#2
Thank God they were designed with the RANGE to get from Afghanistan to the US. No other nation has the capacity for such long-range transportation.
I'm surprised the train traffic from Rome to Munich isn't heavier. The major airline terminals that are open are all in the southern part of the continent. Train traffic runs all the time, and isn't hampered by volcanic dust.
There was an article on WUWT, I think, that said the last time this particular volcano spewed smoke and ash, it lasted for more than 10 years and caused a "little ice age". I think there needs to be some LONG RANGE planning going on, in all parts of the world.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/17/2010 18:30 Comments ||
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#3
I would NOT want to be stranded in Munich or at Ramstein AFB right about now. It must be a zoo.
#4
on KFI yesterday I heard that Paris airports were closed and passengers were urged to use trains. Unfortunately no trains were unbooked until the 22nd - and none were to North America, as I recall...
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/17/2010 18:51 Comments ||
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#5
and none were to North America, as I recall...
There you go again Frank, giving Obama another gov't project idea to tax us with.
[Bangla Daily Star] Jamaat-e-Islami's stance on the Liberation War of Bangladesh was different since it sincerely tried to keep Pakistan united, which was impractical, party chief Motiur Rahman Nizami said yesterday.
"Jamaat wanted to resolve the crisis at that time by keeping Pakistan united and we didn't try to conceal our role in 1971," Nizami said while addressing a conference of party's district chiefs at city's Al-Falah auditorium.
There might be opposing views about our stance on the Liberation War but no Jamaat leaders were involved in war crimes back then in 1971," Nizami said.
Terming the International War Crimes Tribunal Act-1973 a black law, the Jamaat boss said the government's move to try war criminals is aimed at eliminating Jamaat from the domain of politics.
No allegation of war crimes against a single Jamaat man could be found during the tenure of late Sheikh Mujibur Rahman when the general amnesty for war criminals, excluding four crimes -- murder, rape, arson and looting -- was declared.
"The government is now trying to prove Jamaat's involvement in war crimes ... the whole world will not be able to prove it," asserted the Jamaat boss.
"The trials under the International War Crimes Tribunal Act will be a great blunder. Not a single case has been tried so far under the act," he added.
Why didn't Awami League try Jamaat men during their previous tenures, if they were involved in war crimes? he questioned.
The Jamaat chief came down heavily on the government for power, gas and water crises, price hike of essentials and slide in the law and order.
Jamaat general secretary Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed and senior assistant secretary general Muhamaad Kamaruzzaman, among others, were present at the conference.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/17/2010 00:00 ||
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[Kyodo: Korea] North Korea has launched a five-year, $120 billion infrastructure-building project in eight cities as part of a 10-year plan to rebuild the economy, a manager of a state-run investment group said Friday. Pak Chol Su, chairman of the Korea Taepung International Investment Group, expressed hope companies from Japan, South Korea and other neighboring countries will invest in the development plan that began this year.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/17/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Bwahaha! Who in their right mind would give them $120B?
SEOUL, April 16 (Yonhap) -- An "external explosion" is likely to have caused a South Korean naval ship to sink near the sea border with North Korea, a chief investigator said Friday after experts examined the ship's wreckage retrieved a day earlier.
"Rather than an internal explosion, the possibility of an external explosion is very high," said Yoon Duk-yong, co-head of the state investigation team looking into the March 26 sinking of the 1,200-ton patrol ship Cheonan. "But for a final conclusion, it is necessary to make a detailed analysis while leaving all possibilities open."
The assessment appears to bolster suspicions of a torpedo or sea mine explosion and North Korea's possible involvement in the disaster, considered the worst in South Korea's naval history with dozens of deaths.
Defense Minister Kim Tae-young said South Korea sees the sinking as "a grave national security issue."
"As soon as the investigation result comes out, we will make it public without leaving a dot of suspicion and work out the next step in a clear and stern manner," he said in an address to the nation.
Yoon, a renowned scientist named to lead the investigation along with a military general, said that other possibilities, such as an internal blast, a collision with a reef or "metal fatigue" in the ship, are low.
"A strong force was applied to the left side of the ship, leaving the hull and iron sheets curved inward," Yoon, the chief investigator, told reporters. "This kind of destruction is caused by an external explosion. That's the judgment from experts."
Yoon said experts are also looking into the possibility of a blast occurring near the hull. He was apparently referring to what is known as the "bubble jet effect," a powerful water pillar created when a torpedo or sea mine blows up under the water near a ship without striking it. Such a pillar, created due to the difference in pressure, is so powerful that it can tear a ship apart, experts say.
Yoon said the possibility of an internal explosion is "very low," saying the ship's ammunition room, its fuel tank and the diesel engine room were not damaged. Also, there were no signs of a fire in the ship's gas turbine room, and the covering of electric wires was fine, he said.
The possibility of a collision with a reef is also low because there are no undersea obstacles in the area, and the ship's bottom has no signs of being ripped off, Yoon said. The ship's severed side is also severely deformed, suggesting that the breaking was not because of metal fatigue, he said.
Yoon said a final conclusion may not come early as evidence gathering could take some time.
Carrying the wreckage, a 3,000-ton barge, hauled by two tug boats, began to move at around 10 p.m toward a naval base in Pyeongtaek for investigation. The 240-km transport is expected to take about 26 hours, military officials said. The ship's bow still remains under water, with salvage workers working to tie chains around the wreckage so that a crane can begin to retrieve it.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/17/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
So an "external explosion" did it?
Pyrotechnic barnacles?
Got rammed by suicide dolphins?
#2
Water is made up of hydrogen and oxygen, two elements that combine explosively. And we know reactions speed up under hotter conditions - around 2X for every 10 degrees C, IIRC. This sounds like yet another tragic effect of global warming to me.
SEOUL, April 14 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il on Wednesday carried out the second biggest promotion of generals since he took power, official media reported, as the country geared up to mark the birthday of his late father and North Korea's founder.
Kim issued an order promoting a group of 100 general-grade officers "on the occasion of the Day of the Sun," the birthday of his father, Kim Il-sung, which falls on Thursday, the Korean Central News Agency said in a report monitored in Seoul.
The promotion was the biggest in scale since 1997 when Kim Jong-il raised the ranks of 129 generals in an apparent bid to consolidate his grip on the military after he took over the regime from his father, who died four years earlier.
"The revolutionary armed forces of the DPRK which President Kim Il-sung founded and led along the road of one victory after another have grown to be a matchless revolutionary army," Kim Jong-il was quoted as saying as he promoted the generals. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name.
Gen. U Tong-chuk, a senior official at the North's spy agency and a member of the National Defense Commission, the highest seat of power, stood out as he had already been promoted in April last year.
In an earlier report, the KCNA said Kim visited the Large Combined Unit 567 of the Korean People's Army and praised the capabilities of his military to repel enemies. The servicemembers have "grown not only to be a death-defying corps of human bombs and vanguard fighters of Songun (military-first) revolution ... but to be powerful revolutionary armed forces equipped with modern weapons," Kim was quoted as saying.
The KCNA did not say where and when the 68-year-old North Korean leader watched the live-fire drill, which North Korean radio in a separate report said "instantly shattered enemy lines and turned them into a sea of fire."
North Korea has in recent years launched a series of military and economic campaigns to become a "kangsong taeguk" -- a great, prosperous and powerful nation -- by 2012, the centennial of Kim Il-sung's birthday.
Outside observers widely believe North Korea is engineering yet another hereditary power transfer to Kim Jong-il's third son, Jong-un, believed to be as young as 27. Clear signs of a successor had yet to be found in reports released from Pyongyang on Wednesday, while residents decorated the city with flags, placards and "Kimilsungia" flowers to celebrate the birthday of their late leader.
Foreign embassies in the capital presented Kim Jong-il with congratulatory letters, the KCNA said, while people visited the sites where the ruling family had once resided.
"Pyongyang has turned out in a festive mood," the KCNA said. "The streets of the city are bedecked with national flags, red flags, placards" praising Kim Il-sung.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/17/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
"instantly shattered enemy lines and turned them into a sea of fire."
North Korean authorities are portraying the sinking of the South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan near the de facto maritime border as a self-inflicted disaster, Open Radio for North Korea reported Thursday.
Quoting North Korean sources, the defector radio station said the regime in a recent lecture given to party officials said, "A warship of the puppet South Korean Navy, engaged in an aggressive war exercise along with the United States, was buried in the West Sea." It said this was a "self-inflicted drama" by "hostile forces" bent on proving "the righteousness of their hostile policy" toward North Korea.
It added this was part of a broader plot by the South Korean government to keep the situation on the Korean Peninsula insecure.
North Korea is using the shipwreck as an opportunity to tighten its hold internally, the radio station said. The regime warned party officials to "raise our guard against the enemy's schemes," it added.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/17/2010 00:00 ||
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[2 views]
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#1
Whining, Weaseling, murderous COWARDS.
Shoot at their enemy and too much a coward to admit it.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/17/2010 12:02 Comments ||
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#2
"North Korean authorities are portraying the sinking of the South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan near the de facto maritime border as a self-inflicted disaster."
Well, that settles it, then.
The NorKs obviously did it.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/17/2010 23:28 Comments ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] A Moroccan immigrants' association in Spain Friday condemned a school's decision to bar a 16-year-old girl from class for refusing to take off her Islamic headscarf.
"For the past several weeks Najwa Malha cannot go to class in her school, which is contrary to her right to a basic education guaranteed by the constitution," said the head of the association, Kamal Ramoini.
The head of the school, which is in the Madrid region, said in a statement its internal regulations bar "the use of hats and any other article of clothing that cover the head."
Ramoini, who heads the Association of Moroccan Workers and Immigrants in Spain, said the group had made known its "deep disagreement with this decision."
Malha, who was born in Spain to Moroccan parents, said she alone took the decision to wear the headscarf to school last February "against the advice of her mother," Spanish media said.
It said the girl's classmates have supported her decision. Since none of them want the local hard boyz on the street to beat the crap out of them on the way to school ...
They wouldn't be beaten. They'd be raped.
But regional authorities have backed the school, insisting that the regulations "must be enforced" while acknowledging that proposals to modify them were "being studied."
The issue is a relatively new one for Spain which has seen the number of immigrants living within its borders soar from around half a million in 1996 to 5.6 million last year, out of a total population of 46 million people.
Moroccans make up one of the largest foreign communities.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/17/2010 00:00 ||
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[5 views]
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#1
What's happening here is a clear demonstration of the power of self-slavery.
All the girlfriends who encouraged her need to be Barred as well, they got her into this mess, and are quietly triumphant in their anonymity.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/17/2010 12:08 Comments ||
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#2
It said the girl's classmates have supported her decision.
"Mom, if I convert to Islam can I stay home from school, too?"
#2
As I long ago predicted, the left is now attacking Blackwater to punish them for supporting "Bush's War".
And I suspect the left will keep on attacking them until they are either destroyed, or take my advice and move their operations, if not their administrative HQ, offshore.
#4
Anybody besides me wath "Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow"?
Essentialy they were Blackwater, their own private air force, hidden base and all.
Set in 1940 but otherwise the same as Blackwater.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/17/2010 12:16 Comments ||
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#5
I guess the current administration doesn't mind the images of the four Blackwater security employees murdered, burned and hung up on a bridge. Time to put Blackwater (Xe) behind us and quit scapegoating them for political purposes.
#6
I don't see why we should put them behind us. They where hired too do a job too which they did and alot died doing it. Seems too me that the obama admin. is scared of any white ppl having guns or their own little militias while other groups are not bothered
Posted by: chris ||
04/17/2010 14:08 Comments ||
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#7
Seems too me that the obama admin. is scared of any white ppl having guns or their own little militias while other groups are not bothered
[The News (Pak) Top Stories] The report of the UN fact-finding commission says the then Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO), Saud Aziz, had ordered to hose down the scene of Benazir Bhutto's assassination at the Liaquat Bagh on the order of the chief of the Military Intelligence of the time, Major General Nadeem Ijaz, who was not only a relative of Pervez Musharraf but also a known crony of the former dictator.
The report lays a lot of blame on Saud Aziz on different counts, especially washing of the crime scene and lack of autopsy. He was posted as the CPO Multan immediately after the present government came to power.
The commission attached a great significance to the washing of the crime scene to eliminate the evidence that could have proved tremendously useful in investigations into the assassination.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
04/17/2010 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] A UN report on the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is a ''pack of lies'' that wrongly implicates ex-President Pervez Musharraf and Pakistan's security forces for not stopping her killing, an aide to Musharraf said Friday.
The three-member UN panel said her death could have been avoided if Musharraf's government and various security agencies had taken adequate measures. It also found that the probe into her death was deliberately hampered by intelligence agencies and other officials.
But Rashid Qureshi, a Musharraf aide, insisted that the UN report was based on rumors and that Musharraf was in no way responsible.
''This chief UN investigator was not the relative of Sherlock Homes,'' Qureshi said, noting that Musharraf himself had been the target of suicide attackers.
The head of the country's most powerful spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence, warned Bhutto not to attend the rally because of looming threats of an attack, Qureshi said.
''But Benazir Bhutto and her chief security officer Rehman Malik decided to go ahead with their planned election rally,'' Qureshi said. ''It was Benazir Bhutto who exposed herself to the attacker.''
Posted by: Fred ||
04/17/2010 00:00 ||
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[3 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[Iran Press TV Latest] After a scornful UN report held Pakistan's former regime responsible for Benazir Bhutto's assassination, the government calls for revival of investigations.
The United Nations inquiry, led by Chile's UN Ambassador Heraldo Munoz, disclosed in its report on Thursday that Pakistan's spy agencies had "severely hampered" the initial probe.
Commenting on the report, Pakistan's presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said, "The government of the day was responsible first for the criminal neglect in providing security to former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, and second by hushing up available evidence to cover up the crime."
"Persons named in the report for negligence or complicity in the conspiracy will be investigated, and cases will be brought against them," he said.
When the new investigation begins, the fragile civilian government of Pakistani President Asif Zardari, Bhutto's widower who took over her Pakistan People's Party after her death and led it to victory in a February 2008 election, is almost certainly to clash with the country's powerful military and with the Inter-Services Intelligence directorate, or ISI.
Aides to former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, who led the country from 1999 to 2008, angrily rejected the UN report.
Bhutto was killed on December 27, 2007, as she left a political rally in Rawalpindi after a man in the crowd first shot at her and then blew himself up next to her vehicle.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/17/2010 00:00 ||
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Life was good before I went to Iraq. But after three friends were killed during the GWOT, and my growing mistrust for the media and for the US Government/Military, I quit traveling the world and went to war. The United States was in peril. I am American. Today, I do not trust McChrystal anymore than some people tru...st the New York Times, Obama or Bush. If McChrystal could be trusted, I would go back to my better life. McChrystal is a great killer but this war is above his head. He must be watched.
Yesterday (see the Fort Hood story), the bestest, onlyest SecDef who ever "really got it," turned out to be another ass coverer.
Today, the guy who was "going to fix everything" that was wrong with the US approach in Afghanistan, is reported to be "in over his head."
Today, the onlyest, reallest "reporter" in the ME war zones turns out to look like John Kerry's weathervane.
The difference a day makes...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/17/2010 15:16 Comments ||
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#2
Today, the onlyest, reallest "reporter" in the ME war zones turns out to look like John Kerry's weathervane.
Seemed uncharacteristic to me as well...maybe we should invoke the 48-Hour Rule on this one & see if the Context Fairy leaves anything under the pillow.
Posted by: RIcky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
04/17/2010 15:22 Comments ||
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#3
Further down in Yon's Facebook page: Our boys (U S Army) aren't revolutionary in urban warfare. WIth Stanley Mc Chrystal's plan of fewer civilian casualties there has been a quantum leap in US dead. Expect more of that in the population centers just like Iraq. Some people have no sense of history.
Posted by: ed ||
04/17/2010 16:35 Comments ||
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On Saturday, 10 April, a message came from military that this embed has ended. No reason was offered. The troops here have no idea why. On Sunday a reason was given: overcrowding by journalists. Havenât seen a journalist in weeks.
I had gone to great expense to be here with 5/2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team and promised to stay with them until they leave Afghanistan. Then suddenly a nameless feature decided to pull the plug. The decision likely came from General officer level. It is a bad sign indicating that they think they are losing the war and donât want anyone there to see it. Saw this in Iraq.
It has been said that between Iraq and Afghanistan Iâve spent more time embedded with combat units than anyone in U.S. history. I do not know if this is true but it sounds good. Itâs been a long journey and fortune favored my every step. Many people have been killed or maimed and I am walking out without a scratch. I will continue to cover the war but will not give the military another chance to pull the plug. I will cover the war from outside the wire where itâs far safer. Many people erroneously think that embedding is the safest way to cover the wars. This is untrue. Journalists who are afraid or reluctant to endure long periods of stress and combat will brag that going alone somehow seizes the high ground of truth. There is no truth in this. In many cases the journalists are missing crucial information because they fear the combat and the difficult living. The infantry company on this mission has lost twelve comrades KIA during this tour, with others wounded for life.
Itâs just as easy to accurately sense the direction of the war winds alone as with troops. The military media machine is playing games during a time of war.
My thoughts will always be with the combat soldiers. My body will be elsewhere.
#5
As in previous wars over the past 40+ years, General McChrstal must contend with not one but two enemies. The enemy in the field and the enemy in Washington. Yon's comments are ground truth and a reflection of what Marines and soldiers at the pointy end of the spear are saying and feeling.
Facebook, the new source of all truth. Gawd save us all. Oh, no, the twits on twiter will...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/17/2010 16:53 Comments ||
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#7
It shows a glimpse into Yon's evolving thought process of McChrystal. Take it for what it's worth, or not.
Posted by: ed ||
04/17/2010 17:04 Comments ||
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#8
Not saying your take on his take is wrong, Ed, just saying I've never been in thrall of the guy's POV and am certainly not in thrall of social networking outlets...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/17/2010 17:12 Comments ||
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#9
Yon has had a negative evaluation of the Afghan situation for a long time. Even pre McChrystal. That he does not think McChrystal is the leader to turn it around is not surprising. Even if Yon thought McChrystal was Petraeus's and Catherine the Great's love child, McChrystal still takes orders from above.
Posted by: ed ||
04/17/2010 17:27 Comments ||
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#10
Agreed, Ed, there may be no Alex the Great redux for the US in Afghan, but yon's take isn't uniquely valuable...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/17/2010 17:29 Comments ||
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#11
As far as "tip of the spear" goes, two words: Being There
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/17/2010 17:31 Comments ||
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#12
Being There
Yes, but this surge has an 18 month expiration. I don't thank that's lost on the folks in SW Asia. The thing I don't understand is that with 60 percent of the Afghan population anti-Pastun and 80+% anti-taliban, why are western soldiers taking the lead in fighting instead of providing the means of conquering the enemy?
Posted by: ed ||
04/17/2010 17:40 Comments ||
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#13
but yon's take isn't uniquely valuable
It a data point in a very complex geopolitical battlefront. But he has some credibility from his previous predictions w.r.t. Iraq and Afghanistan.
Posted by: ed ||
04/17/2010 17:43 Comments ||
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#14
why are western soldiers taking the lead in fighting
Same reason people who actually *work* and *earn money* are expected by the obama regime to do all the *heavy lifting* here at home. Afghan peasant type *folks* are the protypical obama voter...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/17/2010 17:46 Comments ||
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#15
I've never been keen on yon. Some people will decide that makes me a bad person. No more or less a bad person than those who ate up the anti-US propaganda that cnn and other outlets spewed...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/17/2010 17:50 Comments ||
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#16
Never been exceptionally keen on Yon either. Even less keen on Fox's left leaning Jeraldildo.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/17/2010 17:55 Comments ||
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#18
I've never been keen on yon
reeeeeally? I choose to not make any decisions about you as I've always found your comments reasonable, but I donated several times to his funding, and found his reporting always respectful of the units he was embedded with, and critical of Mil Mgmt when inevitable logistic and force support was slack
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/17/2010 17:56 Comments ||
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#19
makes me a bad person
You're not bad, you're just drawn that way.
Yon is a (sort of) independent info source available to the public. He's shown previous credibility but is not a prophet. No one is, and no one should form conclusions about something as big and complicated as Afghanistan based on one man's Facebook blurb.
Posted by: ed ||
04/17/2010 17:57 Comments ||
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#20
Frank's got it. Yon's a good writer and great photographer. Gates of Fire was perhaps my favorite stories out of Iraq.
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/17/2010 18:03 Comments ||
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#21
found his reporting always respectful of the units he was embedded with
Help the person, hurt the cause. I have no proof that's the case, but at times, that's my fear.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/17/2010 18:03 Comments ||
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#22
While there is, in my opinion, room for improvement in his work, Yon is better than most any reporter that has reported on either Iraq or Astan. That's why his disembed is a damn shame.
FWIW, it's not just Yon. There's many people on the ground in Astan that have tremendous respect for McChrystal, but don't feel he's the right man for the job.
I won't be surprised if McChrystal proves to not be the savior of the war in Afghanistan. I couldn't fault him for that though: I feel even the 'perfect' man for the job wouldn't be allowed to win it. As a result, I think that realistically McChrystals (and Americas) best option here is to keep Astan from getting out of hand until we get someone in office whom will allow military success. If he does that, he's a hero in my book.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
04/17/2010 18:10 Comments ||
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#23
The "perfect" man for the job would understand how to lethally irridiate wide areas without being blamed for ordering it..
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/17/2010 18:15 Comments ||
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#24
Sorry, peasants, irradiate...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/17/2010 18:19 Comments ||
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#25
McChrystal has a shi* sandwich on his hands. Personal shots (I do not trust McChrystal...) at him from the media do nothing for troop morale. When mission and event reporting start taking back state to personal emotions and conjecture.....it's time to ruck-up and unass the AO. McChrystal can only go as far as Obama and the Pentagon let him. The curtailment of the highly successful SOF night operations is but one example of the political realities McChrystal faces.
#27
Re: comment 25: True. If you're not killing them, you're kissing them...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/17/2010 18:28 Comments ||
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#28
if McChrystal has political realities that curtail his job, and get our young people killed unnecessarily, the proper thing to do is retire and put that on your exit interview(s). It would stop this shit. To allow it to continue is unconscionable
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/17/2010 18:47 Comments ||
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#29
McChrystal is not a magician. He is not going to be able to change the fact that the Afghans are about 300 years behind the rest of the world. He is not going to be able to change the fact that Afghanistan is about as hard a place to supply as anywhere on the planet. He is not going to be able to change the fact that all resupply has to go through enemy or quasi-enemy territory.
The Afghan war is a no-win in anything less than 10-15 years. Our country can't afford that commitment either in blood or treasure. I respect Yon's opinion, but in this case, I don't think it matters much. The best thing we can do is get out as quickly as possible and let those who remain know that we will turn the craphole into an ashtray should trouble come our way from there.
#31
I should be clearer, I guess - have absolutely no doubt the increased commitment of US troops led to a decrease in both "civilian" deaths and actual insurgent last breathes...We are good at what we are trained to do. My concern is only with the ROE mods as noted here. I fear that the General doesn't do enough "reality-based" pushback. I'm not party to the innerworks, so I'm pulling that out of my ass judgement based on ROE info. "Civilian" harm has overridden real warzone ROE
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/17/2010 20:47 Comments ||
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#32
The bottom line is that there is no way, no how, we can win in Afghanistan. A few hundred thousand troops cannot hold land, make alliances, or even build up the Afghan army enough to last.
And the last I checked Factbook, Pakistan is damn close to 175m people!
About the only thing we could hope for would be for the Pakis to invade and annex southern Afghanistan, and the Pushtun. This would leave the mostly settled northern Afghanistan to go its own way.
#33
The bottom line is that there is no way, no how, we can win in Afghanistan.
There's a difference between not 'winning' and losing. Losing only puts you back in the position of pre-9/11 awaiting the next 'ah $hit' moment. For Afghanistan and its history the need is to move the area to a point where it is no longer a threat as it was 9/11. It's the old story, you don't have to be faster than the bear, only faster than someone else in the group. What has to be done is to reduce the power and influence, effectiveness, of the Taliban and AQ - to the point that they become vulnerable to other parties in the region. They then become the slow mover. There are multiple parties in play and given the opportunity, those parties could emerge to keep the boys occupied and worried about their basic survival. Now that may meet the traditional definition of 'victory', but it works for our interests. Just remember, things are not going 'rosy' for the other side either. They too have problems and fears.
#34
Yon has been right, sooner, in the past. So in general, I do generally trust his reporting even if his ego is getting big at times.
I've been out of the loop long enough now to where my opinion is based on stale info regarding the brass, so I'll refrain form comment on McChrystal.
That said, I disagree with a lot of the ROE limitations. "Strong Horse" still runs in the culture over there.
The worst part of it, is that unlike the Iraq surge, this one came with a deadline, which means the bad guys know exactly how long they need to wait -- and the locals know that too. Its a strategic set-up for failure.
The Palestinian Authority on Saturday called on Israel to investigate the death of a Palestinian prisoner in a jail in southern Israel. Issa Qaraqi, minister of prisoner affairs in the Western-backed government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said 27 year-old Raed Abu Hammad died on Friday in solitary confinement.
An Israel Prison Service spokesman said Hammad, who was about half-way through a ten year sentence for attempted murder, was found dead on the floor of his cell. Hammad was suffering from medical conditions and the Prison Service was checking the cause of his death, the spokesman said.
"We are demanding an investigation and to perform an autopsy to find out why he died," Qaraqi said. "Israel is fully responsible for the death of the prisoner because he was sick and Israel and the doctors in the prison authority knew that."
[Ma'an] Marking Prisoners Day, large rallies were organized by Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Jabaliya and Khan Younis areas of the Gaza Strip on Friday, where officials called for the capture of Israeli soldiers to exchange for the freedom of Palestinians.
All hail the heroes of Palestine.
Hamas representative in the northern Gaza governorate Abed Al-Latif Al-Qanu told protesters that the "release of Palestinian prisoners will not be achieved until we have more soldiers" to bargain with.
Islamic Jihad leader Mohammad Al-Hindi told the assembled group that Prisoners Day should be a day of silence across the Arab world, and taken as an opportunity for Palestinian factions to unify out of respect for those being held in Israeli jails.
They'll shut up for an entire day? Brilliant idea!
Posted by: Fred ||
04/17/2010 00:00 ||
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[Ma'an] A small militant brigade aligned with the Fatah movement announced its committment to continued resistance in a statement made public on Friday.
The group, known as the Sami Al-Ghoul Brigades,
The snark just writes itself when Palestinians are involved.
last claimed an attack on Israel one year ago, on Friday 17 April 2009. In a statement released at the time, which was reiterated almost word for word in the Friday statement, said the group was committed to resistance activities and called on all military wings of Palestinian factions to declare a state of high alert and be ready to defend the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem from colonizing settlers.
The latest statement, rather than rallying calls around the Al-Aqsa Mosque, called on all resistance brigades to stay committed to resistance and stay faithful to martyrs and detainees.
The statement also noted that they remain loyal to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and the caretaker Palestinian leadership.
The announcement comes amid efforts by the Gaza-based de facto government to limit projectile launches toward Israeli targets and the planting of improvised explosive devices along the Gaza no-go zone enforced by Israel, and used for regular patrols of the area.
In announcing a continued committment to resistance, the group appear to have refused the Hamas government program of quelling violent attacks in the short term.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/17/2010 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] Israel has received a humiliating rebuff over its recent remarks about Hezbollah arms after a senior official said the movement's weaponry are not Tel Aviv's business. Hezbollah-affiliated government minister Hussein Hajj Hassan said Friday that the movement is always arming and preparing itself against foreign threats, but "what we have is not their (Israel's) business," Lebanon's al-Manar TV reported. I'm kinda vague on the concept of why a statement that's stoopid on its face should be considered a "humiliating rebuff" to the Hated Zionists.
He said Israel possesses all kinds of weapons so Lebanon will acquire every means to defend itself against Tel Aviv's attacks.
Israel's President Shimon Peres had earlier claimed that Syria provided Hezbollah with Scud missiles capable of reaching targets anywhere in Israel.
Damascus however denied the allegations "which are an attempt by Israel to raise tensions in the region," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
"Israel is seeking to create a climate that will pave the way for an eventual Israeli attack to avoid responding to the demands of a just and comprehensive peace," it added.
Tensions mounted between Israel and Lebanon after the regime's forces crossed into the Lebanese border town of Abbassiyeh last week.
Israeli troops, however; withdraw from the town after Lebanon issued a warning to them.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/17/2010 00:00 ||
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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stresses the importance of working toward worldwide nuclear disarmament, calling for global determination to reach the goal.
"The world today is in dire need of real efforts to establish peace, counter threats and implement disarmament," Ahmadinejad said in a Thursday meeting with Foreign Minister of Swaziland Lutfo Dlamini.
He said that Iran and African countries have common understanding of international developments, adding, "Expansion of regional and international cooperation between Iran and Swaziland will be constructive in promoting peace in the world."
The Iranian president pointed to an international conference on nuclear disarmament, scheduled to open in Tehran on Saturday, and expressed hope the confab will open a good chapter in making national determination of countries to dismantle nuclear arms.
Tehran will host a two-day conference dubbed "Nuclear energy for all, Nuclear weapons for none" on April 17th and 18th.
Officials from more than 60 countries as well as representatives from various international and non-governmental entities will be present at the conference.
As a longstanding signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Tehran has repeatedly opposed nuclear weapons and has called for worldwide nuclear disarmament by all states.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/17/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
TOPIX > IRAN IS TURKEY'S GATEWAY TO CENTRAL ASIA.
Artic > Iran is Turkey's #2 supplier of Natural gas - Turkey does not desire to become wholly dependent on Russia gas.
* NEWS KERALA > [US NIE]INTELLIGENCE ESTIMATE WARNS OF TERROR, NUCLEAR SLEEPER CELLS INSIDE THE US. They, espec NUCTERROR SLEEPER CELLS, may already be HEEEERRRREEEEE.
* WAFF > EXCLUSIVE:OBAMA TURNS BLIND EYE TO MUSLIM FOREIGN MILITANTS IN PA | AL QAEDA HAD A LITTLE SUCCESS IN PA, NOW THEY'VE SET UP AND HAVE A BASE THERE.
#2
Of course I had my fingers crossed when I said that but that is O.K. because we have this thing called al-taqiyya. O.K. everyone disarm now except us.
#8
now that we are putting conventional warheads on ICBMs, maybe we can load some satire or sarcasm along with targeted bunker busters and really make them laugh......
#11
Islamic terrorism will be with us and growing no matter how (suddenly) funny Saturday Night Live becomes. Conquest of the kufr is islam's core principle.
Posted by: ed ||
04/17/2010 20:27 Comments ||
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#12
Conquest of the kufr is islam's core principle.
Gee, thank you for the lesson, Professor ed. Kinda takes away part of my regret of not having gone to the Naval War College.
I don't recall reading anywhere where satire and derisive humor were to be the sole weapons. And the target isn't necessarily just the SNL audience.
Part of winning a war is to look at everything as a potential weapon against your enemy. Everything.
BTW, is that a nuke in your pocket, or you just happy to see me?
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.
