Three Italian aid workers accused of involvement of a plot to kill the governor of an Afghan province have been freed after an investigation concluded they were "not guilty". They were handed over to Italian authorities in Afghanistan on Sunday and were said to be in good condition.
The release came after an investigation by Afghanistan's intelligence agency concluded that the three men, who were working as doctors, had no part in a Taliban plot to assassinate Gulab Mangal, the governor of Helmand. The men were detained after suicide vests, home-made bombs, guns and ammunition were apparently found in a storeroom at the hospital run by the Italian medical charity Emergency.
"Emergency is not involved in this episode. We have 1,000 workers [in Afghanistan] and I would like to know who is responsible for this plot," Garatti said after his release. "It is possible the weapons could get in the hospital without our knowledge, we are not there 24 hours."
The arrest of the aid workers had caused a public outcry in Italy. Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, sent a letter to Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, and dispatched a special envoy to seek the men's release. On Saturday, thousands took to the streets in central Rome to demand that charges against the doctors were dropped.
All but one of the men's six Afghan colleagues who were arrested in the incident had also been released on Sunday, Afghan officials said.
The US commander in Afghanistan said Friday that the military is wasting money by employing too many private contractors to do jobs better done by soldiers or local Afghans.
"We have created in ourselves a dependency on contractors that is greater than it ought to be," General Stanley McChrystal told an audience of French officers and military experts at France's defence university in Paris. "I think we've gone too far. I think that the use of contractors was done with good intentions so that we could limit the number of military. I think in some cases we thought it would save money. I think it doesn't save money."
The US operation in Afghanistan employs more civilian contractors than soldiers, carrying out jobs ranging from catering and logistics to — more controversially — armed escort duties and intelligence gathering. According to a US Congressional report, citing figures from US Central Command, in September last year there were 104,100 Department of Defense contractors assigned to Afghanistan compared to only 63,950 troops.
McChrystal said the numbers were too high and that more could be done to draw in Afghans and give them a bigger stake in the operation.
"I think it would be better to reduce the number of contractors involved, increase the number of military if necessary and, where we have contractors, in many cases, I believe we should stop using foreign contractors and use a greater number of Afghan contractors," he said.
Last month, McChrystal reduced the number of civilians in military camps in at least one area, ordering the closure of western style burger joints and pizza parlours on US bases in Afghanistan.
#1
Ironically, were the US to adopt the practice of hiring *more* contractors, with guns, it would take a lot of the pressure off NATO forces. In short, recruit tens of thousands of mercenaries to do things like occupy captured land after NATO pulls out, preventing the bad guys from rolling back on in.
It is a proven tactic. It is much harder to take ground than it is to keep it. So NATO takes the ground, and the mercs hang on to it until the Afghan government can occupy it and establish control.
Radio stations in the capital of this near-anarchical country, still scrambling to comply with an Islamist ultimatum to stop playing music, were jerked in the other direction on Sunday when the government said that all broadcasters who had heeded that ultimatum faced closing.
The competing warnings to the radio stations, a broader reflection of the prolonged struggle over who is in charge in Somalia, clearly touched a nerve of exasperation among the handful of independent journalists who have continued to work here despite many years of violence and threats. “The order and counterorder are very destructive,' said Abukar Hassan Kadaf, the director of Somaliweyn radio, one of the broadcasters that could be affected. “Each group are issuing orders against us and we are the sole victims.'
Last Tuesday, at least 14 radio stations in Mogadishu halted music broadcasts, heeding a deadline issued 10 days earlier by Hizbul Islam, an insurgent group, which called music un-Islamic. The group warned of “serious consequences' to all who defied compliance. Some broadcasters, forced to ad-lib the soundtracks on programming that had relied on music, resorted to the sounds of gunshots, roaring engines, car horns and animal braying as substitutes, at least while they devised more permanent solutions.
Angry at this new affront to its tenuous authority, the transitional government held a news conference here on Sunday to announce that any stations that had capitulated to the insurgent ultimatum would be punished with shutdowns. Abdikafi Hilowle Osman, the general secretary of the Mogadishu administration of the Transitional Federal Government, told reporters that it considered the compliant broadcasters to “be working with the insurgents.' He did not specify which of the stations would be closed or when.
The warning about music from Islamist insurgents is part of a broader assault on the influence of Western culture and ideology that they hope to purge from the country. Earlier the Shabab, the country's most powerful insurgent group, which already controls some radio stations outside government-held areas, said it was banning BBC and Voice of America programming.
Last week the Shabab banned school bells in a Shabab-controlled town north of Mogadishu, decreeing that the noise was un-Islamic because it sounded like the ringing of church bells. The Shabab also banned the observance of all internationally recognized days like World AIDS Day.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Sudanese polls were "free and fair" considering the context, African Union observers said, a day after observers from the European Union and the Carter Center said they had failed to reach world standards Yeah. I'm slender and svelt, considering my bulk...
"It was not a perfect election... but it was a historic one," said Kunle Adeyemi who headed the AU observer mission in Sudan. "Looking into the fact this is a country that had not had a multi-party election for almost a generation... to say they are free and fair, to the best of our knowledge we have no reason to think the contrary," Adeyemi said. "We have not found evidence of fraud... we saw a vote that was very transparent."
Meanwhile, state media reported that President Omar Hassan al-Bashir scored overwhelming victories in a sample of results from national elections marred by fraud accusations and boycotts.
Bashir won between 70-92 percent of votes cast in presidential ballots in around 35 scattered polling centers, foreign voting posts and one state, said state news agency Suna.
Between April 11-15, Sudanese voters were asked to choose their president, legislative and local representatives in the country's first multi-party polls in more than two decades.
Earlier, observers from the Arab League said the election was an example that other African and Arab countries could follow, despite some deficiencies. "The elections did not meet international standards but they are a big step forward compared to other countries in the region," said Salah Halima who headed a mission of 50 Arab League observers. "They were an achievement despite the deficiencies," he told reporters in Khartoum. "There was no evidence of fraud, but there were deficiencies and mistakes. These mistakes however do not greatly affect the results."
The Carter Center headed by former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, with 70 observers, and 130 EU observers agreed that the vote was below international standards but did pave the way for a democratic transformation in Africa's largest country. "There is a consensus among international observers to say that what happened in Sudan is better than what has taken place in other African countries... We want Sudan to be an example for other African and Arab countries," Halima said. "If the elections did not meet all the international standards, it does not minimize the experience of democratic transformation for Sudan. The Sudanese government has opened up space of democracy and we must make the most of it."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/19/2010 00:00 ||
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Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil supplier, is set to establish a civilian nuclear and renewable energy centre.
The official Saudi press agency said on Saturday that the new centre, the King Abdullah City for Nuclear and Renewable Energy, would be based in Riyadh and would be led by Hashim Abdullah Yamani, a former commerce and trade minister.
The move positions the kingdom, the largest Arab economy, alongside Kuwait, Egypt, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, as Arab states seeking to develop nuclear energy for civilian use.
Are jihadi groups active in all those countries or only most of them?
On Friday, France and Kuwait signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement, and Paris is negotiating a similar agreement with Saudi Arabia. In December, the UAE announced a deal with Korea Energy Company to develop four reactors.
#1
Maybe this is not as bad as it sounds... it could balance out against the Shia/Iran nukes. If we're lucky they'll nuke each other. (who am I kidding, this is soooo bad)
Posted by: yo adrian ||
04/19/2010 18:39 Comments ||
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Caribbean leaders have urged the US to do more to stop the trafficking of drugs to island nations, saying support for a crackdown on cartels in Mexico has forced smugglers to find new routes through the region. The comments came during a regional security conference in Barbados attended by the US defence secretary, Robert Gates.
Gates for his part acknowledged the growing problem and emphasised the need to tighten coordination between anti-drug efforts in Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States. He said the US had set aside $70m to fund law enforcement and social programmes in Caribbean countries in 2011. Such funding had declined under the previous Bush administration.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration estimates that three-quarters of South American cocaine going north passes through Central America, with a much smaller portion moving through the Caribbean. But Gates said Caribbean leaders told him that the situation was getting worse due to the efforts of Plan Merida - the $1.4bn US programme started in 2007 to help Mexico fight the cartels.
#4
He said the US had set aside $70m to fund law enforcement and social programmes in Caribbean countries in 2011. Such funding had declined under the previous Bush administration.
The Bush Admin may have cut social programs and quit going after locals with a dime bag but the targeting of the big-boy financiers and cartels was stepped up. Besides going after FARC, a major ring using AA personnel into Charlotte was prosecuted and the Coast Guard in Puerto Rico got a new high-tech cutter to patrol the region. Just intercepted $5 million worth of cocaine going from the Grenadines to Ft. Lauderdale, with Homeland Security, DEA, and other agencies working together to land more than the two sailing mules caught in the USVI. That said, way too much smuggling through our maritime borders and could just as easily be terrorists or WMD's.
#5
Using the Caribbean is nothing new--the Bush admin was so successful, they started diverting to Central America and Mexico. What is new is using the Caribbean to get cocaine to Africa and using AQ as mules, er, camels across the desert. See Opinion article 'AQ in the Sahara':
"It is not often that the words "cocaine" and "al-Qaida" are plausibly linked. But these two forces are turning the western half of the Sahara - approximately from southern Libya to the Atlantic coast - into a locus of illicit money-making and radical politics. The development, quite a feat for a sparsely populated region, presents a challenge that the rich states to the north cannot afford to ignore."
Since Europe and the two Americas are getting overwhelmed by muslims, ask yourself what are the reason the rags are so eager to leave home...
Two reason, Islam and dope.
In most muslim countries, everything is fucked by both Islam and the dopers.
Loosen up on dope in North America and we will be no different that ragheadistan.
See what the demon-rat doper hippies have done
with the country already! look at the cokeheads
in the White house, Slick Willie and Hussein Melon Head!
SEOUL, April 19 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak pledged Monday to take "resolute" measures against those responsible for the sinking of a South Korean naval ship last month as he consoled the nation over one the country's worst naval disasters.
"As the president, I will ascertain the cause of the Cheonan's sinking to the last detail," he said in his address broadcast live. "I will deal resolutely with the results and make sure such an incident does not recur." Talk is cheap ...
The Cheonan, a 1,200-ton corvette, sank in the Yellow Sea on the night of March 26 while on a routine patrol mission after a mysterious explosion that tore it into two, according to the Navy. Military investigators said the sinking seems to have been caused by an external blast. While not ruling out North Korea's involvement, they said they are looking into other possibilities, including a floating sea mine. Foreign specialists have also joined the investigation.
North Korea's military on Saturday denied any involvement, accusing the South of spreading false rumors for political purposes and to pressure Pyongyang. South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said in a television talk show Sunday that his government may take the case to the U.N. Security Council if the North is found to be responsible. Might as well take it to the international court of justice. Maybe Carla del Ponte will take your case; you'd get a hearing sometime in 2017 ...
In the emotionally-charged address, Lee read aloud the name of each dead sailor. The eight-minute speech was in lieu of his biweekly pre-recorded radio address.
"If (the two Koreas) are reunited and genuine peace and prosperity comes to this land, the people will remember your sacrifice again," Lee said. "Your fatherland, which you loved, will not forget you, ever."
Lee's aides said once the cause is found, the president will again speak on the matter, possibly in the form of a "special address to the people."
"President Lee wanted to deliver his condolence message in person," Lee Dong-kwan, senior secretary for public affairs at the presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, told reporters, in explaining the background to Monday's speech. "It is the expression of his resolve on national security as the commander-in-chief of the military."
The president also promised changes to the military. "I will make our military stronger," he said.
"A strong military is made not only by powerful weapons but also by strong spirit. What we need now is strong spirit above all," he added. "We need to reflect on ourselves now. We have to find out and fully address what it is that we lack, what the problem is."
At the same time, the president appealed to the public for joint efforts to overcome the current ordeal. He has invited ruling and opposition party leaders for talks this week, the first such meeting since April last year when North Korea fired a long-range rocket.
Chung Mong-joon, head of the ruling Grand National Party, Chung Se-kyun of the main opposition Democratic Party, and Lee Hoi-chang of the minority opposition Liberty Forward Party are expected to attend the meeting scheduled for Tuesday.
The president will call for bipartisan cooperation in handling the aftermath of the sinking and also emphasize that political circles should not attempt to exploit the incident ahead of the June 2 local elections, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Lee also plans to meet his predecessors, Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, religious leaders, and military veterans later this week to listen to their opinions on how to cope with the aftermath of the sinking.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/19/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Worthless words, they won't even admit that a NORK torpedo sunk it.
This has only one end, you can build 1000 torpedos in the time it takes to repair one ship.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/19/2010 11:10 Comments ||
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SEOUL, April 18 (Yonhap) -- The submerged stem of a warship that sank mysteriously last month is heavily tattered as its stern, giving credence to an initial conclusion that an external explosion was the cause of the disaster, military officials said Sunday.
After lifting the stern of the sunken warship Cheonan on Thursday, navy and civilian divers are now working to hoist the stem from the water to determine the exact cause of the mishap. The vessel sank on March 26 after breaking into two from what military officials and witnesses say was an explosion.
After checking the damaged parts of the ship's stern, investigators said Friday that the sinking was probably caused by an external blast. Officials quoted divers working underwater to retrieve the submerged stem as reporting seeing "tattered cuts" in its broken face and disheveled electric wires.
Officials also said that the recovery of the stem may take longer than expected. On Sunday, divers successfully tied a third chain around the stem on Sunday and was working to link one more to it, but the efforts were hampered by bad weather, according to the officials.
"Once we compare and match the torn sides of the stem and the stern, we expect to conclude that the (sinking) was from an outside explosion," one official said. "Consequently, finding material evidence is crucial."
Navy divers have been combing the ocean for debris and fragments from a torpedo or a floating mine, which investigators have said are possible causes of the explosion. No firm evidence has so far been found.
South Korea is trying to find the cause "in a scientific, transparent and through manner and with international cooperation," but it's still "hard to prejudge the result," he said. "As for the government, we're making thorough preparations to cope with all possibilities," he stressed.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/19/2010 00:00 ||
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North Korea spent more than US$5.4 million on fireworks displays along the banks of the Taedong River in Pyongyang on Wednesday to celebrate former leader Kim Il-sung's 98th birthday the following day.
A North Korean source on Friday said the North had imported about 60 tons of fireworks from China for the display and invited foreign engineers for technical assistance. "They must have spent more than W6 billion for the fireworks and their display, transportation, and labor," the source said
The regime temporarily cut power and banned driving in an area near the Juche Tower for the fireworks spectacular to maximize the effect. The North's state-run Korean Central Television broadcast the fireworks for an hour from 9 p.m. on Thursday, and reran it the following morning.
"It seems that the North threw away a huge amount of dollars to breathe new life into the gloomy atmosphere that that has beset society since the botched currency reform," a South Korean security official said.
At the fireworks ceremony, Kim Ki-nam, a close aide to Kim senior and a secretary of the North Korean Workers' Party's Central Committee, said, "We put on the fireworks display full of hope today because we have held matchless great men in high esteem generation after generation." Some interpret this as a hint at the succession from leader Kim Jong-il to his son Kim Jong-un. Wonder if Bambi will copy this idea?
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/19/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
That includes Torpedos, Right?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/19/2010 15:58 Comments ||
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(Reuters) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates, releasing a statement on Sunday about a secret memorandum he sent to the White House in January, said he identified "next steps in our defense planning process" that would be reviewed by decision makers in the coming weeks and months.
"There should be no confusion by our allies and adversaries that the United States is properly and energetically focused on this question and prepared to act across a broad range of contingencies in support of our interests," Gates said in the statement, issued to refute characterizations of the memo in a New York Times report.
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Sunday the military options available to Obama would go "a long way" to delaying Iran's nuclear progress but may not set the country back long-term. He called a military strike his "last option" right now.
Obligatory hand-wringing follows. Summary: doing anything could precipitate unexpected responses. On the other hand, not doing anything will result in other countries in the region seeking nuclear arms, too.
My nephew, who used to be stationed at Ft. Meade (doing ... something) was positively apoplectic when Mullen, then head of the NSA, was interviewed for 60 minutes. He felt Mullen was just shy of sedition in even admitting to certain programs' existence. I can only imagine what he thinks of Mullen lately.
(Reuters) - The nation's top military officer said on Sunday that a U.S. strike against Iran would go "a long way" to delaying its nuclear program but that he considered doing so his "last option" right now.
"Military options would go a long way to delaying it," Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters after speaking at a forum at Columbia University in New York.
"That's not my call. That's going to be the president's call," he added. "But from my perspective ... the last option is to strike right now."
#4
ASIA TIMES > {Spengler] HOW RADICAL ISLAM MIGHT DEFEAT THE WEST: A REPRISE.
and
* FREEREPUBLIC > FIFTH FLEET READY FOR IRAN ATTACKS, EXPERTS SAY; + [Anonymous]FORMER US OFFICIAL: IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO STOP IRAN FROM GETTING THE NUCLEAR BOMB.
"NIGHTMARE SCENARIO" for US remains IRAN PASSING NUCBOMB/WEAPS TECHS TO HEZBOLLAH [read, WHERE GOES THE NUC HEZZIES HIZZIES HUZZIES HISSIES HAZZIES, SO GOES AL QAEDA + TALIBAN + LeT +...@]
MILPOL = GEOPOL PRAGMATISM-REALITY > even iff it bodes true that Islamist Iran declares it has NUCWEAPS[2012-after], + does indeed covertly support Radical Islamist MilTerr Groups, IRAN OR OTHER NUKULLAR ROGUE STATE(S) CAN ALWAYS FORMALLY DENY IT DOES SO IRREGARDLESS OF THE MERITS/STRENGTHS OF ANY US-WORLD EVIDENCE TO THE CONTRARY, ESPEC IFF NUCTERROR BEGINS AFTER 2012 IN CONUS.
Unlike the Major, Tribal Wars of the 20th Century and prior, the US PER SE WILL ONLY HAVE MULTIPLE, DISPARATE, NUKE-WMD ARMED GROUPS + CELLS + ATOMS OF INDIVIDUALS TO ATTACK, NOT SOVEREIGN GOVTS, NATIONS, ARMIES, TRIBES-ETHNICS, OR EVEN 1980's AMAZON-DESTROYING COMPANIES TO ATTACK WID THE FULL MIGHT OF ITS ARMED FORCES. Until truly centralist OWG is formally established, the US = US-Allies will only have the CONFEDERATIST, UNANIMOUS CONSENT-CENTRIC UNO, INTERPOL, + ICC.
NUCLEAR MILITANCY-TERRORISM > means, among other, that even the mighty UNSC MAY INEVITABLY LOSE MUCH OF ITS POWER TO TAKE DIRECT OR JOINT MILECON ACTION. INFORMATION WILL BE KEY, NOT ARMIES ANDOR FIREPOWER, ETC.
A second crackdown on the Punjab University hostels ended in failure on Sunday as police failed to arrest even a single Islami Jamiat Taliba (IJT) activist illegally residing there.
They weren't wearing their special IJT fraternity t-shirts, so there was no way to pick them out from the other students.
Sources said that police officials not only provided the IJT activists information minutes before the operation but also suggested them places to hide.
Conducted under the supervision of Muslim Town Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Naveed Arshad and spearheaded by Iqbal Town SP Captain (r) Sohail, around 150 policemen took part in a search operation in the varsity hostels against IJT activists. The operation, which continued for three hours and ended with arrests, proved to be futile as all the accused hooligans fled from the hostels as soon as they got news of the operation.
The PU vice chancellor expressed concerns regarding the unsuccessful crackdowns during a meeting with the faculty. He said he had informed Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif about the elements backing the IJT. Shahbaz, on his part, assured the VC of 'stern action' -- which was not carried out.
Earlier, following the IJT activists' attack on a senior faculty member, police had conducted a search operation in Hostel No 16. However, circumstantial evidence showed that the operation was just a "formality" for calming the situation down.
Students and faculty members demanded that PU VC Professor Dr Mujahid Kamran should conduct an inquiry into the matter and identify those who had failed to rid the varsity of the IJT. Sources said that police officials not only provided the IJT activists information minutes before the operation but also suggested them places to hide. The PU administration and Punjab police launched the search operation on orders from the chief minister. PU faculty and students said the operation's failure was due to mismanagement by the varsity administration, as their own security personnel had failed to control the situation and helped the IJT activists escape by calling in the police for help.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/19/2010 00:00 ||
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Pakistan is standing as a bulwark against forces of extremism and militancy while bearing a very heavy cost to its economy and prosperity, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Sunday. "The world today finds Pakistan standing as a bulwark against forces of extremism and militancy," Gilani said. Then his lips fell off.
Addressing the military exercise Azm-e-Nau participants, Gilani said the nation pledged to support the armed forces in this struggle, adding that Pakistan and its armed forces were committed to a fierce struggle on its western border and were continuing to retain their capability to deal with all possible threats in the region. He said Pakistan remained a guarantor of peace and security.
The first phase of military exercise Azm-e-Nau III culminated with an Impressive Integrated Fire Power Exercise at Khairpur Tamewali in Bahawalpur.
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Tariq Majid, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Kayani, services chiefs, foreign defence attaches and a number of retired and serving military officers witnessed the spectacular firepower exercise.
The prime minister said he was sure that the feat could not be rivalled by any military in the world.
He said the exercise was the epoch making professional activity of the Pakistan Army, which marks the culmination of a year-long training process conceived and executed by it.
He congratulated the participants on the commendable achievement reflecting par excellence standards of the armed forces.
Response: The COAS said the exercise had helped evolve a timely and effective response to emerging challenges.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/19/2010 00:00 ||
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#2
This is obviously the fault of the cowboy policies of Bush and now that the age of Obama has come an armada of flying unicorns will fart rainbows of skittles and we will all live in kumbaya forever right?
Posted by: abu do you love ||
04/19/2010 17:51 Comments ||
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#3
Pakistan's definition of extremism and militancy is kinda like the Arab definition of terrorism.
The difference is that, unlike the Arabs, the Paks have a barely-competent military.
Hundreds of Sunni men disappeared for months into a secret Baghdad prison under the jurisdiction of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's military office, where many were routinely tortured until the country's Human Rights Ministry gained access to the facility, Iraqi officials say. Some things never change ...
The men were detained by the Iraqi army in October in sweeps targeting Sunni groups in Nineveh province, a stronghold of Al Qaeda in Iraq other militant groups in northern Iraq. The provincial governor alleged at the time that ordinary citizens had been detained as well, often without a warrant.
Worried that courts would order the detainees' release, security forces obtained a court order and transferred them to Baghdad where they were held in isolation. Human rights officials learned of the facility in March from family members searching for missing relatives.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/19/2010 00:00 ||
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[Ma'an] "We, the Salafists, count more than 11,000 members who carry with them jihadist teachings from both Ayman At-Thawahri and Osama Bin Laden," said Abu Al-Hareth, leader of the Jund Ansar Allah, during an interview in his poorly lit Gaza home.
Do they count membership the way the PA counts population, such that they are a million over actual living bodies?
"Of this number, 70 percent are members of the Jaljalat, a group made up of former Al-Qassam Brigades and Hamas affiliates," he explained.
The Salafist movement shot to public attention in the summer of 2009, when an Imam declared Gaza an "Islamic emirate" during a Friday sermon in southern Gaza. Fierce clashes ensued between Hamas security forces and Salafist affiliates, leaving 16 dead.
The group is widely considered an extremist militant bloc, extracting ideas and beliefs from Al-Qaida's call for Jihad and the implementation of Shariah (Islamic) law globally.
The name Jaljalat is rumored to have been taken from a religious song encouraging Al-Qaida's form of Jihad, widely known in Iraq, Chechnya and Afghanistan.
"Salafi thought is often described as lowly or base but we have suffered under harsh security campaigns that have affected the group's organizational structures."
The Jaljalat: Gaza's four Salafist groups
Abu Al-Hareth does not fit the stereotype of a Salafi follower, restrictive with no sense of humor. Rather, he is pleasant and charismatic. He explains that the Jaljalat incorporates Gaza's four Salafist groups: Jund Ansar Allah (Soldiers of God's Compassion); Jam'at Jaysh Al-Islam (The Army of Islam); At-Tawheed wa Al-Jihad (Unity and Jihad); and Jund Allah (God's Soldiers).
"These groups do not have any links with Al-Qaida but its members are influenced by its world view and Jihadist attacks carried out by them, the first one being the targeting of the Twin Towers in the US and attacks in Iraq, Afghanistan and others."
"Jihad for Allah's sake and applying Shariah law is the main factor uniting Salafist affiliates," he said, describing Bin Laden and Ath-Thawaheri as the theologians of the nation and its Sheikhs.
The leader said the Jaljalat do not have local religious scholars who advise them in Gaza, but counted among the movement's most influential sheiks abroad Abu Mohammad Al-Maqdisi, the spiritual mentor of Al-Qaida's initial leader in Iraq, and the fatwas -- or religious decrees -- issued by the 14th century Islamic scholar Ibn Taymiyyah and his pupil Ibn Al-Qaim, as well as "many contemporary scholars."
The rise of Salafism in Gaza
"The first real appearance of the Salafist groups was in 2001, when it carried out a military attack claimed by Jund Allah," Al-Hareth said.
"But Hamas' participation in elections and joining the 'atheist' Palestinian Legislative Council was the spark that ignited Salafi thought, gradually appearing and spreading among young men."
Early Salafist groups in Gaza went under a slew of names, appearing largely in central and southern Gaza, including The Islamic Swords of Righteousness, the Ummah Army and "other names that have vanished because they have joined up with other groups."
The leader added that these groups carried out many "qualitative military attacks, during which a number of Israelis were killed, but these attacks were not announced."
"These groups are not interested in shedding light on themselves at this stage; we are trying to defend ourselves and to attack the occupation soldiers who entered Gaza because Jihad is an individual duty. The nation cannot get on the right track without it."
The leader denied that the name Jaljalat was chosen because of the infamous song, but rather because it was the name Hamas affiliates used to describe members who defected to join the Salafist movement in central Gaza.
Hamas crackdown on the movement
After declaring the Gaza Strip an "Islamic Emirate" in the Ibn Taymiyyah mosque in Rafah, Hamas launched a series of security campaigns aimed at curbing the Salafist groups' influence in the coastal enclave, leading to fierce clashes which saw 16 killed. The movement is under "round the clock monitoring," he said.
"What followed these events was the chasing, pursuit, and arrest of affiliates, creating a gap in the various groups and its ability to communicate with members," Abu Al-Hareth said.
Hamas' security forces, he said, are "active in confronting the Salafists ... out of fear of the spread of its thought among many committed young men, leading to many defecting from Hamas."
Despite these measures, Abu Al-Hareth said, the Salafist groups will continue to grow, recruit and operate.
"We demand a Shariah dialogue with Hamas - not a political or security-related one. The [Gaza] government has made many mistakes which has increased tensions. We criticize Hamas for not applying Islamic Shariah."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/19/2010 00:00 ||
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[Straits Times] FAMILIES of those slain in the Philippines' worst political massacre vowed on Sunday to appeal a government decision to drop charges against two members of a Muslim clan blamed for the killings.
'We are going to oppose this order in court. We will file an appeal,' Harry Roque, a private prosecutor representing some of the families, told AFP. 'They are angry, feel they were absolutely betrayed by the government, and believe there is a political compromise,' he charged.
Justice Secretary Alberto Agra on Saturday ordered murder charges be dropped against cousins Zaldy and Akmad Ampatuan for the November massacre in strife-torn Maguindanao province. He said both men presented alibis that showed they were not present at the time of the massacre in which 57 people, including many journalists, were executed at point blank range by gunmen loyal to the Ampatuans.
Government prosecutors had initially charged that both men and other members of the Ampatuan clan conspired to carry out the murders. The murders were allegedly intended to prevent a rival from running against clan member Andal Ampatuan Jnr for the post of provincial governor in the May 10 national elections.
'The decision dropping murder charges against them was so sly and done on a weekend when no one was looking,' Mr Roque said. 'It is so brazen, and shows that justice will not be reached in this administration.' Mr Roque said his clients would also ask the court handling the case to disqualify the present panel of state prosecutors and appoint new ones.
The Ampatuan clan had enjoyed close political ties with President Gloria Arroyo until she was forced to disown them amid international outrage in the aftermath of the bloodbath. Mrs Arroyo's government had in the past used the clan's huge private army to help the government in its anti-insurgency drive, and to ensure that her candidates won in the south during previous elections, security analysts said. In exchange, the government allegedly turned a blind eye to corruption and abuses in the local government, while the clan was building up its vast wealth.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/19/2010 00:00 ||
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President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has approved sites for new uranium enrichment plants in Iran, a close aide of the hardliner told the ILNA news agency on Monday.
Posted by: ed ||
04/19/2010 21:29 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Sunday that Israel was on its way to collapse, as Iran's military displayed a range of home-built drones and missiles at the annual Army Day parade.
To cries of "God is Great" Iran showed off its military might, warning potential aggressors that the Islamic state would vigorously repel any attack, state television reported.
Missiles, armored personnel carriers, unmanned surveillance aircraft and small submarines with men wearing aqua-lungs standing next to them were also part of the parade. Some carriers bore banners proclaiming "We will trample America under our feet".
"The Zionist regime is on its way to collapse," Ahmadinejad, known for his strong anti-Israel rhetoric, said in an address delivered near the shrine of Imam Khomeini, Iran's revolutionary leader, located south of Tehran.
"This is the will of the regional nations that after 60 odd years, the root of this corrupt microbe and the main reason for insecurity in the region be pulled out."
Ahmadinejad, who previously has angered Israel and Western countries for asserting that the Holocaust is a "myth", said that the "murderess" Jewish state was behind the turmoil in the region.
"This regime is the main instigator of sedition and conflict in the region," the hardliner, flanked by Iran's top military brass, said from the podium.
"I want its supporters and creators to stop backing it and allow the regional nations and the Palestinians to settle things with them," he said without elaborating.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/19/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
when i was a kid, we tied a Ziploc baggie of gasoline on an RC plane we bought at radio shack then dropped the 'napalm' on the fire we had going to burn some brush. guess we displayed our 'military might' just about as convincingly as Iran is
Posted by: abu do you love ||
04/19/2010 17:57 Comments ||
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#2
sounds like they would have no interest in using a nuke against Israel to me. (Honestly I don't know where anybody got that impression to begin with.)
Posted by: yo adrian ||
04/19/2010 18:46 Comments ||
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#3
sounds like they would have no interest in using a nuke against Israel to me. (Honestly I don't know where anybody got that impression to begin with.)
It may have something to do with the fact that Iran has been threatening to wipe out Israel as soon as they have the weaponry to do so... for at least a decade, yo adrian.
#4
TW,
I have never known you to not understand sarcasm. On the contrary, you use it so much people would think you invented it.
Posted by: yo adrian ||
04/19/2010 20:25 Comments ||
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#5
I have never known you to not understand sarcasm.
Watch and wait, yo adrian -- it won't be long until I completely miss the point yet again. I can be shockingly oblivious, as many here can attest. If only I could claim that as a sign of intelligence, but unfortunately it's only a sign that I didn't get it. Equally sad, about half the time I appear to be sarcastic, I actually meant exactly what I wrote.
If you (or anyone else) wants to make sure I realize what's going on, a winky thingy or "/sarcasm" is needed to clue me in.
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.
Radio stations in the capital of this near-anarchical country, still scrambling to comply with an Islamist ultimatum to stop playing music, were jerked in the other direction on Sunday when the government said that all broadcasters who had heeded that ultimatum faced closing. 
Pakistan is standing as a bulwark against forces of extremism and militancy while bearing a very heavy cost to its economy and prosperity, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Sunday. "The world today finds Pakistan standing as a bulwark against forces of extremism and militancy," Gilani said. 
