would be in penury...
Al-Haramain Foundation is one of six Islamic charities in the US that have been closed by authorities since the 11 September 2001 attacks. No charge has ever been brought against Buthi in a court of law. Senator George Allen responded to al-Buthi by saying that US policy in Saudi Arabia had so far been successful. "These conjoined efforts have proven to be successful. As you know, with the aid of US officials. Saudi law-enforcement agents have apprehended and/or killed a number of terrorists," Allen wrote in a letter. But Allen did not address any of the unproven and unpublicised accusations against the Saudi or his charitable work.
Dear Sir,
Thank you for your letter of the 16th inst.
Sincerely,
George Allen
Al-Buthi said that he was pleased his letter had been read by senator. "I think it's good," he said referring to Allen's response. "For me I was happy for a member of congress just to read it." Describing himself as one of the "big critics" of groups such as al-Qaida, al-Buthi said he hoped the letter would be the start of a new exchange between the two countries. "The relations between the US and Saudi Arabia have been twisted in another direction," he said. "We would like to open a dialogue. We don't want to open a clash." Al-Buthi also questioned the rationale of the US government's pressure on Islamic charities, and argued that Washington would be in a better position to cut down on security concerns if there was coordination between the directors of such charities and US officials.
Washington would be in an even better position if al-Qaeda surrendered. That's not going to happen, either.
This article starring:
SOLIMAN AL BUTHI
Al-Haramain Foundation
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005
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[Off-topic or abusive comments deleted]
Posted by: special dog gift TROLL ||
02/08/2005 3:26
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#2
*sniff*
That was beautiful, TROLL special dog gift, but you failed to tell the whole story...
It was a dark night, as nights go. Stormy, too, as there was a storm which had suddenly sprung up... at least where they were - it had been doing the storming thingy for quite awhile, but since it was moving, well, you get the idea. So, with the storm and all, Jenna invited her two new friends inside - they had already completed the original reason for the visit, comparing their dogs, um, anatomy, and had been happily chatting away for several minutes. But the storm thing, well now, that changed everything as it got Bill and Susan invited inside Jenna's lovely home - inside her defenses. The chill from the air conditioning didn't fully explain the chill Jenna felt as she closed the door behind them, but she shrugged it off as silly. Inviting them into the den, she asked them if they would like a drink, but both said "no, thanks." in voices that further chilled Jenna. Then Bill said, "Jenna, you're quite lovely... don't you agree, Susan?" Susan just smiled her special enigmatic smile - the one that told Bill all he needed to know - Jenna made Susan hot. So Bill began smiling, too - his looked more like a shark, however, and Jenna began to wonder if inviting these two total strangers into her house, having just met them at the Obedience Class that evening, had been such a good idea. Her fears were confirmed when Bill stepped up close to her, too close, and in the most evil voice sweet Jenna had ever heard said, "Strip - and take a four-point stance!" Terrified, Jenna quickly complied, blood racing. Then, confirming her worst fears, Bill growled, "Now bark, bitch! Susan, get the flea collar and Beggin' Strips, we're gonna see what Jenna learned in class!" In a rush, a hot flash, Jenna cried, "Yes! I was getting damned tired of being chilled, let's get this show on the road!"
#6
I think we a discussion on the eating characteristics of dog. I've tried it and frankly don't like it. Too 'heaty' as the Chinese say. Now Goanna (Iguana) is a different matter. Yes, it really is like chicken but with a nice chewy texture. All we have to do is cross dogs with Goannas and I think we could be on to something big in the Asian market.
#7
Golly, .com, that English degree really comes in handy at times like this. ;-)
Him and Garrison Keillor.
Phil_b, you leave dogs alone or I'm sending my pack out to find you. They have great noses, they don't give up easily and they are chillingly singleminded when it comes to food.
Plus, they demand to be let up on the sofa, they bark like fiends at the neighbors, they shed, they bring mud in the house and they are cute as the dickens. A few even have some fancy titles they picked up along the way.
#8
BF skinner may have known sh** about bringing up kids but conditioning works terrifically with Goannas. My Goannas go into a sexual frenzy if they just smell a dog within a 1000 meters. The dogs aren't crazy about it but an un-nammed cable channel is interested in buying the video. So bring it on.
#11
Oh, yea? I've got a goose that thinks one of my dogs is it's mate. Freaks the dog out. Go over to meatismurder and read about it.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/08/2005 12:15
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#12
Guests entered her home with large gift bags, containing all the items Jenna had requested - pet food, kitty litter, animal toys and cleaning supplies.
While this may not sound like a 9-year-old's typical birthday wish list, it was exactly what Jenna wanted.
Taken from http://www.newszap.com/articles/2005/01/02/dm/sussex_county/dsn04.txt
For information on special dog gift for dog lovers or gift for your dog, you may go to this website.
Posted by: special dog gift ||
02/08/2005 3:26
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Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz told US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday that Israel favoured diplomatic pressure over military means to prevent Iran obtaining nuclear weapons.
"If that doesn't work, of course, we'll clobber them..."
Speaking to Israel Radio after a meeting with Rice, who was on a two-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, Mofaz said that at the moment the efforts must be diplomatic. "The way to act, the most acceptable way for us and the Americans is to use the diplomatic track to bring this issue to the (United Nations) Security Council and issue sanctions," Mofaz said.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005
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Posted by: about dog products TROLL ||
02/08/2005 3:15
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#2
F'cking spammers. They are on my target list right after jihadis, and before commies and el cubos.
#4
Pets need dental care, too, and this February an increasing number of pet owners are taking the initiative of in-home care. According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA), 15 percent of dog owners get veterinarian dental care for their dogs, 5 percent more than in 1998, while 28 percent of all dog owners own a toothbrush for their dogs.
Taken from http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050124/245091_1.html
I recently visited this website talking about dog products and find the information very helpful.
Posted by: about dog products ||
02/08/2005 3:15
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A Tamil Tiger leader was killed together with four other rebels in eastern Sri Lanka on Monday in what appeared to be an internecine clash, government military officials said. E Kousalyan, the political wing leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the eastern region, was ambushed as his convoy was travelling to the coastal district of Batticaloa, military and Tamil Tiger sources said. Four others, including two policemen escorting Kousalyan were seriously wounded in the ensuing gunbattle, the official said from Batticaloa, 300 kilometres east of Colombo.
Military officials said they suspected the attack was carried out by a breakaway faction of the Tamil Tigers led by former number two in the LTTE, V Muralitharan, better known as Karuna. However, the pro-rebel Tamilnet.com website said Tigers blamed the attack on, "paramilitary operatives working with the Sri Lankan armed forces".
"Mr Kousalyan is the most senior LTTE official to be killed after Colombo and Tigers signed a ceasefire in February 2002," the Tamilnet said. He was returning from the eastern village of Vanni after discussing plans for expanding Tsunami rehabiltation in the east, the website said.
This article starring:
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005
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WANA: Two journalists were killed and one was seriously injured when unidentified men ambushed their vehicle on Monday evening. The journalists were returning from the peace deal between tribal militant Baitullah Mehsud and the government at Sararogha in South Waziristan Agency. When their vehicle approached Civil Hospital, several men started firing at them. Amir Nawab Khan, an APTN cameraman, and Allah Noor Wazir, a correspondent of The Nation and Nawa-e-Waqt were killed instantly. Anwar Shakir, a correspondent of Urdu daily Islam, was shot in the abdomen and was taken to the Agency Headquarters Hospital. He is in stable condition. Two other journalists including Zardad Khan of Al Jazeera television were unharmed in the ambush.
This article starring:
BAITULLAH MEHSUD
Wazir Taliban
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005
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Geez, I didn't know we had American troops in South Waziristan.
Oh, wait.... ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
02/08/2005 20:03
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LOME: Togo's Faure Gnassingbe was formally sworn in as president on Monday after his father's sudden death, despite strong condemnation from former colonial power France and African leaders who branded the succession unconstitutional.
Yep. It's all over but the shootin'...
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005
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Iran's powerful former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has called on the United States to make a gesture of goodwill towards Iran as a precursor to reopening dialogue. "We want good relations with the American people," the top cleric said in an exclusive interview published on Monday in leading US daily USA Today. "There has to be a dialogue between the governments, but what can one do when your government has always wronged us? We need to see evidence that this process will be reversed."
This is curious. This is the second time Rafsanjani's made this kind of overture that I can recall. Asefi, Kharrazi, and the other face-makers never seem to bring it up at all, and Khatami's been pretty much non-committal for obvious reasons.
Rafsanjani, Iran's president from 1989 to 1997 said he had not decided whether to run for president in the June presidential election, but could announce a candidacy in two to three months. Rafsanjani, 70, described himself as someone who can improve relations with the United States. "I'm not the only one but I am one of them," he said. But the charismatic cleric insisted Washington had to take the first step, by freeing at least eight billion dollars in Iranian assets frozen in the United States, or some other gesture of goodwill.
Just off the top of my head, I'd say "hell no!"
"When I was the president, several times I mentioned this to the United States, that if they show goodwill we would enter a dialogue with them. And I gave this directive to them, that if they free our assets in the United States, that would be a sign of goodwill. I have the same idea this time. The first step has to be from the US part. They have to show positive signs for us so we can believe they are sincere."
What the hell do you want? They sent you a cake once...
Rafsanjani, now the head of the Expediency Council political arbitration body, said US lawmakers would be welcome to visit Iran. "They can come. We have no objection," he said. But he added that "we do not trust the goodwill of the US", and had withering words for the current US administration by calling recent tough statements from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice "emotional."
Posted by: Fred ||
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#2
....he then slipped into repeated mumblings of marg bar amerika while choking on a fistful of pistashio nuts grown on his family's [and the country's]only pistacchio farm--freakin' bazaari scum
Posted by: SON OF TOLUI ||
02/08/2005 2:56
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#3
[Off-topic or abusive comments deleted]
Posted by: dog care TROLL ||
02/08/2005 3:19
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#4
I can see returning that money to the Iranian people, in the form of radios, secure crypto gear, small arms...
Is there something we can do about the comment spam? Advocating a DDOS attack would be illegal, of course...
#6
Iranâs powerful former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has called on the United States to make a gesture of goodwill towards Iran as a precursor to reopening dialogue.
Er, no.
Rafsanjani, now the head of the Expediency Council political arbitration body, said US lawmakers would be welcome to visit Iran. âThey can come. We have no objection,â he said. But he added that âwe do not trust the goodwill of the USâ, and had withering words for the current US administration by calling recent tough statements from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice âemotional.â
#7
as a gesture of good will we are equipping all our armaments with JDAM packages so as to minimize collateral damage. happy?
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/08/2005 10:38
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#8
The Iranian gentleman clearly does not understand that Bush, and Americans in general, are results oriented, not process oriented. Until he can offer us solid and acceptable results, what motivation do we have to engage in his little process?
#9
Pets need dental care, too, and this February an increasing number of pet owners are taking the initiative of in-home care. According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA), 15 percent of dog owners get veterinarian dental care for their dogs, 5 percent more than in 1998, while 28 percent of all dog owners own a toothbrush for their dogs.
Taken from http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050124/245091_1.html
This website provides accurate and reliable basic dog care information.
Posted by: dog care ||
02/08/2005 3:19
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Nepal's newly appointed royalist government will soon appoint negotiators who will seek unconditional peace talks with Maoist rebels, local media reported on Monday. It is the first attempt to find a peaceful end to a bloody Maoist revolt since King Gyanendra seized power a week ago, but is also being twinned with an increased army offensive and an appeal for the guerrillas to give up their weapons. "(The government) is going to form a dialogue committee that will hold a dialogue with the Maoists soon," Culture and Aviation Minister Buddhiraj Bajracharya said, according to the Kathmandu Post. "Now they should come for dialogue without any condition."
The Maoists had maintained they wanted to deal directly with the king rather than a puppet government, but they have also condemned his sudden assumption of power and suspension of democracy as "the last writhing of the feudal autocracy". The rebels have called for an indefinite blockade and traffic strike throughout the country from Feb 13, the ninth anniversary of the beginning of their insurgency. A former mediator close to the Maoists said the confrontational style of the king's statement when he assumed power last week made it very unlikely the rebels would come for talks. Bajracharya, one of the most senior members of Gyanendra's new 10-member cabinet, also said the king did not plan to ban political parties, despite arresting party leaders when he sacked the government last week.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
I still sat this guy looks like Herb from Accounting. Somebody check his wallet. And see if there's anybody tied up in the King's closet...
The US official who declared the White House's hunt for illicit weapons in Iraq to be a failure driven by faulty intelligence has warned the Bush administration against repeating its mistakes in the current war of words with arch-foe Iran. "There is an eerie similarity to the events preceding the Iraq war," David Kay, who led the search for banned weapons of mass destruction in postwar Iraq, said on Monday in an opinion piece in The Washington Post.
Yes. Isn't there?
"Nuclear weapons in the hands of Iran would be a grave danger to the world. That is not what is in doubt," he wrote. "What is in doubt is the ability (of) the US government to honestly assess Iran's nuclear status and to craft a set of measures that will cope with that threat short of military action by the United States or Israel," Kay added.
Iran seems to be doing a pretty good job of convincing the rest of the world that it's working real hard to get them, isn't it?
Posted by: Fred ||
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Boy, it looks like Kay's meltdown last year wasn't a fluke. He exhibited a completely upside-down misunderstanding of the relationship between reliable WMD intelligence and pre-emption (the lack of the former drives, not limits, the latter). Now he falls off several cliffs: (1) nice slimy and unwarranted dig at US "honesty" in assessing life-and-death national security decisions -- and he knows damn well there was no dishonesty in the Iraq round, as of course all investigations have shown (2) implying he or any other government has the ability to "craft" magical non-military measures to stop a nuke program in a recalcitrant ruthless and rich dictatorship.
He of course also completely misstates the basic question (at least this passage seems to leave little chance he addresses it correctly): it's nearly impossible to accurately assess nuclear status of a state like Iran, but it's easy to see that eventually they can easily go nuclear if they try.
You had your moment in the early 90s, Dave. Go away and STFU. You look like a fool -- as does anyone preening for the brain-dead infantile Beltway second-guessing industry.
#3
Hmmm. Excellent points, V-i-Iraq! I wonder if a surreptitious peek at his financials would reveal a current or recently addressed need for funds. I'd hate to believe it, but the Kool Aid is clearly in evidence, as you point out. The Kool Aid Krowd has some deep-pocketed and increasingly desperate wankers who wouldn't hesitate to subvert someone like Kay. Hell, they're probably willing to make alliances of convenience with absolutely anyone...
#4
this is a man tortured by his own failure at predicting iraqi wmd's for years and being bereft because--ta da--he couldn't find them--hint/ speznatz crews to syria duvid--what a dhimmi--you'd think living in arab lands for as long as he did would teach him about their thought processes and paronoidal need for secrecy culture--what a colossal nincompoop he is
Posted by: SON OF TOLUI ||
02/08/2005 3:04
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#5
[Off-topic or abusive comments deleted]
Posted by: dog health information TROLL ||
02/08/2005 3:17
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#7
Perhaps Mr. Kay will explain to us why Iran wants ballistic missles that can reach the heart of Europe?
Posted by: Mark Z. ||
02/08/2005 6:22
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#8
Not just ballistic missiles. Iran recently received 3000km range (if fitted with a 200 kiloton ex-Soviet warhead) air launched cruise missiles from Ukraine.
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2005 6:26
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#9
.com: 'David Kay' does sound eerily similar to 'on the pay'.
#10
I dunno, Bulldog. I think the Galloway defense might apply for him. He doesn't need a bribe to work against America's interests; he'll do it for free.
#11
Bulldog: .com: 'David Kay' does sound eerily similar to 'on the pay'.
I think it's an ideological thing, just as it is with the media. Why do the media distort and lie? Because they can - it's great when you get paid while disseminating your ideology.
Egyptian authorities freed without charge on Monday two women, a Briton and an Egyptian, detained last month after handing out literature opposing a new term for President Hosni Mubarak, judicial officials said. A third activist arrested with them, Egyptian journalist Ibrahim el-Sahhary, will remain in detention for a few days before Egypt's state security prosecutor decides whether to charge or free him, the officials said.
Sahhary, Marwa Farouk and Bahu Bakhsh, a British national of Saudi origin, were detained at a Cairo book fair on Jan. 28. The prosecutor's office ordered their detention for 15 days pending investigation. Human rights groups saw the detentions as part of a government campaign against activists who have become more vocal in criticising Mubarak and the possibility that he will seek a fifth six-year term in office later this year. Over a period of a few days the authorities also detained opposition leader Ayman Nour and nine provincial leaders from the opposition Muslim Brotherhood organisation. Opposition groups are demanding changes to Egypt's constitution, under which parliament nominates a sole presidential candidate — in effect
Posted by: Fred ||
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Former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif are expected to meet in Jeddah later this week to discuss the political situation back home and review the cooperation of their parties. ARD sources told Daily Times that Bhutto and her husband Asif Zardari had booked Emirates Airline tickets to Saudi Arabia for Wednesday. They will perform umra and also take the chance to visit Nawaz Sharif and condole the death of his father Mian Sharif, the sources said.
Raja Pervez Ashraf, the Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) secretary general, confirmed that Bhutto and Zardari would visit Saudi Arabia in the next few days. Sharif was exiled to Saudi Arabia after General Pervez Musharraf took power in October 1999. Bhutto has been living in self-exile since 1998. "It will be the first meeting between the two former prime ministers during their time in exile," said Siddiqul Farooq, the PML-N information secretary. Bhutto, the PPP chairperson, and Sharif, head of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), were once ardent political rivals. However, they were united by a common foe — Musharraf - and came together at the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD).
Posted by: Fred ||
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Pilgrimage in Islam going to Mecca, second to the main pilgrimage hajj. Umra is often referred to as the "little pilgrimage", and while the hajj is compulsory to a Muslim, the umra is not. However, the umra it is recommended by the Koran, and is a highly regarded practice in Islam.
KORAN
Chapter 2: 153
Truly, Safa and Marwa are among the landmarks of God, therefore anyone who performs the hajj or the umra he does no harm if he circumambulates them both.
There is a close connection between the rituals of the umra and the hajj, to the extent they are often mingled together. There are only minor differences between the first part of the hajj and the entire umra, and according to some views a hajj automatically include the umra, while according to other views, the umra is only performed when it is as an independent ritual.
The umra which is a strong symbol of Muslim piety, is a highly individual ritual, as there is practically nothing of its acts that requires the presence of other people. The only part which cannot be done all alone, is the shaving after all the other acts. But that is also not really a part of the umra â it only serves as a symbol of leaving the ritual of the umra.
The umra can be performed all through the year, with the exception of the days of the hajj.
SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister John Howard indicated Monday his government could still seek to prosecute terror suspect Mamdouh Habib, who in turn has threatened to sue authorities over his treatment during three years of detention without trial by the US at Guantanamo Bay. Habib, an Egyptian-born resident of Sydney, was arrested in Pakistan in 2001 and held by the US for alleged links to the Al Qaeda terror network.
I've got a great idea. Why not kick him out of the country, so he can be an Egyptian-born resident of Cairo?
He returned home last last month after being released without charge from Guantanamo Bay and has since been trying to recover his passport, which was revoked by authorities on security grounds. Howard said Habib remained of interest to Australia's security services. Asked if the government would seek to charge Habib with a crime, Howard said: "I'm not foreshadowing that, but equally I am careful not to rule that out." "The reason that he has not been charged, as yet, under Australian law is that some of the offences, or the activities, rather, that he's alleged to have undertaken, were not criminal at the time they were undertaken, although similar activities are now crimes under Australian law."
This article starring:
MAMDUH HABIB
al-Qaeda
Posted by: Fred ||
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In other words Mamdouh STFU and calm down or your ass will be in a cell again.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Post-strike cleanup? It would be nice if the MM's used the money they've stolen from the Persian people to pay for it. The Russians can use the work - and they gained valuable experience at Chernobyl. Got win-win written all over it.
Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov, in a rare interview with a Russian newspaper published on Monday, urged Russian authorities to start peace talks. A government official in Moscow quickly condemned the Kommersant daily for "publishing an interview with a bandit". Maskhadov's offer of peace talks follows his order last week of a ceasefire by his forces in what he called a gesture of good will aimed at ending the decade-old conflict in the North Caucasus province.
I'm cautiously starting to hope that Shamil really is dead...
There has been no official reaction from the Kremlin to the ceasefire offer, but leaders of Chechnya's pro-Moscow government rejected it, calling it is a cynical ploy to stall for time while Maskhadov's forces regroup. "I hope for a reasonable reaction," Maskhadov told Kommersant, just days after Moscow criticised the British government for not blocking the airing on local television of an interview with another Chechen rebel leader, Shamil Basayev.
This article starring:
ASLAN MASKHADOV
Chechnya
Posted by: Fred ||
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Militant leader Baituallah Mehsud signed a "peace deal" with the government here on Monday as he laid down his arms in a carefully orchestrated ceremony. The ceremony was held in an open field surrounded by Taliban militants shouting "Death to America" and "Allah-o-Akbar" (God is great) as Baitullah, a 30-year-old Taliban commander in South Waziristan, signed the agreement. AP reported that 35 of his supporters were also part of the deal. Also present were a handful of army soldiers keeping an eye on proceedings from a distance through binoculars.
Baitullah said the Taliban did not want to fight Pakistan. "We understand fighting against Pakistani security forces did not help the Taliban at all," said Baitullah, who kept his face covered to avoid being photographed, even after TV crews and press photographers were told to switch off their cameras. "Pakistan has also realised that fighting tribal people is weakening its ability. Pakistan's enemy are India, the Northern Alliance and Russia."
He vowed to abide by the peace deal. "This agreement will last unless the government violates it." Under the agreement, Baitullah cannot shelter or support foreign militants, nor can he attack government installations. If Baitullah or his supporters violate the agreement, the government will take action against him.
This article starring:
BAITUALLAH MEHSUD
Wazir Taliban
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#1
Hey, mebbe next time, eh Ladies? Of course, your vote will only count as 1/4 of a man's vote. But the House of Saud is on the march, setting the standard for truly backward barbarians and female castrationists everywhere, reforming and instituting that democracy stuff and dressing up every window in the hundreds and hundreds of palaces throughout the Kingdom thingy. When they're done, well then, stand back -- equality will not be far behind, I'm sure.
#2
yo --its progress [hehe]--to think before he became a self appointed king abdul aziz was just the emir of rehyahd--then the hijaz--mecca--medina--tomorrow the world--i'm just sayin'
Posted by: SON OF TOLUI ||
02/08/2005 2:44
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MANILA: Eight soldiers were killed and 12 others wounded in the southern Philippines on Monday in simultaneous attacks by hundreds of armed followers of detained Muslim rebel leader Nur Misuari, officials said.
Gosh. We haven't heard anything from Nur or MNLF in ages.
Sporadic firefights broke out between security forces and several hundred Muslim gunmen around the towns of Panamao, Parang and Talipao on Jolo island at dawn and the gunbattles continued into the afternoon, they said. The gunmen ambushed a military truck near the town of Patikul in early afternoon, killing seven soldiers and wounding 12 others, said military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Buenaventura Pascual. A soldier was also killed and two others wounded when Misuari allies attacked a military unit that was building a road near Parang in mid-morning, Pascual told reporters. "We are trying to contain the situation. Our priority is the safety of the civilians and to secure vital government installations in the area," said the Philippine Marines commander Major General Orlando Buenaventura.
This article starring:
NUR MISUARI
Moro National Liberation Front
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2005
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Posted by: dog training information TROLL ||
02/08/2005 3:20
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Muslim militants with no winnable goal. Indepenence for Jolo come on guys. Can't negotiate with em though - they'd much prefer to die for an unclear goal. Yet their leaders continue to fester. Don't Misauri just kill him. Stop allowing these butchers to have a forum or recruitment drive. Take out the trash.
#3
Ask three canine trainers, "What's the best dog training method?" and it's quite possible you'll get three different answers. You might also hear a bevy of buzzwords such as "purely positive" or "clicker training" sprinkled with terms borrowed from psychologists and behaviorists such as "operant conditioning."
Taken from http://www.theithacajournal.com/news/stories/20050126/lifestyle/1914772.html
Find out more about dog training information from this website.
Posted by: dog training information ||
02/08/2005 3:20
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A group of armed men Saturday chased a Kuwaiti youth from Maidan Hawalli to Al-Nuwaisab checkpost. A security source quoting the youth told the Arab Times he was driving a Jaguar car when some youths driving in a vanette bearing Saudi Arabian number plate chased him and began shooting at him when he entered a highway in an attempt to force him to pull over. The youth kept driving and was unable either to seek help or call the Operations Department of the Interior Ministry because of the close proximity between the two cars until he reached the border post and discovered the suspects sensing police presence had diverted their route. Securitymen have alerted all exit points giving description of the vehicle of the suspects.
"A bunch of the boyz were whooping it up!"
Posted by: Fred ||
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Prolly some of the same misguided youth from this story on their way to Chechnya. They had to pass through Kuwait to get there and got distracted by the shiny thing, the Jag, as boys often do.
#2
What Would Mohammed Do? Ambush a caravan Jag, of course.
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2005 5:24
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#3
"A bunch of the boyz were whooping it up!..."
...One night in Maidan Hawalli
The guys that were handling the AKs were only compounding the folly
Back of the mosque in a solo game sat the local holy man
And watching his luck was his light-o'-love, the lady that's known as Umm Lou-am.
(With apologies to Robert Al-Service)
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
02/08/2005 7:32
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Did you hear an outcry? I musta slept through it...
Iran painted the United States as a diplomatically isolated superpower on Monday, saying an international outcry had forced Washington to withdraw a threat of military action against Tehran. "I believe the international community's reaction to the speech by itself meant a lot," Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said on a visit to Malaysia, referring to U.S. President George W Bush's State of the Union address.
"That's why America has withdrawn from the position and they have stressed that they do not have such plans in their agenda," he said, noting remarks last week by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice who sought to ease fears of a U.S. attack. Those fears were aroused last week when Bush called Iran the "world's primary state sponsor of terror" and accused it of seeking to build atomic weapons. He has also declined to rule out military action against Iran over its nuclear programme. His comments drew criticism from Islamic nations and caused the European Union (EU) to distance itself from Washington's approach to Iran. "That is our right to have nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. We are asking for our right," Kharrazi told reporters. In contrast to his comments on Washington, Kharrazi said Iran would discuss the EU's concerns over the question of suspending its nuclear programme and would look to build up more confidence between the two sides.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#5
Iran painted the United States as a diplomatically isolated superpower on Monday
Fine by me, if it weren't for the fact that the middle east is such an unruly sh*thole that spews murderers and religious pychopaths who make killing Americans their business, I would revel in isolationism and let the rest of the world rot.
What ever happens to Iran, they are bringing on themselves.
#6
I went to graduate school with a large number of Iranians and many of them spoke excellent English. It's too bad that one of them can't advise Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi that George W. Bush has not "withdrawn from the position". The Foreign Ministry is obviously having problems understanding English.
Posted by: Tom ||
02/08/2005 8:20
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#7
The Foreign Ministry is obviously having problems understanding English.
Or maybe it's like Baghdad Bob's constantly maintaining that our troops were not making headway, that Saddam had nothing to worry about, right until coalition forces marched into Baghdad.
Posted by: Steve from Relto ||
02/08/2005 9:24
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#8
one very good piece of pych ops
Posted by: Dan ||
02/08/2005 12:00
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#9
one very good piece of pych ops
Posted by: Dan ||
02/08/2005 12:00
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#10
Riverwatch Southern Cross, a curly-coated male retriever that answers to Curlew, won four awards last weekend at the American Kennel Club/Eukanuba National Championship in Tampa, Fla. The awards included best of breed and best bred by exhibitor.
Taken from http://www.thehollandsentinel.net/stories/012305/loc_012305010.shtml
I recently visited a website regarding pet dogs and find it very helpful. It provide information on wide varieties of dog breed as well as useful information on dogs.
Posted by: pet dogs ||
02/08/2005 3:13
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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.
Nepali troops backed by helicopters have attacked Maoist camps in the jungles in the west of the country, as part of a new offensive against the rebels launched after the king seized power a week ago. Dozens of Maoists have been killed in the strikes on training camps and shelters near the western city of Nepalgunj, newspapers reported on Tuesday, but the army said it was still waiting for details. A senior military officer in Nepalgunj told Reuters by telephone troops were returning to the city after Monday's operation, but he did not yet have casualty figures. The army said at least three Maoists had been killed in other clashes and a soldier had been killed defusing a land mine the same day. The rebels have not commented on the latest clashes.
US Secretary of State 
An Iraqi wanted by police for alleged involvement in the beheadings of people working with U.S.-led forces in Mosul has been arrested by police in the town of Tikrit, police said Tuesday. They said 
A lieutenant has been disciplined after using an Army helicopter to deliver a pizza to his girlfriend. The incident on 25 January saw the unnamed officer divert from a routine training flight over Stanford, Norfolk, to take the fast food. The Ministry of Defence refused to name the officer, from 659 Squadron, or divulge how he was punished. A spokesman said: "The chain of command doesn't condone these sorts of actions. The individuals have been disciplined." 
Tony Blair will this week throw his weight behind the embattled United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, after a report castigated the UN for mismanaging billions of pounds in the oil-for-food programme for Iraq. The Prime Minister and Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, will appear alongside Mr Annan at a day-long seminar in London's Banqueting Hall on Thursday to discuss UN reforms. The joint appearance will be seen as a powerful gesture of British endorsement for Mr Annan in the face of calls from US Congressmen for him to resign because of the oil-for-food (OFF) scandal. "We fully support Kofi Annan as secretary general. The Prime Minister has made clear that the secretary general is doing a good job," said a Downing Street spokesman. Mr Blair appears to have decided that Mr Annan should be supported in trying to overhaul the UN bureaucracy along the lines suggested by a panel of "wise men" last year. This includes admitting more permanent members of the Security Council and drawing up a common definition of terrorism.
Iran is a sponsor of terrorism and should realise it must not obstruct progress towards Middle East peace, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has said. His words to MPs come after President George Bush branded Iran "the world's primary state sponsor of terror". Mr Blair stressed the importance of the European Union's talks with Tehran over its nuclear activities and said it was important it fulfilled its obligations. Iran says its nuclear programme is aimed at generating electricity. 
A government-appointed board of inquiry investigating the partial collapse of a Paris airport terminal [the futuristic Terminal 2E at Charles de Gaulle airport] found serious errors in construction, including concrete that had not been sufficiently reinforced. Airports of Paris, the company that operates the major airports in the capital, said it had not received a copy of the report and had no other comment. Falling glass, steel and masonry killed four travelers - two Chinese, one Czech and one Lebanese - and injured three others on May 23, 2004 when a roof collapsed in the departure hall. A preliminary report by experts released in July said that a weakness in the concrete that formed the terminal's vaulted roof may have contributed to the collapse.
(Machiavelli)
(Rummy)
Sudan refused to arrest those responsible for atrocities in Darfur, and rebels intensified attacks against police forces, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Monday.
Federal troops cannot catch 
The North Caucasus is being less and less controlled by Moscow. The Independent Gazette (Russian name «Nezavisimaya Gazeta») writes that Islamic organizations tied to Chechen underground structures and coordinated from one center are claiming the role of power structures in the region more and more persistently. The network of war councils (Jamaats), which has now spread all across the North Caucasus, started to form after the first Russian-Chechen war. Today most of such war councils are in Dagestan, Chechnya and Ingushetia. There are a little less of them in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachaevo-Cherkessia, although their number in these republics is constantly increasing. This is why when Commander 
The leader of an Islamist militant gang has been detained in the autonomous Russian republic of Dagestan, Interfax news agency said Monday. The Degestani department of Russia's Federal Security Service, also known as the FSB, the Stavropol Territorial Department and the Dagestani Interior Ministry detained 
A large group of foreign mercenaries are getting ready to penetrate into Chechnya soon, a representative of the regional headquarters for the anti-terrorist campaign in the North Caucasus told Interfax on Monday. "A surrendered militant told the police about 30-40 foreign mercenaries are planning to penetrate into Chechnya," he said. 
Pakistan has denied allegations that its disgraced nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan may have sold secrets to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other Arab countries.
Algerian anti-terrorist units killed two Islamic militants as a military offensive moved through a rebel stronghold east of the capital Algiers, state radio said today. The rebels were killed yesterday in a mountainous region of Boumerdes, near the village Gherzoual, some 60 km (40 miles) east of Algiers, the radio said. The attack came two days after security forces dismantled a 
Two Pakistani journalists have been killed and another injured after gunmen opened fire on their car in the tribal region near the Afghan border. A fourth journalist, working for al-Jazeera television, who was also in the car, escaped injuries. They were returning to the town of Wana, in the South Waziristan region, after covering a meeting of tribal elders, when their car was ambushed.
A Yemeni sheik fighting charges that he helped finance Al Qaeda once claimed that a bitter dispute had led Osama bin Laden to issue an edict, or fatwa, to kill him, an F.B.I. agent testified yesterday. But the agent, Brian Murphy, testified in Brooklyn Federal Court that the fatwa remark was made as the sheik and an aide gave accounts of their activities that the agent said included contradictions, falsehoods and claims of failed memory. Mr. Murphy was testifying in the third week of the trial of the sheik, 
Suicide bombers killed 27 people in attacks in two Iraqi cities on Monday in the worst violence since the country's historic election eight days ago. Al Qaeda's wing in Iraq, led by 
If your horoscope is looking a bit worrying for the coming Lunar New Year, a Hong Kong company has just the thing to put it right: feng shui underpants. "Our feng shui master says that having something lucky in contact with your skin would bring spiritual balance, so we thought lucky underpants would be ideal -- they are as intimate as you get," said Amy Law, a spokeswoman for the company.
Port authorities found thousands of small steel balls hidden in water pots in a shipping container that consigned to the 
Delegates from the United States and archfoe Iran engaged in a "heated" exchange at a counter-terrorism conference in Saudi Arabia, the local media reported but a US official insisted the encounter was "professional."
Kavkaz Center's editors received a video statement made by the Commander of Brigade of Martyrs (Shaheeds) "
Amid the ruins of Fallujah, white flags are emerging - alerting US and Iraqi forces to the presence of Iraqi families moving back home, clearing the rubble, and trying to renew hope. Residents say that the insurgents who made the city a virtual no-go zone are gone. They were violently cut out of this former stronghold by US forces during a monthlong battle in November - the toughest urban combat for US forces since Vietnam - that pulverized this city of some 300,000. But now, the US Marines and the Iraqi government face a new challenge: convincing Fallujans that the insurgency here is over and that their ravaged homes can and will be rebuilt. "This is probably the safest city in the country," says US Marine Lt. Col. Keil Gentry, executive officer of Regiment Combat Team 1 (RCT1), that controls Fallujah. "Is it blooming everywhere? No. But it's like the beginning of spring, with signs of green emerging here and there."
A new CNN/USA Today/Gallup survey shows that President George W. Bush's approval rating has increased to 57%, up from 51% three weeks ago. The approval increase appears to be related to the recent Iraqi elections, which the poll shows went better than most Americans expected. In general, the public is more positive now than it was before the elections about the way Bush has handled the situation in Iraq, as well as how the war is faring for the United States. At the same time, the poll shows little change in Bush's job approval rating on the economy or on Social Security.
The coalition of Iraq's two main Kurdish parties has won about 24 per cent of the vote in Iraq's 30 January general elections, putting the group in second place behind the top Shi'ite coalition, according to partial vote count results. The results put the Kurdish Alliance - comprising the 
The owner of the house in 
Pakistan denied on Monday that nuclear scientist Dr 
A Kuwaiti Interior Ministry official confirmed a report that militant suspects captured in recent police raids confessed to planning to use ice cream trucks packed with explosives to attack US military convoys traveling to Iraq. Some 40 terror suspects have been handed over to prosecutors since the beginning of Kuwait's unprecedented crackdown on Muslim militants last month, and more were being investigated by police. Members of a militant group told interrogators they wanted to park the ice cream and snack vans loaded with explosives next to highways and detonate them as US military convoys traveling to and from Iraq passed by, the Al-Watan daily reported on Friday.
Pakistan is "sitting on a cluster of political, demographic and social time bombs," according to Owen Bennet-Jones, a BBC journalist who has served in the region and written a book on Pakistan.
The Saudi treasurer of a US-based charity who has been accused of funding terrorism, has written a letter to the US Congress calling for a dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Washington. A director of the 
Israeli Defence Minister 
WANA: Two journalists were killed and one was seriously injured when unidentified men ambushed their vehicle on Monday evening. The journalists were returning from the peace deal between tribal militant 
Iran's powerful former president 
Nepal's newly appointed royalist government will soon appoint negotiators who will seek unconditional peace talks with Maoist rebels, local media reported on Monday. It is the first attempt to find a peaceful end to a bloody Maoist revolt since King Gyanendra seized power a week ago, but is also being twinned with an increased army offensive and an appeal for the guerrillas to give up their weapons. "(The government) is going to form a dialogue committee that will hold a dialogue with the Maoists soon," Culture and Aviation Minister Buddhiraj Bajracharya said, according to the Kathmandu Post. "Now they should come for dialogue without any condition." 
The US official who declared the White House's hunt for illicit weapons in Iraq to be a failure driven by faulty intelligence has warned the Bush administration against repeating its mistakes in the current war of words with arch-foe Iran. "There is an eerie similarity to the events preceding the Iraq war," 
Egyptian authorities freed without charge on Monday two women, a Briton and an Egyptian, detained last month after handing out literature opposing a new term for President Hosni Mubarak, judicial officials said. A third activist arrested with them, Egyptian journalist Ibrahim el-Sahhary, will remain in detention for a few days before Egypt's state security prosecutor decides whether to charge or free him, the officials said. 
Former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif are expected to meet in Jeddah later this week to discuss the political situation back home and review the cooperation of their parties. ARD sources told Daily Times that Bhutto and her husband Asif Zardari had booked Emirates Airline tickets to Saudi Arabia for Wednesday. They will perform umra and also take the chance to visit Nawaz Sharif and condole the death of his father Mian Sharif, the sources said.
SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister 
Chechen separatist leader 
Militant leader 
MANILA: Eight soldiers were killed and 12 others wounded in the southern Philippines on Monday in simultaneous attacks by hundreds of armed followers of detained Muslim rebel leader 
Iran painted the United States as a diplomatically isolated superpower on Monday, saying an international outcry had forced Washington to withdraw a threat of military action against Tehran. "I believe the international community's reaction to the speech by itself meant a lot," Iranian Foreign Minister 
