EFL
A Republican candidate for a vacated congressional seat in southern California is proposing a ban on wire transfers by illegal aliens from the U.S. to Mexico. The plan "will remove a major incentive for illegal immigration and increase national security," said Howard Kaloogian, a well-known California activist who launched the effort to recall Gov. Gray Davis.
"[T]he Mexican government is making billions of dollars every year from illegal aliens who enter the U.S. illegally and then wire that money back to their families in Mexico," Kaloogian said Saturday at a news conference at the border.
The economy, he contended, bears the cost of illegal aliens, who pay no taxes but receive taxpayer-funded services. "It's absurd that we continue to allow those who have broken the law by entering this nation illegally to then enjoy the benefit of collecting wages illegally and then sending those funds to a foreign nation," Kaloogian said.
The proposal, if adopted by Congress, would require anyone wiring money to Mexico to provide identification to financial institutions or wire-transfer operators to prove citizenship. An estimated $15 to $20 billion is moved annually from the U.S. to Mexico through private-party wire transfers.
Kaloogian said past legislative proposals involving transfers by illegal aliens merely have imposed an extra fee. The new proposal, he argued, "will establish leverage with foreign leaders such as Mexico's Vicente Fox who has sent a wink and a nod to their citizens to enter the United States illegally, collect wages that add up to 10 times those paid in Mexico and then send those funds back to Mexico."
Claudia Garcia de Spencer, spokeswoman for the San Diego chapter of the Minutemen volunteer border patrol, spoke at the news conference in support of the proposal. "Four and a half years after 9-11, our federal and state officials still refuse to confront threats allowing our borders to be breached thousands of times each day by foreigners," she said. "As a new citizen who followed the procedures and obeyed the rules, this (illegal immigration) is a shocking affront to me and is a slap in the face to all loyal Americans."
#1
That will piss senor Fox off. Money wired to Mexico is now the leading GDP industry there. Mexico's economy would crumble without the money being sent from home and senor Fox would be seeing a major uprising at home.
#2
The proposal, if adopted by Congress, would require anyone wiring money to Mexico to provide identification to financial institutions or wire-transfer operators to prove citizenship.
I forsee a bigger market for forged documents.
Better yet - impose a transfer fee, say, 20%? Apply it to border security.
#3
these same illegals claim poverty when admitted for primary care at the local emergency ward...why? But of course, the money's been sent back home. You can't have it both ways, dammit. Sr. Fox can chupame
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/06/2006 20:53
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#4
Pappy - make that proof of citizenship or legal residence. There are a lot of legal, law-abiding people we *want* here.
Other then that this is a damn good idea. Oh and deny admission to public schools and non-critical medical treatment as well. Seriously!
And (see... you went got me started now!) deny citizenship to newborns if one parent is not a legal resident immigrant (i.e. classified as an immigrant by the BCIS/INS) or U.S. Citizen. This also means no automatic citizenship for children of people here on a non-immigrant visas.
#7
Highly unlikely that these prohibitions or taxes on wire transfers will stand. They are smack dab in the middle of the interstate commerce clause, which also applies to international xfers.
And this time around, Streisand makes four spelling errors -- in one sentence!
["In the 1970s, during the Nixon Adminstration, serious political curruption arose and the Republican leadership stepped up and took responsibilty by holding hearings and subpoening administration officials."]
Streisand has not seen fit to run a spellcheck on the rant as of Noon, March 06.
"The arrogance of this C student," Streisand says of Bush.
#4
Hell, she spells her first name whrong, so wat do yuu expeckt? I will take a Mucky paragraph anyday for spelling and content!
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/06/2006 20:26
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#5
and Mucky's honesty - the b&tch can't buy....don't equate the two
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/06/2006 21:25
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#6
Her post reeks of idle carelessness... and alcohol.
I don't believe Babs suddenly forgot where the letters are located on the keyboard.
My money is on her hitting the bottle hard these days in an attempt to self-medicate her acute case of rage and depression brought on by Bush's "arrogance". She's really grabbing at straws these days, huh?
U.S. military and intelligence officials tell ABC News that they have caught shipments of deadly new bombs at the Iran-Iraq border. They are a very nasty piece of business, capable of penetrating U.S. troops' strongest armor.
What the United States says links them to Iran are tell-tale manufacturing signatures certain types of machine-shop welds and material indicating they are built by the same bomb factory.
"The signature is the same because they are exactly the same in production," says explosives expert Kevin Barry. "So it's the same make and model."
U.S. officials say roadside bomb attacks against American forces in Iraq have become much more deadly as more and more of the Iran-designed and Iran-produced bombs have been smuggled in from the country since last October.
"I think the evidence is strong that the Iranian government is making these IEDs, and the Iranian government is sending them across the border and they are killing U.S. troops once they get there," says Richard Clarke, former White House counterterrorism chief and an ABC News consultant. "I think it's very hard to escape the conclusion that, in all probability, the Iranian government is knowingly killing U.S. troops."
U.S. intelligence officials say Iran is using the bombs as a way to drive up U.S. casualties in Iraq but without provoking a direct confrontation.
John Negroponte, director of national intelligence, testified before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Februrary 2, saying, "Tehran's intention to inflict pain on the United States and Iraq has been constrained by its caution to avoid giving Washington an excuse to attack it."
The U.S. Army has embarked on a crash effort to find ways to stop the bombs, according to an unclassified report issued last month. The devices are easily hidden and detonated by motion detectors like those used in garden security lights that cannot be jammed.
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/06/2006 19:06
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#2
Excellent. Now prove the link to Iran's "government" and we're on. Hopefully it will inspire sanction on the nuke issue instead of the "let 'em do low-level enrichment. We should let 'em do that much" idiocies.
#5
It won't mean anything to the MSM - remember, the burden is solely on Dubya and the USA to prove that Iran, NorKor, Syria, etal. are doing what these nations themselves proclaim what they are doing, and that their State-specific actions or decisions = direct threat to the USA-West, WHICH IS ANOTHER WAY OF SAYING NOTHING AMERICA DOES IS VALID UNLESS THE LEFT AND ONLY THE LEFT SAYS ITS VALID. MURTHA-GATE > can be ascribed or summed up as the Left wanting Dubya-GOP to continue waging war which the Left will publicly proclaim is unjust and immoral. CLINTONISM > America unilater "volunteering" to give up its national sovereignty, freedoms and endowments for OWG = America being unilater but peacefully FORCED to do same for OWG and "justified" Anti-American American Socialism-NPE = America is "justifiably" destroyed by per anti-US armed conflict.
One of the highest-ranking generals in Iraq's new, U.S.-trained army was shot dead in Baghdad on Monday, the U.S. military and Iraqi police said.
Major General Mubdar Hatim al-Dulaimi, commander of all Iraqi army forces in the capital, was killed by a sniper, police sources said. he was shot as he drove through western Baghdad.
As the commander of the 6th Division, among the first and biggest of Iraq's new army divisions formed by U.S. forces as part of their plans for eventual withdrawal, Dulaimi was among the most prominent officers in Iraq's security forces.
Is it me or does this seem strangely reminiscent of the assassination of Ahmed Shah Masood shortly before 9-11? Heads Up !
#1
nope. On Sept 10 2001 there were no US troops in or near Afghanistan. AQ obviously figured we'd go in, and wanted to take out the strongest potential ally wed have, thinking to do to us what theyd done to the Russkies.
We're already deep in Iraq, and killing one general doesnt make the kinda difference they thought Massoud would make. So I wouldnt like stay home from work tomorrow or anything.
#2
At some point, I hope the world finally begins to sit up and take notice of just how freely the Islamists kill each other. It's time for people to understand the sort of violence that awaits us if ever Muslims attain some sort of solidarity. Yes, this killing is bad news for Iraq and certainly nothing to gloat about. Still, this sort of constant mayhem and bloodshed is par for the course with Islam and the outside world needs to pay attention.
#3
Kill will be attibuted to Juba the Sniper. The pig is a Mohammaden folk hero responsible for many American deaths. Wish someday soon to see his head displayed on a spike. If the USA didn't play by the rules of Marquis de Queensberry Juba might have been dead a long time ago. Or at least his immediate family up to and including third cousins.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
03/06/2006 18:52
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#4
I suspect an Iranian hit. Remember how a while back they were trying to prevent the development of a new Iraqi air force, by assassinating all their old Saddam-era pilots (supposedly for revenge)?
Well, if the Iranians think the balloon is about to go up, there is a good possibility that they will try to decapitate those in the Iraqi government and military hostile to Iran. They may also adopt this as a gradual policy to keep Iraq a less formidable adversary. Kill off all their talent.
Many of Hollywood's brightest stars received an unexpected surprise in their Oscar party gift bags last night -- an advance copy of a childrens book that parodies celebrity activists.
Bestselling author Katharine DeBrecht's new book Help! Mom! Hollywood's in My Hamper (Kids Ahead; hardcover; ISBN 0976726912) hits stores nationwide on Tuesday, but scores of Academy Award honorees past and present were given a sneak peek at the sure-to-be-controversial book on Sunday. The illustrated book features satirical look-a-likes resembling outspoken celebrities including Barbra Streisand, Sean Penn, Madonna, Britney Spears, Ben Affleck, and Tom Cruise. It tells the story of Janie and Sam, two girls who were happy just being kids until Hollywood stars pop out of their hamper to tell them how to behave and to sell them expensive trinkets.
The books were included in gift bags handed out to celebrities at a black tie gala in Beverly Hills following the awards show at the Kodak Theater. Organizers expected some 200 celebrities -- including dozens of current and previous Oscar nominees -- to attend the event, making it one of Tinseltown's biggest award night parties.
Know-it-all liberal celebrities are never at a loss for telling people how to live, what to buy, and how to vote, says author DeBrecht, a captain of South Carolina's Security Moms for Bush and a mother of three. Children need to understand that just because these people show up on television and in the movies doesn't mean they know what's best for the rest of America.
DeBrechts latest book is the highly anticipated sequel to her surprise hit from last fall titled Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed (Kids Ahead; hardcover; ISBN 0976726904). That book soared to #1 on Barnes & Noble's website but drew fiery criticism for its portrayal of Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy as cartoon villains who tax and regulate a lemonade stand.
None of the celebrities attending the post-Oscar gala had commented on their reaction to Help! Mom! Hollywood's in My Hamper at the time of this writing.
Celebrity gifting -- handing out free products to stars attending awards shows -- has become a major business in recent years. Published reports indicate that the official Oscar gift bag handed out at the Academy Awards generally contains over $100,000 worth of electronics, cosmetics, and gift certificates. The suggested retail price for the latest Help Mom book, by contrast, is just $15.95.
Since I don't think that I'll ever receive an invitation to the Academy Awards, I'm thrilled that my book was handed out at a major Oscar party, laughs DeBrecht. With Hollywood choosing to ignore family-friendly movies and instead honor films about gay cowboys, sympathetic terrorists, and -- of course -- McCarthyism, I doubt that I'll be asked walk down the red carpet with a copy of 'Help Mom' anytime soon.
#2
Heh. Dunno who decided what goes in the bag, but either someone has a deliciously wicked sense of humor - or was as clueless as the recipients and didn't know what the book was about, lol.
VIENNA, Austria - Three cats have tested positive for the deadly strain of bird flu in Austria's first reported case of the disease spreading to an animal other than a bird, state authorities said Monday.
The sick cats were among 170 living at an animal shelter where the disease was detected in chickens last month, authorities said...
#1
Say, moose, any idea of how many Austrian cats have died of rabies this year? If it's three or more, don't answer -- phil_b will declare a pandemic.
#2
To my knowledge no one has ever caught flu from a cat, although it wouldn't surprise me if it happens occasionally. However, cats are as likely to start the pandemic as Martians. The constant stream of alarmist news about bird flu spreading in various wild and domestic birds and now domestic animals is just hysteria. The pandemic strain won't arrive in migratory birds it will arrive at international airports.
#3
The point is less cats as direct vectors, than that cats rarely get the influenza. Their immune system is very different from both birds and humans, so if cats can catch the disease, then there is probably a large range of other mammals more closely related to humans that can catch the disease.
Just because any species can catch the disease, doesn't also mean that it can easily spread the disease. The virulence can also vary a great deal between different species.
However, it should be mentioned that humans are now the most common mammal on the planet, even more common than rats or mice. This means that it is really easy for us to spread a disease among ourselves, and even easier if the disease can be spread with the help of animal vectors that can evade our human quarantines.
Hamas takes charge - also confirms the IAF air strike in another post....
Hamas headed into a full-blown confrontation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday, voting to strip him of powers he was hastily awarded by his Fatah Party in the last session of the outgoing parliament.
In Gaza City, an Israeli missile strike killed two Islamic Jihad militants and three bystanders, including two young boys.
The Hamas-Fatah conflict has been simmering since Hamas swept Fatah out of office in January parliamentary elections, ending four decades of unchallenged rule by the party of the late Yasser Arafat.
Hamas has 74 seats in the new parliament and Fatah just 45, and the first order of business for Hamas was to cancel the powers the outgoing parliament gave to Abbas, the Fatah leader, authorizing him to cancel laws passed by the new parliament and appointing Fatah officials to key positions.
In the West Bank administrative capital of Ramallah, Fatah delegates walked out, accusing Hamas of twisting the rules to weaken Abbas' authority.
About 15 Fatah gunmen marched on parliament in Gaza City, firing into the air. The gunmen eventually headed to a Fatah meeting, where they demanded their party stay out of the government Hamas is setting up and threatened to kill any Fatah official who joined.
With its absolute majority, Hamas can set up a government by itself, but Hamas leaders prefer to bring in other parties, partly to deflect international criticism and threatened economic sanctions because of Hamas' record of violence and refusal to recognize Israel.
Israel, which considers Hamas a terror group, refuses to allow its members of parliament to travel from Gaza to the West Bank, so the two buildings were linked by teleconferencing equipment to allow the session to take place.
Hamas easily passed legislation to rescind Abbas' new powers, but some experts said Abbas has the authority to cancel Monday's resolution, perpetuating the standoff.
In a statement, Fatah complained the Hamas action "undermines the basis of dialogue and partnership in any institution with Hamas." A Fatah legislator said Monday's decisions would be appealed to the Palestinian Supreme Court.
Hamas lawmaker Mushir Masri ridiculed the Fatah reaction. "It is obvious that some people until now have not understood the rules of the democratic game," he said.
Abbas was elected president of the Palestinian Authority in January and his term has three years to run, regardless of the makeup of parliament.
Though Abbas is seen as a moderate and remains in power, Israel has reacted to the Hamas victory by cutting off transfer of vital tax money to the Palestinian Authority, charging that it is now controlled by terrorists.
As the parliament was wrapping up its session, the Israeli air force targeted an ice cream truck in Gaza City, killing two Islamic Jihad militants and three bystanders, two of them children, the military and Palestinian officials said.
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/06/2006
16:55 ||
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#5
Hamas headed into a full-blown confrontation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday, voting to strip him of powers he was hastily awarded by his Fatah Party in the last session of the outgoing parliament.
These guys seem to be a bit unclear on this concept of democracy. Reminds me of the Russians - just a little less subtle.
#6
A lot of the fatah biggies have nice houses that will be poorly guarded once the fatah appointees lose their power to loot from the treasury. For Hamas, this will be a target rich environment.
Lucky once - consequences should smash them Palestinian gunners have succeeded in striking Israeli strategic sites with indigenous missiles.
Officials said military and police commanders have concluded that Palestinian insurgents based in the Gaza Strip seek to destroy the Rutenberg power station south of Ashkelon. The commanders said insurgency groups such as Islamic Jihad and Fatah have been firing Kassam-class, short-range missiles supplied by Hamas to knock out the second largest electricity generator in the country.
Rutenberg supplies about 25 percent of the electricity needs of Israel. On March 3, at least one Kassam missile struck the facility but did not cause significant damage.
"The missile strike was a major achievement for the terrorists," an official said. "They now know they could strike strategic sites around Ashkelon and this is all they will be focusing on."
Islamic Jihad has used weapons based on the Hamas-designed Kassam-class short-range missile to strike Israeli strategic facilities in the Ashkelon area. The facilities include an oil terminal, power station, water desalination facility and port.
Ashkelon also contains an oil terminal with pipelines that link to the Israeli ports of Eilat, Ashdod and Haifa. The industrial zone south of the city also houses a seawater reverse osmosis plant designed to desalinate 100 million cubic meters of water per year, or 15 percent of the nation's demands. On March 3, Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for a Kassam missile attack that struck an unidentified strategic facility south of Ashkelon. An Israeli employee was injured and the facility was slightly damaged.
Israeli sources said that for the first time the Kassam landed in the facility. They said the employees were ordered to enter a bunker.
Islamic Jihad has reported the development and production of extended-range Kassam-class missiles. A statement in February said Jihad's new missile, termed Quds 101, contained a TNT warhead and could reach a distance of between 13 and 16 kilometers. The missile was said to measure 2.3 meters.
But Israeli officials said the latest Palestinian missiles do not contain significant enhancements. They said the main difference was that the new missiles were better constructed.
"We do not see any change in the Kassam rockets fired at the area, compared to the previous rockets, neither in their range nor in their capabilities," Col. Efraim Mor, commander of the regional police, said.
Officials said the Kassams that struck the Ashkelon area were fired from the northern Gaza Strip. They acknowledged that Israeli artillery retaliation has been ineffective.
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz has held discussions with military commanders on the Kassam threat to the Ashkelon area. Officials said the commanders raised the prospect that a missile could knock out the power station, which supplies about a quarter of the nation's electricity.
Other scenarios discussed was a Kassam strike that could damage the oil pipelines that link Ashkelon with the Israeli ports of Eilat, Ashdod and Haifa. Ashkelon also contains a seawater reverse osmosis plant designed to desalinate 100 million cubic meters of water per year, or 15 percent of the nation's demands. Initial operations began in August 2005.
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/06/2006
16:52 ||
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#1
In this case counter-battery fire is useless, so the Israelis should discontinue its use. However, with several different kinds of air reconnaisance, they could easily detect Paleos setting up one of these things and use pre-emptive counter-battery fire, which would work.
#4
The Oslo Agreement dealt with electricity and water sales from Israel to the PA. We are running out of PA, now that they seem to be morphing into Hamas or some other Iranian client.
No PA no water and electricity. If the Paleos cannot realize that they are slitting their own throats when they threaten the Rutenberg power station, then they need a demo of what happens when the power and water are cut off. Israel needs to quit playing footsie with these terrorists.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/06/2006 18:13
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#5
Why should the Paleos stop? Will the EU stop sending cash? Saudi? Egypt?
No one is ever going to call them on the carpet, so why not continue doing whatever the Hell they want?
#6
The plan most certainly is to provoke an eventual full scale military assault on Gaza and the west bank, whereupon most palestinians emigrate to France as assylum seekers. That'll bring us one step closer to official Frankistan.
JB: ... Like Iran, I've been working on this for three and a half years
Atlas: And you'll be working on it for three and half more
JOB: I hope not, I hope not because now that it's in the Security Council, now is the time to say this is their chance that either they give up their pursuit of nuclear weapons or we go to what the President said, we do something else.
Atlas: We do something else? That's a little vague, don't you think? Deliberately vague?
JB: Yeah, sure absolutely. The President said I never take options off the table. And you've got to be that way. Look this has happened to me enough times before .... if I said, well -- I'll give you an example......after the invasion of Iraq, after Saddam was overthrown I said something in a BBC interview like I hope the governments of Syria and Iran take notice of what's just happened and I got into enormous trouble for that because it sounded like I was threatening the invasion of Iran and Syria.
Atlas: I think we've moved too slowly and they've gotten too far. It is frightening to me because Israel is such a small country, it would just take one, to get one off
JB: yeah
Atlas: One
JB: Well, the president has used this phrase enough times, I don't know if he ever used it in a speech, but he talks about his concern about a Nuclear Holocaust -- that's his phrase.
Atlas: He's right
JB: He's got Iran specifically in mind. That's why I am confident over time at the State Department, the President knows what he needs to do.
Atlas: You're clear on that.
JB: Yeah, he's got that, he's got North Korea which he calls a prison camp. He said to Kofi Anna last September - it's a disgrace that during our administrations this regime still keeps its entire population in a prison camp -- which Kofi didn't know what to say. There are things he's gott in his mind that are very clearly fixed.
#2
"Anyone (other than the willfully disingenuous) was in doubt?"
Actually, yeah, I think there are: people who learned, during Bill Clinton's two terms in office, to discount as total bullshit damn near every word uttered by a President who almost never meant what he said or said what he meant.
For some, it's hard to let go of the cynicism born of Bill Clinton's dishonesty.
Bush has said that Iran will not acquire nuclear weapons. I'm inclined to take him at his word.
By far the biggest danger to privacy is corporate rather than federal. Most people don't have a clue how much info companies have - and how it is shared and used.
#1
Never ever do something bad with a phone. Even worse is a cellphone.
The average cell call detail record contains all sorts of neat stuff from all through your call...
Things like power measurements and time to beacons and mulitiple cell sites (can we say figure location to a foot or two even with reflections?).
#5
Would the honourable assemblyman consider me to be anonymous or not? I mean, y'all know me, even if you don't know my civilian identity, right? And Fred and the moderators could knock on my front door if they really wanted to. ;-)
#6
Trailing wife, I was under the impression that if they released your identity there would have to be yet _another_ special prosecutor appointed to investigate...
Posted by: Not Bender ||
03/06/2006 20:21
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#8
LOL - thx Not Bender ! that really made me laugh :-)
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/06/2006 21:17
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#9
Me? No, just a simple little Midwestern housewife who's spent enough time at Rantburg to learn from those who actually know stuff. Nothing like the long sought, but never quite found Mr. A. Snowman. ;-)
#10
They can pry my Internet handle out of my cold dead hand. This rates right up there with having bar code on all paper money to comprehensively trace transactions. George Orwell would be proud.
Well, this will get various knickers in a knot. Or it would if anyone paid attention ...
INMATES at Guantanamo Bay prison are treated better than in Belgian jails, an expert for Europe's biggest security organisation said today after a visit to the controversial US detention centre in Cuba.
But Alain Grignard, deputy head of Brussels' federal police anti-terrorism unit, said holding people for many years without telling them what would happen to them is in itself "mental torture".
"At the level of the detention facilities, it is a model prison, where people are better treated than in Belgian prisons," said Mr Grignard.
He served as expert on a visit to Guantanamo Bay last week by a group of politicians from the assembly of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Mr Grignard's comments came less than a month after a UN report said Guantanamo prison detainees faced treatment amounting to torture.
sort of, kind of torture. I mean, think of how hard you would find it if we didn't have a sauna at headquarters here. It's that kind of thing ...
Many of the 500 inmates in the prison at the US naval base in Cuba have been held for four years without trial. The prisoners were mainly detained in Afghanistan and are held as pat of President George W. Bush's "war on terror".
Mr Grignard told a news conference prisoners' right to practice their religion, food, clothes and medical care were better than in Belgian prisons.
"I know no Belgian prison where each inmate receives its Muslim kit," Mr Grignard said.
Mr Grignard said Guantanamo was not "idyllic", but he had noticed dramatic improvements each time he visited the facility over the past two years.
The head of the OSCE lawmakers in the delegation said she was happy with the medical facilities at the camp, adding she believed they had been improved recently.
Anne-Marie Lizin, chair of the Belgian Senate, told reporters at the same news conference she saw no point in calling for immediate closure of the detention camp.
"There needs to be a timetable for closure," said Ms Lizin, but asking for immediate closure would have been unrealistic.
UN investigators last month demanded that the US government close the prison without further delay, alleging a host of violations of human rights and torture.
They did not visit the site because they were not allowed to conduct interviews with prisoners.
Ms Lizin said the OSCE parliamentary delegation was also unable to talk to prisoners but had discussed the situation with the International Red Cross, which has access to them.
The OSCE plans to prepare a report by the end of May, touching on the delegation's concerns including the legal situation of detainees, Ms Lizin said.
Islam will soon be the domineering force in the world, placing first in the number of its followers among all other religions. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad expressed this confidence here at the end of his state visit to Malaysia.
Following a meeting with Sultan Jamalullail I, the supreme head of the federation of nine states where Islam was proclaimed the state religion, he pontificated: The world will be in the hands of Islam over the next few years.
According to the president, history convincingly shows the force of the Islamic religion, aimed not at quashing other peoples, but at serving peace and quietude.
#3
Unfortunately for Ahmanidjit, I have just established a new religion called Notislam. Though we are new, we have grown rapidly to include about 80% of the world's population. And I'm pretty sure we can kick yer ass.
#7
At some point, Islam's bloody borders are either going to balloon outward or get popped. It's possible that all of the surrounding non-muslim countries will collectively get sick of it(Ukraine, China, S. Nigeria, Uganda, much of East Africa, Russia, Hindu India, etc)
As long as the USA is willing to fight the "Islamists", essentially alone with both hands tied behind its back, it's unlikely that the rest of them will see fit to stop the status quo.
#12
So is POTUS Hillary andor future Prez CHELSEA both demanding to be one of 72 Virgins under some future American? Caliph!? Methinks this article tenets is MadMoud's polite CLintonian way of saying Iran wants EMPIRE. Russia and China both say their states and milfors will be mostly or fully ready for ANTI-AMERICAN WAR after year 2015 - between now and 2015, ITS GLOBAL FEMA/NOLA-GATE, i.e. inducing America to invade PC regions and nations around the world, + the US DemoLeft to induce Washington and the NPE to socialize everything and everyone in FASCIST = LIMITED COMMUNIST/SOCIALIST, ANTI-PERFECTNIK AMERIKA, and of course for the US DemoLeft to PC/PDeniably restrain any effective Amer mil response ags any attackers,....etc. AMERICA MUST TAKE OVER EVERYTING SO THAT ONE DAY THE FUTURE OWG WILL TAKE IT ALL AWAY FROM US, INCLUD OUR OWN COUNTRY, OUR FREEDOMS, AND ................@PET DOGS!? THE LEFT WANTS MULTIPOLAR/MULTI-CENTRE CENTRES OF POWER AS LONG AS ITS [QUIETLY] UNDERSTOOD THE NEW WORLD WILL BE RULED OR DOMIN FROM COMMIE ASIA, THE ONE WHOSE ROCKETS WILL SAVE FUTURE HUMANITY FROM THE DOOMED SUN BY BLOWING UP!?
Former Guantanamo Bay prisoner Moazzam Begg is guest of honour on the BBC's World Service today. Begg, who confesses to having attended two terrorist training camps, has had an easy ride from the British media. Commentators have spluttered with indignation at every mention of the US prison camp, but have failed to call the released prisoners up on what they were up to in Afghanistan - and what they would have done in the west, had they not been captured by the Americans.
The BBC offered its online viewers the opportunity to put some questions to Begg. Unfortunately for terror supporters, the comments posted suggest that sympathy for Guantanamo detainees is in short supply among members of the public, compared to their counterparts in the media and theatre professions. Even allowing for the fact that the survey is moderated, and the editors are certainly trimming the number of attacks on Begg in the interests of "balance", at last count the score was 5 percent messages of support, 95 percent tough criticism.
Does he count himself lucky he was not executed as a traitor, as in previous wars? Is he aware that he got off lightly, as under the Geneva accords his captors could have executed him? How does he square British citizenship with support for the Taliban? Would he like to see his sisters and mother treated with the same disdain as women were treated in Afghanistan? How does his treatment by the US authorities compare with the treatment of western prisoners by al-Qaeda, or the treatment of any dissent by the Taliban? Why does he continue to live in Britain, if he finds the climate so hostile?
It's exhilarating to read that despite the BBC's shameful grovelling, readers are unafraid to speak the truth.
Has the mainstream media ever been so disconnected from the people?
French defence giant Thales announced plans Saturday for a complete takeover of Australia's largest military manufacturer ADI, in a move that could raise concerns in Washington.
Thales and Australian construction giant Transfield currently each own a half share in ADI, which was privatised by the Australian government in 1999 for almost 350 million dollars (260 million US).
"Thales Australia today announced its plans to increase its stake in Australian defence contractor ADI Limited to 100 percent," the company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the French parent, said in a statement posted on the ADI website.
Thales said the transaction was conditional on approval
from Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board.
No figures were given for the ADI takeover bid, but the number is certain to run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Australian newspaper said the United States would be concerned about a French-controlled company handling some of its sensitive military technology.
The US and Australian military cooperate closely and share technology, with "interoperability" between the two forces one of Canberra's stated goals when acquiring defence hardware.
The newspaper said a similar takeover proposal was scuttled five years ago because of security concerns.
Thales is 30 percent owned by the French government, which has questioned elements of Washington's "war on terror", while Australia is a strong US ally that has participated in the invasions of both Iraq and Afghanistan.
ADI has annual sales of 700 million dollars and employs 2,500 people.
It has a wide range of contracts with the Australian military providing munitions, minehunter ships, missile frigate upgrades, armoured personnel carriers and software for a fleet of Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopters.
Thales operates in more than 30 countries, has 60,000 staff and annual revenues of 10.3 billion euros (12.4 billion US).
From RB Archives on 9-26-2005:
French defense-electronics group Thales SA on Monday denied allegations from a fired company executive that it paid out millions of dollars in bribes and sold chemical weapons to the former Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein.
"The Thales Group formally denies accusations of corruption in France and internationally, lodged against it by a former manager at THEC," the company said in a statement.
Michel Josserand, former chief executive of Thales Engineering and Consulting, or THEC, said in an interview with newspaper Le Monde that that the paying of bribes by Thales was widespread - in violation of French law and international conventions.
"I estimate that Thales must pay out between 1 percent and 2 percent of its global revenue in illegal commissions," he said. Thales posted revenue of 10.3 billion euros ($12.5 billion) for 2004.
He also said Thales had "sidestepped the (U.N.) Oil for Food Program and delivered chemical weapons to Saddam Hussein's government."
Continuing the series of recent high level defence exchanges between Tokyo and New Delhi, a top level Japanese Defence delegation headed by Gen Tsutomo Mori, Chief of Staff Japanese Ground Self Defence Forces, has commenced a four day visit here.
Mori on Monday held discussion with his Indian counterpart Gen JJ Singh on "army to army issues". His visit assumes significance in the wake of the recent high level meeting held in US Pacific command, where participants, including Japan, voiced concern over safety of passage in the crucial Malacca straits.
Tokyo as well as Washington want India alongwith Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia to play a more active role in policing the straits, through which the bulk of the world crude containers pass.
Mori, according to defence ministry sources will also hold discussions with the Naval Chief Admiral Arun Prakash and Air Chief SP Tyagi and Defence secretary Shekhar Dutt. He will also call on the Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
Heri will be the first Japanese Army Chief to visit Jammu and Kashmir where he will visit some forward posts on the Line of the Control and be briefed on the situation by senior officers of the Northern Command.
The Japanese army chief will also witness exercises by paratroopers in Agra, who form the bullwark of India's rapid deployment force.
AM - Monday, 6 March , 2006 08:00:00
Reporter: Catherine McGrath
TONY EASTLEY: The Prime Minister John Howard has opened the door to changing Australia's policy allowing uranium sales to India, saying as long as the rules are followed and safeguards met, Australia would be happy to sell.
Currently Australia cannot sell uranium to India because the government in New Delhi has refused to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
But the nuclear deal reached between the United States and India last week has increased the pressure on Australia to review its policy, and according to media reports India's Prime Minister will ask Mr Howard, who's on a trip there at the moment, to consider opening up Australian uranium exports.
Chief Political Correspondent Catherine McGrath is travelling with the Prime Minister, and she filed this report from New Delhi.
CATHERINE MCGRATH: How quickly things can begin to change. Last week Alexander Downer said the US deal wouldn't impact on Australia's policy. But on his arrival India the Prime Minister indicated he was open to the idea of selling uranium.
JOHN HOWARD: I'd be very happy to talk about the issue. Australia does have large supplies of uranium. We have some of the largest uranium deposits in the world, and provided the rules are followed and the safeguards are met, we are willing to sell. But we have to be satisfied about the safeguards.
CATHERINE MCGRATH: This is not a done deal, but the Government has certainly softened its stance on selling uranium to a country that has refused to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Arriving in New Delhi at the start of his short trip, Mr Howard said he wasn't motivated by the fact that the United States had taken a position, but more that the deal could open Indian nuclear facilities to international inspections.
JOHN HOWARD: It's important for us all to get a bit more information about the deal. It hasn't been explained in total detail, and the Indian Government is under some constraint because of its obligation to report to parliament. And of course the deal from the American point of view has to go through Congress.
So I think we're just running ahead of ourselves a bit. Let's digest exactly what the Americans and the Indians have agreed to. I welcome the fact that for the first time a lot of India's nuclear capacity is going to be subjected to international inspection. So that's certainly a big step forward. But that wasn't that doesn't happen now.
CATHERINE MCGRATH: But with China concerned that the nuclear agreement between the United States and India is aimed as a counterbalance measurer, Mr Howard says the Australian position will be determined in our national interest.
JOHN HOWARD: Well, I don't think Australia should ever make decisions in relation to these things just on the basis of we don't want to do something that might upset somebody else.
We have a good relationship with China. That hasn't stopped us having the closest relationship we've probably ever had with the United States. And the same thing applies with India.
CATHERINE MCGRATH: Any change in position would be a major shift in a policy that was grounded in the importance of containing the use of nuclear weapons, using the UN treaty.
John Howard has emphasised that no decision has been made, however he's certainly willing to talk to the Indian Prime Minister about it during their bilateral meeting later today.
This is Catherine McGrath in New Delhi reporting for AM.
Late Friday, Department of Justice lawyers in the Office of Legal Counsel were attempting to determine if former President Bill Clinton had registered as an "Agent of a Foreign Principal."
Federal statute requires that anyone -- even a former President -- doing political or public affairs work on behalf of a foreign country, agency or official must register with the Department, and essentially update his status every six months. It was not clear the Clinton had done so.
If his status is less clear, here is what we do know: If Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton did not know about her husband's standing with the United Arab Emirates and with Dubai World Ports, members of her Senate staff most assuredly did.
"There were enough people in the Clintons' orbit who were potentially going to be part of the deal," says an employee of a firm that does work for both Clintons. "We were pursuing work on the ports deal, and we cleared our participation with Clinton's office. We didn't want there to be a conflict."
In fact, at least two senior outside advisers to Senator Clinton were attempting to get business out of the Port Deal, and President Clinton was the go-between. Associates with the Glover Park Group, which houses just about the entire shadow staff for Hillary's run-up to a Democratic presidential bid, were attempting to get a slice of the DPW deal before the deal was made public about three weeks ago. According to current and former President Clinton staff, Hillary Clinton's Senate office was aware that Glover Park was in the running to do work on the DPW deal.
"She was also very much aware of President Clinton's financial arrangements with the UAE," says a former Bill Clinton staffer. "We're talking about more than a million dollars, some of paid out soon out after they left the White House. That income helped the Clintons buy the properties that allow them to live both in New York and Washington, D.C. This was not an insignificant financial arrangement."
What is not clear is whether or not the junior Senator from New York was aware that Clinton was acting as an agent of a foreign principal, which Clinton clearly was. According to sources with knowledge of the deal, President Clinton was advising members of the DPW buyout team in the UAE, London, and Washington before the deal hit the headlines. He encouraged them to hire a number of people working in consulting firms based in Washington with whom he had both personal and financial ties: The Cohen Group, the Albright Group, and the Glover Park Group. Other sources claim that longtime Clinton confidante and golf partner Vernon Jordan's name was also suggested as potential helpful fixer in the capital.
Much of this activity and consultation took place before the DPW deal hit the front pages of newspapers in mid-February, and about ten days before the DPW deal was to close in Great Britain.
Posted by: Captain America ||
03/06/2006
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THE SELECTION of Jon Stewart as the host for Sunday night's 2006 Oscars undoubtedly marks a career milestone for the aspiring king of late-night comedy. Unfortunately, however, the ascension of Stewart and ''The Daily Show" into the public eye is no laughing matter. Stewart's ever-increasing popularity among young viewers directly correlates with the declining influence of progressive thought in America. Coincidence? I think not. Let me explain.
Please do
Meet Joshua Goldberg, a fictional composite of the typical apostle of ''The Daily Show." Born in Newton, Goldberg attended Newton South High School where he played an integral role in securing the school's debate championship. His 3.8 grade point average and impressive array of extracurricular activities earned him a scholarship to Vassar, where he majored in political science and joined a Jewish fraternity. Throughout his formal education, Goldberg stayed up-to-date on national politics through nightly coverage on ''The Daily Show" and even led a petition to protest the genocide in Darfur.
Many of Stewart's die-hard supporters might use this persona as proof that ''The Daily Show" engages disillusioned viewers who otherwise could not be reached. This argument, however, fails to consider the ultimate career path of Josh Goldberg: Upon graduation in 2004, he accepted a prestigious job as an analyst at Morgan Stanley. Although he no longer follows Washington's daily political squabbles, Goldberg gives a significant annual contribution to the Democratic Party.
The tragedy of this portrait is not that investment banking corrupts young souls (although one could argue otherwise), but rather that the students who abandon politics out of a naive self-consciousness often represent our country's most idealistic minds. Stewart's daily dose of political parody characterized by asinine alliteration leads to a ''holier than art thou" attitude toward our national leaders. People who possess the wit, intelligence, and self-awareness of viewers of ''The Daily Show" would never choose to enter the political fray full of ''buffoons and idiots." Content to remain perched atop their Olympian ivory towers, these bright leaders head straight for the private sector.
The horror!
Observers since the days of de Tocqueville have often remarked about America's unique dissociation between politicians and citizens of ''outstanding character." Unfortunately, the rise of mass media and the domination of television news give Stewart's Menckenesque voice a much more powerful influence than critics in previous generations. As a result, a bright leader who may have become the Theodore Roosevelt or Woodrow Wilson of today instead perceives politics as a supply of sophisticated entertainment, rather than a powerful source of social change.
Most important, this disturbing cultural phenomenon overwhelmingly affects potential leaders of the Democratic Party.
Bwahahahaha!
The type of folksy solemnity brandished by President Bush does not resonate with ''The Daily Show" demographic. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, only 2 percent of the show's audience identify themselves as conservatives. At a time when the Democrats desperately need inspired leadership, the show's self-conscious aloofness pervades the liberal punditry.
Although Stewart's comedic shticks may thus earn him some laughs Sunday at the Oscars, his routine will certainly not match the impact of his greatest irony: Jon Stewart undermines any remaining earnestness that liberals in America might still possess.
Damm, is Karl Rove a genius or what?
Michael Kalin is a 2005 graduate of Harvard College.
And is no doubt a very earnest individual
Posted by: Steve ||
03/06/2006
13:59 ||
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#1
To put it another way, sarcasm and arrogant naivete don't mix. In a way, it depends who you are if you think Jon Stewart is funny or not.
It has been said both that humor has to have a grain of truth in it, or it is not funny; and that humor can have a lot of anger it in, but when it tips the balance and becomes more anger than humor, it is not funny.
That being said, if you can accept that grain of truth, you can get the joke built around it. If you deny that truth, the joke will never be funny.
Otherwise, the joke is constrained by the anger involved. Not just by the anger of the teller, but importantly, the anger of the listener. If either of them are filled with rage and hate, they have no room left for humor, and the joke will always fall flat. Unless it is not humor, just hate disguised.
And this is the humor of much of the left: nothing more than bitter hatred that they call humor. To someone not consumed with rage and hate, such humor falls flat, be it on Air America or in a Michael Moore movie.
And, not surprisingly, it also dies because it does not contain the essential grain of truth. And without that core, it is nothing from nothing.
#4
1. Stewart's show gets very good ratings by the standards of the comedy channel - and it is relatively cheap to produce.
2. So what if Stewart's show has left wing demographics. It's a niche show. If it weren't it might get better ratings but then again it might not.
3. Stewart's poor performance last night wasn't the result of 'lefties can't sustain comedy'. It was the result of 'almost no one can sustain comedy at the Oscars; the big egos and the puffed up medocrities who get awards suck the energy out of any host'. The job of Oscar host is very tough; that's why it was tough to recruit anyone.
#5
Hmmm... Rather like Bill Cosby's humor, where the joketeller uses common experience and self-deprecation which allows everybody to identify with him - and laugh at themselves... versus Don Rickles' "humor" where someone else is always the butt of the joke - and half the audience laughs, while the rest cringe.
#6
I like the Daily show and the Cobert report. But after the opening monologues I kind of lose interest and change the channel. Trust me, the first 10-12 minutes of every show are great but the interviews or skits fall flat most of the time. I didnt watch the Oscars (I never do) and the only winning movie I saw was Wallace and Grommet.
The increase in Taliban violence in Afghanistan over the last year has been caused mainly by money. Terrorism supporters in the Middle East (mainly Saudi Arabia) moved 5-10 million dollars to Pakistan to fund the current fighting. This is known from interrogations of captured Taliban fighters, and months of Afghan and American troops wandering around the back country of southern Afghanistan and just talking to people. The U.S. Army Special Forces are particularly good at this, since many of them speak the local languages, and have developed many contacts in the rural areas.
It goes like this. Taliban leaders, many of them returning from exile across the border in Pakistan, showed up in Afghanistan last year with lots of cash. That, plus their tribal and family contacts, enabled them to hire hundreds of fighters. For unemployed, or under- employed, Afghan young men, this was an attractive offer. The recruiting was going on among pro-Taliban tribes. If you signed on, you got $300 cash up front, plus $150 a month for 6-10 days of work a month. That compares to $50-100 a month for a full time job, if you could find it. Many of these guys keep their Taliban activities quiet, for there are a lot of people who support the new national government, or simply were mistreated by the Taliban in the past and haven't forgotten. The government also pays for information. Rest at link.
Posted by: ed ||
03/06/2006
13:59 ||
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As Iraqis increasingly fight each other, there has been a sharp decline in American casualties. There were 6,790 U.S. troops killed and wounded last year, compared to 8,837 in 2004. That's a drop of 23 percent. But so far this year, the casualty rate for Americans is down 62 percent from 2005. Given that the main goal of the Sunni Arab terrorists is the expulsion of foreign troops, why the sharp reduction in attacks and casualties among the American forces? One of the least reported reasons is that U.S. troops have been winning the tactics and technology race with the terrorists. Although the media make much of terrorist innovations, less is said about the more frequent, and more effective, improvements in tactics and technology American troops are using. The cumulative effect has been steadily lower American casualties, and larger losses for the terrorists. Another reason for the decline is a sharp reduction in the number of Iraqis and foreigners committing terrorist attacks, and fewer Sunni Arabs fighting their government.
In order to deny the enemy information, the government and Coalition do not discuss terrorist casualties a lot, plus the media tends to avoid reporting terrorist losses. American losses, no matter how meager, are more sought after. But the arrest of terrorists has been increasing, and losses from fighting with Iraqi tribal groups have been high (if hard to count) as well. Many more men have been leaving terrorist groups. Numbers on this trend are kept secret, because of the sources and techniques used to acquire the information. But it is known that fewer foreigners are coming into Iraq as al Qaeda volunteers, and more of the Sunni Arab tribal militia who used to fight alongside the terrorists against the government, are now fighting the terrorists. Many of these battles are mistakenly reported as attacks on police or soldiers, when, in fact, the police and soldiers are just there for crowd control, and to pick (up) the wounded and arrest surviving terrorists.
If the government security forces are on good enough terms with the local tribal militia, they will sometimes cooperate in attacking al Qaeda or other terrorist groups, but usually the violence is strictly between the terrorists and the Sunni Arab tribes. The goal is often not to wipe out the terrorists, but to get them out of the tribal area. The police, on the other hand, want to kill or capture the terrorists. Rather than get into an argument, over tactics, with the armed tribesmen, the police just wait for the fighting to die down before going in. Since few foreign journalists get out of their secure compounds, and the Iraqi reporters they use to collect information know the foreigners want a certain type of news, the tribe versus terrorist battles frequently get reported as whatever the foreign journalist is looking for that day.
For the average Iraqi, the biggest complaint is crime. Murder, extortion, robbery, burglary, kidnapping, muggings and carjackings are things that every Iraqi, especially in Baghdad, have to worry about. There are thousands of criminal gangs in Iraq. Some of them are basically enforcers for tribal leadership or the local religious leader. These semi-legitimate gangs get "paid" by whatever they are given, or take, in return for their protective services. This is basically an extortion racket, and the police will often leave these guys alone as long as they don't get greedy, and more violent.
But the most worrisome gangs are those that kidnap, murder (for hire, or as a side effect of some other crime), rape and barge into, and loot, peoples homes. Many of the violent gangs are very temporary, either because the cops, or local vigilantes catch them, or because members find less stressful, and dangerous, employment.
The most common crime fighting tactic is to put more gunmen on the street, particularly at night. For most of Iraq, the police have brought peace to the streets in daylight. But night is another matter. That's when more of the criminals are about, and when they are harder to catch. Most police don't like to operate at night. There are several thousand special police (SWAT and the like) who are trained and equipped to go gangster hunting at night, and some of these are being assigned to that task. But for the moment, the priority is still taking down terrorist gangs.
It's becoming more common for neighborhoods to organize their own local security. In upscale areas, security guards are hired. In less affluent neighborhoods, volunteers form a night guard. This doesn't lead to as many shoot outs as you might think, because the word gets around, and the bad guys go hunting where there is less resistance. The two fold process of putting more security personnel on the street 24/7, and hunting down the hard core, career gangsters, will take years to bring the crime rate down to pre-invasion levels.
Who are the bad guys? Saddam released thousands of the worst criminals several months before he was forced from power. Thousands of Sunni Arabs have adopted the outlaw life in order to replace the paycheck they used to get as an enforcer for Saddam. Several hundred foreigners have set up shop as Islamic terrorists, who often resort to crime to raise money. All these have to be captured or killed before Iraqis can enjoy their new political freedoms. And, as Iraqis are finding out, they have to fix this problem themselves, or it isn't getting fixed.
Posted by: ed ||
03/06/2006
13:44 ||
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So, a) How would I e-mail this to Rep. Murtha, and
b) would he believe it?
Are these facts, or opinions? What is truth? How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?
Posted by: Bobby ||
03/06/2006 17:40
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Iran has apparently successfully test fired a new missile, the Shahab 4, which has a range of 4,000 kilometers. The missile was destroyed in flight, but apparently proved that it worked. With that range, the Shahab 4 can reach targets in Western Europe.
The Shahab 4 is apparently based on the shorter (2,200 kilometers) range Shahab 3. Both seem to use technology from an old Soviet era missile, the SS-5. This is 1950s stuff, using a liquid fuel rocket which gave the missile a range of 4,000 kilometers. The SS-5 served as a truck-mobile, and silo based system until the mid-1980s. The Russians deny that they sold the technology to Iran, but any of the many Russian missile engineers and managers with access to the stuff could have made the sale. The information needed would fit into a briefcase, or on a CD. The Iranians have the engineers, and manufacturing capability, to produce the SS-5 components. Iran says they are developing the Shahab 4 as a satellite launcher. Iran has spent about a billion dollars on the project. The first test launch of the Shahab 4 was three years ago. It may be another year or two before the Shahab 4 is reliable enough for regular service (as an IRBM or satellite launcher.) A range map of missiles lunched from Iran is here: http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/iran/missile/
Posted by: ed ||
03/06/2006
13:35 ||
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#1
Stick around folks, it's just half-time. After the game we've got a really, really big fireworks display right here on the field. You won't wanna miss it.
#2
We need to turn the airspace above Iran into a battle laser track & terminate testing range. Non-civilian flights and all launches should be viable targets.
#10
If the fuze is lit on a Shahab and it even LOOKS like it's headed toward France, our worries are over. I suspect Jock will send a multi-warhead whopper directly into Tehran and vic. Just my guess.
#13
"Jacques? George. Hey, there's a big one headed right for you. Or maybe not -- I can't tell what this blinky thing means, but Don sure seems worked up about it. Oh well, your call."
Posted by: Matt ||
03/06/2006 21:25
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#14
The Map > Greenland is mostly toast - OTOH, the Clintons, for now, are safe in Naw Yawk regardless of whether the missle is from Iran or North Korea. I doubt the Russians or Chinese will ever allow it, unless of course they're put in control Iran's missles.
Tehran, Iran, Mar. 06 Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl reportedly told Iranian businessmen in Germany that he agreed with statements by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that the Holocaust was a myth, the semi-official Jomhouri Islami reported on Monday.
Somehow, I don't believe this.
The government-owned daily wrote that at a dinner gala with Iranian hoteliers and entrepreneurs, Kohl said that he heartily agreed with Ahmadinejads remarks about the Holocaust. What Ahmadinejad said about the Holocaust was in our bosoms, the former German chancellor was quoted as saying. For years we wanted to say this, but we did not have the courage to speak out.
Ahmadinejad caused an international furore last year when he publicly declared that the Holocaust was a myth and threatened that Israel must be wiped off the map. His comments were supported by senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and former president Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. The countrys state-run media have systematically defended the position of the Iranian president and given extensive coverage to historians and experts who deny the Holocaust took place.
Posted by: Steve ||
03/06/2006
12:59 ||
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#1
Any chance of running the comments in German? Ain't buying til I read the exact language.
Did this-"What Ahmadinejad said about the Holocaust was in our bosoms-mean that Kohl agrees with Ahmadinejad (the holocaust was a myth), or did it mean that Kohl admitted the holocaust was Germany's fault and no one else's, kind of an 'it happened in our heartland' comment. Ahmedinejad has already spoken about Nazi Germany being responsible for what happened to Jews there; Kohl's comments may have simply been an admission of this.
Too bad Iran-in fact nearly all Muslim-run governments-can't admit that they have been busy persecuting and killing Jews, too. More than anyone else, in our times.
Tehran, Iran, Mar. 06 Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told top commanders of the State Security Forces on Monday that maintaining order inside the country was required to display the Islamic Republics strength.
Interesting, worried about the people getting out of control, is he?
Maintaining order inside the country will display the strength of the Islamic Republic, Khamenei told senior police commanders in Tehran, the state-run news agency ISNA reported. The security forces commanders discussed in the meeting their plans to maintain national security over the next 12 months.
Khamenei recently appointed Interior Minister Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi as the Acting Commander in Chief of the State Security Forces giving the radical Shiite cleric with a background in the notorious Intelligence Ministry complete control over the vast police force of the Islamic Republic.
Posted by: Steve ||
03/06/2006
12:46 ||
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#1
those Special Ops guys doing a little rabble-rousing?
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/06/2006 14:47
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#2
I think that the M²s are starting to notice that the Halliburton Entropy, Chaos, and Confusion Division operations are starting to ramp up.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/06/2006 18:05
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#3
Ahhh, putting the secret religious police gestapo in charge! Brilliant move. This is the type of behavior that has always been the undoing of the the religious-fanatic-theocracy types. If you choose to be in charge of everything, you also get blamed when everything starts to go to hell-in-a-handbasket. Hopefully Khamenei et al are on their collective ways to hell.
MIRAN SHAH, Pakistan Mar 6, 2006 (AP) Intelligence reports and accounts from arrested fighters indicate that more than 100 people have died in fighting between Pakistani security forces and pro-Taliban militants in northwestern Pakistan, officials said Monday.
It's a start
Authorities declared a curfew in a remote northwestern town after three days of fighting. Clashes continued Monday in the North Waziristan tribal region, and thousands of residents joined an exodus out of the main town of Miran Shah.
Sikandar Qayyum, additional secretary for security for Pakistan's tribal areas, told reporters in the northwestern city of Peshawar that based on intelligence reports and questioning of some injured and arrested militants, authorities believed more than 100 militants had been killed. That account was confirmed by army spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan. He said he the dead included five security forces. "Now we find out that the casualties might have exceeded 100," he said.
Earlier Monday he said that only 53 people in all were confirmed killed. He said it was difficult to give an exact count because some compounds in Miran Shah were not yet in the control of security forces. Qayyum said the curfew would be round-the-clock except for three hours in the afternoon to enable residents to buy provisions and would last as long as "the security situation requires."
Posted by: Steve ||
03/06/2006
12:39 ||
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BRUSSELS Flemish Foreign Minister Geert Bourgeois has demanded answers from the Turkish ambassador to Belgium about the murder of the parents of Derwich Ferho, the chairman of the Kurdish Institute in Brussels. "I want an explanation over the circumstances of what happened. If it proves to be a form of state terror, than that is very, very important," the New Flemish Alliance NV-A minister told VRT radio on Monday morning. "Turkey wishes to become a member of the European Union. If it appears that violations of human rights occur there in such a flagrant manner, then that is of enormous importance concerning [Turkey's] accession." Flemish political parties N-VA and green Groen! requested an explanation from Turkey on Sunday about the murder of Ferho's parents. Both parties are demanding a "serious investigation".
The 85-year-old Ferho and 81-year-old Fatim Akgül were killed on Thursday night in the village of Mizizah, in Turkish Kurdistan. The Kurdish Institute in Brussels claims the couple was killed by "death squads" and local security services in retaliation for the "anti-Turkish activities" of their two sons, who fled to Belgium years ago as political refugees. Institute chairman Derwich Ferho said his father was killed in his bed, while his mother had her throat cut and suffered multiple stab wounds. He said the elderly couple had been threatened in recent months.
Ferho accused contra guerrillas attached to the Turkish Interior Ministry of carrying out the killings. The guerrillas are also allegedly linked with the Turkish secret service MIT. However, Ferho also said that Kurdish village guards who co-operate with the Turkish in exchange for weapons and money might also have been involved in the attacks.
Posted by: Steve ||
03/06/2006
12:27 ||
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Madrid, 6 March (AKI) - Nine suspects in the deadly 11 March Madrid train bombings will be detained beyond the almost two years they have already spent in custody, investigating magistrate Juan del Olmo announced on Monday. The move will enable del Olmo to complete his indictments in connection with the bombings, the first of which he says he will file by 10 April. The blasts killed 191 people and injured 1,500 and were claimed by Islamic militants who said they acted on behalf of al-Qaeda in revenge for the presence of Spanish troops in Iraq .
The nine suspects are Jamal Zougam, Jose Emilio Suarez Trashorras, Rafa Zouhier, Basel Ghalyoun, Hamid Ahmidam, Otman el Gnaoui, Rachid Aglif, Abdelilah el Fadual el Akil and Fouad el Morabi, del Olmo said, quoted by EFE news agency. They were among the first of a total 116 suspects in the case, many of them Moroccans.
Zougam is seen as one of the key suspects; he was recognised by numerous witnesses and may have taken part in the attacks, organising people to place the mobile phone detonated rucksack bombs on the four commmuter trains, according to the daily El Mundo. Tashorras, one of the few Spanish-born suspects, is alleged to have helped other suspects obtain stolen explosives for the attacks from a mine in Asturia, northern Spain. Moroccan-born Zouhier is also suspected of involvement in stealing the explosives.
Perhaps 30-40 suspects may be indicted, according to unnamed court sources. The indictments are expected to reveal more information about the attacks - such as the possible identity of the bombing mastermind. Out of the total 116 suspects, 24 are currently detained in Spanish prisons and one Egyptian, Rabei Osman, is being held in jail in the northern Italian city of Milan.
Del Olmo had previously said he hoped to have the indictments ready by the second anniversary of the bombings this Saturday. More than 80 people have been questioned by investigators, 200 DNA tests have been carried out, and more than 50,000 phone-conversations tapped in the course of an investigation that has so far run to thousands of pages. Del Olmo and the National Court have been warned that unless the investigation is stepped up, some defendants might have to be released from custody before any trial ends. Spanish law permits up to two years of pre-trial prison, which can be extended to four after preliminary hearings. Last week, del Omo held separate hearings for the nine suspects whose detention he has announced he is extending beyond two years.
Seven key bombing suspects are dead. They blew themselves up three weeks after the Madrid bombings, as police closed in on their hideout in a southern Madrid suburb. A police special operations officer was killed and 18 police officers were injured in the blast.
Posted by: Steve ||
03/06/2006
12:25 ||
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Beirut, 6 March. (AKI) - In the streets of Sidon, Lebanon's third city, posters from banned groups glorifying the defunct caliphate have begun appearing on walls. "The caliphate, one sole state for all the Muslims of the world" read a message, written in red on a white background, and signed by Hizb ut-Tahrir, an outlawed Islamic party. "The absence of the caliphate has handed us over to our enemies, the colonialist and evil Western countries who have undermined our spiritual force. "The caliphate is the only solution for Islam", read another message. The leaders of Hizb ut-Tahrir (the party of liberation) explained that it was not an explicit invitation to create an Islamic state in Lebanon, adding that "the posters have been put up for the anniversary of the fall of the Ottoman calliphate".
The last Caliphate was abolished by the Turkish Grand National Assembly on March 3, 1924, and the title has since been inactive. Scattered attempts to revive the Caliphate elsewhere in the Muslim World were made in the years immediately following its abandonment by Turkey, but none were successful.
"The slogans want to recall that date and invite the faithful to work to reunite the Islamic nation in one sole state," explained Hizb ut-Tahrir spokesman Ayman Qadiri. More explicit was another message on a wall in central Sidon. "Anyone who is faithful to the Western nations, to their leaders, to their partners, betrays God and his Prophet".
Hizb ut-Tahrir, whose symbol is a black banner with the credo of Islam written on it, is an Islamic party founded in Jerusalem in 1953 by the Sheikh Taqi ad-Din an-Nahbani. Its stated aims include "the liberation of the Muslim lands from the colonial occupation and the re-creation of the Islamic Calliphate based on Sharia law". The group is banned in most Arabic and Islamic countries, but also in Germany and Britain.
After the Lebanese port of Tripoli, Sidon is the city with the largest population of Sunni Muslims and the local authorities acknowledge the presence of illegal cells of Hizb ut-Tahrir. "We have on various occasions presented official requests for recognition to the interior ministry in Beirut and to date we have always had ambiguous replies. In any case, our members are arrested even if they don't carry out any political activity," Qadiri said.
Posted by: Steve ||
03/06/2006
12:19 ||
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#1
"The absence of the caliphate has handed us over to our enemies, the colonialist and evil Western countries who have undermined our spiritual force..."
It's good to know that that the West is "undermining their spiritual force". If it's that easy to shake...
#3
The British obtained a fatwa from the muslim ulema in India that declared the Ottoman caliphate as illegitimate since they were not the rightful heirs of the prophet.
This fatwa still stands....
Prior to this, the Padishahs e Hind (the Emperors of India) did not see themselves as beholden to any self styled Turkish caliph.
They were the rightful rulers of their lands and the muslim clerics were beholden to them..
Their legitimacy derived from the right of conquest. They were the "House of Timur", the first Mogul emperor Babur was descended fom Timur (Tamerlane), himself descended from Genghis Khan.
Likewise the Persian Shahanshah, considered by his Shia subjects to be the rightful Caliph...
Posted by: john ||
03/06/2006 19:39
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New Zealand has appointed its first Maori defence chief. Maj Gen Jerry Mateparae, 51, currently head of the country's army, will serve in his new position from 1 May, the government said. Maj Gen Mateparae had successfully "melded together" the traditions of the Maori warrior and the British army, Defence Minister Phil Goff said.
Maori, New Zealand's indigenous people, make up about 15% of the country's population, and 17% of its military. Maj Gen Mateparae will also be promoted to lieutenant general on his promotion. "He will continue to be a role model and I have total confidence he will be fully accepted, not only by all Maori, but all New Zealand. He is an excellent future leader," said the man he will succeed, Air Marshal Bruce Ferguson. Maj Gen Mateparae, who will take command of 13,000 military and non-military staff across the army, air force, navy and joint headquarters, said he was pleased with his new appointment.
#1
I wonder if the Maori will eventually demographically outnumber the whites, and while keeping with their good traditions, such as democracy, phase out their timidity and weakness.
It would be good to see NZ equated with both "rough and tumble" and as a Maori state. In a way, like the Samoans, another people with a good attitude towards life and things.
#2
Amazing, I would have swore I had just posted this BBC piece with the, "Good stuff. Balanace at Link, GO ALL BLACKS! as well. A bit of Rant post plagurizing I see. Nicely done Stevie, I'll bet you rummaged your mums bloomers as well.
#3
Credit noted CS2465. Sometimes the mods edit/touch an article and forget to remove their name from the edit.
Posted by: ed ||
03/06/2006 13:10
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#4
CS, you did post it, but failed to put the link in the source block. I just fixed that and posted it, so it showed up as me being the original poster. I'll see if I can fix that.
Posted by: Steve ||
03/06/2006 13:12
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#5
Ok, it worked. Credit where credit is due.
Posted by: Steve ||
03/06/2006 13:14
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#6
I think it's a new bug. I may have just invented it.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/06/2006 13:15
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#7
Should be fixed now, though...
Posted by: Fred ||
03/06/2006 13:44
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The IDF confirmed Monday evening that a missile fired by the IAF had hit the car of an Islamic Jihad operative in Gaza. Security officials said that the target of the attack was Munir Abu Suker, a senior Islamic Jihad commander involved in bomb attacks against security forces and in the firing of Kassam rockets at Israeli civilian targets. He was also involved in smuggling weapons and operatives back and forth between Gaza and Sinai in order to facilitate their crossing into Israel to launch terror attacks. Among those Abu Suker was involved with smuggling were suicide bombers, whom he smuggled into Sinai so that they could cross into Israel and carry out attacks.
Abu Suker, 30, was riding in the car that was targeted together with Iyad Abu Shaouf, also an Islamic Jihad member. Both men were killed and, according to Palestinians, another two bystanders were killed and seven were wounded. Doctors said two of the wounded were children.
The attack occurred in the Sajaya neighborhood in northern Gaza City. Witnesses said that the car was traveling when the explosion went off. An angry mob gathered outside Gaza City's Shifa Hospital, where the bodies were taken.
In recent months, the Islamic Jihad has been behind the majority of Kassam rocket attacks launched from Gaza toward Israeli targets.
DEBKA sez: Four Jihad Islami operatives killed in Israeli airstrike against their car in Gaza Sejaiya district. They included operational commanders Ashraf Shalouf and Muneir Suqar. Seven people were injured. Three Qassam missiles fired from Gaza into Israel earlier Monday, 5 Sunday. An Israeli soldier was injured in shootout with armed Palestinians in West Bank hotbed of Nablus while arresting terrorist suspects.
Posted by: Steve ||
03/06/2006
11:35 ||
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#1
Hmmmm - time to send the IDF more pizza, methinks.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/06/2006 12:38
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The Rachel Corrie Memorial Committee of Victoria Invites you to a memorial pancake breakfast at Denny's Restaurant on Douglas Street near Finlayson, 10 am, Sunday March 12, 2006 to celebrate the life and untimely death of Rachel Corrie, Peace Activist with the International Solidarity Movement.
Rachel Corrie, speed bump on the roadmap to peace
There will be a reading of highly edited selections from Ms. Corrie's letters and diary, followed by a ceremony at Topaz Park, where a stone cairn will be erected in her honour. Attendees are encouraged to wear their keffiahs, and to dress in black.
I'm guessing Caterpillar baseball caps would be frowned upon
No weapons, drugs, or alcohol please.
Posted by: Steve ||
03/06/2006
10:50 ||
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#1
What a perfect pic! I think that's what I must have looked like, too.
#3
If you lived in the area and just happened to have access to a Caterpillar D-9, imagine the fun you could have rolling up to the parking lot with it. Madcap hijinks ensue!
Posted by: Mike ||
03/06/2006 11:34
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#4
That IS D9 smashed her flatter than a _______ .
#9
It's a pity they decided to hold it at Denny's, the all-night home of goths and transients. If they had held it at IHOP, then they could have all had "Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity's" to eat.
I wonder, how do you get maple syrup out of a burka?
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
03/06/2006 17:50
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#17
While a real D9 might be hard to come by, you could probably get a Tonka one. Drive it over everyone's pancakes and turn their sausages into bacon.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that universities that get federal funds must allow military recruiters on campus, even if their law schools oppose the Pentagon's policy prohibiting openly gays and lesbians from serving.
"Don't ask, don't tell" is the common term for the current military policy which implements Public Law 103-160, codified at 10 U.S.C. Sec. 654. Passed by Congress, signed by Bill Clinton. I don't see universities banning him from appearing on campus.
The high court upheld as constitutional a federal law dating back to 1994 that allows the government to withhold money from universities that deny military recruiters the same access to campuses given to other employers.
#2
Smackdown! Even Ginsburg and Breyer ruling against the law schools.
Posted by: Mike ||
03/06/2006 11:31
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I wonder if the LLL will consider this "settled law" like abortion or is it just another chapter of a long fight? I wonder if this applies to High Schools as well or can locals use this ruling? I aint a lawyer so please learn me.
#4
P.S. I think the LLL Universities ceded the high moral ground when the let a poorly educated ex-Taliban official into Yale while still banning the U.S. Military.
#5
Good. This wasn't free speech, it was the suppression of speech. You don't ban people and call it free. Good for the court to also say, "You can ban them, you just can't do it on our dime"
#6
I wonder if the LLL will consider this "settled law" like abortion or is it just another chapter of a long fight? I wonder if this applies to High Schools as well or can locals use this ruling? I aint a lawyer so please learn me.
What's the arabic word for a 'pause', which the enemy will assume is a 'truce'?
Posted by: Bobby ||
03/06/2006 21:38
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The law of diminishing returns has set in on the relationship between the United States and Pakistan. One can already discern incipient signs of American disenchantment with Pakistan in general and President General Pervez Musharraf in particular. These signs became noticeable to the people of Pakistan and even to outside observers during President George W Bush's 24-hour visit to Islamabad.
The lack of warmth during his interactions with the Pakistani leaders in general and Musharraf in particular stood in sharp contrast with the geniality displayed by the American President during his interactions with everyone, big and small, he met in New Delhi and Hyderabad. Bush's admiration -- which he expressed frequently -- for India, its democracy, its civil society and its people stood in similar contrast with his noticeably pro forma remarks in Islamabad.
A US rethink on Musharraf?
His words of praise in India were spontaneous and came from his heart. His restrained words of praise in Pakistan were uttered out of politeness by a guest to a host. The change in Bush's demeanour was very striking and took his Pakistani hosts by surprise. The bonhomie that he had displayed towards Musharraf at Camp David two years ago was no longer there. The American president that Musharraf encountered in Islamabad was disturbingly different from the Bush he had met earlier in New York, Washington and Camp David.
Even before embarking on his tour of South Asia, Bush had many warm words of praise for Musharraf in the media interviews given and statements made by him at Washington. He even referred to Musharraf as his buddy. What happened between his departure from Washington and his arrival in Islamabad, which led to this change in attitude?
Reliable sources in Pakistan and Afghanistan attribute this to the briefings on the ground situation in Afghanistan, which Bush received in Kabul on March 1 from Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his officers, as well as from American military officers. Since the beginning of this year, Afghan Army and intelligence officers had been openly criticising Pakistan for helping the Taliban to stage a comeback in Afghanistan, for giving sanctuaries to Mullah Mohammad Omar and other Taliban leaders and cadres in Pakistani territory and for providing them with training and arms assistance. The Afghans were also pointing out that the majority of the suicide bombers in Afghanistan since the middle of last year were Pakistani nationals.
The Afghans also claimed that trained and jihad-hardened Al Qaeda members were being sent by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi from Iraq into Afghanistan through Pakistani territory to help the Taliban. Afghan intelligence officials also said that whereas the jihadi terrorists observed total communication silence while they were in Afghan territory, they resumed communications with each other and with their headquarters once they retreated into Pakistan. This, according to them, reflected their confidence that no action would be taken against them in Pakistan even if their communications were intercepted.
During a trip to Pakistan before Bush's visit, President Karzai had brought these reports to Musharraf's notice. The Afghan president had also handed over to Musharraf a summary of these reports prepared by Afghan intelligence officers and a list of Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistani territory. After Karzai returned to Kabul, the Pakistan foreign office spokesman dismissed these reports as unreliable and out of date. In interviews to the BBC and other Western television channels, Musharraf made sarcastic references to these reports as inaccurate and unreliable. Musharraf also alleged that Karzai was trying to cover up the incompetence of Afghan intelligence agencies and security forces by blaming Pakistan.
Musharraf's references were reported to have angered Karzai and his officers, who gave Bush a detailed briefing on the Pakistani involvement with the Taliban and Al Qaeda remnants operating in Afghan territory from Pakistan. President Karzai and Afghan Foreign Minister Abdulla Abdulla reportedly accused General Musharraf of insincerity and told President Bush that so long as the Pakistani involvement continued, the ground situation would not improve in Afghanistan. The Afghan briefings were totally corroborated by American field officers in Afghanistan during their separate briefings for Bush.
It is said that Bush was taken by surprise and disturbed by the details of the Pakistani involvement. Before his departure from Kabul for New Delhi, he had told the media that President Karzai had mentioned to him about the activities of the Taliban and Al Qaeda from Pakistani territory and that he would be taking this up with Musharraf. This set off some concern in Islamabad, which immediately thumped Fortress Waziristan initiated some corrective action.
Last year, the Pakistani Army had made all Taliban leaders and cadres based in the Pashtun majority areas of Balochistan shift to the Waziristan area of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan, where the remnants of Al Qaeda, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Jundullah (Army of Allah) and other components of the International Islamic Front were already based. The Pakistani Army concluded an informal ceasefire with them. It agreed to suspend its operations against them in return for their assurance that they would confine their operations to the Afghan territory. Following this agreement, many of the Pakistani troops deployed on counter-terrorism duties in Waziristan, including the helicopters given by the US, were moved to Balochistan to start a military offensive against the Balochistan Liberation Army, which has been fighting for the independence of Balochistan. After coming to know of the statement made by Bush in Kabul, Musharraf ordered a resumption of the counter-terrorism operations in North Waziristan.
"And make it fast. This cowboy boot in my bum is killing me!"
The operations were resumed and over 40 people -- mainly Chechens, Uzbeks and a bunch of some locals -- were killed on February 28. The Taliban, Al Qaeda and the IIF retaliated against it. The Taliban captured the telephone exchanges in North Waziristan and cut off all communications with the rest of Pakistan. It also attacked posts of the Pakistani Security Forces in the area. The fighting is still going on with over 100 casualties suffered by both sides.
In view of the continuing activities of the BLA in Balochistan, the Pakistan Army has not yet been able to move back to Waziristan all the troops it had shifted to Balochistan.
"But we're working on it, effendi!"
The Pakistani security forces are facing great difficulty in repulsing the attacks of the Taliban, the Al Qaeda and the IIF. Meanwhile, the Jundullah, which had suspended its operations in Karachi in return for the suspension of the Pakistani Army's operations in Waziristan, resumed them on March 2. It carried out a suicide bomber attack on a car of the US consulate in Karachi in which three officers of the consulate, including the head of the physical security set-up of the consulate, were going to work. The explosion killed the head of security. This shook up the American officers responsible for Bush's protection, who were then in New Delhi.
It is said that even Musharraf was shaken up and worried over Bush's security in Islamabad. He reportedly told his officers that they should accept -- without making it a prestige issue -- whatever suggestions their American counterparts had for strengthening Bush's security. In New Delhi, the American officials reviewed the situation and decided that Bush should go ahead with his visit. At the same time, they ordered a number of additional security measures. Bush's plane arrived and took off from Pakistan Air Force's Chaklala airport at night in total darkness -- with all its lights switched off. Pakistan was told that it would not be necessary for Musharraf or Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz to come to the airport to receive or see off Bush since the American officials were afraid that their movement to the airport in their security convoys could alert the terrorists.
Bush stayed in the American ambassador's house instead of a local hotel, which had been reserved for him and his party. The American President was taken by the US Air Force in one of its helicopters to the ambassador's house and back as well as to the place of his meeting with Musharraf and back. The air cover over Islamabad was provided by planes and helicopters of the US Air Force based in Afghanistan with officers of the Pakistan Air Force sitting in them to assist the American crew. The Pakistan Air Force was asked to ground all its planes and helicopters till the Bush visit was over. American secret service officers took over all the responsibility for the close-proximity protection of Bush. Their Pakistani counterparts were not kept in the picture.
These developments and the additional security measures necessitated by the Karachi explosion reportedly made Bush and his advisers realise how fragile the situation is in Pakistan and how unsatisfactory Musharraf's much-vaunted counter-terrorism operations have been.
Another development, which took place even as Bush was in South Asia, contributed to the onset of the disenchantment. Since 9/11, Musharraf has repeatedly reiterated his determination to close down the jihadi madrasas in Pakistan, expel all foreign jihadis studying there and to modernise the curriculum in the madrasas not associated with the jihadi terrorist organisations. He has not implemented any of these commitments under some excuse or the other despite receipt of liberal grants from the US and other Western countries for modernising the education system. The US and the United Kingdom again took this up strongly with Musharraf after the London explosions of July last year.
Not that the US is helping, with more Fulbright scholarships going to Pakland than any other nation.
The General reiterated his promise to close down all jihadi madrasas and expel the over 1,400 foreign students studying there -- the majority of them from Southern Thailand followed by jihadis from South Africa -- by December 31 last year. This was not done. The madrassas continued to flout his instructions without any action being taken against them.
Just before Bush's visit, the Pakistani interior ministry decided to keep in abeyance the orders expelling the foreign jihadis on the ground that at a time when violent demonstrations were taking place all over the country over the Danish cartoons, the expulsion of the foreign jihadis could further provoke fundamentalist elements. The seriousness with which Bush viewed the situation -- and his stern rebuke to Musharraf -- became evident in the US President's remarks at the press conference in Islamabad jointly addressed by him and the general on Saturday. Bush said part of his mission was to determine whether Musharraf 'is as committed as he has been in the past to bringing these terrorists to justice -- and he is.'
'He understands the stakes, he understands the responsibility and he understands the need to make sure our strategy is able to defeat the enemy,' Bush added. Well-informed Pakistani sources say that for the first time Bush and his advisers have started nursing misgivings about Musharraf's sincerity and his willingness or ability to help the US against Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
Has Musharraf outlived his utility for the US as a frontline ally in the war against terrorism? That is the question which must be troubling the minds of Bush and his advisers now.
"These developments and the additional security measures necessitated by the Karachi explosion reportedly made Bush and his advisers realise how fragile the situation is in Pakistan and how unsatisfactory Musharraf's much-vaunted counter-terrorism operations have been.
It shouldnt have taken this for us to realize it, but thank God we're coming around.
The madrassas continued to flout his instructions without any action being taken against them.
#4
There was a really good article on rantburg around 2003, about the rise of the Taliban and Musharraf was quite the double-dealer back then as well. He's basically a Hillary Clinton. He'll do whatever he needs to do to stay in power. The reason he cooperates with the US is that he uses the power of the US to his advantage. I think that's why he's a bit shook up now. He knows we have the power to keep him in power or get him out. I bet we'll see more cooperation from him now that he realizes the game is going to turn hardball.
#6
Musharaff is indeed the man in the middle, with everybody gunning for him. Unlike the typical dictator who spends all of his time cultivating his loyal underlings like a mob boss, Musharaff doesn't seem to have as much juice. He can only push so far in any direction before he gets pushed back, and harder than he can push.
Were he to have studied his dictator manual better, he would have known that he could never, ever stop reinforcing his position *or* oppressing his enemies. He can never have friends or allies, only those that either work for him, and those he seeks to eliminate.
It doesn't matter what Bush offers, beyond a certain point, it doesn't matter, it will neither strengthen Musharraf's hand nor weaken his enemies. The only alternative left to Bush is to do that himself, directly. Which is not easy.
#8
Mushie only goes on the attack when it is policially expedient for him to do so.
I predict a hugh build-up in the relationship between the ChiComs and Paki-Waki.
Posted by: Captain America ||
03/06/2006 14:08
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#9
CA, possible, but. Will he still have access to his nukes? Will the Chinese help him when the newly allied Indians get fed up? Does he really want the Afghan Army to get technical support when they pursue Taliban in hot support? There's a lot of down side for Perv and Pak if they lose our friendship. They'd love to, but they can't.
#10
THe problem is that Pakistan is notb a real state. It exists only because of a religion. Were its citizens stop becoming fanatic muslims then part of them would start looking either to India or to Afganistan. It would implode and its elites would lose provileges. That is why from its creation they have pandered to Islamists, have supported the Deobandi inspired madrassas and tried to help them in brainwashing the population.
The end result is that Pakistan is a enemy.
Since Pakistan only reason to exist is opposing India it goes without saying taht it is the structural ennemy of India but it is also a structural ennemy of Afgahnistan both because part of its territor belongs legally to Afghanistan after the expiration of the Durand treaty but also because its conquest or at least its subjugation through a puppet regime (read the Taliban) would greatly increase its strategic depth against India, an obssesion of Pakistani generals.
So Pakistan is our ennemy, and it has two other ennemies India and Afghanistan. The ennemy of my ennemy is my friend. Could be a good idea to support Adganistan about those Durand treaty territories. After all I cannot see how Afghan rule on tyhe North Western Frontier Provinces could be worse that Pakistani unrule. I suspect that Afghns would hold them with atighter leah and not allow it to remain a terrorist nest.
#11
Let's finish with Iran before we go getting Pakistan as an enemy. Every country in south west Asia and north Africa is a potential enemy. It'll be easier if we deal with them serially rather than in parallel.
#15
This is one of those fights that can be started without us, but I suspect needs us to finish.
The tone of this article, though... I find it very hard to believe that, while Rantburgers have been discussing Musharref's double dealing for years, President Bush was unaware until after he landed in Afghanistan. I think he's actually been playing Pakistan, waiting for India to come around. After all, he's had India in his sights since before he started his first run for the Presidency, by all accounts.
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that colleges that accept federal money must allow military recruiters on campus, despite university objections to the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays.
Justices rejected a free-speech challenge from law school professors who claimed they should not be forced to associate with military recruiters or promote their campus appearances.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the decision, which was unanimous.
Law schools had become the latest battleground over the "don't ask, don't tell" policy allowing gay men and women to serve in the military only if they keep their sexual orientation to themselves.
Many universities forbid the participation of recruiters from public agencies and private companies that have discriminatory policies.
Roberts, writing his third decision since joining the court, said there are other less drastic options to protest the policy.
"A military recruiter's mere presence on campus does not violate a law school's right to associate, regardless of how repugnant the law school considers the recruiter's message," he wrote.
The federal law, known as the Solomon Amendment after its first congressional sponsor, mandates that universities give the military the same access as other recruiters or forfeit federal money.
College leaders have said they could not afford to lose federal help, some $35 billion a year.
The court heard arguments in the case in December, and justices signaled then that they had little problem with the law.
Roberts filed the only opinion, which was joined by every justice but Samuel Alito. Alito did not participate because he was not on the bench when the case was argued.
"The Solomon Amendment neither limits what law schools may say nor requires them to say anything," Roberts wrote.
The case is Rumsfeld v. Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights, 04-1152.
#3
The SCOTUS was also sending a message to all the liberal law schools who opposed military recruiting on political grounds, about the complexion of the new court.
#5
I am not convinced these schools care about the DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL policy - for me its more a cover for a basic issue, i.e. that Lefties can claim they don't have to fight in any war iff they don't want to but are still entitled to the rights, priveleges, and PUBLIC AIDS $$$ of full American citizenship. In WW2 many men whom successfully claimed CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR to war or combat were still taken by the armed forces and placed in medical or other OBA support units. These lib schools know that without federal funding, or lower federal funding, they would have to charge private tuition rates which would escalate costs for students and eventually induce many schools into banruptcy due to low attendance coupled with higher faculty costs.
#6
The law has said for many decades that any private institution that accepts any form of federal student aid or other publicly subsidized aid, however partial, is akin to a public land grant institution and must allow ROTC andor mil recruitment.
Troops busted a jungle hideout in southeast Bangladesh and seized weapons which they believed were stored by rebels from neighboring Myanmar and could also be used by Islamist militants fighting for sharia law in Bangladesh. Different groups of Myanmar rebels are fighting against the authorities of Yangon in west Myanmar's Arakan region, bordering Bangladesh, while two outlawed Islamist groups are seeking to turn Bangladesh, a mainly Muslim democracy, into an Islamic state. "Two anti-tank missiles, a heavy machine gun, three sub-machine guns, five AK-47 rifles and 7,000 (rounds of) ammunition along with battle accessories were seized on Saturday," a senior security official said on Sunday.
Officials said militants who were at the hideout fled before the troops came in. Troops seized huge caches of weapons and explosives several times over the past year from the Chittagong Hill Tracts region, believed brought from across the Myanmar frontier, but gave no official statement on who they were meant for. Myanmar rebels cross into Bangladesh territory when being pursued by Yangon troops, and are often arrested by Bangladesh police.
Bangladesh has intensified a countrywide hunt for Islamic militants since Thursday after the country's top Islamist radical, Shayek Abdur Rahman, was captured in the northeastern town of Sylhet and later brought to Dhaka for interrogation. Shayek led Jamaat-ul Mujahideen, which along with another militant group Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh, was banned in early 2005 for criminal activities. The chief of the second group, Siddikul Islam Bangla Bhai, is still at large and may take over the operations leadership of the militants in Shayek's absence, intelligence officials said. These two groups were blamed for a countrywide wave of bomb attacks, including suicide bombings, which killed at least 30 people and wounded 150 since August 17, 2005.
The Iranians' hate toward Israel and the Jews seems to be driving them crazy.
This is the only possible explanation for the new war declared by the Iranians. An Iranian official recently lashed out against Tom and Jerry, the illustrated cat and mouse, Israel's leading newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported Monday. Hasan Bulkhari, a senior adviser to the Iranian education minister, said a number of days ago that Hollywood created the animation series as part of a Jewish conspiracy aimed at changing the perception of dirty mice, resulting from the comparison the Nazis made between Jews and mice.
Bulkhari explained that "the mouse is the wise and smart one, and he violently beats the poor cat. And yet, this cruelty does not cause you to despise the mouse. He looks so nice, and he is smart." "The program was produced in an attempt to erase the image of the mouse from the minds of European children and to show that the mouse is not dirty and that he even has nice characteristics," the Iranian official charged.
So, Pinky and The Brain must be about the Zionist plan for world domination?
#6
I've got Clutch Cargo working for a straw front CIA logistics operation, prolly involved moving Islamic terrorists to eastern Europe while deadheading Opium to fund Central American operations.
#10
can you imagine the turbans exploding? Pair her up with Mo and the toppling of a caliphate due to ink and pen is complete. Spontaneous combustion: continent-wide
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/06/2006 21:29
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Palestinian sources reported Monday afternoon that two youths were killed in an explosion that occurred near the al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. The casualties were identified as two brothers, 14-year-old Alam Abu-Saud and 15-year-old Nidal Abu-Saud. The two were apparently handling an explosive device, inside a car or next to it.
"Hey, what does this wire do?"
IDF officials said that the army had nothing to do with the blast.
At first, the Palestinians assumed that the blast was the result of an IDF targeted killing launched in response to the large number of Qassam rockets fired at Istael in the past few days. Later, it was proven beyond any doubt that the two were playing with an explosive device near their homes. However, Palestinian sources still blamed Israel, charging that an IDF shell or a bomb placed by soldiers in the area caused the blast. Palestinian police are also looking into the possibility the explosion was a result of a device placed by Palestinians who planned an attack in Israel. Five rockets were launched toward the western Negev on Sunday, and on Friday the Islamic Jihad fired a rocket that hit a strategic facility in southern Israel.
Members of various Palestinian groups have been killed in the past on several occasions in "work accidents" while handling explosives. Last week, a commander in the Islamic Jihad's al-Quds Brigades was killed after his vehicle exploded.
The IDF has strongly denied any Israeli involvement in the explosion.
#4
Most unfortunate and indeed regretable, but not greatly. The current TTP provides no Martr virgins for training, "work accidents," or premature detonations outside of the immediate 15 meter target area. Close, but no hooka.
#5
Palestinian police are also looking into the possibility the explosion was a result of a device placed by Palestinians who planned an attack in Israel.
#9
Once again, we here at Mutual of Gaza City remind you to please handle your explosive devices carefully. Write for our free phamplet called, "It's a Lot of Fun Playing With Explosive Devices Until Someone Loses a Head" available at Mutual of Gaza, 200 Arafat Blvd., Gaza City.
PBUH.
Posted by: Mutual of Gaza City ||
03/06/2006 15:54
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#11
You know, it's funny that the Paleo's claim Israel does all this stuff, yet if Israel really wanted to wipe them out, they'd be gone.
On another note, I still wonder what the effect of finely tuned microwaves hitting explosives is. Is it possible to use a maser beam to set them off from a distance?
Indianapolis International Airport, a facility that serves more than 8 million passengers every year, is operated by a foreign-owned company.
And the company has stated contractual obligations at the airport -- which include law enforcement!
BAA Indianapolis LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of BAA plc, a private company which owns and operates seven airports in the United Kingdom including Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports serving London.
Indianapolis International is now the largest privately managed airport in the United States.
Yemeni forces have recaptured three al Qaeda inmates who were part of a group that tunnelled out of jail in the Arab country last month, a government official said on Monday. "Authorities arrested three of the al Qaeda escapees in Sanaa on Sunday," the official told Reuters. He gave no further detail of their identities.
Last month, President Ali Abdullah Saleh said three other al Qaeda militants -- part of a group of 23 inmates who broke out of jail -- had surrendered to authorities. Saleh had told al-Hayat newspaper that security forces were also in contact with other fugitives among the group of 23 militants that escaped from a Sanaa jail in February. The fugitives include the leaders of the 2000 bombing of the U.S. warship Cole and the 2002 attack on the French supertanker Limburg as well as a Yemeni-American wanted by the United States. The jailbreak has embarrassed Saleh's government, which is battling Islamist militants, and raised questions about Yemen's security measures among its Western allies. The government has offered a $25,500 reward for information that would lead to the arrest of any of the fugitives.
Posted by: Steve ||
03/06/2006
09:40 ||
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#1
Ok guys, leave's over. Start saving up for the next one.
Narciso 'Chicho' Ramirez has spent time in prison on suspicion of smuggling migrants and was stripped of his U.S. visa. But in his hometown he's mayor material - the man who helped hundreds of Salvadorans achieve 'el sueno Americano' - the American dream.
Now running for mayor, Ramirez says he stopped smuggling people in October 2001, when El Salvador made human trafficking a crime punishable by eight years in jail. But his reputation as a 'coyote' - slang for smuggler - abides. 'Here, they only say good things about Don Chicho,' said Blanca Rosa Coreas, 50. 'He's taken many people north, and they are grateful to him.'
'I saw it as helping people who most need it,' said Ramirez, a 44-year-old rancher who owns construction and bus companies as well as restaurants and hardware stores. A simple man..a man of the people.
Ramirez says his ties to people-smuggling make him the perfect candidate to lead a group of 10 small rural towns 60 miles west of the capital, San Salvador. They include Cara Sucia, a village of 5,000 whose name means 'dirty face.'
It's a district where nearly everyone heads to the United States to work at some point, and where four bank branches mostly handle money the migrants send home.
Recent polls make Ramirez the favorite in next Sunday's election, ahead of Mayor Remigio Morales, who has served for nine years and is seeking a fourth consecutive term.
'Parties choose as their candidates, especially local ones, someone that is going to win. This is the criterion,' commented Rodolfo Cardenal, vice rector of El Salvador's Catholic University and a Jesuit priest. 'It's not the moral suitability of a candidate.Spoken like a true holy man morals..heh..we dont need no steenkin morals.
Well, he is a Jesuit...
'Coyotes are very popular because the safest way to arrive in the United States is with a good coyote. He'll charge a good amount of money, but the person will arrive safely,' he added. Damn you cant buy that kind of unsolicited endorsement. (Or maybe you can?)
Ramirez has had a career path that many hope to follow. No Doubt Pun intended.
He spent his childhood delivering giant bags of Killer-Bud vegetables from a local market. At 22, he emigrated to the United States, returning in 1985 to buy a truck and a bus which he used to build various successful businesses while traveling back and forth to the United States. Wonder what kind of business you have that requires a Bus?
Ramirez claims he never charged for his smuggling services, and simply 'volunteered to help people without money,' leading them across Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico and dropping them off to find coyotes who would lead them across the U.S. border for money. He certainly passed the BS test for third world politician with that statement.
Ramirez was arrested in 2002 on charges of helping to organize the smuggling of 144 migrants found in a banana truck in Monterrey, Mexico. He said he had already gotten out of smuggling and had nothing to do with the banana truck, but spent 14 months in a Salvadoran jail and one year under house arrest before he was cleared. The U.S. Embassy still stripped him of his visa. Chicho consider yerself undocumented!
Ramirez says politicians are demonizing smugglers. 'Instead of spending so much money to eradicate the trafficking of illegals to the United States, that money should be used to create more jobs in the country,' he says.
At a recent rally, Ramirez rode a horse through the streets of Cara Sucia, accompanied by Horacio Rios, a prominent politician, who said: 'Narciso helped a lot of people go to the United States, and now they are good workers - businessmen that send home money.'
El Salvador survives on that money - $2.8 billion last year alone - from the 2.5 million Salvadorans living in the United States, Rios said. More than 300,000 of those migrants are there illegally.
Ramirez says that if he becomes mayor, his first order of business will be to lobby the U.S. Embassy for a visa, so he can visit his seven brothers in the United States. Well send that new Visa thingy out pronto. Do you have yer brothers addresses handy?
#4
We had a bug where if you post directly from the editor it wasn't filling in the poster's name. I fixed that, but ended up putting the editor's name in over the poster's. Now (I think) I've fixed that, too.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/06/2006 17:39
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Iran's Revolutionary Guards have taken the extraordinary step of cutting down thousands of trees in Teheran to prevent United Nations inspectors from finding traces of enriched uranium from a top-secret nuclear plant.
News of last month's cleansing operation comes as the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-member board meets in Vienna today to decide whether Iran should be reported to the United Nations Security Council for failing to comply with its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Dr Mohamed ElBaradei: scathing report on Iran
According to western intelligence sources, more than 7,000 trees which may have contained incriminating nuclear traces have been lost in a popular parkland area in the city near the Lavizan atomic research centre.
At today's meeting Dr Mohamed ElBaradei, the IAEA head, is expected to deliver a scathing report on Iran's nuclear programme, which Teheran insists is aimed solely at developing an indigenous nuclear power industry.
But Dr ElBaradei will inform the board that he is not in a position to assert that the nuclear programme is "entirely peaceful", and blames Teheran for its lack of "transparency" over its nuclear programme. His report will add to the suspicions of western governments that Iran has a clandestine programme to develop nuclear weapons.
Iran threatened to begin large-scale uranium enrichment if the IAEA formally refers it the Security Council. The Islamic republic's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani told a press conference: "Research and development is in our national interest and Iran will not go back on that. If they (America and allies) want to use force, we will pursue our own path.
One of the IAEA's key concerns has been the government's conduct over the Lavizan complex. The IAEA only became aware of its existence after Iranian exiles provided details of its location at a military base in Teheran in 2003.
Iran was accused of using the facility to conduct research into nuclear enrichment, and Israeli military officials claimed that the prototypes of four nuclear warheads were also stored at the site.
Western intelligence officials believe the site was deliberately situated in a major population area to make it more difficult for the United States and Israel, which are determined to prevent Iran developing nuclear weapons, from carrying out pre-emptive air strikes.
The Iranians responded to the exiles' disclosure by razing the complex in 2004 before IAEA inspectors could conduct a full investigation.
To ensure that no incriminating traces of nuclear activity were found, they even ploughed the site and removed six inches of topsoil.
Despite these efforts, IAEA inspectors still found traces of enriched uranium in soil collected from the site. Intelligence officials concluded that the traces came from nuclear equipment acquired from Dr A Q Khan, the "father" of Pakistan's nuclear bomb.
Recent tests in the area by scientists working for the Atomic Energy Agency of Iran (AEOI) showed unusually high concentrations of uranium contamination in the leaves and branches of trees surrounding the site. The scientists unanimously recommended that preparations should be made in case IAEA inspectors decided to conduct further visits.
The order to cut down the trees was given by Mohamed Baker Khalibaf, the mayor of Teheran, who is close to President Mahmoud Ahmadnijehad. The official explanation for the destruction of the trees was to create a national park.
"The destruction of the trees is yet another example of the measures the Iranians are prepared to take to conceal the true nature of the nuclear programme," said a senior western official.
"But after three years of deliberately trying to conceal their activities from the IAEA, none of the member states is prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt."
#6
I wonder what the citizens of Tehran are thinking about this. If there are traces of enriched unranium in the trees, presumably it is floating all over the city.
#16
THank you, Tehran! You just made it much easier for our reconnaissance assets to watch every move you make. You used to be able to hide under the leaves and branches of trees, now there's nothing to cover your fat a$$. Removing the trees also makes it easier for us to blow your silly head off with a Hellfire missile, or destroy your meeting sites with a Tomahawk cruise missile. If we do get down to using nukes, the slight shelter those trees may have given you from direct exposure to gamma and x-rays is now gone. I'm sure your six-legged son will thank you for that - if he survives being born.
Talk about unintended consequences!
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/06/2006 18:11
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Truly, reality has come full circle, as Indymedia unwittingly imitates Little Green Footballs: Rachel Corrie Pancake Breakfast.
No, its not a joke.
The Rachel Corrie Memorial Committee of Victoria Invites you to a pancake breakfast at Dennys Restaurant Sunday March 12 , 2006 10 am.
The Public is invited to a memorial pancake breakfast at Dennys Restaurant on Douglas Street near Finlayson, 10 am, Sunday March 12, 2006 to celebrate the life and untimely death of Rachel Corrie, Peace Activist with the International Solidarity Movement.
There will be a reading of selections from Ms. Corries letters and diary, followed by a ceremony at Topaz Park, where a stone cairn will be erected in her honour.
Attendees are encouraged to wear their keffiahs, and to dress in black.
No weapons, drugs, or alcohol please.
http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/
ISM offers many ways for you to get involved in the struggle for Palestinian freedom. Whether youre thinking of traveling to Palestine to work with us, or youd like to work to educate your community about the reality in Palestine, we welcome your involvement.
I wonder if it will be your choice between bacon and pork sausages? "I'd like a Rooty-Tooty Fresh and Fruity. What do you mean they only serve that at IHOP? I'm being oppressed! I DEMAND A ROOTY-TOOTY FRESH AND FRUITY TO SHOW SOLIDARITY WITH THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE!!! Say, how do you get syrup out of your veil?"
Posted by: Fred (actually, not Fred. A bug) ||
03/06/2006
09:21 ||
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#1
Imagine the madcap hijinks that would ensue if someone drives up to the parking lot during the festivities in a Caterpillar D-9.
Posted by: Mike ||
03/06/2006 9:33
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#8
Would be funny to flood the Dennys with folks wearing yarmulkas.
Posted by: ed ||
03/06/2006 11:55
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#9
For you pancake lovers out there who would like a lower-carb alternative, I would highly recommend buckwheat pancakes. That is, process buckwheat flour in a pancake mix, not crude buckwheat, or that stuff that tries to imitate whole wheat.
It is also gluten free, and buckwheat isn't even a grain, it's a berry. Cooks and tastes just like regular pancakes.
#10
Cooks and tastes just like regular (insert food)
Yep, tastes just like horse beef.
Nice girl, great personality, makes here own clothes and a fine cook.
The checks in the mail, I still luv 'ya and I swear I won't....
#11
Gentlemen. In an entirely neutral stance I am disgusted with your words and behaviour. This young lady died for a cause she beleived in. How many of you can say the same?
You are a bunch of apathetic morons hiding behind your sticky keyboards. Very rarely is there any intelligent comment here. Small wonder we are in the shit we are in if you are examples of the 'good folks'.
It makes you look and feel like those humans you despise so much. Go have a shower or something.
Posted by: john ||
03/06/2006 14:58
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#13
Fred is quite clever, but even he hasn't figured out how to connect the Web to the Great Beyond. So clearly, none of those posting have emulated the flat Miss Corrie, who chose to commmit suicide-by-large-machinery, thus proving all our mothers correct when they told us
(1)Choose your friends carefully and
(2)Don't play around construction equipment or you'll get hurt.
#16
she died a wasted death, and I'm glad she's gone. She was hateful, anti-american waste of oxygen, spreading her venom to others. Happy Trax?
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/06/2006 19:11
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#17
Trex: So you don't like buckwheat pancakes?
More to the point, Rachel Corrie was a fanatic, filled with rage and hate. No different in many ways from the crazy Lori Berenson, who joined the Shining Path down in Peru.
Her cause was not just, because it was less concerned with helping the Paleos to help themselves, then by supporting them in their war, much like the Arabs who give them money solely that they will fight and die in a proxy war.
The house she was defending had been used by snipers to shoot at civilians, not soldiers. And by saying so, it strips her of any semblance of fairness or reasonableness. She was helping snipers to shoot at women and children!
You do not HELP anyone by encouraging war.
What had she done in the name of peace? Did she try to change how they teach their children? Did she show how their leaders were corrupt and stealing money from their own people? Did she do anything to help the Paleos help themselves?
NO. She died trying to stop the Israelis from defending themselves against attack. She was a vile creature who supported terrorism against those she hated. Her idealism was no different than the idealism of Pol Pot, but perhaps not as intense.
She was a crazy woman who deserved to die, both for her hateful desires, and her willingness to inflict death and destruction on others.
Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay says that despite mounting casualties in Afghanistan, Canadians should be standing behind their troops rather than questioning their deployment.
"This is the type of mission that is demanded in this day and age," MacKay said. "Terrorism, which has its roots in Afghanistan, is something that we have committed to fight with our allies."
MacKay said it would have been preferable if the former Liberal government had held a parliamentary vote before dispatching the first Canadian soldiers to Afghanistan in 2002, as part of a U.S.-led coalition sent to root out al-Qaida operatives and the Taliban government that had protected them.
Now that the troops are there, the Conservatives are determined to continue down the path charted by their predecessors, said MacKay.
"The last thing we want to show is any wavering or any backing away from the commitment of our Canadian troops. We have to be 100 per cent behind them."
His comments came as the remains of the latest two soldiers to perish on the Afghan mission were being flown to CFB Trenton, Ont. Master Cpl. Timothy Wilson and Cpl. Paul Davis succumbed to injuries suffered when their armoured vehicle accidentally rolled over.
A dozen others were hurt in the last week in accidents, bombings and rocket-propelled grenade attacks.
The most seriously wounded were Cpl. Michael Loewen, who will need reconstructive surgery to save an arm after a suicide bomb attack, and Lieut. Treveor Greene, who took an axe to the head when he was ambushed at a meeting with village elders.
New Democrats and some Liberals have been calling for a debate when the Commons resumes next month and a vote on whether to continue the mission.
NDP Leader Jack Layton contended Sunday that the nature of the deployment has changed for the 2,200 Canadians currently in Afghanistan.
"We certainly don't want to become involved in a protracted war," Layton said. "The goal of Canadians being in Afghanistan was in our more traditional role of peacekeeping, peacemaking."
Ujjal Dosanjh, the new Liberal defence critic, has also maintained that the situation has changed and has pressed for renewed debate on the mission.
That drew a sharp rebuke last week from Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who accused the Liberals of playing politics now that they're in opposition.
"You do not send men and women into harm's way on a dangerous mission with the support of our party and other Canadians, and then decide, once they're over there, that you're not sure you should have sent them," said Harper.
Opposition Leader Bill Graham, when he was defence minister, warned last year of the potential for casualties in operations around Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan.
So did Gen. Rick Hillier, the chief of defence staff, who more recently has suggested it could take a decade to rebuild the country.
It appears many Canadians either ignored the warnings or have had a change of heart since then. Opinion polls suggest declining public support for the mission in the wake of the recent casualties.
One survey by Strategic Counsel indicated 62 per cent of respondents were against the deployment. Another poll by Ipsos-Reid, with questions framed differently, found 52 per cent support for the mission, but that was down from 66 per cent in 2002.
The first Canadian contingent dispatched four years ago engaged in combat operations. Starting in 2003, however, the Canadian focus shifted to much less dangerous patrol duties in the capital of Kabul.
That has changed again with the move to Kandahar, where Canadians again face a hostile environment and renewed attacks by insurgents.
Edited for length: For 16 years, Aviation Week & Space Technology has investigated myriad sightings of a two-stage-to-orbit system that could place a small military spaceplane in orbit. Considerable evidence supports the existence of such a highly classified system, and top Pentagon officials have hinted that it's "out there," but iron-clad confirmation that meets AW&ST standards has remained elusive. Now facing the possibility that this innovative "Blackstar" system may have been shelved, we elected to share what we've learned about it with our readers, rather than let an intriguing technological breakthrough vanish into "black world" history, known to only a few insiders. U.S. intelligence agencies may have quietly mothballed a highly classified two-stage-to-orbit spaceplane system designed in the 1980s for reconnaissance, satellite-insertion and, possibly, weapons delivery. It could be a victim of shrinking federal budgets strained by war costs, or it may not have met performance or operational goals.
Or it may have been replaced by a more advanced system.
This two-vehicle "Blackstar" carrier/orbiter system may have been declared operational during the 1990s.
A large "mothership," closely resembling the U.S. Air Force's historic XB-70 supersonic bomber, carries the orbital component conformally under its fuselage, accelerating to supersonic speeds at high altitude before dropping the spaceplane. The orbiter's engines fire and boost the vehicle into space. If mission requirements dictate, the spaceplane can either reach low Earth orbit or remain suborbital. The manned orbiter's primary military advantage would be surprise overflight. There would be no forewarning of its presence, prior to the first orbit, allowing ground targets to be imaged before they could be hidden. In contrast, satellite orbits are predictable enough that activities having intelligence value can be scheduled to avoid overflights.
Exactly what missions the Blackstar system may have been designed for and built to accomplish are as yet unconfirmed, but U.S. Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) officers and contractors have been toying with similar spaceplane-operational concepts for years. Besides reconnaissance, they call for inserting small satellites into orbit, and either retrieving or servicing other spacecraft. Conceivably, such a vehicle could serve as an anti-satellite or space-to-ground weapons-delivery platform, as well.
Once a Blackstar orbiter reenters the atmosphere, it can land horizontally at almost any location having a sufficiently long runway. So far, observed spaceplane landings have been reported at Hurlburt AFB, Fla.; Kadena AB, Okinawa; and Holloman AFB, N.M.
All of which feature very long runways. Kadena AB was used by the SR-71 for years before it was openly revealed, everyone pretended the hanger with the armed guards didn't exist.
The spaceplane is capable of carrying an advanced imaging suite that features 1-meter-aperture adaptive optics with an integral sodium-ion-sensing laser. By compensating in real-time for atmospheric turbulence-caused aberrations sensed by the laser, the system is capable of acquiring very detailed images of ground targets or in-space objects, according to industry officials familiar with the package. THE SPACEPLANE'S SMALL CARGO or "Q-bay" also could be configured to deliver specialized microsatellites to low Earth orbit or, perhaps, be fitted with no-warhead hypervelocity weapons--what military visionaries have called "rods from god." Launched from the fringes of space, these high-Mach weapons could destroy deeply buried bunkers and weapons facilities.
While frequently the subject of advanced studies, such as the Air Force's "Spacecast 2020," actual development and employment of a transatmospheric spaceplane have not been confirmed officially (AW&ST Sept. 5, 1994, p. 101). However, many sightings of both an XB-70-like carrier and a spaceplane have been reported, primarily in the western U.S. Only once have they been seen together, though. On Oct. 4, 1998, the carrier aircraft was spotted flying over Salt Lake City at about 2:35 p.m. local time. James Petty, the president of JP Rocket Engine Co., saw a small, highly swept-winged vehicle nestled under the belly of the XB-70-like aircraft. The vehicle appeared to be climbing slowly on a west-southwest heading. The sky was clear enough to see both vehicles' leading edges, which Petty described as a dark gray or black color.
For whatever reason, top military space commanders apparently have never been "briefed-in"--never told of the Blackstar system's existence--even though these are the "warfighters" who might need to employ a spaceplane in combat. Consequently, the most likely user is an intelligence agency. The National Reconnaissance Office may have played a role in the program, but former senior NRO officials have denied any knowledge of it.
One Pentagon official suggests that the Blackstar system was "owned" and operated by a team of aerospace contractors, ensuring government leaders' plausible deniability. When asked about the system, they could honestly say, "we don't have anything like that."
"Space plane? What space plane?"
Aerospace industry contractors suggest that a top secret Blackstar system could explain why Pentagon leaders readily offered the Air Force's nascent unclassified spaceplane project, the briefly resurrected SR-71 program and the Army's anti-satellite program for elimination from budgets in the late 1990s. At the time, an industry official said, "if we're flying a spaceplane, it makes sense to kill these cover programs and stop wasting money on things we can already do."
When the AF gave up the SR-71, the hottest manned aircraft in history, I figured they had to have a hotter ride hidden somewhere.
Boeing is believed to be one of several major aerospace companies involved in the Blackstar program. On Oct. 14, 1986, Boeing filed a U.S. patent application for an advanced two-stage space transportation system. Patent No. 4,802,639, awarded on Feb. 7, 1989, details how a small orbiter could be air-dropped from the belly of a large delta-winged carrier at Mach 3.3 and 103,800-ft. altitude. The spaceplane would be boosted into orbit by its own propulsion system, perform an intended mission, then glide back to a horizontal landing. Although drawings of aircraft planforms in the Boeing patent differ from those of the Blackstar vehicles spotted at several USAF bases, the concepts are strikingly similar.
The two-stage U.S. spaceplane concept apparently has undergone several iterations since then, but the basic idea remained--launch a manned boost-glide vehicle from an XB-70-like platform (AW&ST Dec. 24, 1990, p. 48; Sept. 24, 1990, p. 28). An aerospace industry source said the Air Force once used the "Blackstar" moniker, but others suggested the intelligence community referred to this TSTO combination as the "SR-3/XOV" system. The SR-3 is the large, XB-70-like carrier aircraft, while the small orbital vehicles drop-launched at high speed are called XOV-1, XOV-2 and so forth. At one time, the XOV designator meant "experimental orbital vehicle." Based on information gleaned from multiple industry sources, the SR-3 features:
*A roughly 200-ft.-long, clipped-delta-winged planform resembling that of the North American Aviation XB-70 trisonic bomber. The forward fuselage is believed to be more oval-shaped than was depicted in a 1992 artist's rendering (AW&ST Aug. 24, 1992, p. 23).
*Canards that extend from the forward fuselage. These lifting surfaces may sweep both fore and aft to compensate for large center-of-gravity changes after dropping the spaceplane, based on multiple sighting reports.
*Large, outward-canted vertical tail surfaces at the clipped-delta's wingtips.
*At least four engine exhaust ports, grouped as two well-separated banks on either side of the aircraft centerline.
*Very loud engines. One other classified military aircraft may have used the same type of powerplant.
*Operation at supersonic speeds and altitudes up to 90,000 ft.
During the system's development cycle, two types of spaceplane orbiters may have been flown. Both were a blended wing/fuselage lifting-body design, but differed in size. The smaller version was about 60-65 ft. long and may have been unmanned or carried a crew of two, some say. Industry engineers said this technology demonstrator was "a very successful program." The larger orbiter is reportedly 97.5 ft. long, has a highly swept, blended wing/body planform and a short vertical fin. This bulky fin apparently doubles as a buried pylon for conformal carriage of the spaceplane beneath the large SR-3. The "Q-bay" for transporting an optics-system pallet or other payloads may be located aft of the cockpit, with payload doors on top of the fuselage.
Regardless of where they land, spaceplane orbiters usually are retrieved by one or more "fat" C-5 Galaxy transports. Three of the oversized aircraft were modified with 8-ft.-wide "chipmunk cheek" extensions on each side of the cargo compartment aft of the nose hinge point; an extra six-wheel set of landing gear that partially retracts up against the aft fuselage, forward of the ramp; a shortened upper deck, and two internal harness/cradle supports. These alterations originally were made to enable carriage of dome-topped containers measuring 61.2 ft. long, 17.2 ft. wide (maximum) and 16.7 ft. tall at the highest point. The containers normally protected satellites during transit to launch sites. In 1994, NASA sources confirmed that two of the C-5s (Tail Nos. 00503 and 00504) were listed on NASA's inventory--although the aircraft did not "officially" exist, according to the agency's public records. Both transports apparently were deployed only upon orders from the administrator's office. The third oversized C-5 once had a red "CL" on its tail, and supposedly was used by the Central Intelligence Agency. All three C-5s may have been retired in recent years, according to a NASA contractor.
CRITICS ARGUE that there was never enough money hidden in intelligence and military budgets to fund a small fleet of spaceplanes and carrier aircraft. However, those who worked on the system's development at several contractor sites say they charged time-and-materials costs to a number of well-funded programs.
All those "cost overruns" may be a cover for black programs
Lockheed was the lead contractor for Blackstar orbiters being fabricated at McDonnell Douglas in the early 1990s, and workers there typically logged their time against a specific Lockheed charge number associated with that project. But their time might also have been charged to the National Aero-Space Plane (NASP) and the Navy's A-12 fighter accounts, they say. Both multibillion-dollar programs were canceled with little but technology development gains to show for massive expenditures.
#1
Interesting. I was thinking no way that amount of money could be diverted to build and XB-70 like carrier and a spaceplane, but the article had this: A team of contractors apparently stepped forward, offering to build a quick-reaction TSTO system in record time. The system could ensure on-demand overflight reconnaissance/surveillance from low Earth orbit, and would require minimal development time. Tons of material--including long-lead structural items--for a third XB-70 Valkyrie had been stored in California warehouses years before, and a wealth of data from the X-20 DynaSoar military spaceplane program was readily available for application to a modern orbiter
Posted by: ed ||
03/06/2006 11:08
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#2
IIRC there were only 2 XB-70s built. One is on display at the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB near Dayton, OH. Very strange looking bird.
#3
Only two were built. But the article said there were parts for a third XB-70 in a warehouse. Also the artists drawing gives the impression the orbitor is derived from the the X-15. Makes you wonder what other goodies from the golden age of aviation are stored in warehouses.
Posted by: ed ||
03/06/2006 12:01
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Russia's top diplomat left for Canada and the United States Sunday on a high-level diplomatic trip that will likely include talks on Iran's nuclear programs, Israeli-Palestinian relations and Russia's G8 presidency.
In meetings with Canadian officials, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will be discussing, among other things, Canadian funding for scrapping mothballed Russian nuclear submarines, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.
In Washington, Lavrov is expected to meet with U.S. President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and others.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin was quoted by ITAR-Tass as saying that the situation in the Middle East, the war on terrorism and nuclear non-proliferation would top the agenda.
Russia is also seeking to wrap up agreement with Washington on joining the World Trade Organization.
Russia has recently taken on a major role in trying to resolve several festering Middle Eastern conflicts.
This past week, a delegation from Iran travelled to Moscow for talks on establishing a joint uranium enrichment venture to ease concerns over Tehran's nuclear ambitions. Russia has offered to host the enrichment of uranium for Iran, a proposal supported by the United States as a way to ease concerns that Iran could divert the material for weapons.
Top leaders from the Palestinian military group Hamas -- which won parliamentary elections in January -- also travelled to Moscow this week at President Vladimir Putin's invitation.
Before the trip, an influential U.S. foreign policy organization warned that Russia's emergence as an increasingly authoritarian state could impair U.S.-Russian ability to co-operate on key international security issues.
In a report released Sunday, the Council on Foreign Relations said Russia's drift away from democratic norms under Putin "will make it harder for the two sides to find common ground and harder to co-operate even when they do."
Russia took over the rotating presidency of the Group of Eight major industrialized countries this year and will host G8 leaders at a summit in St. Petersburg in July.
#1
Deny his visa. Lavrov is no honest broker - just a triangulation whore - and his boss is an integral part of the problem. Neither belongs in any solution set - unless it's the one in which killing all the Jooos is the only item.
The Canadian military says it is reviewing how it operates in Afghanistan, after its first week in charge of coalition troops in the southern part of the country ended with an axe attack on an officer during a meeting with villagers and the return home of the remains of two soldiers killed in a traffic accident.
Captain Trevor Greene, 41, was flown to a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, where he was in serious but stable condition yesterday after a man surged from a crowd, shouted "Allahu akbar" (God is great) and swung an axe at the back of the officer's unprotected head.
In a sign of respect, the officer had removed his helmet and put down his rifle as he sat down Saturday to discuss reconstruction needs with tribal elders in Shinkay, a village 70 kilometres north of Kandahar. Other Canadian soldiers immediately shot and killed the attacker. A gunfight erupted but no other Canadians were hurt.
Hours later, Master Corporal Timothy Wilson of Grade Prairie, Alta., became the 11th Canadian soldier to die in the Afghan conflict since 2002. MCpl. Wilson had been in the Landstuhl hospital since the LAV-III armoured carrier in which he was riding collided with a taxi and flipped over near Kandahar on Thursday.
Corporal Paul Davis, 28, of Bridgewater, N.S., was killed instantly in the same crash. Their caskets, draped in Canadian flags, were flown yesterday to CFB Trenton, Ont., to a guard of honour and the skirl of a bagpipe. Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor, Chief of the Defence Staff General Rick Hillier, Governor-General Michaëlle Jean and relatives watched as the coffins were removed from the plane and placed in hearses.
In hindsight, there were clues that the Canadians were being set up when they entered Shinkay, platoon leader Capt. Kevin Schamuhn told journalists by satellite phone. He recalled that the soldiers saw local children being hustled away minutes before they sat down.
"Undoubtedly we are going through a process of understanding security," Colonel Tom Putt, deputy commander of Canadian forces in Afghanistan, told Canadian Press. "We have to keep [meeting local leaders]. It's how we do it that we don't know yet."
The attack was particularly brazen, considering that the Canadian visitors were expected to be protected by the local rules of hospitality, said military analyst David Rudd, president of the Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies. "You have to strike the right balance between being accessible and looking for your security."
Mr. Rudd noted that the attack, which ended with the assailant being shot immediately at close range, will signal that Canadian soldiers are no pushovers. "The Taliban are probably under the assumption that non-U.S. troops are not as resilient," he said. "Shows of strength will be at least respected."
For military commanders, the ambush against Capt. Greene underlined the need to be vigilant during humanitarian visits and other outreach activities.
"All incidents are examined and our tactics, techniques and procedures constantly evolve in order for Canadian Forces personnel to defend themselves against these threats," said National Defence spokesman John Morris.
In Ottawa yesterday, Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay said his government could consider holding a parliamentary vote or debate on whether Canada should extend its nine-month commitment to Afghanistan.
"The previous commitment did not come to Parliament in the form of a formal vote. There was a take-note debate," Mr. MacKay told CTV's Question Period yesterday when he was asked whether there should be a vote. "We are contemplating this issue very seriously. It's always preferable before troops are deployed to have a vote."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has dismissed opposition calls for a parliamentary debate and vote on the current Afghan deployment, saying that would amount to a lack of support for Canadian troops already in the war-torn country.
Mr. MacKay also said it is important that Ottawa not waver in its support for the troops in Afghanistan. "We have to be 100-per-cent behind them," he said. "We do not want to undermine any confidence in our soldiers by backing away from that commitment."
Capt. Greene, a reservist from Vancouver, was a lieutenant at the time of the attack. His promotion, which had been approved before the incident, came yesterday.
Before his fatal accident, MCpl. Wilson had specified that his organs be donated should he die.
"Although his death is a terrible tragedy, I hope that his tremendous gift will provide a better life from the many recipients who benefit from this," his wife, Daphne, -- who was with her husband when he died -- said in a statement.
The agency entrusted with protecting the U.S. homeland is having difficulty safeguarding its own headquarters, say private security guards at the complex.
The guards have taken their concerns to Congress, describing inadequate training, failed security tests and slow or confused reactions to bomb and biological threats.
For instance, when an envelope with suspicious powder was opened last fall at Homeland Security Department headquarters, guards said they watched in amazement as superiors carried it by the office of Secretary Michael Chertoff, took it outside and then shook it outside Chertoff's window without evacuating people nearby.
The scare, caused by white powder that proved to be harmless, "stands as one glaring example" of the agency's security problems, said Derrick Daniels, one of the first guards to respond to the incident.
"I had never previously been given training ... describing how to respond to a possible chemical attack," Daniels told The Associated Press. "I wouldn't feel safe nowhere on this compound as an officer."
Daniels was employed until last fall by Wackenhut Services Inc., the private security firm that guards Homeland's headquarters in a residential area of Washington. The company has been criticized previously for its work at nuclear facilities and transporting nuclear weapons.
Homeland Security officials say they have little control over Wackenhut's training of guards but plan to improve that with a new contract. The company defends its performance, saying the suspicious powder incident was overblown because the mail had already been irradiated.
Two senators who fielded complaints from several Wackenhut employees are asking Homeland's internal watchdog, the inspector general, to investigate.
"If the allegations brought forward by the whistleblowers are correct, they represent both a security threat and a waste of taxpayer dollars," Democratic Sens. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota and Ron Wyden of Oregon wrote. "It would be ironic, to say the least, if DHS were unable to secure its own headquarters."
Daniels left Wackenhut and now works security for another company at another federal building. He is among 14 current and former Wackenhut employees - mostly guards - who were interviewed by The Associated Press or submitted written statements to Congress that were obtained by AP.
A litany of problems were listed by the guards, whose pay ranges from $15.60 to $23 an hour based on their position and level of security clearance. Among their examples of lax security:
_They have no training in responding to attacks with weapons of mass destruction;
_Chemical-sniffing dogs have been replaced with ineffective equipment that falsely indicates the presence of explosives.
_Vehicle entrances to Homeland Security's complex are lightly guarded;
_Guards with radios have trouble hearing each other, or have no radios, no batons and no pepper spray, leaving them with few options beyond lethal force with their handguns.
Wackenhut President Dave Foley disputed the allegations, saying officers have a minimum of one year's security experience, proper security clearances and training in vehicle screening, identification of personnel, handling of suspicious items and emergency response.
"In short, we believe our security personnel have been properly trained, have responded correctly to the various incidents that have occurred ... and that this facility is secure," he said. He declined, however, to address any of the current or former employees who have become whistleblowers.
Wackenhut is no stranger to criticism. Over the last two years, the Energy Department inspector general concluded that Wackenhut guards had thwarted simulated terrorist attacks at a nuclear lab only after they were tipped off to the test; and that guards also had improperly handled the transport of nuclear and conventional weapons.
Homeland Security is based at a gated, former Navy campus in a college neighborhood - several miles from the heavily trafficked streets that house the FBI, Capitol, Treasury Department and White House.
Homeland Security spokesman Brian Doyle said Wackenhut guards are still operating under a contract signed with the Navy, and the agency has little control over their training. A soon-to-be-implemented replacement contract will impose new requirements on security guards, he said.
Daniels, the former guard who responded to the white powder incident, said the area where the powder was found wasn't evacuated for more than an hour. Available biohazard face shields went unused.
Doyle said the concerns were overblown because all mail going to the Homeland Security complex is irradiated to kill anthrax. He said "the incident was resolved before anything was moved."
Daniels said that after the envelope was taken outside, and the order finally given to evacuate the potentially infected area, employees had already gone to lunch and had to be rounded up and quarantined.
Former guard Bryan Adams recognized his inadequate training one day last August, when an employee reported a suspicious bag in the parking lot.
"I didn't have a clue about what to do," he said.
Adams said he closed the vehicle checkpoint with a cone, walked over to the bag and called superiors. Nobody cordoned off the area. Eventually, someone called a federal bomb squad, which arrived more than an hour after the discovery.
"If the bag had, in fact, contained the explosive device that was anticipated, the bomb could have detonated several times over in the hour that the bag sat there," Adams said.
The bag, it turned out, contained gym clothes.
Doyle, the Homeland spokesman, responded to several allegations raised by the guards. He said dogs were replaced because, "If you overuse them, their effectiveness drops." The detection equipment that substitutes for the dogs is a better method for detecting explosives, he said.
Guards who used the equipment said it was no match for the reliability of the dogs.
The Associated Press videotaped two vehicle entrances at Homeland headquarters with light security.
One is guarded only during morning and evening rush hours. Movable metal barriers and an unmanned security vehicle only partially blocked the driveway, leaving enough room for a small car or motorcycle to drive through.
Another entrance was guarded with a manned vehicle with two guards, but no other barriers.
Doyle said the vehicle entrances were adequate because in all cases, a 10-foot fence topped with barbed wire separates vehicles from all buildings.
Some guards who continue to work at Homeland, who would speak only on condition of anonymity because of fear of losing their jobs, said they knew of two instances in which individuals without identification got into the sensitive complex.
Another described how guards flunked a test by the Secret Service, which sent vehicles into the compound with dummy government identification tags hanging from inside mirrors. Guards cleared such vehicles through on two occasions, this guard said, and one officer even copied down the false information without realizing it was supposed to match information on the employee's government badge.
Doyle, the agency spokesman, said such tests are conducted routinely and "I can assure you that if people fail the test they are let go."
Marixa Farrar, a former guard, said two guards always should have been stationed inside the main building where Chertoff had his office, but she often was on duty alone.
One day last fall a fire alarm rang. As employees walked by Farrar, they asked if this was a fire or a test.
"There were no radios, so I couldn't figure out if it was a serious alarm," she said.
Archaeologists generally downplay the Indiana Jones side of their discipline, full of derring-do and unexpected discoveries. But every once in a while, an amazing find surprises even the most experienced researchers. And that's just what happened two years ago when Boston University's Kathryn Bard reached into a hole in the sand at the edge of the Egyptian desert and found the first of six caves. Her research team of Italians and Americans now knows those caves hold the most ancient ship stores ever discovered, perfectly preserved timbers, ropes and other fittings perhaps 4000 years old.
"It's incredible, basically a mothballed military base where the people packed up and left," says marine archaeologist Cheryl Ward of Florida State University in Tallahassee, a member of the research team. A sand-covered bluff along the Red Sea called Wadi Gawasis or "Wadi of the Spies" was a lagoon during ancient Egypt's Middle Kingdom era. From there, the pharaoh's servants launched expeditions, perhaps five or six ships every few hundred years, to the fabled land of Punt somewhere in the southern Red Sea in a bid to return with ebony, ivory and rare spices, such as Frankincense, treasured by the priestly caste of the day.
#1
Hieroglyphics seen on the cave walls include the following messages: "No Smoking", "Slaves Must Wear Protective Amulets At All Times", and "Buy Bonds".
#6
Actually, the coast of egypt has shifted in elevation (both up and down, depending on the place) due to seismic activity between ancient times and now.
Posted by: Phil ||
03/06/2006 17:36
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Former Croatian Serb leader Milan Babic has committed suicide in his prison cell in The Hague, the UN war crimes tribunal said on Monday.
Gosh. Darn. Shucks.
Babic, 50, was serving a 13-year prison term for crimes against humanity, after admitting persecuting the non-Serb population in Croatia's Krajina region. UN prosecutors regarded him as one of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's key allies. He was found dead on Sunday evening, the tribunal said in a statement.
"The Dutch authorities were called immediately. After conducting an investigation, they confirmed that the cause of death was suicide," the statement said.
"He's dead, Jim."
It did not say how Babic had killed himself. A tribunal judge has opened an inquiry.
It is the second time a detainee in The Hague has committed suicide. The first was Slavko Dokmanovic, another Croatian Serb leader, in 1998.
Let's hope it's a trend
Babic was president of the self-declared breakaway Krajina Serb republic, covering about one-third of Croatian territory, after Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. He was jailed in 2004 for crimes committed during Croatia's 1991-1995 war. In return for his guilty plea, prosecutors dropped four other charges of murder, cruelty and the wanton destruction of villages. Babic was transferred to serve his sentence abroad, after judges rejected an appeal against his lengthy sentence.
He was brought back to The Hague last month to testify in the trial of Milan Martic, another Croatian Serb.
Ah, a light dawns....
He was earlier a key witness in the trial of Slobodan Milosevic. A dentist by profession, Mr Babic had expressed shame and remorse over his actions in Krajina.
The people he had killed are still dead and now he is. Works for me.
#1
let him be shining example to other Serb/Croat/Bosian/Albanian war criminal on a way out of prosecution. I prefer they kill themselves rather than waste money on a trial that has little affect on other war criminals.
ISPR Director General Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan said on Sunday that militants continued to pour in from Afghanistan into Waziristan. Briefing newsmen on the situation in Miramshah, he said that it was not possible to ascertain the number of foreign militants in the area because it was not a question of simple arithmetic. More militants might have come from Afghanistan as we have a porous border, he said.
The ISPR chief said deployment of adequate forces to prevent infiltration was not there in Afghanistan. He said he hoped things would improve when the Afghan National Army was fully on ground.
A militant den in Saidgai was struck on March 2, killing about 35 foreign militants and 10 local facilitators, he said, adding that those killed included a Chechen named Asad, who was probably the amir in the area.
Bingo, Dan!
Maj-Gen Sultan said that after the action, reports were received that militants had got together and were preparing to retaliate. Without giving details, he said the militants hurled different kind of threats on local elders challenging the writ of the government, which was not acceptable.
The militants moved in small groups and occupied some government buildings and damaged the phone exchange in Miramshah. They installed weapons on the occupied buildings and carried out attacks by rockets, heavy and small arms on military camps and the Frontier Corps fort in the administrative headquarters of the North Waziristan Agency, when a jirga was in progress for resolving the issue.
A jirga, as we all know, works like a charm. The only thing more potent is a tribal lashkar...
They also fired on other government buildings. Rockets were fired from three different directions, he said. The ISPR chief said that an FC convoy was attacked by militants in Zarmelana area of Mirali tehsil. Gen Sultan said the government exercised restraint, but the armed forces had to act when the writ of the government was challenged. He, however, said the operation was highly targeted and precise and only those places were attacked from where shots had been fired.
He confirmed that compounds of two local clerics, Maulvi Abdul Khaliq and Maulana Sadiq Noor, were targeted. Both of them were local facilitators and supposed to be local ring leaders, he said. However, he said that was not sure if the two clerics had been killed.
My guess is that they were far away from the scene at the time.
He said some 46 militants were killed in Miramshah and Mirali and security forces lost five personnel in Miramshah and 10 sustained injuries. Answering a question about casualty figures, he said the number of those killed may be higher, as bodies had not been counted by security forces. He said the figures given by him were based on information received from some sources. Asked why had security forces failed to overcome militants in North Waziristan, he said the situation was the same in Wana in 2004, but now it was different.
I've just looked at that statement from 359 different angles, to include standing on my head and closing one eye. It makes no sense at all. "The same" and "different" remain antonyms.
He said a three-pronged strategy had been adopted to resolve the issue. Doors have not been closed to find a solution to the problem by political means, while militancy was being crushed.
Meaning they're going to try and apply military pressure until the bad guyz are ready to return to the fold.
The ISPR director-general said that developmental projects had been initiated in the North Waziristan Agency.
"We'll have to bribe 'em with some development projects, Chaudry!"
"Hokay. I got a cousin that lives near there and needs the money."
"Does he have a turban?"
He said an agency council was creating an alternative political set-up, something short of the local government system. Replying to a question, he said people were moving to safe places, but expressed his inability to give figures.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/06/2006
03:27 ||
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Security forces regained control of government buildings and installations after a fierce artillery duel with local Taliban in Miramshah on Sunday, officials said. However, there were reports of sporadic clashes continuing in the area.
The officials said that troops had expelled Taliban elements from the government buildings after a nightlong battle in which Cobra helicopter gunships were also used.
A senior military official said militants were still in control of a small pocket of Miramshah bazaar and expressed the hope that they would be wiped out by Monday noon.
There have been small engagements in Mirali and Miramshah but considering the heavy fighting on Saturday, these were insignificant, the official said.
The official said that security forces would begin active patrolling in the area from Monday.
Sources said that army and paramilitary troops had blocked the Mirali-Miramshah road and all roads and communication links had been cut off.
NWFP Governors Secretariat (Fata) Secretary Arbab Shehzad told Dawn that security forces had launched a clean-up operation and taken over all government buildings, including the telephone exchange and degree college in the troubled town.
Forces have secured positions and now we have decided to go after militants, because they have challenged the writ of the government, Mr Shehzad said, adding that efforts were under way to restore the telephone exchange in a day or two.
Meanwhile, Governor Khalilur Rehman on Sunday presided over a high-level meeting to review the situation.
It was noted in the meeting that the forces demonstrated extreme restraint to avert an armed clash and bloodshed but had to respond when the Miramshah Fort, where the forces had gathered, was attacked.
The meeting reiterated the governments resolve to respond to such provocative acts with full might and ensure the writ of the government at all costs.
In a related development, authorities in the Frontier Region, Bannu, convened a meeting of local elders and warned them against giving shelter to miscreants from North Waziristan.
Security has also been beefed up in Bannu district amid reports that civilians were leaving the embattled Miramshah for other places, using various routes to avoid road blockades set up by the Taliban and the security forces.
Agencies add: Army helicopters pounded mountains near the Afghan border on Sunday and troops exchanged gunfire with militants.
Helicopter gunships fired rockets into mountains to the east of Miramshah on Sunday morning, but there were no reports of casualties, a resident said.
Virtually all of the towns shops were boarded up and streets and markets deserted. A bank attacked and set on fire in Saturdays fighting was a smouldering ruin, he said.
Meanwhile, a large number of of people lugging bags and bundles of clothes fled the town, witnesses said.
Hundreds of villagers men, women and children fled Miramshah on foot on Sunday, carrying suitcases and bundles of clothes. Vehicles werent allowed in or out of the town, so people had to walk 15 kilometres to a security checkpoint, where they could find transport.
Noor Nawaz, 25, who runs a shop of auto parts, said he and his family had spent a sleepless night because of the fighting. Mortar and artillery fire thundered overnight and helicopters could be heard flying until dawn.
People are extremely scared. Nobody has slept. Children were crying, he said as he fled from the town with his wife and three children.
A man who claimed to speak for the militants called a western news agency by satellite phone from an undisclosed location and said that 55 soldiers had been killed and 14 captured.
The purported spokesman, Maulvi Abdul Ghafoor, warned that fighting would spread to other areas of the region if troops did not withdraw. It wasnt immediately possible to verify Mr Ghafoors identity.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/06/2006
03:24 ||
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#1
"The officials said that troops had expelled Taliban elements from the government buildings after a nightlong battle in which Cobra helicopter gunships were also used"
I guess i missed the part were the Talibs took over the govt buildings.
So who exactly started the current battle in Waziristan, the govt, or the madrassah bhoys?
Iraq's western Anbar province, the crucible of the Sunni Muslim insurgency since shortly after the U.S.-led invasion nearly three years ago, is showing signs of calm in recent weeks, and U.S. leaders say cooperation is emerging among once bitter enemies.
Insurgent attacks last week in the province dropped by more than a quarter, U.S. Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch said in a briefing here this week. At the same time, U.S. military and civilian leaders have softened their rhetoric against the largely Sunni insurgents. Rebels once denigrated as "Baathist thugs and killers" are now often described as nationalists.
U.S. Central Command chief Gen. John Abizaid said last week's bombing of a Shiite Muslim shrine - and the reprisal attacks on Sunni Arabs - created a stronger impetus for Sunni-American cooperation.
"There is an improvement in Anbar," Abizaid told The Associated Press on Saturday. "A lot of people in the Sunni community are talking to us, lessening the cycle of violence. Many Sunni leaders are moving forward to take part in the political process."
Abizaid was cautious in ascribing much value to the drop in attacks - from a weekly average of 145 to 104 last week - and other U.S. officials agreed the relative calm was probably temporary.
U.S. military leaders have attributed improving relations in the province to several factors, including a confluence of interests. Americans frequently say Sunni participation in government is key to preventing an Iraqi civil war and the country's breakup. And Sunnis have leaned on Americans to gain leverage in Iraq's feuding political system and protection from Shiite militias.
"Sunnis in, that's the key," Col. Chuck Taylor, deputy commander of a unit rebuilding Iraq's police force, said in an interview at his West Baghdad base.
Taylor and Lynch say American and Iraqi leaders have cultivated dialogue with Sunni imams, tribal sheiks and other leaders. Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari recently dedicated $75 million for reconstruction projects selected by local leaders, who were visited recently by the minister of defense and deputy interior minister.
The conservative province was one of Saddam Hussein's strongholds that violently turned on American troops after what many considered a pivotal event: Soldiers in the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne fired on demonstrators in Fallujah in April 2003, killing 16 and wounding 65.
The U.S.-led invasion also cost Anbar's Sunnis their privileged status. Many who lost government jobs or military commissions joined the insurgency, which turned the sprawling province into the country's deadliest killing zone for American troops.
A forthcoming book by U.S. Army Lt. Col. Ahmed Hashim, an adviser to Abizaid on the insurgency, says understandable grievances pushed a broad swath of Sunnis to fight the U.S. occupation. The American response - labeling the rebels "dead enders" and dismissing the idea of sharing power with them - exacerbated the war, Hashim says.
"The U.S. military establishment ... has proven again that it has neither the organizational or cultural flexibility to deal with insurgencies," Hashim wrote. He said the military overemphasized the role of former members of Saddam's regime and foreigners in the insurgency.
American leaders have since toned down their rhetoric against Iraq's Sunni insurgents, and there have been admissions that foreign fighters are a tiny minority among the insurgents.
Lynch said the United States wants to make the most of the warming atmosphere by quickly creating jobs and improving infrastructure so the insurgency holds less allure.
Other reasons have been given for the evolution in Anbar, which includes the Sunni rebel hotbeds Ramadi, Fallujah, Haditha, Qaim and others.
One is an apparent slowdown in U.S. Marine offensives that coincided with the arrival of land forces commander Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli. Chiarelli has said he favors a "hearts and minds" approach that involves less combat.
His predecessor, Lt. Gen. John R. Vines, oversaw a harsh U.S. counterinsurgency campaign that included regular bombings of Anbar towns along the Syrian border.
Abizaid also credited some of the turnaround to the "depredations of al-Qaida," including mass killings of Iraqi civilians that were alienating Anbar's more moderate insurgents.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/06/2006
01:59 ||
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#1
Glad to see AP is admitting it.
That we were fortunate enough to have an RBer on the ground telling us this some time ago shouldn't be held against them. Heh.
BH6 knows his shit cold. AP follows, waay back, cringing in his long shadow, lol.
#2
The conservative province was one of Saddam Hussein's strongholds that violently turned on American troops after what many considered a pivotal event: Soldiers in the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne fired on demonstrators in Fallujah in April 2003, killing 16 and wounding 65.
The U.S.-led invasion also cost Anbar's Sunnis their privileged status. Many who lost government jobs or military commissions joined the insurgency, which turned the sprawling province into the country's deadliest killing zone for American troops.
A forthcoming book by U.S. Army Lt. Col. Ahmed Hashim, an adviser to Abizaid on the insurgency, says understandable grievances pushed a broad swath of Sunnis to fight the U.S. occupation. The American response - labeling the rebels "dead enders" and dismissing the idea of sharing power with them - exacerbated the war, Hashim says.
"The U.S. military establishment ... has proven again that it has neither the organizational or cultural flexibility to deal with insurgencies," Hashim wrote
AP's admissions come with more than a bit of spin, though. U.S. troop response to rioters as the pivot that turned the locals against the American invaders? Not what I would call unbiased analysis. As for Mr. Light Colonel Hashim, I sincerely hope General Abizaid didn't pay close attention to his advice.
#3
Now that the Sunnis have shot themselves in both feet, they come to the table and blame their absence on the Great Satin.
"It's all Bush's fault....we read it in the paper."
Two years ago, doctor Riyadh Adhadh cursed the U.S. soldiers who had overrun his homeland, toppled the Sunni-dominated government and tormented prisoners at Abu Ghraib. A member of the city council, he loudly demanded that American troops leave Baghdad.
Last week, his Sunni Arab neighborhood under attack by Shiite militiamen, Adhadh found himself huddled over the telephone in panic, begging the U.S. Embassy to send American soldiers.
The moment of bitter irony for the 52-year-old father of six is emblematic of a sharp shift in Iraqi opinion. Three years after the March 2003 invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein, with the threat of civil war looming, leaders of a nervous Sunni Arab minority have started to drop demands for an immediate U.S. withdrawal.
"We've changed our ideas," Adhadh said. Iraq's current government, dominated by Shiites, has been "abusing people more than the Americans," he said. "Iraqi security is the responsibility of the Americans. They have established this type of government this will be written in history. We are living in a jungle."
Meanwhile, Iraq's Shiite majority, which initially cheered the arrival of the Americans, has grown far stronger and is quickly losing enthusiasm for foreign soldiers and diplomats.
"The reality is that the Americans have switched position a little bit. They seem to be siding with the Sunnis, and the Shia are not happy," said Saad Jawad, a moderate Shiite politician. "Certainly in our areas there is no need for American soldiers."
Many Iraqis are dismayed that the violence here increasingly pits Iraqis against each other instead of against foreign invaders. The stakes are high as the two main Muslim sects vie for power in the emerging state.
Shiite groups stand poised to control Iraq's government and economy. They have consolidated their power over key government ministries; organized armed militias to patrol the streets and wrangled bitterly over power sharing in the government.
By contrast, the Sunni Arab minority, which dominated Iraq for most of the 20th century, has spent the last three years grappling with a sense of dispossession. Already stripped of resources and clout, they seem poised to lose much more.
In recent days many Sunni mosques have been burned and scores of men slain, apparently by Shiite death squads retaliating for the bombing of a prominent Shiite shrine in Samarra.
Many Sunnis hold a substantial grudge against the United States for launching the invasion and remain distrustful of its designs on Iraq. But the alternative abandonment in a Shiite-dominated country is even less appealing. And so even an irritating foreign presence is looking to many Sunnis like a layer, however thin, of protection.
"When the Americans entered Iraq, the Shia helped them a lot, and the Sunnis stood against them," said Alaa Makki, a senior leader in the Iraqi Islamic Party, the main Sunni party. But "the Sunnis are now accepting the American political direction. It's not suitable for the Americans to leave. Everything they have arranged during the past three years would be destroyed."
Many Sunnis say the United States pushed their sect into a precarious position and has a responsibility to establish security before leaving. It is common to hear Sunnis say that there was no sectarianism in Iraq until the war unleashed long-buried religious tensions.
"We would refuse the withdrawal of American forces during this period," said Salman Jumayli, spokesman for the Sunni Iraqi Accordance Front, the main Sunni bloc in parliament. "They have to fix what they destroyed [and] guarantee that no sect will dominate the other sect and no party will dominate another party."
The sectarian violence that raged across the country these last weeks was the latest chilling reminder to Sunnis of their vulnerability. Many fear that a campaign of sectarian cleansing has begun to pick up pace.
Sunni concerns have been fed by mounting evidence that Shiite militias have infiltrated the Interior Ministry, which runs the police forces. Investigations into the Shiite-dominated ministry have revealed a torture chamber and death squads responsible for kidnapping and killing Sunnis, all with alleged ties to official security services.
Many Sunnis believe that if a civil war erupts, Iraqi police brigades would devolve into Shiite militias and government weapons would turn against Sunnis.
Brig. Gen. Mudhir Moula, a secular Shiite who is a senior official in the Defense Ministry, expresses a similar fear.
A career soldier, Moula is leery of an American pullback. Government ministries have become too mired in sectarian tensions to function, he said.
"If [the Americans] don't do their best to control and coordinate, maybe there will be civil war," he said.
The Interior Ministry has arranged its security forces to ensure that their sect would dominate in case of civil war, he said.
"They're a lot stronger than the Ministry of Defense. This is the reality, let's be honest."
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Recently, Defense Ministry soldiers and police commandos from the Interior Ministry each staged raids on the same neighborhood at the same time. The soldiers ended up surrounding a group of commandos and detaining them. Negotiations for their freedom went on for days.
"Their faces were covered and they had black uniforms. It didn't say 'Iraqi Police,' " Moula said. "They came outside their jurisdiction. There was no coordination."
Amid the tensions, Sunni leaders are battling through contentious negotiations for a place in Iraq's new government. The Americans are increasingly acting as their strongest advocates.
Both the Sunnis and the U.S. Embassy are pushing for a national unity government that would give Sunnis more than a token or opposition role in the government. U.S. officials, who believe that the deadly insurgency is largely driven by the disenfranchisement of the Sunnis, have insisted upon their inclusion or leaders acceptable to them in significant government posts.
"The ministers, particularly security ministers, have to be people who are nonsectarian, who are broadly acceptable, who do not represent or have ties to militias," U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad recently told reporters in Baghdad. "This is the single most important issue that Iraq faces: forming a national unity government."
When the shrine at Samarra was attacked a few days later, on Feb. 22, angry Shiite leaders blamed the American ambassador for stirring up anti-Shiite sentiment.
"The ambassador's statements were irresponsible," said Abdelaziz Hakim, leader of the main group in the Shiite coalition in parliament. "He gave the green light for terrorist groups, and therefore we blame him for part of what happened."
Hakim's office later issued a clarification, saying that he blamed terrorists, not Americans, for the shrine attack. But the message had been delivered and was echoing from Shiite leaders across the country.
"There's a lot of interference in the internal affairs of the country by the Americans," said Sadruddin Qubanchi, a Shiite cleric based in Najaf who is allied with Hakim. "We don't want conditional support. The ministries here don't want foreign help."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/06/2006
01:57 ||
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#1
Arab logic is blame disguised as irony camouflaged as coherence masquerading as projection cloaked in cognitive dissonance.
Normal concepts of irony, hypocrisy, and double-standards are grossly inadequate in dealing with the sort of nonsense we're hearing in the posted article.
It's in our, and the Iraqi Sunnis', best interest that we basically ignore almost everything they say. Stay focused on the few things we care about and let the local pathologies play themselves out.
#8
The moment of bitter irony for the 52-year-old father of six is emblematic of a sharp shift in Iraqi opinion.
He calls it "bitter irony". We call it "poetic justice".
I can just hear this wanker now: "Hey, they're using our own tactics against us! Who do they think they are? What right do they have to do such a thing?"
Aren't people's heads supposed to explode when they do this? Isn't there some way we could arrange for it to happen?
#9
Before the war, I recall reading an (overly optimistic) statement to the effect that the Sunni wouldn't be much trouble for US occupation troops. After all, the Sunni would need the US Army to protect them from the Shiites.
Looks like that prediction finally came true, about two years too late for the Sunni.
Idiots.
Posted by: Pat Phillips ||
03/06/2006 13:14
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#10
Arab logic is blame disguised as irony camouflaged as coherence masquerading as projection cloaked in cognitive dissonance.
#12
Hang on, .com, Ima still wrapping nested parentheses around the concept.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/06/2006 18:56
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#13
AP - How about if I reverse the sequence:
Arab logic is classic cognitive dissonance perversely presented as peurile projection callowly confused with cogent coherence expressed as brutish barbaric blame.
#14
"please hold, your call is important to us, except we're busy preparing to leave your area. Security will be provided by your Shiite neighbors, in fact, your call is being routed to the nearest militia unit right now. Thanks for holding...."
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/06/2006 19:29
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Iraqi tribesmen have captured 1,700 alleged terrorists of different Arab nationalities in recent days as part of a drive to hunt down gunmen in Ramadi area, 110 km west of Baghdad.
In a report carried on Sunday by the daily al-Sabah, Sheikh Usama al-Jadaan, a Sunni Arab tribal leader, said that tribesmen had captured 1,700 terrorists of Syrian, Jordanian, Yemeni and Algerian nationalities.
Al-Jadaan said the captured men had entered the country to "carry out terrorist plots". "All detainees have been handed over to the intelligence services for interrogation."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/06/2006
01:56 ||
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Thanks, Allan.
1,600, 1,700, whatever.
Book 'em Dano !
Faced with attacks against their sheikhs and clan members, a number of Sunni tribes from Hawijah -- a rebel bastion in northern
Iraq -- have declared war on Al-Qaeda's frontman in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
"We shall fight all those who commit such attacks, notably Al-Qaeda," the tribal leaders said in a statement that has been circulating around Hawijah
In the last month-and-a-half, the head of Al-Nuaim tribe, Ibrahim Al-Nuaimi, and one of the heads of the powerful Jubur tribe, Ahmad Mehdi Saleh, have been assassinated in this Sunni rebel bastion, 220 kilometers (137 miles) north of Baghdad.
Khaled Abdel Hussein, a doctor at Hawijah's general hospital, was also killed by armed men who barged into the hospital building and sprayed it with bullets.
General Hatem Khalaf Al-Obaidi, head of the police of nearby Kirkuk, was also gunned down while in the area.
"It is a terror campaign against our leaders," Sheikh Abdel Rahman al-Assai, head of the Obaidi tribe, told AFP.
"We are not going allow them to silence us and do this to us. The resistance opposes the occupation and is an Iraqi affair.
"Terrorists and Takfiris (Sunni extremists) kill, kidnap and terrorise our people. We cannot accept this," he said.
He felt it was legitimate to kill these men as they belong to "Zarqawi and such groups."
Insurgent activity is rife in the area which has earned the nickname of Iraq's Kandahar -- an allusion to the former Taliban stronghold in
Afghanistan.
On February 22, four US soldiers were killed there when their convoy was hit by a roadside bomb.
The tribal leaders said groups linked to Zarqawi were carrying out attacks on the "army, police, oil and gas pipelines and technicians which harms the interests of Iraq."
"We never offered refuge to terrorists. All those who offer shelter to terrorists will be treated like terrorists," their statement added.
"We reject violence and the murders of civilians in the Arab areas."
"These dark forces strike all religious people and their symbols," a local Hawijah council member Hussein Ali al-Jubur told AFP.
Attacks on Iraqi security forces also delays the withdrawal of foreign coalition troops, he noted.
"We are against any action causing losses to our security forces as it weakens them and delays the withdrawal of the occupying forces (coalition forces)," he said.
"Attacks by Zarqawi or others worsen the sorrows of our people, deprive them of electricity, water and fuel," he added.
The call to arms by the tribes was welcomed by General Anwar Hama Rahma, head of the Iraqi military in Kirkuk who offered his full support to their fight against Al-Qaeda insurgents.
The new stand by Sunnis around Hawijah mirrors that to the south in Samarra, where the killing of a key tribal sheikh last October had strained ties between Qaeda fighters and locals, although the sides have since reportedly brokered a truce.
The US military has also reported clashes between nationalist insurgents and Al-Qaeda in Al-Anbar province, considered a bastion of rebel violence.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/06/2006
01:55 ||
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Not quite the civil war Zarqawi was planning on, is it?
Posted by: Mike ||
03/06/2006 9:34
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I think it would be a hoot if the tribesman pull a "blackwater" on Z-boy and his butt-brothers...and send the tape to Al-Jazeera for the world to see.
#3
Insurgent activity is rife in the area which has earned the nickname of Iraq's Kandahar -- an allusion to the former Taliban stronghold in
Afghanistan.
OOPs, they forgot that unlike Afghanistan, Iraq is not covered with mountains, caves and nice holes for the lions of islam to scurry off to when they need to hide from their friends.
And who better to train them than Hugo, the hero of... ummm...
VENEZUELAN military officers have started classes in unconventional warfare to repel an invasion left-wing President Hugo Chavez warns Washington is planning. Snipers draped in foliage and civilian reservists armed with knives, catapults and handguns crawled out of a hidden tunnel in a mock demonstration as an instructor lectured officers on resistance tactics. Captains joined lieutenants straining behind a cordon to see another soldier camouflaged inside tree perch as he fired a bow and peppered a uniformed dummy target with arrows. "If no one comes, then that's fine, we can continue as the free and sovereign country we are, but we cannot permit that any foreign force tries to invade," instructor Lt. Col. Antonio Benavides said as gunfire cracked from a firing range. "All Venezuelans, the state and civil society, have a joint responsibility to defend the nation," he said over the weekend.
Locked in a fierce confrontation with the U.S. government, President Chavez is building up civilian reservists and ordering the armed forces to adopt a doctrine emphasizing "asymmetric war" or resistance war against a more powerful foreign force. An initial group of 500,000 civilian reservists and territorial guard volunteers will start four-month basic training nationwide at weekends, said retired Col. Hector Herrera, a reservist advisor.
Washington dismisses Mr Chavez's charges that it plans to oust him to control the world's No. 5 oil exporter and brushes off his invasion talk as sabre-rattling to stir up nationalism before elections in December. But tensions are high as U.S. officials portray Mr Chavez, a self-styled socialist revolutionary allied with Cuba, as a negative influence in Latin America. Washington has opposed Venezuela's recent arms purchases and the reservist drive. The United States and Venezuela last month expelled diplomats after Chavez accused a U.S. naval attache of spying and the former soldier has stepped up threats to cut off U.S. oil shipments. Since surviving a 2002 coup, he has often accused U.S. officials of trying to topple him.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
03/06/2006
01:54 ||
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This nut job can't reason very well. If we were only after Oil why would there be a need any civilians? Asymmetric war needs bodies to carry it out. If all the bodies are gone, you have already lost Hugo.
Posted by: SPoD ||
03/06/2006 2:40
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#2
Arming the populace. Real smart, Mr. Supreme Leader.
#5
A "General Rojas", vv the UK GUARDIAN paper, basically affirms the new army will prefer to fight "PEOPLE'S/GUERILLA WAR" ags any US or US-led invasion. Saddam, MadMoud, Fat Kimmie, Baby Assad, and now Hugo are all demanding to be invaded by Dubya and the US Marines - WHOSE NEXT TO ASSIST AMERICAN HIROSHIMA SO HILLARY CAN BE PREZ???
Pakistan's North West Frontier Province is always hard to control, but it now poses a new challenge, with scores of illegal radio stations transmitting a message of jihad and sectarian hatred.
This has so alarmed the central government in Islamabad that it is has closed 40 stations in the mountainous region along the Afghan-Pakistan border.
Charsadda is a town bristling with the antennae of pirate radios. Mullah Mohammed Hashim, 45, keeps his "radio station" - a car battery, radiator-shaped transmitter and amplifier - in a cupboard. "We are not aggressors, but if we are attacked, then we tell our listeners to be ready for jihad," he declares.
His radio station condemns the actions of Pakistan and US armed forces continuing antial-Qa'eda and Taliban operations in the tribal areas, where Osama bin Laden and Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar are believed to be hiding, describing the operations as "part of a wider conspiracy to shed the blood of innocent Muslims". Mullah Hashim uses basic equipment and setting up a radio station costs less than £100.
The radicalising effect of unlicensed stations has been keenly felt in Bara village in the Khyber tribal agency. There, two "FM mullahs", as they were dubbed by the local press, one who followed a Sufic tradition and another, a newcomer who is a disciple of a more austere form of Islam, waged a turf war via their private channels.
After inciting their followers to bloody riots, a jirga (tribal council) ruled last week that both should be expelled from the area. Now the government is under pressure from secular-minded local leaders who doubt the commitment of President Pervez Musharraf's government to crack down on the stations.
"We have closed over 40 stations during the last four months as they are creating differences and sectarian issues," said the information minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed. "There are still a few preaching jihad but we are closing them down."
The government has launched several of its own radio stations, broadcasting music and more secular programmes.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/06/2006
01:52 ||
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Many Iraqi Kurds believe Kurdish territories should secede from Iraq if sectarian violence continues to escalate. As Kurdish leaders in Baghdad, led by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, urged national unity and brokered political talks between Sunni and Shiite leaders, Kurds in the northeastern city of Sulaimaniyah said their leaders should stop negotiating and go it alone if the situation does not calm in Baghdad.
Iraq's Kurdish territories, widely considered the safest area in Iraq following the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, have remained largely immune to the sectarian violence that wreaked havoc in Baghdad and other southern and central provinces, particularly in the last week.
For many in Iraqi Kurdistan, a semi-autonomous region of Iraq since 1991, the violence raging elsewhere serves to reinforce their strong desire for independence.
"Sectarian sentiments are stronger than nationalist [ones] in Iraq, so the Kurds need to split [from Iraq] if a sectarian war explodes," said Azad Rostam, 23, a university student, reflecting a commonly held view.
As Baghdad shut down for a three-day curfew, life remained pretty much the same in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Iraqi news stations carried virtually non-stop coverage and analysis of the crisis, but the main Kurdish station, Kurdsat, focused on issues that affect the Kurds, such as the bird flu outbreak in Sulaimaniyah that has panicked citizens here.
Kurdish leaders are currently trying to negotiate a national unity government in Baghdad, but the Kurdistan Regional Government President Masood Barzani has warned that if a civil war broke out, the Kurds would declare independence.
But one Kurdish Iraqi analyst, Behman Tahir, suggested that this was not a serious threat, rather "a pressure card" aimed at drawing together Iraqi political factions that are now battling over the new Cabinet.
Although Tahir did admit that if civil war engulfed the country, it would provide the Kurds with a rare opportunity to "liberate other parts of Kurdistan that are still under Iraqi government, such as Kirkuk."
Kirkuk is one of several predominantly Kurdish cities outside of Iraqi Kurdistan that were ethnically cleansed under Saddam Hussein's regime. Many Kurds carry a deep mistrust of Arabs because of the campaigns, and are particularly frustrated with central government's failure to address their grievances over Kirkuk.
Leaders of the two ruling parties in Iraqi Kurdistan, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party, refused numerous requests for interviews for this story.
Commenting on how Iraqi Kurdistan should respond to the escalating violence, Muhsin Bayyz, deputy minister for Peshmarga (Kurdish forces), said that the trend was worrying and that efforts would be made to prevent the insurgency spilling across into the region.
"We don't want this conflict to ignite in Iraq, and we'll do our best to maintain the stability of our region," he said.
Bayyz said the Kurdish authorities were prepared to welcome families from other parts of Iraq who were trying to escape the troubles, as they did when the United States invaded Iraq in 2003.
While many Kurds believe the violence could hasten their independence, there are some who caution against such a move because of the strong economic ties that have emerged between Iraqi Kurdistan and Baghdad.
Halkawt Ramazan, 34, a businessman, traded goods between Baghdad and Sulaimaniyah until last week when violence broke out.
"The start of a sectarian war in Iraq would not work in favor of the Kurds," he said. "We might lose all of the political and economic achievements we have gained in the last few years."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/06/2006
01:45 ||
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The Kurds. I knew very little about them before the first Gulf War, became fascinated with their ingenuity and guts versus Saddam - and even more impressed by their progress during the interim No Fly period.
And my admiration for these tough sumbitches just keeps growing.
The only bastion of intelligence and rational thought in Iraq. They recognize the full range of pros and cons - and hope for the best, but will make the most of their lot if the worst comes. No pie in the sky, no whimpering and whining. No blame. They rock.
#3
Iraq The Model says the Shiites are pitching for an independant southern Iraq, Which makes the Kurd statements about independence make sense. Note the Shiias and the Kurds have all the oil. With some redrawing of boundaries, I like this outcome.
I'll pass. I suspect all these groups are far nicer as victims than as masters. Let each have its way and they'll be at eachothers throats as they are now only without the pretence of a unifying nation to try to smooth things out. An independent Kurdistan nakes sense only if we are ready top go in and redraw all the boundaries is south west Asia. And the American people are not ready for that, no matter how much sense it makes.
#5
The real opportunity of an independent Kurdistan is not coming from Iraq, but Iran. That is, if Iran is crunched in such a way that its Kurdish territory breaks off and becomes part of Iraqi Kurdistan, there just might be too many Kurds to stay in Iraq.
That is, a united Kurdistan might become the majority in Iraq. Something the Shiites could not tolerate. The "Kurdish inertia" might even lead to a partitioning of Syria, though not of Turkey; perhaps a mass exodus of Kurds from Turkey, or their being expelled by the Turks; or nothing--a permanent entente with Turkey including the Iraqi Turkamen.
It is true that the Kurds keep the path to independence clear, and only remain with Iraq as it benefits them. This begs for eventual secession, for whatever reason. How integration could again happen without bloodshed escapes me.
The Pentagon's top general acknowledged Sunday that "anything can happen" in Iraq, but he said things aren't as bad as some say. "I wouldn't put a great big smiley face on it, but I would say they're going very, very well from everything you look at."
The comments drew criticism that Gen. Peter Pace is glossing over problems in the three-year-old U.S. campaign.
"Why would I believe him?" asked Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., a major critic of the Bush administration's handling of the war. "This administration, including the president, (has) mischaracterized this war for the last two years."
Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, cited political progress such as holding elections and writing a constitution as well as military progress like training Iraqi security forces.
"No matter where you look - at their military, their police, their society - things are much better this year than they were last," Pace said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
Murtha, responding to Pace in an appearance on CBS' "Face the Nation," said that Iraq has 60 percent unemployment, oil production below prewar levels, and water service to only 30 percent of the population.
American troops are doing everything they can militarily but "are caught in a civil war," said Murtha, a former Marine who has called on the administration to bring U.S. troops home.
"There's two participants fighting for survival and fighting for supremacy inside that country," he said of ethnic divisions. "And that's my definition of a civil war."
Murtha added: "The rhetoric is so frustrating - when they keep making statements which are very optimistic, and then it turns out to be the opposite. ... And the public has caught on to that, and they're very pessimistic about the outcome."
Pace and Murtha spoke as Iraqis continued a stalemate over forming a new government, a delay that has prevented parliament from meeting since it was elected Dec. 15.
Pressure mounted Sunday on Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari to give up his bid for a new term amid anger over the recent surge in sectarian killings that has complicated already snarled negotiations on a new Iraqi government.
Pace said the violent firestorm that followed the bombing of a revered Shiite mosque two weeks ago had forced Iraqis to look into "that abyss" and realize "that's not where they want to go."
"Anything can happen, I agree," Pace said, then added: "I believe the Iraqi people have shown in the last week to 10 days that they do not want civil war."
Ending the insurgency depends not only on military efforts but also on whether the Iraqi government can give the people what they want, Pace said. He said the number of people in the insurgency will drop if people see that the new government can come through with jobs and services.
"If you have an opportunity to get a job and feed your family, you're much less likely to accept $100 to go plant a bomb inside a road," Pace said.
Sen. Richard Lugar, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the U.S. must stick with the Iraqis.
"They're talking about putting their act together," Lugar, R-Ind., said on CBS. "Now, the fact is that they may or may not be successful, but we better hope that they are, because the consequences for our country and the war against terror are very fateful if they are not."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/06/2006
01:44 ||
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Why doesn't someone put them on the same program so Murtha can call Pace a liar to his face? That's precisely what he's doing - from a safe distance. I think Pace might look forward to ending this asshole's Cut & Run treason campaign.
Do you honestly think that if Gen. Pace and Rep.
Murtha were in the same room being interviewed and expressing opposing viewpoints about Iraq and each individuals rhetoric, that they would actually come to blows?
Posted by: Just Curious ||
03/06/2006 9:49
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#5
Did .com say anything about blows?
Nope - Pace would enviscerate his arguments and hot air, and Murtha knows it. PA's my home state but I'm ashamed of this Denethor.
#6
I doubt that seriously. I just read a poll in the Washington Post this morning in which a majority of americans want the U.S. to pull out of Iraq and up to 80% think a civil war is going to break out in Iraq.
btw: "blows" can be verbal as well as physical.
Posted by: Just Curious ||
03/06/2006 10:09
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#7
Not blows, but I suspect that Murtha (like other Kool Aid Drinkers) tender their anger or outrightt sing another tune when faced with facts, figures, or a live person to deal with. Sure they are all piss and vineger when they don't have an opposing opinion, but when confronted with their own wild claims they quickly retreat. I have seen howling Howard, Billary, and any of the LLL Dhimis change (or "clearify") their statements when confronted with facts.
I believe that there are facts, figures and live persons on both sides of the issue that are credible. In the article used for this post Murtha and Pace are both issuing opinions based upon facts. Its all a matter of perception and right now according to the latest polls I have been reading President Bush is losing the that
battle badly. The majority of americans want the U.S. to withdraw from Iraq and believe that civil war there is inevitable.
Posted by: Just Curious ||
03/06/2006 10:45
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#9
CyberS,
I think you need to check those "facts" that Murtha uses. Powerline tears them apart like the tissue paper they are.
#12
Alan & JC, What I was saying that when LLL/Dem has the stage all to themselves they rant about all things and all ways with reckless abandonment. When they have to share the stage with another opposing opinion (person) they tone their rhetoric down. They have to because they dont have facts to support their position and the other person comes loaded with them. Think of the last time Hillary, Kerry, Dean, Pelosi, Conyers, et al had to share the stage/interview with an equal on the Republican side? They cant because their LLL moonbat talking points are dissected right before their eyes and they look (because they are) stupid. Murtha isnt qualified to oppose Pace in a face-to-face, therefore they have to appear different shows. I dont think Murtha or any other LLL moonbat has the balls (except Hillary) to call Gen Pace a liar to their face.
Cyber Sarge, I have heard both sides offer legitimate arguments as to their positions on Iraq. I have also heard both sides hype-up
their rhetoric. It all depends on your point of view and which side you support.
As a matter of fact, it has
become a major issue for President Bush as to whether he hyped the intelligence or lied to the American public in the lead up to the Iraqi War.
Personally, I was against going to war against Iraq, but now that we are there we must finish what we started. I dont think the U.S. should be there indefinitely as most republicans do. If the Iraqi people care that much about their freedom and democracy then they should be willing to fight for it without U.S. assistance.
Ltop: you are in denial about declining american
public support for the Iraq War and President Bush. Several polls point to a sharp decline.
here is a sample:
Majority of Americans Believe Iraq Civil War is Likely: Washington Post-ABC News Poll Finds Sharp Decline in Optimism About Iraq War
By Richard Morin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, March 6, 2006; 10:45 AM
An overwhelming majority of the public believes fighting between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in Iraq will lead to civil war and half says the United States should begin withdrawing its forces from that violence-torn country, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll.
The survey found that 80 percent believe that recent sectarian violence made civil war in Iraq likely, and more than a third say such a conflict was "very likely" to occur.
Expectations for an all-out sectarian war in Iraq extended beyond party lines. More than seven in 10 Republicans and eight in 10 Democrats and political independents believe civil war was likely.
In the face of the continuing violence, fully half--52 percent--of those surveyed says the United States should begin withdrawing forces. But only one in six favors immediate withdrawal of all troops from Iraq.
Posted by: Just Curious ||
03/06/2006 12:44
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#15
"a major issue for President Bush as to whether he hyped the intelligence or lied to the American public in the lead up to the Iraqi War." It's only an issue with the true-blue koolaid drinkers on the far left. The have tried DESPEARTELY to make this case of over the past 5 years but nothing has or will ever become of this. Hindsight is 20/20 but no "rational" person doubts that President Bush went into Iraq with anything other than the noblest of intentions. But then you arent one of them if you think that Bush is Hitler and invaded simply to make money, a name for him self, or because he was drunk with power. I only hope that the Dhimicrats stick to the same game plan this year about Bush Lied because it wont help them a bit. They will need the vote from the center and the right to regain control in congress and I doubt that there are too many right or center right voters that believe the Bush Lied fairytale.
Say what you will but there are millions of people that believe it. Sure they mostly occupy the far left, but there are just as many unhinged on the right who call anyone who opposes Bush on the Iraq "moonbats and treasonous traitors".
I agree dems will have to come to the center to take back the congress in 2006 and I believe they will.
I listened to former Sen. and v.p candidate John Edwards this weekend and I like his approach.
He said he voted for the War at the time based on the intelligence, but knowing what he knows now he says it was a mistake.
But he believes that that is the past. What we need to do is concentrate on solutions to finishing what we have started in Iraq.
Posted by: Just Curious ||
03/06/2006 13:49
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#17
doesn't Edwards have another class action suit to make millions off of?
"Edwards is roaming around, with 2008 in mind. His travels to more than 30 states have been organized around his interest in poverty. His Senate term ended nine weeks after the election. While his wife, Elizabeth, continues to recover from breast cancer, he is directing the new Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity at the University of North Carolina."
Posted by: Just Curious ||
03/06/2006 13:58
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#19
Cyber S, my apologies, my comment in 9 should have been directed at JustCurious.
So, JC, why don't you check out the difference between real, true facts and the kind of "fake but accurate" facts so beloved by the Murtha's of Invention?
#20
Just Curious, Maybe there are millions who believe the "Bush Lied" conspiracy, but that number is not increasing. Sure there will always be a solid left or right fringe that believes what they believe. I think it would be real hard for any Senator or Congressman to declare Bush Lied now and then defend that later in a national or local campaign. In order to defend that statement they would have to rely on fringe websites, statements, theories, and MOST Americans simply don't subscribe to that, if they did Kerry would be President today. Also once a candidate drinks from that fever swamp they have to take all the baggage that comes with it. I am talking about the rants about: Haliburton, Diebold, Carlyle group, Industrial-Military complex, Downing Street Memo, Forged Niger Docs, National Guard Docs, etc. The right simply doesn't have that many conspiracy theorists running around, they are a distinct minority, and easily dimissed.
#21
you can change your nym, but your tripe remains the same JC
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/06/2006 15:00
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#22
Cyber Sarge, et al:
There were enough right wing conservative "conspiratory theorist" against former President & Sen. Clinton during his presidency as to start a cottage industry.
Several of these people made small fortunes
writing character assasination books based off of bogus lies and false conspiracies on them.
So please, lets not go there.
Did Bush exxagerate the intelligence to start the Iraq War and mislead the american people in doing so? I really cant answer that question because it has never been fully invesitigated by
Congress and probably never will be as long as republicans are in control. Bush is president because of better voter turnout and Kerry winning no southern states. Finally, I think the next dem prez candidate should focus on solutions in Iraq as Edwards suggested.
Alan: As I said before I believe there are
credible arguments based on the facts
that support both viewpoints. The problem is
that any argument against Bush on Iraq is
illegitimate in your veiw because you are
blinded by your partisanship.
Frank G.: I'm just stating my opinions, I dont see you doing the same. I believe just as strongly in what I say as what you dont say.
Posted by: Just Curious ||
03/06/2006 15:33
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#23
Just Curious, your opinions are based on opinions, not facts. (Yes, I mean exactly what I wrote there.) And those opinions are based on feelings, which while facts, are not the kind of facts upon which arguments of this sort can be based. Beyond that, there are plenty of unhinged radicals on the right who dislike Bush as much as the unhinged radicals on the left do. That just proves that the radicals of right and left are exactly the same except for the rhetoric, and both fight against the middle, which twice elected Bush, and looks to elect more Republicans in November. Learn to think, my dear whatever you call yourself these days, and please keep your juvenile and cutesy attempts at cleverness to yourself. You fail to convince, and you even fail to amuse.
I'm always thinking and yes my opinions are based upon the "facts" of what has occured in Iraq. Maybe you cant differentiate the two, but I can. Maybe you need to comprehend what you are reading before YOU speak.
Just because you view the "factual" information coming out of Iraq in your support of President Bush doesnt preclude me from reading the exact same information and coming to a very different
conclusion.
I'll say it once again that I never supported the invasion of Iraq by President Bush, but since we are now there we must finish what we started.
That is my opinion based upon the "facts", not other opinions. You may have reached another conclusion, but that is your perogative.
Posted by: Just Curious ||
03/06/2006 16:06
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#25
btw-trailing wife:
Would you call these statements by Gen. Peter Pace made in the topic post facts or opinions?
The Pentagon's top general acknowledged Sunday that "anything can happen" in Iraq, but he said things aren't as bad as some say. "I wouldn't put a great big smiley face on it, but I would say they're going very, very well from everything you look at."
"No matter where you look - at their military, their police, their society - things are much better this year than they were last," Pace said on NBC's "Meet the Press
Posted by: Just Curious ||
03/06/2006 16:49
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#26
Did Bush exaggerate the intelligence to start the Iraq War and mislead the American people in doing so? I really cant answer that question because it has never been fully investigated by Congress and probably never will be as long as republicans are in control. That may sell in the LLL MSM Fever swamp but it doesnt cut it in real America. Why is Congress (and only a Democrat controlled one) the only body that can competently investigate the intelligence that lead to war? Ever hear of the 9/11 commission, the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, or the Butler report? You remind me of the losers after the 2000 election who thought the if they only counted the votes enough times Gore would win Florida. I guess you are hoping that enough moonbats get into congress; they will find that missing memo, file, or photo that will surely shine the light of truth, as you know it. You would think after five years that maybe the truth is staring you in the face and you are too blinded to see it?
#27
ROFL. Just happened to read this WaPo poll, huh? LOL. Wotta Load.
Just Curious. Right. Simply Disingenuous is a far more accurate handle for DrollTroll.
Murtha is like the carton of Chinese takeout which gets lost behind the big jar of pickles. You rummage around for something else and rediscover it. You can't even remember the last time you brought Chines takeout home... You look inside and, whoa!, it's not just disgusting and unidentifiable, but it's something so vile and corrupt you realize the whole fridge needs to be emptied out and scrubbed down with ammonia.
#28
"Edwards is roaming around, with 2008 in mind. His travels to more than 30 states have been organized around his interest in poverty" May Edwards find true poverty by 2008. His ideas are already there...
#29
the return of the Breck Girl, hmmm? That much traveling, he's obviously trying to meet the carpetbagging quota of the angry, brittle Senator from Arkansas, Chicago, New York
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/06/2006 19:23
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#30
a poll in the Washington Post this morning
Ah, the poll which the Washington Post wouldn't release the demographics for, until 5pm EST?
#32
He is prettier, though. But modern, post-feminist women don't choose men just for their looks. We expect brains and competence as well. And poor, dear Mr. Edwards, Esq., isn't quite clever enough to realize it.
#35
Speaking of John E....or was that Murtha?
"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts ... for support
> rather than illumination."
> - Andrew Lang (1844-1912)
#36
Marilyn Quayle was tough, her husband was pilloried and ridiculed just as W is by the MSM press. Things have changed. They no longer control the information. When an ambulance=chasing POS pretty boy with little else besides his looks can get the Donk nod....I welcome the challenge. Hell, Mitt Romney could hand him his contingency fee without trying
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/06/2006 21:46
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#37
They just can't quit him, Frank.
Posted by: Matt ||
03/06/2006 22:06
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Just like the Mounties, they always get their man! Bangladesh's second top Islamist militant was captured on Monday after a gunbattle with security forces in a northern district, police said. They said Siddikul Islam Bangla Bhai, chief of the outlawed Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh group, was arrested along with his wife at his hideout with two of his associates in the district of Mymensingh. His capture comes four days after another top fugitive Islamist, Shayek Abdur Rahman, was detained in the northeastern town of Sylhet.
A militant was killed and an officer of elite Rapid Action Battalion force suffered a gunshot wound to the head. Bangla Bhai was also injured, but it was not immediately known how seriously.
Security forces had surrounded Bangla Bahi's hideout since Sunday midnight and closed in before sunrise. The militant and his men threw bombs at the security forces and later opened fire, triggering a shootout, police said. It was not known if anyone was killed or wounded during the fighting.
Shayek Rahman led another outlawed Islamist group, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/06/2006
01:43 ||
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#1
A militant was killed and an officer of elite Rapid Action Battalion force suffered a gunshot wound to the head.
The turbans in black or white, the long beards and the omnipresent "pirhan-tunbon", the baggy trousers and long shirts that are the traditional Afghan dress, tell me I'm in Afghanistan in the late Nineties, during the Taleban regime.
But this is 2006, and I am in Quetta in Pakistan.
Quetta, the capital of the Pakistani province of Baluchistan, lies about 200 kilometres southeast of Kandahar, across a porous border. Many of my fellow countrymen have made the journey here. In fact, some sections of the city seem to be populated almost entirely by Taleban who fled after the United States-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001.
Now they lie in wait in Quetta, plotting their return.
Over the last year, Kandahar has seen an alarming rise in suicide bombings and attacks on troops and government installations. In the past three months alone, there have been more than 20 acts of violence, leaving dozens dead, hundreds wounded, and an entire province terrorised.
Quetta provides a ready supply of young men prepared to wreak havoc in Afghanistan, local observers tell me. There are eight major madrassas or Muslim religious schools in Quetta, each with over 1,000 students or "taleban" in the original sense of the word. In addition, there are hundreds of private madrassas, some with just 100 students, often occupying unmarked, rented houses.
It is these private schools that are a major source of the fighters who are now carrying out insurgent operations inside Kandahar, according to these observers.
One 23-year-old madrassa student, wearing the characteristic black turban of the "taleb", spoke to me on condition of anonymity.
I am preparing for jihad here, until I am sent to Afghanistan, he said. Jihad is my duty and martyrdom my hope.
Another Taleb, 25-year-old Saadullah, explained why he had decided to wage jihad in his homeland.
I was recruited by one of my friends who told me terrible things about the Afghan government, he said. I was also told that the Americans were always abusing people, killing them, going into their homes and insulting their religion.
Mullahs did their part, too, he added, preaching fiery sermons against the Afghan government and the American occupiers during Friday prayers.
Saadullah said he was dispatched on a mission to Kandahar to fight both Afghan and foreign troops.
I was to carry out a suicide attack on an Afghan National Army base in Kandahar, he said.
But at the border, the friend who was supposed to be accompanying him on the mission gave him 30 US dollars, wished him luck, and headed back to Quetta.
I thought, Why am I to die while you go back to Quetta? Saadullah recalled. Why are these people not doing jihad themselves? They're just taking advantage of the emotions of young people. They are liars.
"I came back and I will never have anything to do with them again.
With Pakistani police a rare sight in much of this city, Quetta residents say that the Taleban operate with impunity. They run offices and openly recruit candidates for insurgent operations in Kandahar.
One resident called Abdullah, 40, said the city contains a number of prominent Taleban leaders such as military commanders Mullah Dadullah and Mullah Abdul Ali Dubandi.
The whole world knows that the Taleban are trained in Pakistan but they ignore it. The Taleban are all over Quetta, he said.
When you walk through the streets of Quetta, you hear Taleban religious songs blaring out of music stores. These incendiary chants, called "tarana", call on youths to join the jihad, kill infidels and repel the occupiers. Such recordings were banned a few years ago, but now they are back.
Pakistani police used to close down shops that played Taleban songs, but now no one is afraid. The mullahs are very strong, said one shop owner.
A bookseller who did not want to be named said, The Taleban are putting out magazines. These publications used to be banned, but now they're published openly and we sell them in our stores.
The magazines, like the songs, contain open calls to violence.
When you read them, you just want to grab a gun and go to jihad, said the bookseller.
Mullahs here openly incite their followers to attack the current Afghan government. In Friday sermons, they encourage the congregation to join the struggle.
These attacks should continue. Our struggle is legal. We want to install an Islamic regime in Afghanistan, said one mullah in the Chawlo Bawlo area of the city.
Some city residents claim that the Pakistani military is playing a role in training the would-be insurgents.
The Pakistani military headquarters in Quetta is the main Taleban training base, said Tariq, 31, a resident of the Askari Park area. I've seen with my own eyes that Taleban were taken there for training. One of my relatives was among them.
Military officials refused to comment on the allegation. Governor Owai Ahmad Ghani, speaking on Pakistani television, flatly denied that the Taleban were operating in Quetta and rejected claims that Pakistan was interfering in Afghanistan.
The Afghan government is weak. It can't control the remote areas of its country, so it accuses Pakistan of meddling in its affairs, he said.
Taleban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, in an exclusive interview with IWPR, said the stories of Taleban bases inside Pakistan were just propaganda.
People think Pakistan is our friend, but it is not true, he said. Pakistan is an ally of America, not of the Taleban.
The Taleban had no need of foreign bases, he insisted, adding, The Taleban are sons of Afghanistan. They are in Afghanistan and they will fight in Afghanistan.
But Afghan officials remain convinced that Pakistan is serving as a major operations base for the increasingly frequent insurgent attacks that threaten to destabilise the southern part of their country.
In mid-February, Afghan president Hamed Karzai led a high-ranking delegation to Pakistan, telling officials there that Afghanistan would no longer tolerate support for terrorists from across the border. While he stopped short of outright accusations, Karzai made it clear that he expected Pakistan to make serious efforts to halt the flow of personnel and weapons across the border.
If [the attacks] dont stop, the consequences will be that this region will suffer with us, exactly as we suffer. In the past we suffered alone. This time everybody will suffer with us, Karzai told reporters.
Assadullah Khalid, governor of Kandahar province, has repeatedly alleged that Pakistan is behind the recent wave of attacks. In particular, he blamed Pakistan for a suicide bombing that killed 27 and wounded 40 in Spin Boldak in January.
Pakistan is responsible for the past two decades of war, he said. Pakistani police are guarding the houses of the Taleban. We have evidence indicating that memorial services for the suicide bombers are being held in Pakistan.
Even some Pakistani politicians and analysts agree that their country is heavily involved in creating mayhem on its neighbours territory.
Pakistan does not want stability in Afghanistan, said Hasel Bizenjo, leader of the Baluch National Party, which represents ethnic Baluchis. Pakistan wants Afghanistan under its influence.
Awrangzeb Kasi, a Pakistani political analyst in Quetta, said he believes that there are special terrorist training camps in Pakistan.
There have been terrorist camps in Pakistan for 26 years, where Inter Services Intelligence [ISI] provides training he said. The Pakistani government is always saying that it supports peace in the region, and that it will arrest al-Qaeda leaders, but it is really not doing anything.
Abdul Rahim Mandokhel, the Quetta-based deputy leader of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami, an ethnic Pashtun party in Pakistan, agrees.
It is clear that these terrorists are trained and supported by Islamabad, he said. Pakistan can stop these terrorists, but it doesnt want to.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/06/2006
01:41 ||
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Iran threatened on Sunday to embark on full-scale uranium enrichment if the U.N. nuclear agency presses for action over its atomic program, and a top U.S. diplomat warned the Islamic republic of possible "painful consequences."
The comments came as the International Atomic Energy Agency's board prepared to meet Monday to discuss referring Iran to the
U.N. Security Council, but delegates said whatever step the council might take would stop far short of sanctions.
John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said Sunday there was an urgent need to confront Iran's "clear and unrelenting drive" for nuclear weapons.
Iran "must be made aware that if it continues down the path of international isolation, there will be tangible and painful consequences," Bolton told the conference of the American
Israel Public Affairs Committee.
But Iran's government cautioned that putting the issue before the Security Council would hurt efforts to resolve the dispute diplomatically.
"If Iran's nuclear dossier is referred to the U.N. Security Council, (large-scale) uranium enrichment will be resumed," Iran's top negotiator, Ali Larijani, told reporters in Tehran. "If they want to use force, we will pursue our own path."
He said Iran had exhausted "all peaceful ways" and that if demands were made contrary to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, the nation "will resist."
Larijani said Iran will not abandon nuclear research, or back down from pursuing an atomic program that Tehran insists has the sole purpose of generating electricity with nuclear reactors.
IAEA delegates suggested the U.N. agency's board will not push for confrontation with Iran and said any initial decisions by the Security Council based on the outcome of the meeting will be mild.
They said the most likely action from the council would be a statement urging Iran to resume its freeze on uranium enrichment an activity that can make both reactor fuel and the core of nuclear warheads and to increase cooperation with the IAEA's probe of the Iranian program.
Even such a mild step could be weeks down the road.
Still, it would formally begin council involvement with Iran's nuclear file, starting a process that could escalate and culminate with political and economic sanctions although such action for now is opposed by Russia and China, which can veto Security Council actions.
Bolton said a failure by the Security Council to address Iran would "do lasting damage to the credibility of the council."
"The longer we wait to confront the threat Iran poses," Bolton said, "the harder and more intractable it will become to solve."
Russia and China share the concerns of the United States, France and Britain the three other permanent council members with veto power that Iran could misuse enrichment for an arms program.
But both have economic and strategic ties with Tehran. While they voted with the majority of IAEA board members at a Feb. 4 meeting to alert the council to suspicions about Iran's nuclear aims, they insisted the council do nothing until after this week's IAEA meeting in Vienna.
Russia is unlikely to agree to strong action while it negotiates with Iran on a plan that would move Tehran's enrichment program to Russian territory as a way of increasing international monitoring and reducing the chances for misuse in arms work.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is due in Washington and New York this week to discuss the status of those talks with Bush administration officials and U.N. Secretary-General
Kofi Annan.
Both Tehran and Moscow have said new talks are planned; diplomats in Vienna, who demanded anonymity in return for discussing the situation, said no dates had been set.
In Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said Iran could reach an agreement with Russia or the
European Union within hours, but did not elaborate. Iran rejected an EU proposal last fall to end enrichment in return for the West providing reactor fuel and economic aid.
Past IAEA board meetings have ended with resolutions taking Iran to task for hindering investigations into a nuclear program that was kept secret for nearly 18 years and more recently urging it to reimpose a freeze on enrichment.
The Feb. 4 resolution asked IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei to report those concerns and others to the Security Council and to formally hand over the complete Iran file to the council. It also asked him to provide the council with his latest report, drawn up for Monday's IAEA meeting.
That report, made available to The Associated Press last week, said Iran appeared determined to expand uranium enrichment, planning to start setting up thousands of uranium-enriching centrifuges this year.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/06/2006
01:36 ||
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#1
Jeez more wanking. Meeting to meet again. The zit has a zit.
#7
The reason for the current embargo is that Russian mafia and cash strapped Iranian poachers have nearly wiped out the entire Caspian Sea fishery.
California sturgeon are being poached by Russian immigrants but is also undergoing successful and very tasty farming. Check the Tsar Nicoulai web site for delicious details:
http://www.tsarnicoulai.com/
From their web page:
Historically, 90% of the World's caviar has come from the Caspian Sea region and its tributary rivers. The supply, however, is shrinking rapidly. The effects of pollution, loss of spawning habitat, increased poaching (due in part to the economic havoc caused by the break up of the USSR), and over-fishing has proven to be devastating to the sturgeon population and, consequently, caviar production. CITES (the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species) recently restricted the fishing of Caspian sturgeon, further limiting global Caviar supply.
The production of caviar in the former Soviet Union countries declined from 2,270 tons in 1981 to 1,045 tons in 1990.[1] This represents a reduction of more than 55% over this ten-year period. Based on unofficial data, the exports from the same region in 1995 had further declined to less than 300 tons. (Baku Sun, July 7, 2000). The estimate of 2001 caviar production for export from the Caspian region was 150 tons. Combined with reductions of inventory, caviar exports from the region (including Iran) in 2002 could be limited to an estimated 120 tons, representing less than 5% of the region's caviar exports in 1981.
Philippine Army (PA) soldiers at the forefront of the war against terrorism in Mindanao have tightened security after receiving unverified information that a tactical alliance has been forged between Jemaah Islamiyah-linked groups and the communist New Peoples Army (NPA).
Task Force Davao and Police Regional Office XI tighten the security measures in the cities of Panabo, Tagum and Davao in a wake of reports that this alleged alliance raises the possibility of attacks on government and military installations.
However, field unit commanders dismissed this report as a very remote possibility.
But whether this tactical alliance is true or not, the area command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFPs) Southern, Northern and Northeastern Mindanao Fourth Infantry (Diamond) Division chief, Major General Cardozo M. Luna, said it will not lower its guard against any terrorist groups.
Your AFP is prepared for any threat against the peace of our country, said Luna, who frequently conducts on the spot inspection to all his unit field commanders in the southern part of Mindanao.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/06/2006
01:34 ||
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#1
This is not really new. The MILF and NPA have had a written agreement for years. The NPA are not prepare to go to war with the MILF/JI so they have created borders and signed agreements of non-agression.
Posted by: 49 pan ||
03/06/2006 17:59
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NOTORIOUS Bali bombing mastermind Noordin Mohammed Top has been using couriers to deliver messages to members of his terror organisation and avoid detection while he hides out in Indonesia.
Top, who is one of Asia's most wanted terrorists, has been lying low trying to avoid alerting the police dragnet that has been closing in around him, according to Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty.
Mr Keelty, who was in Indonesia last week for a terrorism conference, said the terror strategist had "gone to ground".
"To minimise exposing himself in public, he has been using human couriers and safe houses," Mr Keelty said.
On the run since the first Bali bombings in 2002, which killed 88 Australians, Top has been accused of involvement in a string of terror attacks across Indonesia including the Bali bombings, the blasts at Jakarta's Marriott hotel and the bombing of the Australian embassy.
He was added last month to the FBI's most-wanted list and alerts were sent out "seeking information" over his connection to terrorist activities.
Indonesian counter-terrorism officers have been steadily closing in on Top, one of the most senior members of the al-Qa'ida-linked Jemaah Islamiah, since the death late last year of his Malaysian compatriot, bombmaker Azahari bin Husin.
About 30 AFP officers are working with the Indonesian police in the hunt for Top. They have also been looking for former JI leaders Dulmatin and Umar Patek, who are hiding in the southern Philippines and are believed to be operating with the militant Filipino group Abu Sayyaf.
Security experts believe Dulmatin and Patek are less concerned than Top about using telecommunications equipment, and have been using satellite phones to stay in touch with fellow extremists in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Indonesian police have swooped in the past two months on a network of suspected JI militants who are believed to have been close to Top or to have helped him evade capture.
The Indonesian army's intelligence officers have been interrogating the suspects, and are understood to have gleaned valuable information about Top's movements.
It is understood the Indonesian police have also finished downloading laptops that were discovered after the death of Azahari in his Indonesian hideout late last year.
Since Azahari's death and Top's disappearance, JI has morphed into a series of independent terrorist cells, intelligence officials told Indonesian parliamentarians in a secret briefing last week.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/06/2006
01:33 ||
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A sudden upsurge in fighting near the Afghan border this weekend, just as President Bush was finishing a visit to Pakistan, suggests that it may be difficult for Pakistan to meet U.S. demands to crack down on Taliban and al-Qaida militants in Pakistan.
The militants, who cross into Afghanistan to attack U.S. and Afghan forces there, and their local supporters clashed with the Pakistani military Saturday evening and early Sunday morning in the border area of North Waziristan.
More than 50 people were killed, according to the military, and Pakistani media accounts put the death toll above 100. Foreign journalists aren't permitted to enter Waziristan, and accurate information is difficult to obtain.
The stakes are high for Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, who also faces an insurgency by nationalists in the vast southwestern province of Baluchistan and growing unpopularity at home for allying Pakistan with the U.S.-led war on terror.
The border battle also is critical to the U.S.-backed efforts to quell a Taliban and al-Qaida insurgency in Afghanistan and to hunt down Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaida leaders who're believed to be hiding in the remote, mountainous tribal areas.
"The border is porous," Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan said at a news conference Sunday at army headquarters outside Islamabad, the Pakistani capital. "Militants keep on coming and going. That's our main problem."
But the fighting could escalate as the mountain snows melt, and if Pakistan cracks down too hard, the government risks killing innocent villagers and further alienating the local populace and the country's Muslim population.
The weekend's violence appeared to be a direct result of the military's attempt to step up its effort against Taliban and al-Qaida militants seeking shelter in Pakistan. The following account was pieced together from official military accounts and conversations with local journalists in Peshawar, the closest major city to Waziristan.
On March 1, the military attacked a group of militants and their local supporters at a village about a mile and a half from the Afghan border. The dead included 10 Afghans and four militants from other countries.
After reports that women and children were killed in the attack, an Islamic leader in the North Waziristan town of Miran Shah called for a jihad, or holy war, against the Pakistani military.
On Saturday afternoon, Taliban forces occupied several buildings around the central bazaar in Miran Shah, about a dozen miles from the Afghan border. The military ordered the Taliban to leave by 5 p.m. When the Taliban refused, the military started shelling the bazaar from a base less than a mile away.
The Taliban retreated, then regrouped and started firing at the military base from the surrounding hills. The military struck back with attack helicopters, strafing the hills. Soldiers reportedly also attacked militants close to the nearby town of Mir Ali.
Forty-six militants and five Pakistani soldiers were killed, Sultan, the Army spokesman, said. Several buildings in Miran Shah were damaged. There was no estimate of civilian casualties, but many civilians started leaving on Sunday, fearing further violence.
Kamal Wazir, a 22-year-old student, was buying vegetables in the bazaar late Saturday afternoon when the shelling began. He ran to his nearby home, where 16 members of his family waited out the fighting overnight.
On Sunday, they walked about 12 miles to a military checkpoint, where vehicles heading toward Miran Shah were being stopped. There, they were able to hail a ride to the town of Bannu, about 40 miles from their hometown.
"We were afraid for our family," he said in a telephone interview after reaching Bannu. "We were afraid for the women and babies."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/06/2006
01:31 ||
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#1
Could this take on a life of its own? (Beyond for the purpose of impressing Bush with Pakistan's anti-terror fervor, I mean.)
#3
I have seen this comment "we have secured Pakistan's nukes" several times. Can you comment on what it actually means? It was pretty clear in 9-10/2001 that we gave Perv an offer he couldn't refuse, but I never got a sense of what it actually was.
#4
the weekend's news reports suggested, a secret US antiproliferation team is already in the process of taking control of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal by installing safekeeping vaults, tamperproof coded entry systems, sensors, alarms, closed-circuit cameras, and other technologies that give President Musharraf the ability to internally monitor and track nuclear materials and prevent their unauthorized use,
Fighting died down Sunday between security forces and pro-Taliban militants who had temporarily taken over a northwestern town in Pakistan's troubled tribal belt, the army's spokesman said.
Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan said the militants had fled the government buildings as of Sunday. He discounted any suggestion that the temporary takeover of Miran Shah, near the Afghan border, indicated that the militants are gaining strength.
"We should not get over-excited and overly concerned about the situation," he said.
The two-day clash, which coincided with the visit of President Bush to Pakistan, was the most serious fighting in years in the North Waziristan region, where armed and independent tribes have long resisted government control. It highlights the difficulties that Pakistan's 80,000 troops face in the semi-autonomous tribal areas as they try to hunt for militants. Most people here are Pashtun, the same as the Taliban, and often are more sympathetic to Taliban members than to the Pakistani armed forces. Al-Qaida members also have found refuge here.
In the past week, both Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai have renewed pressure on Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to fight terrorism. Afghan officials have frequently accused Pakistan of failing to stop militants from crossing the border into Afghanistan, ruled by the Taliban until late 2001.
On Sunday, Sultan said it was complicated to try to stamp out militants. "The border is porous," he said. "The militants do keep coming and going."
This weekend's battle started in retaliation for an earlier strike by Pakistani security forces. On Wednesday morning, Pakistani forces destroyed a militant camp near the village of Saidgi, just west of Miran Shah. At least 45 militants, including 35 foreigners, were killed, Sultan said.
Other militants vowed revenge. The government tried to persuade tribal elders to intervene, but the militants threatened the elders, Sultan said.
He said the militants were linked to two local clerics, including Maulvi Abdul Khaliq, who last week called for a jihad, or holy war, against Pakistan's army.
On Saturday morning, Khaliq demanded that authorities stop killing innocent people in military operations. Over mosque loudspeakers and speakers mounted on pickup trucks, Khaliq urged local elders to protest the Saidgi operation by stopping all contact with the local government, The Associated Press reported.
Small groups of armed militants came into Mirah Shah and took over several government buildings, training their weapons at the nearby army camp, Sultan said. They forced shops to close and disabled the local phone network.
The militants started firing rockets and heavy weapons from three spots in the hills and from the government buildings, Sultan said. Security forces fired back.
Nearby, other militants attacked a security forces convoy. At least 46 militants and five security forces were killed in the fighting, Sultan said.
"Our action has been highly targeted," he said. "It was precise."
But a parliamentary member from Peshawar, the closest major city to Miran Shah, demanded an independent probe.
"I feel this is the present government killing innocent people without any reason," said Maulana Abdul Malik, a member of the leading Islamist political party. "In the last two months, they've killed more than 150 people. These are not al-Qaida."
It is difficult to assess what is actually happening in the Miran Shah area. Foreign journalists are not allowed there, and most local journalists have left.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/06/2006
01:29 ||
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CHARGES are set to be issued shortly against some 40 suspects in connection with the March 2004 train bombings in Madrid as the second anniversary of the blasts which killed 191 people approaches, a judicial source said overnight.
A total of 116 people are under investigation for the March 11 blasts on four Madrid commuter trains, for which Islamic extremists sympathetic to Al-Qaeda have claimed responsibility.
But the source said only "a figure probably much reduced", likely around one third, would be charged and brought to trial for Spain's worst-ever terror attack, in which nearly 2,000 people were also injured.
Of the suspects, 24 are in jail in Spain and a further one is in prison in Italy.
The remainder are free but have had various restrictions imposed upon them.
The source said that judge Juan del Olmo, who is in charge of the investigations, would "in the next few days" hand over the dossier on completion of his pre-trial investigations.
Under Spanish law, suspects can spend up to two years in pre-trial detention, but this can be extended following hearings.
The trial is expected to start in late 2006 and last around a year.
To date, only one person has been convicted over the attacks, a 16-year-old who in November 2004 pleaded guilty to transporting explosives stolen from a mine in the Asturias region of northern Spain and also to collaborating with a terrorist group.
The youth, nicknamed el Gitanillo or "little gypsy", received six years detention in a youth prison.
A large quantity of information regarding where the bombs were assembled and where the explosives came from is already known, but the indictments are expected to reveal further details, such as who is believed to have planned the attacks.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/06/2006
01:26 ||
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Conflicting reports are emerging from what seems to be one of the biggest recent battles on the Afghan border between Pakistan forces and militants.
While an army spokesman said troops had regained complete control after about 50 people were killed, reports from the scene said a stand-off was continuing.
The army said the trouble in North Waziristan began when pro-Taleban militants attacked government posts.
There have been reports that civilians have been fleeing the area.
One local reporter suggested the military may be preparing for a major offensive.
But the BBC's West Asia editor, Paul Anderson, says North Waziristan is a closed military zone and so foreign journalists have found it impossible to get reliable information.
The violence began on Saturday morning when a group of more than 100 tribal militants attacked a military post in Mir Ali.
Security forces fought back, killing more than 20 militants.
Soon the clashes spread to Miran Shah, where several hundred militants tried to storm the main headquarters of the paramilitary troops.
The army sent helicopter gunships after tribesmen traded mortar and gunfire with security forces.
The army said about 45 militants and five troops were killed. There were some reports that the death toll was as high as 70.
Clashes reportedly petered out in the early hours of Sunday but later on helicopter gunships pounded mountains to the east of Miran Shah, sending plumes of smoke into the sky, Reuters said.
"Now the writ of the local administration is restored and the said area is under complete command of the security forces" said army spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan.
He said some residents had been moved to "safer areas" because of the fighting.
Witnesses said hundreds of people lugging bags and bundles of clothes were fleeing the region.
"'We cannot rule out the killing of civilian people because militants have their hideouts in populated areas" he said, although "our operation is very targeted and precise, using radars and latest weapons and equipments".
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/06/2006
01:24 ||
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residents had been moved to "safer areas"
The kind people of waziristan deserve a nice safe place, hopefully behind barbed wire and occasional gruel.
Despite widespread criticism of President Bush's warrantless surveillance program, even vociferous detractors in Congress stop short of calling for an end to the anti-terrorist eavesdropping.
At issue for many Republicans and Democrats isn't the program itself, but how little the White House told Congress about it and how much it expands presidential power.
Republican senators such as Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina are working with Democrats on bills that would put the secret program in line with laws protecting Americans from domestic spying. Legislation in the works includes proposals to subject the surveillance to regular congressional and judicial oversight.
The program lets the National Security Agency (NSA) intercept without a court-approved warrant international communications with one end in the USA and one party suspected of ties to al-Qaeda or an affiliated terrorist group. Bush authorized the program shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Since the program was disclosed in December, Bush has argued that his constitutional powers as commander in chief allow him to pursue, without explicit congressional permission, an enemy operating inside U.S. borders.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan has said the administration will consider congressional proposals as long as they do not restrict the government's power to spy on terrorists. Initially, the administration's position was that no congressional involvement was needed.
Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said in an interview that the challenge is not to halt the surveillance but to "get it right." Kennedy helped write the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which limits domestic spying and requires court-approved warrants for such activity. Kennedy said the Bush administration should have sought congressional approval for warrantless surveillance.
By ordering the program without specific congressional approval, Kennedy said, Bush is jeopardizing prosecutions of captured terrorists who could claim the evidence against them was collected illegally.
Other Democrats, including Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, have had similar measured reactions. Feingold has criticized Bush's handling of the program, but he said in a Senate floor speech last month that fighting terrorism requires the use of wiretaps.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., who has advocated appointment of a special prosecutor to determine whether Bush committed an impeachable offense in going around the FISA law, has not called for stopping the surveillance. Nadler, whose district includes the site of the World Trade Center, destroyed in the 9/11 attacks, says he would at least consider amending the FISA law "to permit what they are doing."
The American Civil Liberties Union and other legal and civil liberties groups have not been so reserved in their reaction to the program.
Several legal challenges are pending, including one filed by the ACLU. Last month, the American Bar Association urged Bush to suspend domestic surveillance of terrorism suspects until it is explicitly authorized by Congress.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/06/2006
01:23 ||
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#1
This is called pandering and hypocrisy - or, in a few cases, triangulation. They are characteristic of opportunistic partisan political whores and RINOs who traded honor and integrity for expediency and perceived advantage.
#4
"Other Democrats, including Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, have had similar measured reactions...".
The President was blunt, so I will be blunt: This program is breaking the law, and this President is breaking the law. Not only that, he is misleading the American people in his efforts to justify this program Sen.Feingold (D-WI) February 7, 2006 delivered from the Senate Floor
Calling the President a lier and and a criminal from the Senate floor is a measured reaction?
Give me a Break! They must have one helluva belly-laugh after they write this shit.
#5
No surprise here, as all Dems are for the time being RINO's and CINO's - its not Socialism or Communism, its SAFETY, SECURITY, PROTECTION, RESPONSIBILITY, and CONTROL, ...etc feel-good, FASCISM = LIMITED COMMUNISM/SOCIALISM, Populist labels. WHen it comes to electing a Dem POTUS for 2008, Bush = Adolf Hitler-incarnate whom must be stopped or wiped out at all costs; when it comes to inducing America to create new global Socialist empire. Dubya and the GOP are mere PARTIAL, DEFECTIVE SEMI-SOCIALISTS/-COMMIES WHOM HAVE TO REGRET THE ERRORS OF THEIR MALE BRUTE RIGHTIST SOCIALIST WAYS AND NEED TO BE SHOWN THE RIGHT WAY TO MOTHERLY MARX-HEAVEN; or in the alternate politely EXTERMINATED, in that kinder, gentler, Globally-desired AMERICAN HOLOCAUST/GENOCIDE, for the good of the Sun and world.
#6
No surprise here, as all Dems are for the time being RINO's and CINO's - its not Socialism or Communism, its SAFETY, SECURITY, PROTECTION, RESPONSIBILITY, and CONTROL, ...etc feel-good, FASCISM = LIMITED COMMUNISM/SOCIALISM, Populist labels. WHen it comes to electing a Dem POTUS for 2008, Bush = Adolf Hitler-incarnate whom must be stopped or wiped out at all costs; when it comes to inducing America to create new global Socialist empire. Dubya and the GOP are mere PARTIAL, DEFECTIVE SEMI-SOCIALISTS/-COMMIES WHOM HAVE TO REGRET THE ERRORS OF THEIR MALE BRUTE RIGHTIST SOCIALIST WAYS AND NEED TO BE SHOWN THE RIGHT WAY TO MOTHERLY MARX-HEAVEN; or in the alternate politely EXTERMINATED, in that kinder, gentler, Globally-desired AMERICAN HOLOCAUST/GENOCIDE, for the good of the Sun and world.
#7
No surprise here, as all Dems are for the time being RINO's and CINO's - its not Socialism or Communism, its SAFETY, SECURITY, PROTECTION, RESPONSIBILITY, and CONTROL, ...etc feel-good, FASCISM = LIMITED COMMUNISM/SOCIALISM, Populist labels. WHen it comes to electing a Dem POTUS for 2008, Bush = Adolf Hitler-incarnate whom must be stopped or wiped out at all costs; when it comes to inducing America to create new global Socialist empire. Dubya and the GOP are mere PARTIAL, DEFECTIVE SEMI-SOCIALISTS/-COMMIES WHOM HAVE TO REGRET THE ERRORS OF THEIR MALE BRUTE RIGHTIST SOCIALIST WAYS AND NEED TO BE SHOWN THE RIGHT WAY TO MOTHERLY MARX-HEAVEN; or in the alternate politely EXTERMINATED, in that kinder, gentler, Globally-desired AMERICAN HOLOCAUST/GENOCIDE, for the good of the Sun and world.
Algeria will complete the release this week, under an amnesty, of 2,629 Islamists jailed during civil strife that lasted more than a decade, the justice minister was quoted as saying Sunday. The minister, Tayeb Belaiz, told the government-controlled newspaper El Moudjahid that 150 former rebels walked free from prisons across the country, in a first batch of releases on Saturday as part of a drive for national reconciliation. The amnesty, approved by the government on Feb. 21, also gave Islamic guerrillas fighting the authorities six months to surrender and receive a pardon, provided they were not responsible for massacres, rapes and the bombings of public places.
"You massacre anyone?"
"Nope"
"Ok, you're free to go."
Officials estimate about 1,000 guerrillas are still active in Algeria, most of them members of the radical Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat. The group is on the American list of foreign terrorist organizations and is believed to have links with Al Qaeda.
Algeria plunged into brutal civil unrest early in 1992 after the military-backed authorities canceled a parliamentary election that Islamists were expected to win. The country continues to have sporadic riots to protest social problems, including an acute housing shortage and unemployment.
Hundreds of people went on a rampage on Sunday, looting and burning a state bank outside Algiers and clashing with security forces after a youth had died in police custody, residents said. Several protesters and riot police officers were injured in the clashes, which followed the death of the young man at a police station in the coastal town of Zeralda, about 20 miles west of Algiers, they said.
The violence during the period of Algeria's civil strife claimed about 150,000 lives. It also caused $20 billion in economic losses, as a result of a sabotage campaign by Islamic rebels. Thousands of Islamic guerrillas have given themselves up since a partial amnesty in January 2000. The last prisoner releases were in 1999. The new amnesty offers compensation for victims of the conflict and families of disappeared people, as well as aid for families of rebels killed in the fighting. It also provides compensation for people who lost their jobs because they were believed to be linked to militants. Under the pardon, the military will be protected from prosecution for any human rights abuses.
Human rights groups and families say many of the thousands of people who disappeared were abducted by the security forces. Government officials have said that many of those who disappeared actually joined the guerrillas.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/06/2006
01:22 ||
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Is it just me, or has there been a real raft of this recently?
Among the hundreds of men imprisoned by the American military at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, there are those who brashly assert their determination to wage war against what they see as the infidel empire led by the United States.
"May God help me fight the unfaithful ones," one Saudi detainee, Ghassan Abdallah Ghazi al-Shirbi, said at a military hearing where he was accused of being a lieutenant of Al Qaeda.
But there are many more, it seems, who sound like Abdur Sayed Rahman, a self-described Pakistani villager who says he was arrested at his modest home in January 2002, flown off to Afghanistan and later accused of being the deputy foreign minister of that country's deposed Taliban regime.
"I am only a chicken farmer in Pakistan," he protested to American military officers at Guantánamo. "My name is Abdur Sayed Rahman. Abdur Zahid Rahman was the deputy foreign minister of the Taliban."
Mr. Rahman's pleadings are among more than 5,000 pages of documents released by the Defense Department on Friday night in response to a lawsuit brought under the Freedom of Information Act by The Associated Press.
After more than four years in which the Pentagon refused to make public even the names of those held at Guantánamo, the documents provide the most detailed information to date about who the detainees say they are and the evidence against them.
According to their own accounts, the prisoners range from poor Afghan farmers and low-level Arab holy warriors to a Sudanese drug dealer, the son of a former Saudi Army general and a British resident with an Iraqi passport who was arrested in Gambia.
One 26-year-old Saudi, Muhammed al-Utaybi, said he was studying art when he decided to travel to Pakistan to train with the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba. He was not much of a militant himself, he suggested, saying the training "was just like summer vacation."
The documents hearing transcripts and evidentiary statements from the two types of military panels that evaluate whether the detainees should remain at Guantánamo are far from a complete portrait of those in custody there.
They do not include the classified evidence that is generally part of the review panels' deliberations, nor their final verdicts on whether or not to recommend the detainees' release. Of the about 760 men who have been held at Guantánamo, the documents cover fewer than half.
But a reading of the voluminous files adds texture to the accusations that the men face and the way they have tried to respond to them. It also underscores the considerable difficulties that both the military and the detainees appear to have had in wrestling with the often thin or conflicting evidence involved.
At one review hearing last year, an Afghan referred to by the single name Muhibullah denied accusations that he was either the former Taliban governor of Shibarghan Province or had worked for the governor. The solution to his case should have been simple, Mr. Muhibullah suggested to the three American officers reviewing his case: They should contact the Shibarghan governor and ask him.
But the presiding Marine Corps colonel said it was really up to the detainee to try to contact the governor. Assuming that the annual review board denied his petition for freedom, noted the officer, whose name was censored from the document, Mr. Muhibullah would have a year to do so.
"How do I find the governor of Shibarghan or anybody?" the detainee asked.
"Write to them," the presiding officer responded. "We know that it is difficult but you need to do your best."
"I appreciate your suggestion, but it is not that easy," Mr. Muhibullah said.
Bush administration officials and military leaders have often justified the extraordinary conditions under which detainees are held at Guantánamo by insisting that the detainees are hardened terrorists. Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld famously described the Guantánamo detainees as "the worst of the worst."
And while many administration officials have privately backed away from such claims, they argue that most of the 490 detainees still being held would pose a significant threat to the United States if released. Pentagon spokesmen have generally dismissed the detainees' protestations of innocence as the predictable lies of well-trained militants.
The hearing transcripts are from review panels known as Combatant Status Review Tribunals, where three military officers weigh whether a detainee is properly classified as an "enemy combatant." Few of them have made the process as easy as Ghassan Abdallah Ghazi al-Shirbi.
"Honestly," he said, "I did not come here to defend myself, but defend the Islamic nation; this is my duty, and I have to do it."
Among the accusations against Mr. Shirbi recounted in the hearing transcript were that he trained with Al Qaeda, was "observed chatting and laughing like pals with Osama bin Laden," and was known as the "right-hand man" to Abu Zubaydah, a top Qaeda operative. Mr. Shirbi said he was willing to accept all of those accusations.
He then told the hearing officers, "I found the accusations against you to be many."
With that, Mr. Shirbi unleashed a tirade against capitalism, America, homosexuality, Israel, support for Saddam Hussein in his war against Iran, and the more recent war against Iraq.
"Your status as enemy combatants does not need a court," he told the officers.
As for his own classification of enemy combatant, Mr. Shirbi was blunt: "It is my honor to have this classification in this world until the end, until eternity, God be my witness."
In other cases, the incriminating evidence has generally been less clear-cut.
Another Saudi, Mazin Salih Musaid al-Awfi, was one of at least half a dozen men against whom the "relevant data" considered by the annual review boards included the possession at the time of his capture of a Casio model F-91W watch. According to evidentiary summaries in those cases, such watches have "been used in bombings linked to Al Qaeda."
"I am a bit surprised at this piece of evidence," Mr. Awfi said. "If that is a crime, why doesn't the United States arrest and sentence all the shops and people who own them?"
Another detainee whose evidence sheet also included a Casio F-91W, Abdullah Kamal, was an electrical engineer from Kuwait who once played on his country's national volleyball team. He was also accused of being a leader of a Kuwaiti militant group that collected money for Mr. bin Laden.
As for the Casio allegation, Mr. Kamal said the watch was a common one in Kuwait and had a compass that could be used to find the direction of Mecca for his prayers. "We have four chaplains" at Guantánamo, he said. "All of them wear this watch."
While many of the detainees are citizens of Afghanistan or were captured there during and after the Taliban's overthrow, the documents also make clear the long reach of the American campaign against terror.
One unidentified Pakistani detainee was seized as he tried to cross into the United States from Mexico. He said he had paid an immigrant smuggler $16,000 to $18,000 to take him to Guatemala and then north; his smuggler was known to the American authorities for having ties to Arab militant groups, documents from his case show.
Another Pakistani, Saifullah Paracha, was arrested in Thailand in July 2003. Mr. Paracha, a wealthy real estate developer who said he attended the New York Institute of Technology, was accused of making investments for Qaeda members, plotting to smuggle explosives into the United States and urging the use of nuclear weapons against American soldiers. He acknowledged having met Mr. bin Laden twice, but denied the other allegations.
An unidentified 34-year-old Mauritanian who appears to be Mohamedou Ould Slahi, the onetime imam of a mosque in Montreal who was linked in Germany to two of the Sept. 11 hijackers, told of being "kidnapped" after he turned himself in to the Mauritanian authorities and of being taken to Jordan for eight months while "they tried to squeeze information out of me." He said he was flown from Jordan to Afghanistan, and then on to Guantánamo.
Yet for all the gravity of the global fight against terrorism, the give-and-take at the Guantánamo hearings is sometimes reminiscent of a local arraignment court.
Consider the exchange over a Belgian detainee, captured in Afghanistan. One allegation, read in court, was that he was a member of the Theological Commission of the GICM.
"What is GICM?" asked the detainee, who was not identified.
The tribunal president asked a clerk, "Could you explain what GICM is? I have the same question."
The clerk said he was not sure, either. Another accusation was read: that GICM is associated with Al Qaeda. The detainee answered again, "I don't know this group."
The tribunal president announced a short break so the clerk could "find out, for everyone's benefit, What GICM stands for." When the tribunal reconvened, the clerk announced that GICM stood for Groupe Islamiste Combatant du Maroc, or the Moroccan Islamic Combat Group.
To which the detainee responded, "I never before heard of all this."
The files are replete with retractions. Detainees who had confessed to having ties to Al Qaeda or the Taliban or terrorism frequently told the tribunals that they had only made those admissions to stop beatings or torture by their captors.
"The only reason for my original statements is because I was tortured when I was captured," said a former mechanical engineering student from Saudi Arabia who was accused of training at a Qaeda camp in Afghanistan. "In Kabul, an Afghan interrogator beat me and told me they would kill me if I didn't talk. They shot and killed someone in front of me and said they would do the same if I didn't cooperate."
Another common defense of the detainees, particularly those captured in Afghanistan or Pakistan, is that they were turned over to American forces in exchange for some kind of bounty, or that they were arrested when they refused to or could not pay bribes to the local authorities.
"The Pakistanis are making business out of this war," said a detainee from Tajikistan who was arrested in Pakistan in November 2001. "The detainees are not being captured by U.S. forces, but are being sold by the Pakistan government. They are making 2, 3, or $10,000 to sell detainees to the U.S."
As the Pentagon has defined the term enemy combatant for purposes of the tribunals, it includes anyone "who was part of or supporting the Taliban or Al Qaeda forces, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners."
But many of the detainees protested in their hearings that such a wide net was catching many who were not real enemies of the United States.
One 29-year-old Saudi acknowledged having fought with jihadist groups in the Philippines and Afghanistan, saying he had been a "zealous" younger man. But he also said that he had a brother and a cousin who had both married Americans, and he had a complex set of views on the United States.
"I'm an educated guy and I understand politics," the detainee said, suggesting that he had had a change of heart. "The United States has made some wrong decisions, but that doesn't give me the right to consider them an enemy or kill their people."
However improbably, many of the detainees said that the allure of Afghanistan for them was not jihad. Maasoum Abdah insisted that his mission was entirely personal.
In 2000, he said, he left Syria and traveled to Turkey and Iran and finally Afghanistan. He was accused of living in a Taliban safe house in Kabul. The authorities said his name was on a list of men being trained as snipers.
He acknowledged that he knew how to shoot from his days in the Syrian police. But even in the police, he said, "in a year and a half, I only shot seven bullets." And he said he had no allegiance to the Taliban.
Then why the long, arduous journey to Afghanistan, a tribunal officer asked. "I wanted to go to Afghanistan to find a wife and get married and stay there," Mr. Abdah answered through a personal representative.
"It is very expensive to find a wife," Mr. Abdah explained. "The price is at least $3,000. I might work for years and still not be able to collect that much money. In Afghanistan, it is very cheap. The most is $300."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/06/2006
01:09 ||
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The only "glimpse" I wanna see of these guys is their faces right before the sharks take them under...
A former Italian minister who made T-shirts emblazoned with cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad said on Sunday he was honoured to be singled out by al Qaeda in its latest call for attacks against the West.
Al Qaeda's deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahri urged Muslims to launch strikes like those against New York, London and Madrid in an audio recording posted on the Internet on Saturday.
In the message, he specifically pointed to Italy's former Reforms Minister Roberto Calderoli, whose inflammatory T-shirts cost him his cabinet post and have been partly blamed for deadly riots outside an Italian consulate in eastern Libya.
"And then there is this Italian minister who wore a shirt with these criminal pictures (cartoons of Prophet Mohammad)," Zawahri said.
"All of this is considered the right of the West which occupies our land, violates our sanctities and then defames our Prophet."
Calderoli, of the anti-immigrant Northern League party, said the harsh words pleased him and that he was happy to irritate al Qaeda with the T-shirts, which he has worn on Italian television.
"To be (verbally) attacked by Zawahri and these criminals that exploit religion for political ends is, for me, an honour," Calderoli said, in comments widely published in Italian media.
Calderoli is being investigated by Rome magistrates for "offending religious faiths through public insult", a crime punishable with a fine of up to 5,000 euros ($6,012).
It was the second time in the past week that Calderoli has expressed appreciation for derogatory remarks about him.
After Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi called him a "fascist minister" who used "racist and despicable language", Calderoli responded: "I should thank Gaddafi twice. To be insulted by this kind of person is a big honour to me".
The Feb. 17 riots in Benghazi, which Gaddafi said were inspired by "hate" for Italy as a former colonial ruler, killed at least 11 people and injured more than 60 others.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, a strong U.S. ally who sent troops to Iraq after the fall of Baghdad, has sought to downplay any added security risk to Italy as a result of the T-shirt controversy.
After forcing Calderoli to resign, Berlusconi said last month he was "acting in such a way to prevent our country being a particular target."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/06/2006
01:07 ||
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Jordanian intelligence blocked a terrorist attack by Al-Qaeda, according to Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, highlighting the increase threat of international terrorism specifically in the Middle East, including Israel.
During a Knesset meeting on Sunday, Mofaz said there are still 13 active terror warnings in Israel and that the Karni border crossing in with southern Gaza has been closed as a direct result of a specific warning of attack on the site itself.
Mofaz added that the Palestinian Authority has repeatedly refused an IDF offer to reroute the transfer of goods for humanitarian aid, causing undue hardship to residents of Gaza for political purposes.
As a result of increased shootings and stabbings along the border and in Yesha, Mofaz has also increased the number of military and police personnel.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/06/2006
01:06 ||
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The ideological compatibility of Hamas with other jihadi movements in the Middle East raises the question of whether the new Hamas government that is about to be sworn in could create in the West Bank and Gaza a new center for global terrorism.
Russia certainly doesn't think so, because President Vladimir Putin invited a Hamas delegation to Moscow. France has supported the Russian move. And in many diplomatic circles, even in Washington, the argument is being made that Hamas can be brought into a political process and moderated. This is clearly being raised by individuals who have no idea what Hamas truly represents and why Israel has cut off all financial support to the new Palestinian government even before it is formally set up.
True, unlike al Qaeda, Hamas until now has not been involved in terrorist attacks against Western targets in the United States and Europe. It was left by those fostering the global jihad to focus its military efforts on Israel alone. Yet Hamas has maintained critical links with al Qaeda. And last week, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said he was concerned that al Qaeda had infiltrated the West Bank and Gaza.
Earlier evidence of links exists. In 2003, an Israeli ground unit in Gaza, seeking Hamas suspects, went into a school established by the founder of Hamas, Sheikh Ahmad Yassin. Written materials that Israeli soldiers collected revealed the writings of a famous Saudi Wahhabi religious authority, Sheikh Sulaiman al-Ulwan. His ideological entry into the world of Hamas immediately raised eyebrows. After all, his name was featured in a famous Osama bin Laden video clip from December 2001, when the al Qaeda leader entertained his entourage on camera by re-enacting with his hands the hijacked aircraft slamming into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11.
In that video, one Saudi messenger entered the scene at the end, telling bin Laden that he brought with him a "beautiful fatwa" from al-Ulwan, who had justified the mass murder of Americans. Now his ideas have penetrated the Palestinians as well. And his Islamic religious ruling justifying suicide bombing attacks appeared on the Hamas Web site along with those of other al Qaeda clerics.
Also, in 2003 and 2004, Israeli forces found Hamas posters that were distributed in West Bank cities that extolled the war being waged by Islamic militants in the Balkans, Chechnya and Kashmir. At the top was the portrait of Hamas leader Yassin alongside the portraits of bin Laden and Chechen militant leaders like Shamil Besayev, who took credit for the bloody attack on a Russian school in Beslan.
That Hamas and al Qaeda share some common ideological roots should not have come as any surprise. Hamas is an Arabic acronym for the Islamic Resistance Movement. Article Two of the Hamas Covenant reads, "The Islamic Resistance Movement is one of the wings of Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine."
Throughout the Arab world, the Muslim Brotherhood is regarded as the common wellspring of all modern jihadi terrorism. Its spiritual leader, Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawi, has been one of the pivotal figures in the globalization of the Danish cartoon rage as well as a supporter of fighting against U.S. forces in Iraq. Much of the al Qaeda leadership -- from bin Laden's mentor, Abdullah Azzam, to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of Sept. 11 -- started out with the Muslim Brotherhood.
Hamas and al Qaeda, as Muslim Brotherhood offshoots, have had a number of notable links.
Bin Laden sent emissaries to Hamas in September 2000 and January 2001; Israel arrested three Hamas militants in 2003 after they had returned from an al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan. Al Qaeda operations chief Abu Zubaydah entered the world of terrorism through Hamas. And according to a 2004 FBI affidavit, al Qaeda recruited Hamas members to conduct surveillance against potential targets in the United States.
Hamas poses a unique danger in the world of global terrorism, because besides its past ties to the Sunni Islamic extremism of al Qaeda, Hamas is now erecting a strategic partnership with Shiite Iran. For years, Iran has funded Hamas, but now that relationship is about to be seriously upgraded.
Khaled Mashaal, head of the Hamas political bureau, declared at a recent news conference in Tehran that "Iran's role in the future of Palestine should continue and increase." He is clearly prepared to open up Gaza to Iranian influence and serve Iranian national interests.
Just recently, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah moved one of its command centers from its base in Beirut to the heart of Gaza. So now both of the major Islamist terrorist organizations have established themselves in this Hamas-dominated territory.
Hamas is not the PLO of 1993 that lost its collapsing Soviet patron, and hence had to moderate its behavior in order to obtain Western diplomatic and financial support. The patrons of Hamas today are pushing it in a completely opposite direction. And so Mashaal spoke openly recently about the defeat of the United States in Iraq and his opposition to Western policies across the entire globe, from Darfur to East Timor.
As the struggle between the West and Iran over its nuclear program heats up, Hamas could become an important instrument for any countermeasures that Iran seeks to take. Rather than accommodate Hamas, the West should seek ways to contain its spread. Palestinian society will eventually seek another path, but in the interim, it would be a cardinal error to assume that Hamas is about to change.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
03/06/2006
01:05 ||
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Hamas and AQ in cahoots? OK Ill bite lets see what Ambassador Gold has for evidence.
Pamphlets with quotes of Sheikh Yassin and Posters calling for Jihad in the Balkans were found. Sorry Dore Ive seen stronger evidence in Traffic court. What else ya got? Hamas and AQ share some common Muslim Bro ideology holy shit man..stop the presses. Cmon throw me a something I can sink my incisors into. Israel arrested three Hamas militants in 2003 after they had returned from an al Qaeda training camp. Alrighty then..cept the term Hamas militants is a tad ambiguous and news of their arrest seems alittle dated. Must be something substantial right? AQ allegedly recruited Hamas members to conduct surveillance against the United States. Hmmm alittle sketchy but not bad still not quite the smokin gun. Thats it? Ok then it may not be Gaza but quickly start talking about places like Chechnya, Kashmir, Afghanistan, Iran, Beirut, Darfur, and East Timor. And even if they really dont support your assertion, throw in some scary names like Yassin, al-Ulwan, Besayev, al-Qaradawi, Abdullah Azzam, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and Abu Zubaydah. And dont forget numerous references to Big Daddy Bin Laden. Be sure to remind us about the pending nuclear Iran and associate a nefarious group like Hezbollah. Dont forget to bring up Beslan and 9/11. And just for good measures throw in Putin has not been helpful. (Fukkin Commie!)
Another classic from Dore Gold. Throw a big bag of smelly stuff against the wall and see what sticks.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. presence in Iraq is hurting the worldwide war on terrorism and benefits only Iran and al Qaeda, U.S. Rep. John Murtha (news, bio, voting record) said on Sunday. Uh huh... opposed to the U.S. succeeding in Iraq and Afghanistan, giving freedom to some 50 million people, and creating a long term solution to terrorism through democracy... but hey lets give up on that its bad for the war on terrorism.
"The only people who want us in Iraq are Iran and al-Qaeda," Murtha said on CBS's "Face the Nation" political talk show. "And I talked to a top-level commander the other day and he said China wants us there also. Why? Because we're depleting our resources ... our troop resources and our fiscal resources.
"... The war on terrorism is worldwide. In Iraq, it's a civil war," said Murtha, a Pennsylvania Democrat. Hmm its amazing to me that today top U.S. Marine Gen. Peter Pace said Iraq is not on the brink of civil war, but yet Murtha still claims this. I wonder who has spent more time in Iraq, Gen. Pace or Murtha???
Murtha, who in November called for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, said it was useless for the United States to advise Iraqis.
"One of the problems I see and frustrating things is our ambassador keeps giving advice to the Iraqis," Murtha said. "Every time we give the Iraqis advice, they vote for someone else ... The Iraqis don't pay attention to our advice." How is this guy a U.S. Rep.??????
The U.S. role in fighting terrorism around the world is being subverted by Iraq, said Murtha, who characterized the sectarian strife between Iraq's Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims as a civil war that must be settled internally.
Murtha, a decorated Vietnam veteran who retired from the Marines Corps Reserve as a colonel in 1990, said Iraq would do a better job of rooting out terrorists once U.S. troops leave the country. Ummm not if the Iraqi government falls in a coup b/c we left too soon. More or less its- Murtha: Lets give control of Iraq over to Zarqawi
"I'm convinced they know where they are, they know who they are," he said. "But they won't tell us because they've turned against us. We've lost the hearts and minds of the people." Apparnetly Murtha didn't read the article posted yesterday about Sunni tribesmen capturing over 1000 terrorists and turning them over to the Iraqi national government.
The United Nations is scrutinizing Iran because of its nuclear research but Murtha said Tehran has become emboldened because of the U.S. focus in Iraq.
"We have a situation where our military is in such bad shape, it couldn't deploy to a second front," Murtha said. "And the Iranians know this. North Korea knows it. China knows it. We're depleting our resources in Iraq."
Marine Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday and said the war in Iraq was going "very, very well" but Murtha was skeptical.
"Why would I believe him?" he said. "This administration, including the president, has mischaracterized this war for the last two years ... So why would I believe the chairman of the Joint Chiefs when he says things are going well?" Refer to my earlier comment about Gen. Pace
#2
"One of the problems I see and frustrating things is our ambassador keeps giving advice to the Iraqis," Murtha said. "Every time we give the Iraqis advice, they vote for someone else ... The Iraqis don't pay attention to our advice."
Sorry for the double comment, but the US didn't advise Iraquis on how to vote, but DID advise the Palestinians. He's confusing Palestine and Iraq, the idiot.
#3
I suspect the person who runs against Murtha this fall will have no problem raising funds. Suggestion 1, put up ads at every VFW and American Legion. Suggestion 2, get pictures of Murtha using his walker. Suggestion 3, Use the money to show ads of Murtha calling Pace a liar with the response from Pace at his press conference this week.
#7
Keep playing and playing the Dems own words like this all the way to the November election. All the doom and gloom by so many 'conservatives' is just a lot of nerves. They put Murtha out there, just make him a poster boy for the party of defeat. Don't show any mercy. They've already started to whine and cry about the Reps fear mongering, however, it is a real danger and only demonstrates the Dems utter failure to face the threat. Show some god damn backbone and push back.
So what happens when President Bush's "victory"
is achieved, the U.S. military coalition withdraws and Iraq dissolves into Civil War and there is another domestic terrorist attack on the U.S.?
I dont call this doom and gloom. I call it totally realistic.
Posted by: Just Curious ||
03/06/2006 12:55
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I suspect this "top level commander" was playing him for a sucker. Note the China comment. The Chinese do not want us there, they do not want us anywhere in the region. And they certainly don't want our military getting useful field training, while our R&D goes into overdrive advancing our technologies by 20 years into the future.
In fact, the only saving grace, as far as the Chinese are concerned, is any opportunities to gather intelligence about our operations and tech.
#10
So if we withdraw at the military's pace (not Murtha's) and Iraq falls into civil war, like, say Columbia - and there is another terrorist attack - then what? I suppose it proves your point?
All possible events. I don't think there are many here (Rantburg)who equate winning the war in Iraq with zero terrorisat attacks here (in the USA). Better clarify your point.
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03/06/2006 17:28
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LONDON: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz will discuss Pakistan-Britain relations, including trade, defence, investment, Kashmir and blasphemous sketches with British Prime Minister Tony Blair today, Pakistan's High Commissioner to the UK Dr Maleeha Lodhi told reporters on Sunday. Aziz arrived here on Sunday on a three-day official visit to Britain. British High Commissioner in Islamabad Mark Lyall Grant, Deputy High Commissioner Abdul Basit and Lodhi received him.
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Mob lynched a robber at a Hathazari village yesterday, about 13 hours after similar incident that left two robbers dead at Lohagara upazia in the district. Around 15 robbers were about to enter one Mohammad Solaiman's house at the Shikarpur village at around 3:00am and the inmates, sensing their presence, began to shout for help. The locals soon hemmed in the house to catch one of the robbers. The unknown robber died on the spot in Mob beating. The other members of the gang managed to flee. Police recovered the body at around 5:00am.
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Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) was raiding different areas of Sylhet city till 1:30am for Sylhet divisional head of the banned Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). After a tip off, six teams of Rab-9 have cordoned off Tero Ratan and Block F of Shahjalal on the outskirts of the city late last night.
The elite crime busters were hunting for Salahuddin alias Salehin, chief of Sylhet division JMB, and Saidur Rahman, former ameer of Habiganj district Jamaat and also a JMB activist, said Rab sources. The raids were undertaken on the basis of information provided by detained JMB chief Abdur Rahman, who was arrested Thursday at a East Shaplabagh house in the district. Salahuddin is in charge of the banned outfit's operations in Sylhet and Mymensingh region while Saidur Rahman is the one whose chequebook was found at the Shaplabagh house.
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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad urged Hamas, which now holds a majority in Palestinian parliament, not to recognise Israel unless Palestinians' rights are restored, state media said on Sunday. "Recognising Israel is linked to the restitution of Palestinians' rights," Assad was quoting as saying by the SANA news agency during a speech Saturday to the fourth session of the general conference of Arab parties. "There should not be recognition of Israel for free, as if it were a gift for Israel, so that the West is satisfied with us," Assad said in the speech, which he gave at the university of Damascus. "Why are they asking for Hamas to recognise Israel, given that the Palestinian Authority has already recognised the state? That means there are other goals."
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#1
this pencil-necked POS still thinks he matters or will be in power by Labor Day. I think not
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/06/2006 0:09
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Army helicopters pounded mountains near the Afghan border on Sunday and troops exchanged gunfire with militants, a day after more than 50 people were killed in clashes with pro-Taliban fighters. The fighting erupted on Saturday in Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan. Firing continued intermittently during the night and in the early morning, army spokesman Major-General Shaukat Sultan told a news conference. There are reports of sporadic firing in the afternoon. Sultan said 46 militants and five government troops were killed on Saturday when the militants launched a series of attacks and seized several government buildings in revenge for the killing on March 2 of 45 of their comrades.
He said security forces had retaken the government buildings including the telephone exchange. They forced the people to close shops. They were bent upon firing at the army camp at Miranshah, he said. He said it was also possible that there were civilian casualties. 25 militants were killed in Miranshah and 21 in Mir Ali. It could be more. I am not sure how many are foreigners, he said.
A man identifying himself as Maulvi Abdul Ghafoor and claiming to speak for the militants told AP by satellite phone from an undisclosed location that fighters killed 55 soldiers and captured 14 others. Helicopter gunships fired rockets into mountains to the east of Miranshah on Sunday morning, but there were no reports of casualties, a resident said. Virtually all of the towns shops were boarded up and streets and markets deserted. Hundreds of villagers fled Miranshah, carrying suitcases and bundles of clothes. Vehicles werent allowed in or out of the town, so people had to walk 15 kilometres to a security checkpoint, where they could find transport. They are going to safer places, Sultan said. Such thing happened in South Waziristan in 2004 but later they returned.
Sultan said the violence was directly linked to Afghanistans insurgency. The border is porous. Militants do keep on coming and going ... so its quite likely that more militants might have come from Afghanistan. So thats our main problem, he said, adding that Pakistans border areas would only be brought under control when the Afghan side was stable.
Staff report adds from Peshawar: NWFP Governor Khalilur Rehman, chairing a meeting on the Miranshah situation, said the government would respond with full might to provocative acts by miscreants to ensure its writ in the tribal areas. Rehman said that the militants who attacked security forces had not only challenged the writ of the government but also attempted to disrupt the ongoing political process for a peaceful resolution to the troubles in the area. He cautioned tribesmen not to shelter foreigners.
Built themselves a little problem with their Great Gaming, haven't they?
The Paks brewed up the Taliban in Waziristan, and the ISI and fundo proxies have been conducting the war from there since they were thrown out of Kandahar. But even when the Talibs were running things in Kabul their loyalties were Pashtun loyalties, not to the Punjabis and Sindhis. Now, with the Arab and Central Asian reinforcements they've got, they're feeling their Pashtun oats at home.
Perv's going to have to fight them, or he's going to see Miranshah turn into a new Kabul, complete with its own version of Brigade 55 (remember them?) strutting around. Tribal lashkars just aren't gonna cut it, and he's going to have to bump off at least the local holy man.
The bit about Waziristan not settling down until the Afghans have established order in their own house was particularly rich.
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If the Pashtun/Talib hard boys are indeed pouring over the Afghan border to fight Musharref's boys, then Afghanistan soon won't have any trouble keeping order -- all the disorderly types will have left.
Thousands of Muslims rallied in front of the tightly guarded US Embassy in Indonesia on Sunday, demanding American troops leave Iraq and Afghanistan and calling President Bush a terrorist. The protesters, many of whom were from the hardline group Hizbut Tarir, were kept well away from the mission, which is ringed by two concrete walls and barbed wire. Some 2,000 police stood watch and two water cannons stood by, but the rally ended without incident. "Out of Iraq," the protesters chanted, gathering for hours under the blazing sun. "Bush is a terrorist."
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#1
Out of Bali! Out of Malakus! Out of Papua New Guinea ! Muslims are Hypocrites!
Well, I feel better now.
Posted by: ed ||
03/06/2006 10:57
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Prime Minister John Howard has arrived in India for a three-day visit where he is expected to be asked to consider changing Australia's policy on exporting uranium to the South Asian giant. According to newspaper reports, India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will ask Mr Howard to change Australia's position in the light of the United States last week signing a nuclear co-operation deal with India.
Australia currently does not sell uranium to nuclear-armed India because it has refused to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
This will change if Bush persuades the Congress to go along with the deal he's struck with the Indians.
Mr Howard has told reporters on his arrival in New Delhi that he is willing to re-examine the policy. "We are interested in the agreement that's been struck between the United States and India," he said. "We do have long-standing policy of only selling uranium to countries that are part of the NPT regime, but we'll have a look at a bit more information about that and we'll further assess it.
"Australia does have large supplies of uranium, we have some of the largest uranium deposits in the world, and provided the rules are followed and the safeguards are met, we are willing to sell."
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said on Friday that while he welcomes a nuclear deal between India and the United States, it will not lead Australia to sell uranium to India. "If we were to export uranium to India, that would constitute a significant shift in our policy. I mean, it would open up questions of whether we'd export uranium to countries like Israel and Pakistan as well," he told AM last week.
Easy: Israel yes, Pakistan no.
"And I think it's probably easier for us to support the current policy. It's probably better for us to give all the support we can to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty."
Posted by: Steve White ||
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Militants from Nigeria's southern delta have threatened to cut oil exports by another 1m barrels a day this month. The hardliners, who have taken a Briton hostage along with two Americans, say they aim to squeeze exports to press home their campaign for more local control of the delta's oil wealth.
Called the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, they have already staged a series of attacks on oil production. The violence has seen output from the world's eighth largest exporter drop by 20 per cent. "God willing we hope to reduce Nigeria's export by a further one million barrels for the month of March," the militants said in an email.
Royal Dutch Shell has already shut down its oil operations in the western side of the Delta, a loss of 455,000 barrels per day. The militants had threatened to cut exports by 30 percent in February. "There will be inland operations in March as well as standard creek attacks," they warned. Nigeria still pumps about 2 million barrels a day, mostly from the eastern side of the delta where Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Agip and Total operate oilfields.
#1
Isn't it about time to hire the best killersmercenary security forces and set them loose? Imams and holy men, gang leaders with laser-targetted bullet holes in their foreheads, can send messages, even after they're dead. SH*t, even I can find the number for Blackwater
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/06/2006 0:07
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I have an idea.
Kill those mother f*ckers!!!!!!!
What do you think, it's just crazy enough to work, isn't it?
More than a dozen agents of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation examined on Sunday the site of a suicide car bombing that killed a US diplomat in Karachi last week, a local official said. Pakistani investigators suspect that Islamic militant group Jundullah carried out the attack on Thursday, just metres from the US Consulate, in a heavily guarded neighbourhood of Karachi. Five people, including the bomber, died and 52 were wounded. Jundullah, has been suspected in attacks in the past on the US Consulate, a Christian Bible studies group, a peace concert by an Indian singer and a police station in Karachi.
The FBI agents collected metal pieces and took photographs of the bombing site, which has been secured behind shipping containers, scaffolding and tarpaulins, a Pakistani police investigator said. They are investigating in their own way to get clues about the attackers, he said. Pakistani investigators were trying to identify a severed hand recovered from the site, he said. Its fingerprints were being matched with government records, he said.
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Palestinian militants Sunday took over the Ministry of Education building in the city of Deir El-Balah. The gunmen, who are followers of Hamas Fatah, demanded the Palestinian Authority to provide them with jobs, Palestinian sources said. The armed men said they represent about 300 Palestinian activists searching for jobs. Palestinian authorities did not keep up their promises of employing them in its institutions. Palestinian Minister of Economy Mazen Sonokrot said the Palestinian leadership suffers greatly from a bad financial situation which prevents it from paying February salaries to employees. Salaries were postponed for two weeks until funds are made available.
Islamic group Hamas admitted on Sunday that it had to change its manners after winning the Palestinian elections but showed no sign of compromise with Israel as it wrapped up a landmark trip to Russia. The comments came as Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal finished the groups first formal visit to a major power with a tour of the Kremlin and a meeting with Patriarch Alexei II, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, who called for talks with Israel.
After three days of insisting that the next move in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was up to Israel, Hamas leaders sought to sweeten their rhetoric on Sunday while still rebuffing calls to recognise Israel and renounce violence. We dont say no to everything, senior Hamas official Mohammed Nazzal said. We know that we are in a new phase, a new stage following Hamas victory in the January 25 Palestinian elections, he said. Hamas must change its manners. We know that very well. But what we are saying is that we want a response from the Israelis. If you want Hamas to change its policies, you must also request that the Israelis change their policies.
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#1
Only the Russians can do things right or get things done.
Hamas officials shrugged off the support offered by al-Qaida's No. 2 leader, saying Sunday the Palestinian militant group has a different ideology than the terror network and won election through a moderate approach to Islam. A Hamas official in Gaza, speaking on condition of anonymity because the movement did not want to formally respond to al-Zawahri's support, said: "Hamas believes that Islam is completely different to the ideology of Mr. al-Zawahri. Our battle is against the Israeli occupation and our only concern is to restore our rights and serve our people. We have no links with any group or element outside Palestine," the official said. Mahmoud Zahar, a Hamas leader, told Al-Jazeera his group was elected through its moderate approach to Islam, which did not compare to al-Qaida's exclusionary tactics. "We are not a movement that labels people infidels or that abandons them. We are a movement that lives the realities of the people and that uses wisdom ... to turn them to Islam," he said. "When Hamas entered parliament, it did so under the slogan: Islam is the solution. When the people decided to vote for it, they believed that Islam can solve their economic, social and political problems as well their military battles against the occupation."
Which is essentially the message Zawahiri was imparting.
He said Hamas has proved through its good behavior and its resistance to the occupation "that it is fit to be the leader of this street."
#2
[Hamas]. . . has a different ideology than the terror network and won election through a moderate approach to Islam
so let me get this straight. Hamas -- an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood which calls for shariah law, a caliphate and strict interpretation of the koran -- is moderate?
So that's what they mean by moderate muslim! All along I was looking for reasonable, tolerant and rational muslims. silly me.
#3
Moderate Muslim, PlanetDan, is one who only wants---or at least says so in English---to destroy Israel. Immoderate Muslim, is one who talks openly about Islamic dominance of the World.
#5
So,killing and maiming women.Slaughtering neighborhood Christians and burning Cjhurces,etc. are Modertate Muslems.It's screaming for World wide Calphate that makes them Extremist.
Thanks,PD.It so much easier to tell the difference now(sarc).
Workers Party Politburo member Fazle Hossain Badsha yesterday demanded revelation of identities of those in the ruling alliance and administration who helped JMB chief Shaekh Abdur Rahman and Bangla Bhai to operate in Bagmara in 2004. "The ruling alliance leaders who said Bangla Bhai was the creation of media and those who spoke for the militants in the parliament should also be identified," he said during an interview with The Daily Star yesterday.
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Abdur Rahman had his arms training and mastered the art of bomb-making while fighting against the former Soviet Union forces in Afghanistan and himself trained up the top-level leaders of outlawed Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).
The militant kingpin yesterday also admitted before interrogators that his men smuggled the explosives they used in bomb attacks across the country from neighbouring India.
Fourth day into his arrest at East Shaplabagh in Sylhet, the infamous militant supremo was undergoing interrogation by the Task Force Intelligence (TIF) at Rab-1 office in Uttara.
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A key aide to acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says there are plans for further withdrawals of Jewish settlers from the West Bank. Speaking on Israeli radio, Avi Dichter says more withdrawals from the West Bank will go ahead if the acting Prime Minister's Kadima Party wins this month's national election.
Mr Dichter says Jewish settlers will be relocated to major settlement blocs, adding that Israel will define its final borders within four years. An Israeli newspaper is reporting that at least 17 settlements in the West Bank will be dismantled in the first stage. Settler leaders have reacted angrily to Mr Dichter's comments, vowing to physically resist any effort to remove them from their homes.
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(AP) Ahamed Abdul Aziz has been in the Guantanamo Bay prison for more than three years and, by his account, has been interrogated 50 times without being charged with any crime. He waits with anguish for freedom but fears it will never come. "We are in a grave here," he told his lawyers, echoing the despair felt by many of the roughly 490 prisoners held as suspected terrorists at the U.S. naval base in eastern Cuba. Charges have been filed against only 10 of them.
As opposed to the real graves you dumped your victims in various spots around Afghanistan and Iraq.
Transcripts of hearings, which the Pentagon released Friday after a successful Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by The Associated Press, show the frustration among prisoners waiting for the military to decide whether to charge them, transfer them or release them. "I don't want to spend any more time here. Not one more minute," Afghan prisoner Mohammed Gul said at a combat status review tribunal.
Okay, what will you do in return?
Another unidentified Afghan man told his tribunal: "I was not a Taliban. I was not against the Americans. I want to go home."
An Afghan man, identified only as Abdul in one of the transcripts, urged U.S. military officers overseeing his tribunal to free him so he could feed his family. "I don't know what they have to eat," he said.
Guess the Taliban Workmans Comp Plan didn't cover the family.
The United States has released or transferred to authorities in their home countries about 270 detainees since the prison opened in January 2002, months after the U.S.-led military campaign that ousted Afghanistan's hard-line Taliban regime for harboring Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida bases.
Major Paul Swiergosz, a Defense Department spokesman, said that holding detainees who are considered a risk is necessary in time of war, while the review process ensures innocent detainees are released. "Holding detainees in Guantanamo is not a punitive measure, it's preventive," Swiergosz said. "That keeps them from continuing to fight against the United States and its allies. The Defense Department will continue to work diligently to process all the detainee cases we have."
He needs to point to some of the ones we released who did go back to fighting.
U.S. officials say the camp houses only people who want to kill American troops or civilians. "The folks that are at Guantanamo Bay all have a valid reason for being sent here," said Army Maj. Jeffrey Weir, a prison spokesman. "Some are mainly security, others are intelligence. It's across the board."
Aziz, who is from Mauritania in West Africa, was captured in Pakistan in 2002, according to one of his lawyers, Anna Cayton-Holland. His lawyers do not know what he is accused of. "He thinks he's going to die here," said another member of his defense team, Agnieszka Fryszman.
If he's a Mauritanian, what was he doing in Pakistan? Was he captured there or in Afghanistan? If the latter, what was he doing there? Was he but a simple aid-worker providing guns and ammo to the widows and orphans?
Many detainees are accused of specific deeds, but some complain they spend years in confinement before learning the allegations.
Boudella al Hajj, an Algerian cleric who said he worked with orphans in Bosnia for a humanitarian group and the Bosnian army, was accused of being in contact with al-Qaida member Abu Zubaydah and belonging to an Algerian militant organization, among other things. In the transcripts, he denied the allegations and asked why he had never heard them before. "I've been here for three years, been through many interrogations and no interrogator ever mentioned any of these accusations, so how did they just come now?" he said. "It's weird how this just came up now."
It's even more weird that you ended up in Afghanistan. All the Bosnian orphans finally had their own guns?
One tribunal member, who was not identified, later said: "We didn't realize you had never been confronted with these allegations."
Our bad.
Another man, Pakistani millionaire Saifullah A. Paracha, was told by a U.S. Air Force colonel running his hearing that he would one day be able to pursue his case in American courts. "I've been here 17 months _ would that be before I expire?" Paracha asked.
The wheels of justice turn slowly. Tell us, Mr. Paracha, just what were you doing with your millions in Afghan-land?
With some Bush administration officials now referring to the war against terrorism as the "long war," Guantanamo appears to be turning into a more permanent detention site. A two-story prison building that can house 200 detainees is slated to open this summer. It is modeled after a mainland maximum-security prison and will be located near a similar facility that can house 100 detainees. "It's becoming clear that we will need to continue to house some number of detainees for an extended period," said a Pentagon spokesman, Maj. Michael Shavers.
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#1
Cry me a river, Gitmo Guyz, but Ima plumb outa sympathy cards.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/06/2006 0:37
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#2
They could do the honorable thing and hang themselves.
Posted by: ed ||
03/06/2006 1:10
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#3
Screw 'em. No one travelled from Mauratania to Pakiland without ill-intent.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/06/2006 8:00
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#4
I'm feeling deep pain over the treatment of these detainees. Wait a minute... oops, sorry - that was gas.
At least 15,000 people demanding Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's resignation kicked off a protest on Sunday which they say will not end until he steps down, as police warned of possible violence during the night.
Some 1,000 extremists from a banned Buddhist sect were among the first to arrive, followed by diverse anti-Thaksin groups protesting everything from free trade deals to education policies. Loosely aligned as the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), the protesters gathered at the Sanam Luang field near the royal palace in central Bangkok.
After the rally, they planned to march to the Democracy Monument about one kilometre away and stay there until the Prime Minister steps down. "We will camp there until we get the answer from Thaksin," PAD spokesman Suriyasai Katasila told AFP. "If the police don't allow us to stay at the venue, we have the right to disobey their orders," he warned. At least 15,000 people had arrived for the protest according to police, organisers put the number at 40,000.
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Two of the four bank chequebooks found in JMB chief Abdur Rahman's hideout at East Shaplabagh in Sylhet after his arrest belongs to former Jamaat-e-Islami ameer of Habiganj district Saidur Rahman.
Detectives yesterday arrested Abu Walid Chowdhury, manager of Bishwanath Branch of Islami Bank in Sylhet, for assisting Saidur to open the account with Islami Bank's Laldighirpar branch in 1999. The name of one Sabbir Ahmed was written on the four bank chequebooks seized from the house. The chequebooks -- two of Islami Bank, Laldighirpar branch, Sylhet; and one each of Janata Bank, Brahmanbaria branch and Rupali Bank, Pallabi Branch, Dhaka -- were found along with a copy of Shabbir Ahmed's bio data, reports our staff correspondent from Sylhet. The chequebooks of Islami Bank belong to Saidur Rahman, who previously served as Jamaat amir of Habiganj, not Shabbir Ahmed, sources in the police and intelligence agencies said.
Detective Branch police picked up Walid Chowdhury from his bank yesterday evening. While serving as an assistant officer of Laldighirpar branch of Islami Bank, Walid assisted Saidur as his introducer when the latter went to open the account on February 27, 1999. Detective and police were interrogating him at Kotwali Police Station in Sylhet till filing of this report at 9:40 last night. Tk 50,000 was withdrawn from the account on February 22 this year, sources said, adding that no money was drawn after that.
Hridoy Chowdhury alias Moizul, who was arrested with Abdur Rahman on Thursday from East Shaplabagh, went to the bank with a bearer cheque and drew the money, police said. "Saidur made a phone call to the bank, asking the officials to give Tk 50,000 to a man he had sent for drawing from the account," said a police source.
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French President Jacques Chirac said on Sunday the West would still reach out to Iran for a deal on its disputed nuclear file, in the first address to the Saudi consultative council by a foreign leader. In Iran, the voice of reason that France, the United Kingdom and Germany wanted to be heard on the nuclear file has not been heard, for the time being, Chirac told the non-elected advisory council. But despite the failure of negotiations between Tehran and the European Union, the hand remains stretched out, and Iran can, at any moment, take it back by restoring its commitment to suspension of sensitive (nuclear) work. Chirac said Iran had been assured that it can develop its nuclear capacity for civilian purposes.
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#1
Hey Cheeser. Real world leaders go to the US congress to speak. They do not to travel to the majic kingdom and address the Saudi consultative council and say we must keep doing what has failed.
Jacques Chirac is a bona fide fudge packer. Now of his action are bona fide however.
Posted by: SPoD ||
03/06/2006 0:23
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American President George Bush has disturbed the balance of power in the region by signing a nuclear deal with India, said Punjab Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Javed Iqbal at a press conference on Sunday.
Oh, gee. Golly. Gosh. Shucks. We're just soooooo sorry we did that.
Javed said the American presidents visit would bring strategic changes to the region and India would play the leading role instead of Pakistan under the prevailing circumstances.
India, for all its faults, isn't stuck on stupid, with the choice lying between either spittle-spewing holy men or fire-breathing generals who've never won a war. India's a secular state. Pakistan is where most of the lunatics are stored.
He said Bush had delivered a clear message that Indias friends would be Americas friends. Indias nuclear ties with the US showed that the Pakistani foreign policy had failed, therefore the Pakistani president should resign immediately and elections should be held, he said, adding that only political parties could govern the country and make decisions of national importance. He said the government should allow Nawaz Sharif, Benazir Bhutto and Altaf Hussain to return to Pakistan and play their role in the countrys politics.
The problem with Pakland during its periods of civilian rule has been Bangla-style corruption, with the holy men and the generals elbowing each other in the ribs as they jockeyed for position as puppet masters. What Pakistan needs is to become a secular state where most of the people happen to be Muslims, but they resolutely refuse to do that. And because of that, they'll remain a larger version of Afghanistan except that Afghanistan, because its had its experience being a shariah paradise, may eventually pull out of its rut and leave them behind.
Javed said Bush had clearly indicated that he wanted Indian domination in the region and Pakistan would now have to follow Indian instructions to please America. He said he doubted if Musharraf would take off his uniform or hold free and fair elections in the country. The opposition would tender its resignation from the assemblies at an appropriate time, he said and added that a campaign against the government had been launched, which would be expedited with the passage of time.
If they spent a little less time plotting to achieve power and a little more time actually governing, they might accomplish something, but that's not gonna happen.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Methinks China is already attempting to upset the East and South Asian balance of power by supporting Commie/Maoist collusions with local Hard Boyz. The Chicoms intend to inevitably control or dominate both India and Pakistan, etc. not just one of them.
Head of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Michel Aoun reiterated his opinion about the presidency Sunday, as he announced the opening of an FPM radio station. Aoun said: "the presidency will neither be toppled in the street nor will there be a constitutional resignation." Aoun was speaking on Sunday during a news conference to announce the opening of Sawt al-Ghad (Voice of Tomorrow) radio station, which he said was granted to the FPM by Former Minister Suleiman Franjieh.
Franjieh's owned by the Syrians, so it looks like Aoun's been at least rented...
Addressing the station's director and the editorial staff at his residence in Rabieh, Aoun said that the issue of the presidency is still being discussed in the National Dialogue that started on Thursday and the results will not be known until the dialogue is over. "I am curious more than the world to know the next president will be," the FPM leader said in response to a question asked if the next president was named in the discussions.
In his assessment of the dialogue, Aoun said: "The positions made are clear and face-to-face confrontation is the best outcome of the dialogue." Aoun hoped that after the dialogue is over, the next things to be discussed will be the economic improvement or economic projects for Lebanon. As for some political forces that criticized the dialogue, Aoun said that there are political parties that have different positions about the dialogue. "Those political forces are not coherent," he said.
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BAGHDAD - Three men guarding a Sunni mosque in Baghdad were shot dead overnight when gunmen, dressed in police commando uniforms, attacked the building, an interior ministry official said on Sunday. Six other guards were wounded in an exchange of gunfire that went on for an hour in the Jihad neighbourhood of west Baghdad, the official added. There was no damage to the mosque.
Perish the thought!
Meanwhile, one Iraqi soldier was killed and two wounded when a suicide bomber blew up a car at an army checkpoint in Mahmudiya, south of the capital, Saturday night, the official said.
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Lebanon's national dialogue will resume in its fourth day Monday, with the issue of Palestinian weapons as the first item on the agenda and an agreement expected. Syrian President Bashar Assad welcomed the talks as a "positive" step. On Saturday, Assad, speaking during a speech to the fourth session of the general conference of Arab parties in Damascus, had said: "The national dialogue, which is happening in Lebanon today, is a positive and reasonable step."
"Syria and Lebanon are two sisterly countries that are impossible to separate," Assad said, adding: "The problem is not between Lebanon and Syria but between a movement in Lebanon that has a problem with Syria," referring to the March 14 Forces.
Assad also said that the majority in Lebanon "supports the establishment of good relations with Syria." But he added that the parliamentary majority is not representative of the public majority. Assad had once referred to Lebanon's parliamentary majority as the "false majority."
In Lebanon, Saturday witnessed intense discussions on a number of issues without a decision being made on any of them. Talking to The Daily Star, Arafat Hijjazi, political adviser to Speaker Nabih Berri, said Monday's first session will tackle the issue of disarming Palestinian factions outside refugee camps in Lebanon. "An agreement is expected on forming a committee with the participation of Hizbullah in order to help the government engage in dialogue with these factions over their disarmament," said Hijjazi. "Hizbullah enjoys good relations with these factions, and their presence in the committee will facilitate the process of convincing Palestinians to lay down their arms," he said.
Hijjazi added that since Saturday witnessed intensive discussion into all the issues without decisions, issues will be discussed separately and consecutively starting Monday.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Are these guys telling America our nation can't find one or two Mad Geniuses to convert a rolling tracked/railed container lifter into a rolling MRI Container Imaging/XRay System or related. * His Name is "NOT FRANKENSTEEEEN, ITS FRANKENSTEIN", D*** YOU!!!
#2
Only the paramoid politicians perceive problems.
Which the sky-is-falling media exploits.
Posted by: Bobby ||
03/06/2006 6:58
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Those cargo containers are made of steel.
Steel does not pass x-rays well, either you'd need a hell of an x-ray machine (With the resulting contamination of some cargos, film comes to mind) or you need some other inspection device than an x-ray.
Bad idea folks, think up another.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/06/2006 10:45
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"Only the paramoid politicians perceive problems."
Those fools! They're just paranoid wimps. There is no rational reason to suspect the UAE port deal. The 911 UAE terrorists are dead.
#5
The trucks carrying the same cargo containers passing the Mexico/US Otay Mesa border are all required to go through a full size xray machine - it penetrates the steel just fine
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/06/2006 12:07
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A 20-year-old man in Ocoee, Fla., was charged with murder after he confessed to pouring gasoline over his ex-girlfriend and then setting her on fire because she may have been pregnant, police told Local 6 News.
Normally, I'm against abortion, but given this alternative...
Winter Garden police officers investigating a report of a car fire noticed a small fire on the east side of County Road 545 on Feb. 25. When officers extinguished the flames, they found the body of Amelia Sookdeo, 17, burned beyond recognition. Sookdeo was reported missing by her mother earlier the same day after she left her home through a window without her parents' knowledge.
An investigation into the homicide led to Sookdeo's ex-boyfriend, Dane Abdool, 20, who at first denied any involvement in the crime, according to the report. However, when police confronted him with inconsistencies in his story and presented a set of tire marks from his car photographed at the scene, Abdool confessed to the crime, Local 6 News reported. "He admitted that he had met his former girlfriend that night, she sneaked out and he picked her up and went to his apartment in Ocoee," Winter Garden Police Chief George Brennan said. "From there they left and had an argument and he took her down County Road 545, forced her out of the car. He poured gasoline on her and ignited it."
Abdool told police that he was arguing with Sookdeo over her possible pregnancy and he was just trying to scare her, Local 6 News reported. "The medical examiner found no evidence that she was having a baby," Local 6 reporter Mike DeForest said.
Duct tape was found at the scene, along with gloves to which Abdool would have had access to at his work, police said. Abdool was charged with first-degree murder late Thursday.
#5
Abdool told police that he was arguing with Sookdeo over her possible pregnancy and he was just trying to scare her, Local 6 News reported. "The medical examiner found no evidence that she was having a baby," Local 6 reporter Mike DeForest said.
Jumped to conclusions and someone's dead now.
Sookdeo was reported missing by her mother earlier the same day after she left her home through a window without her parents' knowledge.
Syria pledged on Sunday to fully cooperate with a UN investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, saying the terms of the cooperation had been agreed on last month with the new head of the inquiry. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem also said his country would step up diplomatic activity to counter intense U.S.-led international pressure on Damascus over its policies in Iraq and the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Serge Brammertz, head of the U.N. inquiry into Hariri's killing, made his first visit to Syria last month and discussed the commission's work with Moallem. "We will cooperate with this commission. We have agreed on the basis of this cooperation [during Brammertz's visit]," Moallem said in an interview with Lebanon's Al-Manar television Sunday. "We believe that as long as Mr.Brammertz leads his investigation in a professional way, he will get full Syrian cooperation."
Moallem's comments come as Brammertz has begun preparations to leave Lebanon by the end of this week, when he will head to New York to present his first report to the UN Security Council. The "Security Council has already scheduled a briefing from Brammertz on March 16," Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, told reporters.
Posted by: Fred ||
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"As long as they don't ask any impertinent or probative questions - or make any demands - yes, of course we will cooperate!"
#2
I see Iran has asked for a diversion. Iran will play nice for the next week with the UN and Syria will take the spotlight while they build. I have a feeling Irana neds only another week or two to make a first strike. The new nice, nice along with this report is worrying.
The US ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, has told British MPs that military action could bring Iran's nuclear programme to a halt if all diplomatic efforts fail. The warning came ahead of a meeting today of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which will forward a report on Iran's nuclear activities to the UN security council. The council will have to decide whether to impose sanctions, an issue that could split the international community as policy towards Iraq did before the invasion.
Yesterday the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, said: "Nobody has said that we have to rush immediately to sanctions of some kind." However the parliamentary foreign affairs committee, visiting Washington last week, encountered sharply different views within the Bush administration. The most hawkish came from Mr Bolton. According to Eric Illsley, a Labour committee member, the envoy told the MPs: "They must know everything is on the table and they must understand what that means. We can hit different points along the line. You only have to take out one part of their nuclear operation to take the whole thing down."
It is unusual for an administration official to go into detail about possible military action against Iran. To produce significant amounts of enriched uranium, Iran would have to set up a self-sustaining cycle of processes. Mr Bolton appeared to be suggesting that cycle could be hit at its most vulnerable point.
The CIA appears to be the most sceptical about a military solution and shares the state department's position, say British MPs, in suggesting gradually stepping up pressure on the Iranians. The Pentagon position was described, by the committee chairman, Mike Gapes, as throwing a demand for a militarily enforced embargo into the security council "like a hand grenade - and see what happens".
Yesterday Mr Bolton reiterated his hardline stance. In a speech to the annual convention of the American-Israel public affairs committee, the leading pro-Israel US lobbyists, he said: "The longer we wait to confront the threat Iran poses, the harder and more intractable it will become to solve ... we must be prepared to rely on comprehensive solutions and use all the tools at our disposal to stop the threat that the Iranian regime poses."
The IAEA referred Iran to the security council on February 4, but a month's grace was left for diplomatic initiatives. By yesterday, those appeared exhausted. A meeting of European and Iranian negotiators broke down on Friday over Tehran's insistence that even if Russia was allowed to enrich Iran's uranium, Iran would enrich small amounts for research. Iran says that it needs enrichment for electricity. According to Time magazine, the US plans to present the security council with evidence that Iran is designing a crude nuclear bomb, like the one dropped on Nagasaki in 1945. The evidence will be in the form of blueprints that the US said were found on a laptop belonging to an Iranian nuclear engineer, and obtained by the CIA in 2004. However, any such presentation will bring back memories of a similar briefing in February 2003 in which Colin Powell, then US secretary of state, laid out evidence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, which proved not to exist.
While the US and Britain keep a united front over Iraq in the UN security council, there are clear differences over Iran. Britain has ruled out a military option if diplomatic pressure fails. The US has not. There is no serious consideration of large-scale use of ground forces, but there are disagreements in the administration over whether air strikes and small-scale special forces operations could be effective in halting or slowing down Iran's alleged nuclear weapons programme. Some believe Iran has secret facilities that are buried so deep underground as to be impenetrable. They argue that the US could never be certain whether or not it had destroyed Iran's "capability".
#1
IRAQI WMDS have been found/proven, including but limited to enriched uranium, and I'm certain Dubya is the kind of leader whom isn't going to accept being a "lame duck" at any time in his second term. The burden was always on Saddam and Iraq, not the USA or UNO, to prove Saddam gave up his WMD programs and stockpiles, and for Saddam to cooper fully with the UN in their search of same. As for IRAN, and likely again NORTH KOREA, its clear that Dubya's and America's enemies want the sole burden on America, AGAIN, to prove that enriched Uranium is NOT a WMD nor would be used for Iran/NK-centric indig WMD/Nuke purposes. IRAN = NK > it doesn't matter what war or violent rhetoric is made by Iran-NK vv the destruction of threat ags any UNO member state, but for America and only America to prove the intent, dev, and actual use of WMDS as per Iran-NK. IOW, IFF AMERICA DOES NOT ATTACK AND WAGE WAR, AMERICA WILL ATTACKED AND WARRED AGAINST - WASHINGTON MUST TAKE OVER EVERYTHING IN AMERICA, SO THAT AMERICA CAN SURRENDER, VOLUNTARILY = FORCIBLY, ITS SOVEREIGNTY, FREEDOMS, AND ENDOWMENTS TO OWG.
#2
WASHINGTON MUST TAKE OVER EVERYTHING IN AMERICA, SO THAT AMERICA CAN SURRENDER, VOLUNTARILY = FORCIBLY, ITS SOVEREIGNTY, FREEDOMS, AND ENDOWMENTS TO OWG.
You've stated the exact danger the UN poses. Couldn't have said it better myself - Nice job Joe.
TOKYO - Nearly two-thirds of Japanese back revising the countrys pacifist constitution - which would include creating an official role for the armed forces - according to a newspaper poll released on Sunday. The Mainichi newspaper said 65 percent of respondents agreed that the constitution should be changed, with 27 percent opposed.
The poll also showed that 80 percent of respondents felt the constitution has been useful for preserving peace and improving peoples lives in postwar Japan, the paper said.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has long campaigned to completely replace the pacifist constitution, which was drafted by US military occupiers after World War II. The party has been seeking to pass a bill by June to authorize a national referendum to amend the constitution.
The partys proposed amendments, unveiled last November, would create an official role for the Japanese armed forces and allow them to be deployed abroad.
Posted by: Steve White ||
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More Norkie-specific war rhetoric ags Japan ergo more PLAAF buzzin' Japanese airspace. Ditto for PLAN and Japanese seaspace.
US President George W Bushs visit to Pakistan has exposed the Musharraf regimes flawed foreign policy that has left Pakistan alone in the comity of nations, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior vice president Syed Zafar Ali Shah said. The US President Bushs visit which began from an unannounced visit to Afghanistan will leave negative impact on the future political scenario in South Asia in particular and on the world in general, Zafar said in a news release on Sunday.
He said that Bush praised India for its role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan and promised the Afghan President Hamid Karzai to take up the infiltrations issue with President Pervez Musharraf, while Pakistan, its frontline ally in the war on terror, was asked to do more to rein in terrorists. The PML-N leader criticised the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, stating that the deal would encourage an arm race in the area.
Posted by: Fred ||
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... left Pakistan alone in the comity of nations
Since Pakistan is not really a nation, it's only fair.
#3
No, the arms race has been going on for a few hundred years. Ask the British, the Russians, the Portugese, the French, and the Chinese. Then, ask the Indians and the Pakistanis. Now, add the Nepalese, the Burmese [I refuse to use the name Myanmar], the Sri Lankans, the Vietnamese, etc.
Where is this guy's sense of history?
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
03/06/2006 18:05
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Where is this guy's sense of history?
seventh century knowledge, logic, wherewithal...
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/06/2006 19:09
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A Guantanamo Bay prisoner has said that Pakistani officials were paid bounties of as much as $10,000 to turn over terror suspects in Afghanistan to the Americans. Said Amir Jan, whose testimony was found in one of the 5,000 documents obtained by the Washington Post under the Freedom of Information Act, said that Pakistani officials were making a business off the war.
My heat bleeds for them... [Urp!]
When Americans came to Afghanistan, I was in prison. We cheered them. We were going to be released as the Taliban wasnt in power anymore. How could I ... turn around and fight against the people who released me from prison, Jan said.
Because they were infidels?
Appearing before an internally-constituted tribunal at the prison camp, Jan said: Please ... look at my case ... try to find out who I am, and decide about me. One detainee from Kazakhstan said that he was captured by Afghans and turned over to the Americans, but did not understand why he was in custody because he was just a farmer. A tribunal official asked him why he was in Afghanistan. He answered: I went to Afghanistan with my family for a better life. They captured me at the house, and that is why I am here. When asked if he grew poppy in his garden, he replied: I dont know what poppy is.
And I'm an Irishman named Murphy. I love these little tales.
Posted by: Fred ||
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He was just a simple farmer and She is really a woman.
Posted by: SPoD ||
03/06/2006 4:14
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Army personnel yesterday arrested six people after a half-an-hour gunfight with a gang of armed criminals in Kala Pahar area of Mahalchhari in the district. After the shootout the troops seized one AK47 rifle, a sawed-off rifle, a magazine of AK47 rifle with five bullets and some subscription books. The arrestees are Banshi Chakma, 32, Pritijiban Chakma, 35, Kamalpanjam Chakma, 45, Sushilkanti Banamali, 48, Kala Marma, 35, and Aongka Marma, 20. Army sources claimed that the arrestees belong to United People's Democratic Front (UPDF), an anti-peace treaty group active in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
The gun-battle occurred at about 4:30am when the criminals ambushed two army patrol teams of Mahalchhari zone and opened fire on them near the Kala Pahar. The patrol teams retaliated against the attack and the shootout continued for half an hour. Additional troops then joined the patrol teams and cordoned off the area.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Democratic Renewal Party leader Nassib Lahoud signed the national petition Sunday that was initiated by the March 14 Forces as a campaign to oust President Emile Lahoud. Lahoud signed the public petition in the presence of the representatives of the various parties making up the anti-Syrian March 14 Forces. The March 14 Forces are hoping to secure more than one million signatures for the petition, now one week old. Lahoud said changing the president is "fundamental for salvaging the country."
Lahoud, who said he would be willing to run for president if the March 14 Forces pick him, said that the current national dialogue would not be wrapped up soon but "will take its time since what is needed is an equation for a new national consensus based on the convictions that will hopefully make Lebanon prosperous." He believed that change in the presidency "has become a very urgent demand and the dialogue itself proves how a president who is a capable authority is needed to draft a national accord that the Lebanese people need."
Posted by: Fred ||
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Boy, you are soooo off the Christmas card list.
South Korea's planned one-third cut in its military in Iraq will begin next month, a military general in charge of South Korean troops in the Middle East told Yonhap news agency. South Korea's Parliament approved a defence ministry plan in December to reduce its 3,200 troops in the northern Iraqi town of Arbil to 2,300 this year. "The reduction, beginning with the replacement of troops in April, will be done by the end of this year," Major General Jung Seung-Jo said in an interview. "It will be such a way as the number of home-bound troops is increasing while the number of replacements to come in for them is decreasing."
Posted by: Fred ||
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And the U.S. withdrawal from Korea begins when? 2525? 3535?
Suspected militants on Sunday killed two soldiers in an ambush and injured 24 civilians and seven policemen in two grenade attacks in Jammua and Kashmir, said police. The first grenade attack occurred in Pulwama. Militants hurled a grenade at a police patrol party, causing splinter injuries to 24 civilians and two policemen, said a police spokesman. Five policemen were injured in a second grenade attack in Srinagar, police said. Jaish-e-Muhammad, claimed responsibility for the second attack.
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Zero. That's the number of substantiated USA Patriot Act civil liberties violations. Extensive congressional oversight found no violations.
Six reports by the Justice Department's independent inspector general, who is required to solicit and investigate any allegations of abuse, found no violations.
Intense public scrutiny has yet to find a single civil liberty abuse. Despite many challenges, no federal court has declared unconstitutional any of the Patriot Act provisions Congress is renewing.
Building upon this stellar record, congressional negotiators added more than 30 civil liberty safeguards not included in current law to ensure that the Patriot Act's authorities would not be abused in the future. Remarkably, that's still not enough for some.
So what has the Patriot Act done? It has been a tremendous asset in helping thwart other terrorist attacks. The Justice Department and other agencies have properly utilized these new tools to detect, disrupt and dismantle terrorist cells in New York, Virginia and Oregon before they strike. Since 9/11, the Justice Department has charged hundreds of defendants, of whom more than half have been convicted or pleaded guilty, as a result of terrorism-related investigations.
Most important, this renewal would permanently tear down the pre-9/11 "wall" that prevented the FBI and CIA from communicating. This law recognizes the vital importance of sharing information to "connect the dots." The Patriot Act has made it much more difficult for America's enemies to live openly among us as they plot to murder innocent Americans.
Regrettably, some criticizing the government for weak port security tried to block the Patriot Act renewal, which helps law enforcement strengthen port security. The law also combats terrorism financing networks and enhances penalties for attacks against railroads and mass transit. In short, the Patriot Act is an essential tool in the war on terror.
WE must never forget we are a nation at war with an enemy determined to extinguish our nation, our values and our civil liberties. The Patriot Act has kept us safer and has not violated anyone's civil rights. It deserves to be renewed.
F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., R-Wis., is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee
#3
Unfortinately this won't stop the MSM and LLL from claiming rights violations. They will continue to claim the government is stomping over everyone's privacy and rights regardless...
After all, not have a single credable shread of evidence hasn't given them pause in their 'Bush Lied' bullshit we hear nightly.
VISITING French President Jacques Chirac has praised Saudi reforms overnight, and urged respect between Islam and the West in a charm offensive that may win contracts from the world's biggest oil exporter.
Addressing Saudi's consultative Shura council, which reformers hope forelornly will one day act as a parliament that balances the powers of the absolute monarchy, Mr Chirac said France could contribute to "spectacular development" in Saudi Arabia. "Saudi Arabia and France can unite efforts to foil those who, flaming the fire of fanaticism, incite an unfortunate 'clash of ignorance', described as a 'clash of civilisations'," said Mr Chirac, the first Western leader to address the body.
"See how progressive we are, we even allow infidels to talk to us. We don't listen, but we let them talk."
"The introduction of elections for renewing municipal councils, in a spirit of democracy, and woman gaining places in chambers of commerce boards, have been followed with sympathy in France and the world," he told the all-male assembly.
Saudi Arabia last year held limited though pioneering elections for half the seats to local councils. But since the new king took power in August, creating an atmosphere of openness in the conservative Muslim country, women have been elected to key business bodies.
Mr Chirac is accompanied on the three-day trip by about 15 business leaders and his economy, defence, foreign affairs and trade ministers, as well as experts on the Arab world. The trip ends on Monday. The delegation includes the heads of Dassault Aviation , the maker of Rafale jets, and French defence electronics company Thales , which has been chasing a deal for more than a decade to supply Riyadh with border security equipment worth $8.5 billion.
There has been no word of any deals clinched so far, but Thales Chairman and Chief Executive Denis Ranque said he was confident even if the "Miksa" deal is not concluded now. "It is a question of timing, I am still confident. The prospective customer exists, the contract will exist but it is taking more time than planned," Mr Ranque told reporters.
Other business leaders include the chief executives of Total , Alstom and Alcatel. Mr Chirac urged greater tolerance and respect after violent protests in recent weeks over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed which were first published in a Danish newspaper but have been reprinted in many countries, including France. "We must now, more than ever, embrace global values that form our common existence. We must cultivate all opportunities for dialogue to avoid misunderstandings," he said. "With globalisation, everything is known immediately and everywhere. We are no longer isolated, each one in their own country."
"Please! We want your business! Don't hold those Danes against us!"
The row over the Danish cartoons has reinforced some Saudis' resolve to turn away from Western business partners and look to Asia, where King Abdullah made a ground-breaking tour in January. Rival U.S. and British firms already have a strong foothold in Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally.
The United States must rebuild the power of the United Nations and help "end the empire of oil" if it wants to win the "war on terror," U.S. Sen. John Kerry said Sunday. The Massachusetts Democrat avoided explicit criticisms of the Bush administration during a wide-ranging speech on the global dynamics of terror. But he said Bush's policy of imposing democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan risked looking like a crusade. "If it is seen as the result of an army marching through Muslim lands, it will fail," Kerry told an audience at the University of Ulster campus in Londonderry, the second-largest city in Northern Ireland.
The "war on terror," Kerry said, was not principally about the U.S.-led military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, but was "fundamentally a war within Islam for the heart and soul of Islam, stretching from Morocco east to Indonesia."
Kerry, who lost to Bush in the 2004 presidential election, said today's myriad terrorist threats to security in the West and within Muslim nations themselves exist in part because "no center of moral authority has emerged to stop those who would murder in the name of Islam." But Kerry suggested the current focus on American-led military interventions was not the way to promote stable democracies in the Middle East, a region of dictatorships underpinned by oil money. Sustainable political change required concerted international political pressure combined with appropriate development aid. "Great American presidents, from Roosevelt to Truman to Kennedy, understood that success requires a community of nations working together, drawing strength from shared sacrifice and steadfast commitment to our shared ideals," he said.
Kerry said the UN must play a forceful role in places like Iraq and Darfur, referring to the western region of Sudan where Sudanese Arab militias have been wiping out black African communities with impunity. "Literally, the West must reclaim its moral leadership," he said.
Developing effective replacements for oil-based fuels also was key, he said. The West's insatiable appetite for petroleum from the Middle East "has frustrated every impulse towards modernization of the region, while giving its regimes the resources to hold onto power. The international community of democratic nations cannot afford to continue funding both sides of the war on terror. We must end the empire of oil."
#4
RD - Ah, heh, that was an AllahPundit creation - I left his tag on the end of the name cuz I thought it was very well done, lol. BTW, Allah moved here, but he doesn't update very often, unfortuantely. He probably just tired of the impersonantion gig - though you could tell he loved the attention at first.
#7
"Great American presidents, from Roosevelt to Truman to Kennedy, understood that success requires a community of nations working together, drawing strength from shared sacrifice and steadfast commitment to our shared ideals," he said.
Yeah, Roosevelt dragged this country, kicking and screaming, into 'the community of nations'.
Kennedy went into Viet Nam, albiet under the auspices of SEATO, and only Truman had the cooperation of the UN, but only because the Soviets were sucking their thumb, and missed the veto.
There are leaders and there are followers. Kerry wants to lead us into following. Shared sacrifice? When was the last time anybody volunteered for that? Lead by example, Johhny - sell the Gulfstream! Or better yet, cut it up into pieces and recycle it!
Posted by: Bobby ||
03/06/2006 7:07
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Nice edit. I'm guessing the placement of his finger represents his inability to decide on anything -- not even which nostril needs maintenance.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
03/06/2006 8:01
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#9
"end empire of oil"
Surly("Global test")Kerry is not suggesting that we sieze the Middle east oil fields.Couldn't be.(sarc)
A Trans-Atlantic blueblood multi-millionaire making a populist statement in a foriegn country.
I used to think they can't possibly know how foolish they appear. But I've come to the conclusion that as long as it gets them cash, votes, or a headline they just don't care.
#12
Well, yes, imposing democracy where there is no history of it via the US military is always a failure. Especially if we were to be one of the primary parties in drawing up a constitution.
I mean, look at Japan.
(/sarcasm off) Yeah, I know, if it happened before Vietnam, it doesn't count.
Posted by: RFK, Jr. ||
03/06/2006 14:28
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#15
"Sustainable political change required concerted international political pressure... Roosevelt to Truman to Kennedy, understood that success requires a community of nations working together"
Let's take the Roosevelt/Truman approach to Iran -- the Japanese model. We'll nuke a couple of cities, require unconditional surrender, write a new constitution for them, and allow them nothing but self-defense forces for at least six decades.
TAIPEI - Taiwanese authorities on Sunday rebuffed Chinese Premier Wen Jiabaos warning against the islands independence movement saying Taiwans future should be decided by the people here rather than Beijing. It was nothing new at all. We are not surprised, Huang Wei-feng, deputy chief of Taiwans China policy decision-making body Mainland Affairs Council, told reporters when asked to comment on Wens remarks.
They have been doing this all the way. Didnt they say they have hinged their hope on Taiwan people? But as a matter of fact, they have no idea what Taiwan people are thinking and what they want, Huang said.
But since they're Communists, they really don't care what the Taiwanese think.
Wen issued the warning while addressing the opening of the National Peoples Congress annual session at Beijing, pledging that we will uncompromisingly oppose secessionist activities aimed at Taiwan independence.
Tensions spiked last week after Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian, defying pressure from Washington and Beijing, formally scrapped an advisory council and guidelines set up to look at eventual reunification with the mainland. The council was considered largely symbolic and had been dormant since 2000 but Chens decision infuriated Beijing, which accused Chen of pushing the region towards disaster.
The Taiwanese government has defended the scrapping of the advisory council and guidelines insisting that they were not decided by the people but by the former Kuomintang (KMT, or Nationalist) government in 1990. Taiwan is already a democratic society. Its natural in such society to have various opinions on the issues, Huang said. Against the backdrop, Taiwans future should be decided by the 23 million Taiwan people, he said.
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Man, can we get this guy to be president of the US? He has some serious balls. Something lacking in Washington for the past 30 years.
LISTEN TO US: A little over 87 percent of respondents to a recent survey said that they agreed that the future of Taiwan should be decided by the Taiwanese people
Sunni Arab and Kurdish politicians increased pressure Sunday on Shiite Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari to abandon his bid for a new term, while leaders of Iraq's Shiite majority struggled to overcome growing internal divisions. Despite the squabbling, there were reports the new parliament would be called into session for the first time as early as the end of the week, starting the clock on a 60-day period during which it would have to elect a president and approve a prime minister and Cabinet.
The struggle to form a broad-based governing coalition acceptable to all the country's main groups has been further hampered by the surge in sectarian conflict. Targeted sectarian violence killed at least five people Sunday. Three men died in a gunfight at a Sunni mosque in Baghdad and two relatives of a top Sunni cleric were slain in a drive-by shooting. Sunnis accused death squads allied to the interim government, allegations denied by the Shiite-dominated Interior Ministry.
U.N. envoy to Iraq Ashraf Jehangir Qazi expressed serious concern Sunday about human rights in the country, citing reports of excessive use of force, illegal detention centers and disappearances many of them the responsibility of insurgents.
Maybe he should discuss that with the hard boyz?
The political turmoil has left a dangerous leadership vacuum as Iraq's armed forces, backed by the U.S. military, battle to contain sectarian violence that has pushed Iraq toward civil war. The Pentagon's top general said Sunday he did not think a full-blown civil conflict would break out, although he acknowledged "anything can happen." "I do not believe it has deep roots. I do not believe that they're on the verge of civil war," Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
A day earlier, the commander of the U.S. military's Central Command, Gen. John Abizaid, said sectarian divisiveness had been worsened by the bombing of a revered Shiite shrine in Samarra last month and was a threat to Iraq's stability. During a meeting with Iraqi leaders Saturday, Abizaid urged them to resolve the differences stalling the formation of a government. "The shrine bombing exposed a lot of sectarian fissures that have been apparent for a while, but it was the first time I've seen it move in a direction that was unhelpful to the political process," Abizaid said afterward.
The U.S. government sees a government with participation across Iraq's communities as a key step toward improving security and weakening support for insurgents, which would allow Washington and its allies to lower troop numbers. Under the constitution, the Shiites' United Iraqi Alliance, the largest bloc in parliament, has the first crack at forming a government and chose al-Jaafari as its nominee for prime minister. But the Alliance has too few seats to act alone. And it is facing a drive by Sunni, Kurdish and some secular parties that want to prevent al-Jaafari from continuing at the end of the government, favoring instead current Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi. Abdul-Mahdi lost in the Shiite caucus by one vote to al-Jaafari, who won with the support of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Abdul-Mahdi is backed by Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, a powerful Shiite leader who is frequently at odds politically with al-Sadr. Both have strong militias behind them. Underlining the divisions within the Alliance, some Shiite leaders are troubled by al-Jaafari's ties to the radical and openly anti-American al-Sadr.
The Sunni Arab minority, meanwhile, blames al-Jaafari for the Shiite militiamen who attacked Sunni mosques and clerics after the Feb. 22 bombing of the shrine in Samarra. More than 500 people died in the violence that followed, according to police and hospitals. Khalaf al-Olayan, a leader of the main Sunni bloc in parliament, said Iraq has gone from "bad to worse" under al-Jaafari. "Al-Jaafari's government failed to solve the chaos that followed the Samarra explosions and did not take any measures to solve the security crisis that could have pushed the country into civil war," he said in comments posted on the Web site of the Iraqi Accordance Front, a Sunni group.
Kurds are angry because they believe al-Jaafari is holding up resolution of their claims to control of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq. "If al-Jaafari tries to form a government, he will not get any kind of cooperation," said Mahmoud Othman, a leading figure in the Kurdish bloc. President Jalal Talabani, also a Kurd, was one of the first to publicly initiate the dump-Jaafari movement, calling for a candidate who could build consensus.
Two lawmakers from al-Jaafari's Dawa Party hinted Saturday that they got an endorsement for their leader during a meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most influential Shiite cleric. But a senior al-Sistani aide, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the dispute, said Sunday that the spiritual leader indirectly suggested al-Jaafari step aside.
Sectarian attacks remained a problem. Gunmen stormed a Sunni mosque in west Baghdad early Sunday, killing three people in a 25-minute gunbattle. Witnesses said U.S. helicopters hovered above the exchange of fire and U.S. troops forces moved in to stop the fighting and remove casualties. Iraqi police and mosque officials said commandos from the Interior Ministry staged the attack. Later, the office of one of the country's top Sunni leaders said one of his nephews and a cousin were killed by gunmen in another part of west Baghdad. The Interior Ministry denied involvement in either attack.
Sunni and Shiite clerics jointly appealed for an end to the violence and called for Muslim unity and the protection of religious sites. "Extinguish the flames of the sectarian treachery. Every drop of blood shed is a waste," said the statement by followers of al-Sadr and members of the Sunni Endowment, a government agency responsible for Sunni mosques and shrines.
#1
"Two lawmakers from al-Jaafari's Dawa Party hinted Saturday that they got an endorsement for their leader during a meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most influential Shiite cleric. But a senior al-Sistani aide, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the dispute, said Sunday that the spiritual leader indirectly suggested al-Jaafari step aside. "
Big news if true. Sistani has been keeping UIA together, an artificial entity if ever there was one. Now he has to think if keeping it together just benefits Sadr. Is it worth breaking Shiite unity to isolate Sadr? Does Sistani want to put Shiite unity over Iraqi unity? Does he think peace can be kept if he does so?
Still at it, regardless of anything else going on in the world...
Around 50,000 people protested against cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad (may his drip clear up peace be upon him) in Karachi on Sunday, and many took the opportunity to criticise the government and the United States. The protesters carrying signs with the Prophet's (PTUI PBUH) name written on them in Arabic shouted "Death to Denmark", but many also chanted "Death to America", "Death to Israel" and "Death to Musharraf". They also burnt an effigy of US President George W Bush, who ended a 24-hour visit to Islamabad on Saturday. Hundreds of riot police lined the two-kilometre stretch of a road in central Karachi, but there was no violence. The rally had been organised by the MMA.
Who else?
Posted by: Fred ||
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Sunday is a workday there so none of these 50K protesters has a job.
#2
This is their job. Seething specialist. Human marquee / bumper. Rousable Rabble. Shouting and Gesturing Actor. Slogan Chanter. Flag Fireman. Headband Model. Mob Raver. MOAB Magnet.
By John Reed
A mural in the Art Deco headquarters of Angola's Benguela Railway shows Africa's colonial rail network in fading tones of sepia and black. During Portuguese rule the line led 1,304km east from the coast to the mines of the interior, today Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Completed by British engineers in 1929, Benguela Railway was bombed and dynamited beyond use during Angola's civil war. Today its longest working stretch ends 150km east of the coast, in the town of Cubal.
Passengers ride in or on the roofs of open boxcars on a four-times-daily shuttle between Benguela and Lobito, a coastal city nearby.
Now the railway is due for an overhaul costing $300m to $500m, financed by a new foreign partner: China.
Three tidy fenced tent camps housing Chinese workers have already sprung up in the muddy fields alongside the line.
Ground is due to be broken on the railway's "expedited rehabilitation" this month, with completion planned for August 2007.
"We hope to move 30m tonnes of goods and 4m passengers every year," says Daniel Quipaxe, the railway's director.
With world markets bidding up prices for commodities, Mr Quipaxe has held talks with his counterparts in neighbouring countries on hauling their mineral ores.
The project is just one example of China's expanding influence in Africa, which has rich reserves of many of the raw materials China's booming economy needs. In Angola alone Chinese engineers are refurbishing two other rail lines, government buildings, and a new airport in Luanda, with the help of a $2bn credit for infrastructure from China's Eximbank approved in 2004.
President José Eduardo dos Santos, who last stood for election in 1992, said recently that his government needed to rebuild Angola's road and rail networks before holding elections. Originally expected this year, the polls - which Mr dos Santos's MPLA party looks set to win - are now unlikely before 2007.
While some government critics claim this is a delaying tactic, his government's record is also at issue, as are the challenges of registering voters in a large country with few decent roads or railways. "In order to win the resounding victory they're hoping for, they need to show they've won the peace as well as won the war," says a foreign diplomat.
Angola never held a donors' conference to gather pledges for aid to rebuild infrastructure ruined in the war, which lasted with interruptions from 1975 until 2002. In an interview with the FT last November, José Pedro de Morais, the finance minister, admitted that it was probably now "too late" to hold one.
Angola lacks a financing agreement with the International Monetary Fund, in part because of IMF misgivings about how it accounts for the massive revenues it receives from oil. China has proved a more supportive and less critical partner, providing financing and skills to a country that lost many educated people to post-colonial emigration and war.
For China, Angola's chief attraction is its oil, of which it rivals the US as the largest importer. Sinopec, the state-owned petroleum company, picked up a share in offshore Block 3 last year when Angola declined to renew a concession held by France's Total. While no reason for the non-renewal was given, some analysts linked it to a criminal case in France that has aired corruption allegations against Angolan officials.
A few Angolan commentators have complained about China's reliance on its own experts and imports for its infrastructure projects. "Os chineses", as Angolans call the Chinese bosses, ply the road between Benguela and Lobito in black four-wheel-drive vehicles, and a tanker truck with Chinese characters stands parked at one of the construction camps.
Refurbishing the railway will require replacing its rails and substituting concrete sleepers for the colonial-era wooden ones, along with rebuilding 37 bridges and new stations.
An explosion damaged a gas pipeline in Killi Shadenzai, Quetta, on Sunday suspending gas supply to surrounding areas, reported Geo television. Geo said that an explosive device had caused the blast. Local officials are investigating the incident.
Azizullah Khan adds: A boy was killed in a landmine explosion near Dera Bugti. At least 11 soldiers were injured in rocket attacks on a FC checkpoint and landmine explosions in the same district. Also, MPA Mir Balach Mari said that two planes dropped 10 to 12 bombs near Kahan but caused no casualty
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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.
The IDF confirmed Monday evening that a missile fired by the IAF had hit the car of an Islamic Jihad operative in Gaza. Security officials said that the target of the attack was 
The Rachel Corrie Memorial Committee of Victoria Invites you to a memorial pancake breakfast at Denny's Restaurant on Douglas Street near Finlayson, 10 am, Sunday March 12, 2006 to celebrate the life and untimely death of Rachel Corrie, Peace Activist with the International Solidarity Movement. 
The law of diminishing returns has set in on the relationship between the United States and Pakistan. One can already discern incipient signs of American disenchantment with Pakistan in general and President General Pervez Musharraf in particular. These signs became noticeable to the people of Pakistan and even to outside observers during President George W Bush's 24-hour visit to Islamabad.
Palestinian sources reported Monday afternoon that two youths were killed in an explosion that occurred near the al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. The casualties were identified as two brothers, 14-year-old Alam Abu-Saud and 15-year-old Nidal Abu-Saud. The two were apparently handling an explosive device, inside a car or next to it. 
Yemeni forces have recaptured three al Qaeda inmates who were part of a group that tunnelled out of jail in the Arab country last month, a government official said on Monday. "Authorities arrested three of the al Qaeda escapees in Sanaa on Sunday," the official told Reuters. He gave no further detail of their identities.
Truly, reality has come full circle, as Indymedia unwittingly imitates Little Green Footballs: Rachel Corrie Pancake Breakfast. 
Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay says that despite mounting casualties in Afghanistan, Canadians should be standing behind their troops rather than questioning their deployment. 
Russia's top diplomat left for Canada and the United States Sunday on a high-level diplomatic trip that will likely include talks on Iran's nuclear programs, Israeli-Palestinian relations and Russia's G8 presidency. 
ISPR Director General Maj-Gen 
He said some 46 militants were killed in Miramshah and Mirali and security forces lost five personnel in Miramshah and 10 sustained injuries. Answering a question about casualty figures, he said the number of those killed may be higher, as bodies had not been counted by security forces. He said the figures given by him were based on information received from some sources. Asked why had security forces failed to overcome militants in North Waziristan, he said the situation was the same in Wana in 2004, but now it was different.
VENEZUELAN military officers have started classes in unconventional warfare to repel an invasion left-wing President Hugo Chavez warns Washington is planning. Snipers draped in foliage and civilian reservists armed with knives, catapults and handguns crawled out of a hidden tunnel in a mock demonstration as an instructor lectured officers on resistance tactics. Captains joined lieutenants straining behind a cordon to see another soldier camouflaged inside tree perch as he fired a bow and peppered a uniformed dummy target with arrows. "If no one comes, then that's fine, we can continue as the free and sovereign country we are, but we cannot permit that any foreign force tries to invade," instructor Lt. Col. Antonio Benavides said as gunfire cracked from a firing range. "All Venezuelans, the state and civil society, have a joint responsibility to defend the nation," he said over the weekend. 
Bangladesh's second top Islamist militant was captured on Monday after a gunbattle with security forces in a northern district, police said. They said Siddikul Islam Bangla Bhai, chief of the outlawed Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh group, was arrested along with his wife at his hideout with two of his associates in the district of Mymensingh. His capture comes four days after another top fugitive Islamist, Shayek Abdur Rahman, was detained in the northeastern town of Sylhet.
Algeria will complete the release this week, under an amnesty, of 2,629 Islamists jailed during civil strife that lasted more than a decade, the justice minister was quoted as saying Sunday. The minister, Tayeb Belaiz, told the government-controlled newspaper El Moudjahid that 150 former rebels walked free from prisons across the country, in a first batch of releases on Saturday as part of a drive for national reconciliation. The amnesty, approved by the government on Feb. 21, also gave Islamic guerrillas fighting the authorities six months to surrender and receive a pardon, provided they were not responsible for massacres, rapes and the bombings of public places. 
Mob lynched a robber at a Hathazari village yesterday, about 13 hours after similar incident that left two robbers dead at Lohagara upazia in the district. Around 15 robbers were about to enter one Mohammad Solaiman's house at the Shikarpur village at around 3:00am and the inmates, sensing their presence, began to shout for help. The locals soon hemmed in the house to catch one of the robbers. The unknown robber died on the spot in Mob beating. The other members of the gang managed to flee. Police recovered the body at around 5:00am.
Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) was raiding different areas of Sylhet city till 1:30am for Sylhet divisional head of the banned Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). After a tip off, six teams of Rab-9 have cordoned off Tero Ratan and Block F of Shahjalal on the outskirts of the city late last night. 
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad urged Hamas, which now holds a majority in Palestinian parliament, not to recognise Israel unless Palestinians' rights are restored, state media said on Sunday. "Recognising Israel is linked to the restitution of Palestinians' rights," Assad was quoting as saying by the SANA news agency during a speech Saturday to the fourth session of the general conference of Arab parties. "There should not be recognition of Israel for free, as if it were a gift for Israel, so that the West is satisfied with us," Assad said in the speech, which he gave at the university of Damascus. "Why are they asking for Hamas to recognise Israel, given that the Palestinian Authority has already recognised the state? That means there are other goals."
Army helicopters pounded mountains near the Afghan border on Sunday and troops exchanged gunfire with militants, a day after more than 50 people were killed in clashes with pro-Taliban fighters. The fighting erupted on Saturday in 
A man identifying himself as 
Built themselves a little problem with their Great Gaming, haven't they? 
Thousands of Muslims rallied in front of the tightly guarded US Embassy in Indonesia on Sunday, demanding American troops leave Iraq and Afghanistan and calling President Bush a terrorist. The protesters, many of whom were from the hardline group Hizbut Tarir, were kept well away from the mission, which is ringed by two concrete walls and barbed wire. Some 2,000 police stood watch and two water cannons stood by, but the rally ended without incident. "Out of Iraq," the protesters chanted, gathering for hours under the blazing sun. "Bush is a terrorist."
Militants from Nigeria's southern delta have threatened to cut oil exports by another 1m barrels a day this month. The hardliners, who have taken a Briton hostage along with two Americans, say they aim to squeeze exports to press home their campaign for more local control of the delta's oil wealth. 
More than a dozen agents of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation examined on Sunday the site of a suicide car bombing that killed a US diplomat in Karachi last week, a local official said. Pakistani investigators suspect that Islamic militant group 
Palestinian militants Sunday took over the Ministry of Education building in the city of Deir El-Balah. The gunmen, who are followers of 
Islamic group Hamas admitted on Sunday that it had to change its manners after winning the Palestinian elections but showed no sign of compromise with Israel as it wrapped up a landmark trip to Russia. The comments came as Hamas leader 
Abdur Rahman had his arms training and mastered the art of bomb-making while fighting against the former Soviet Union forces in Afghanistan and himself trained up the top-level leaders of outlawed Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).
At least 15,000 people demanding Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's resignation kicked off a protest on Sunday which they say will not end until he steps down, as police warned of possible violence during the night. 
Two of the four bank chequebooks found in JMB chief 
French President Jacques Chirac said on Sunday the West would still reach out to Iran for a deal on its disputed nuclear file, in the first address to the Saudi consultative council by a foreign leader. In Iran, the voice of reason that France, the United Kingdom and Germany wanted to be heard on the nuclear file has not been heard, for the time being, Chirac told the non-elected advisory council. But despite the failure of negotiations between Tehran and the European Union, the hand remains stretched out, and Iran can, at any moment, take it back by restoring its commitment to suspension of sensitive (nuclear) work. Chirac said Iran had been assured that it can develop its nuclear capacity for civilian purposes.
Javed said the American presidents visit would bring strategic changes to the region and India would play the leading role instead of Pakistan under the prevailing circumstances.
BAGHDAD - Three men guarding a Sunni mosque in Baghdad were shot dead overnight when gunmen, dressed in police commando uniforms, attacked the building, an interior ministry official said on Sunday. Six other guards were wounded in an exchange of gunfire that went on for an hour in the Jihad neighbourhood of west Baghdad, the official added. There was no damage to the mosque.
Lebanon's national dialogue will resume in its fourth day Monday, with the issue of Palestinian weapons as the first item on the agenda and an agreement expected. Syrian President Bashar Assad welcomed the talks as a "positive" step. On Saturday, Assad, speaking during a speech to the fourth session of the general conference of Arab parties in Damascus, had said: "The national dialogue, which is happening in Lebanon today, is a positive and reasonable step."
Syria pledged on Sunday to fully cooperate with a UN investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister 
The US ambassador to the United Nations, 
TOKYO - Nearly two-thirds of Japanese back revising the countrys pacifist constitution - which would include creating an official role for the armed forces - according to a newspaper poll released on Sunday. The Mainichi newspaper said 65 percent of respondents agreed that the constitution should be changed, with 27 percent opposed.
US President George W Bushs visit to Pakistan has exposed the Musharraf regimes flawed foreign policy that has left Pakistan alone in the comity of nations, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior vice president Syed Zafar Ali Shah said. The US President Bushs visit which began from an unannounced visit to Afghanistan will leave negative impact on the future political scenario in South Asia in particular and on the world in general, Zafar said in a news release on Sunday. 
A Guantanamo Bay prisoner has said that Pakistani officials were paid bounties of as much as $10,000 to turn over terror suspects in Afghanistan to the Americans. 
Army personnel yesterday arrested six people after a half-an-hour gunfight with a gang of armed criminals in Kala Pahar area of Mahalchhari in the district. After the shootout the troops seized one AK47 rifle, a sawed-off rifle, a magazine of AK47 rifle with five bullets and some subscription books. The arrestees are Banshi Chakma, 32, Pritijiban Chakma, 35, Kamalpanjam Chakma, 45, Sushilkanti Banamali, 48, Kala Marma, 35, and Aongka Marma, 20. Army sources claimed that the arrestees belong to United People's Democratic Front (UPDF), an anti-peace treaty group active in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
Democratic Renewal Party leader Nassib Lahoud signed the national petition Sunday that was initiated by the March 14 Forces as a campaign to oust President Emile Lahoud. Lahoud signed the public petition in the presence of the representatives of the various parties making up the anti-Syrian March 14 Forces. The March 14 Forces are hoping to secure more than one million signatures for the petition, now one week old. Lahoud said changing the president is "fundamental for salvaging the country."
Suspected militants on Sunday killed two soldiers in an ambush and injured 24 civilians and seven policemen in two grenade attacks in Jammua and Kashmir, said police. The first grenade attack occurred in Pulwama. Militants hurled a grenade at a police patrol party, causing splinter injuries to 24 civilians and two policemen, said a police spokesman. Five policemen were injured in a second grenade attack in Srinagar, police said. 
The United States must rebuild the power of the United Nations and help "end the empire of oil" if it wants to win the "war on terror," U.S. Sen. John Kerry said Sunday. The Massachusetts Democrat avoided explicit criticisms of the Bush administration during a wide-ranging speech on the global dynamics of terror. But he said Bush's policy of imposing democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan risked looking like a crusade. "If it is seen as the result of an army marching through Muslim lands, it will fail," Kerry told an audience at the University of Ulster campus in Londonderry, the second-largest city in Northern Ireland.
Sunni Arab and Kurdish politicians increased pressure Sunday on Shiite Prime Minister 
Around 50,000 people protested against cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad (
