# Claims of betrayal by allies
# ADF seriously concerned
AN Afghan soldier working alongside Australian troops was suspected of spying for the Taliban after making a long mobile phone call just before their patrol was subjected to a five-hour attack.
Australian soldiers also feared their Afghan counterparts were "dodgy", according to statements collected from frontline troops as part of a government-funded study of deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq.
The revelations come after an Afghan soldier this week attacked his British trainers in Helmand province in the country's south, killing two officers and a soldier before fleeing to join the Taliban.
The Australian Defence Force has declined to provide further details about the mobile phone incident and other scenarios relating to Afghan National Army troops, but said such allegations were a "serious issue of concern".
The incident was documented in an extraordinary selection of transcripts from 120 serving and former troops from the two Iraq offensives, dating back to the early 1990s, and the ongoing Afghanistan war.
The U.S. special envoy to Sudan spoke Tuesday about the challenges facing the war-torn country as it prepares for a referendum that likely will result in the secession of South Sudan from the Arab-dominated north.
"We have less than six months until the referendum," Scott Gration said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "We have less than a year until we could, likely, have a new country in Africa -- a new country as part of the United Nations."
"What we do in the next three to six months, I believe, will determine the course of this region for the next three to six years, and so it's very important that we get this right," he said.
In accordance with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed in 2005 between the south's Sudan People's Liberation Movement and the Khartoum-based government of Lt. Gen. Omar Bashir, the residents of the south are scheduled to vote on Jan. 9 on political separation.
But in the wake of April's presidential elections -- marred by widespread fraud, voter intimidation and boycotts -- many fear that the next vote will be anything but free and fair. Even in the event of a smooth referendum, many issues between north and south may remain unresolved.
"The border demarcation remains a problem," Mr. Gration said. "We got an agreement to use the 1956 border that was there on Jan. 1, when Sudan got its independence. And about 80 percent of this is a border that can be demarcated relatively easily. But there are still some issues that are tough, especially as you come into the oil-bearing regions."
Deng Deng Nhial, deputy head of the mission of the government of South Sudan, said it is "really critical that [the parties] do have agreement -- at least a legal framework -- regarding the post-2011 arrangements."
Mr. Nhial praised Mr. Gration's efforts in the region, but the special envoy -- who will return to Khartoum this week -- has received mixed reviews at home in his 16 months on the job.
Some accuse him of being unduly deferential to a regime that has slaughtered millions of its own citizens -- both African Muslims in Darfur and African Christians and animists in the south during the civil war that raged from 1983 until the signing of the CPA in January 2005.
"I think it's been a fairly rocky road for the special envoy," said John Norris, executive director of the Enough Project, a group that seeks to mobilize public support for genocide prevention.
"He came into this position and had a fairly steep learning curve. He had never had a senior diplomatic position before, and I think at times that has shown. And obviously Sudan presents an enormously complex set of challenges -- the ongoing conflict in Darfur, a potentially messy divorce between north and south."
Though polls and focus groups have shown overwhelming support among southern Sudanese for political separation, Mr. Gration said, preparations for secession are not intended to preclude the unlikely possibility that the south could choose unity with Khartoum.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/15/2010 00:00 ||
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While seeking a billion dollar oil exploration deal with Libya, BP executives admitted Thursday the company did lobby the British government to enter into a prisoner transfer agreement with the African nation. "BP told the UK government that we were concerned about the slow progress that was being made in concluding a Prisoner Transfer Agreement with Libya," BP said in a statement. "We were aware that this could have a negative impact on UK commercial interests, including the ratification by the Libyan government of BP's exploration agreement."
But the petroleum giant claims it never specifically asked Britain to set free Pan Am Flight 103 bomber Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi. "BP was not involved in any discussion with the U.K. government or the Scottish government about the release of al-Megrahi," a BP company spokesman said.
He was released on "compassionate" grounds when Scottish authorities said his "terminal" prostate cancer gave the terrorist just three months to live. But a year later Megrahi is free in Libya and the doctor who gave the diagnosis admits the bomber could live 10 or 20 more years -- and that he had been paid by the Libyan government.
Numerous U.S. senators, including Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) now suspect Megrahi's release was connected to BP's goal of securing an oil deal with Libya.
"This is ugly," said Bert Ammerman, the former head of the Victims of Pan Am Flight 103 group. "It is immoral. It is unethical. It is illegal. And there's no question there is a connection between the BP oil agreement with Libya and the release of al Megrahi." Ammerman added he wants an investigation into what the Obama administration knew about this alleged deal before it happened.
Libyan officials have said any oil deal would be connected to a completed prisoner transfer agreement. Al Megrahi was released last year and was greeted by flag waiving crowds when he arrived home.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday she was reviewing the request by the Senators to investigate the BP oil deal with Libya and any alleged connection to the release of the Flight 103 bomber.
Sue Cohen lost her daughter, Theo, in the bombing over Scotland. And she said she's "not surprised" by the revelations about BP's alleged involvement in negotiations over the release of convicted Lockerbie bomber Al-Megrahi. She said she has heard for years that BP had a strong interest in the release, because it would make Libya more receptive to foreign business investment. "There's no question in my mind that BP was involved. The British government was very much influenced by the oil companies, and it's no coincidence that soon after the negotiations BP signed this enormously good deal. This was really a deal for business interests. Western governments seem to be run by one thing now -- the great God money," she said.
#2
Britains ambassador to the United States is admitting is was a mistake to free Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset Al-Megrahi from Scottish prison last year. That admission comes after a furor of anger whipped up over his release amid revelations that BP got a major oil deal coincident with Megrahis release, and that a doctor involved said the terrorist convicted of killing 270 people in 1988 Pan Am bombing could live for a decade.
He was released on compassionate grounds that he had just three months to live. Hes been free for 11.
Now Ambassador Sir Nigel Sheinwald is saying freeing the killer was a mistake but theres no way to fix it. He also insists BPs $900 million deal to drill off Libya had nothing to do with Megrahis freedom, even though BP lobbied for Libyan prsioners to be released from Britain.
Here is his statement:
The new British Government is clear that Megrahis release was a mistake. The Prime Ministers Official Spokesman said today that: The Prime Minister at the time said that he believed the decision to release Megrahi was wrong, and that he understood the concerns that had been raised about it.
Claims in the press that Megrahi was released because of an oil deal involving BP, and that the medical evidence used by the Scottish Executive supporting his release was paid for by the Libyan government, are not true.
The British Government deeply regrets the continuing anguish that his release on compassionate grounds has caused the families of Megrahis victims in the UK as well as in the US. However under UK law, where Scottish justice issues are devolved to Scotland, it fell solely to the Scottish Executive to consider Megrahis case. Under Scottish law, Megrahi was entitled to be considered for release on compassionate grounds.
Whilst we disagreed with the decision to release Megrahi, we have to respect the independence of the process. The Inquiry by the Justice Committee of the Scottish Parliament concluded in February that the Scottish Executive took this decision in good faith, on the basis of the medical evidence available to them at the time, and due process was followed.
We have to accept that the release licence does not provide a mechanism for a person who has been released on compassionate grounds to be returned to prison if they have survived for longer than the period diagnosed by the relevant medical authorities.
SEOUL, July 13 (Yonhap) -- North Korea stressed on Tuesday the historical importance of its upcoming meeting of core ruling party delegates, urging the younger generation of party members to be as loyal to the leadership as their predecessors.
In September, the communist state will hold its first meeting of senior Workers' Party delegates in 44 years, a move that observers say may be aimed at paving the ground for leader Kim Jong-il to transfer his power to his third son, Jong-un.
Kim, 68, made his first public appearance in a 1980 convention, considered to be more authoritative, and sealed himself as the successor to his father, Kim Il-sung, who founded the North and died in 1994.
In an editorial seen here on Tuesday, the Rodong Sinmun, the party's daily, heaped praise on party members who died loyal to the founder and called on new members to "follow suit."
The paper, considered to be Pyongyang's main mouthpiece, also described the September meeting as one that will "shine as a notable event in the history of the holy Workers' Party."
Late last month, the paper said that the party will expand its role and function through the meeting, stressing the importance of the central party organ that had once served as a venue for Kim Jong-il to rise up the power ladder when he was young.
Kim is believed to be quickening his power transfer after suffering a stroke two years ago. Earlier this year, North Korea promoted Kim's brother-in-law as a vice head of the National Defense Commission, the highest seat of power. Jang Song-thaek is believed to be the central figure behind the succession process.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/15/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Party mmeeting Confederation of ate up crazies.
#2
"In September, the communist state will hold its first meeting of senior Workers' Party delegates in 44 years, a move that observers say may be aimed at paving the ground for leader Kim Jong-il to transfer his power to his third son, Jong-un."
This may indeed be the case. However, there may be more than one aspect to this. 2010-44= 1966. 1966 was the beginning of a campaign of raids by North Korea into the DMZ and S. Korea proper, the so-called Second Korean War. One of the barriers Kim Jong Il had to overcome was his lack of military experience, in marked contrast to his father Kim Il Sung.
A successful military campaign would do much to cement Kim Jong-Un. The Christian Science Monitor published a story in May speculating that Kim Jong Un was involved in the Cheonan operation.
The party is the very army, and the army is the very party.
#3
ION FREEREPUBLIC > RUSSIA HOLDING MIL EXERCISES OFF JAPAN'S COASTS [Etorofu = Russ-controlled Kuriles].
* SAME > JAPAN SNATCHES YONAGUNI AIR DEFENSE ZONE.
* DRUDGEREPORT > YONHAP NEWS > NORTH KOREA PROPOSES MILITARY TALKS WID US ON SHIP SINKING + NORTH KOREA SHOULD PUBISH THOSE WHOM ATTACKED SOUTH KOREAN SHIP: NINISTER [ROK = SOKOR Vice MINister Ung Jong-Sik].
WASHINGTON, July 13 (Yonhap) -- The United States will not send the aircraft carrier USS George Washington to the Yellow Sea for joint military exercises with South Korea, a senior Obama administration official said Wednesday.
The exercises were originally scheduled for late last month, but were delayed as the U.N. Security Council was discussing the sinking of the Cheonan, which killed 46 sailors in the Yellow Sea in March.
"The carrier portion is expected to be in the East Sea," the official said, asking anonymity. "There are many other exercises, including naval exercises that are part of this package. Some of them will take place in the Yellow Sea. Some of them will take place in the East Sea. They involve different exercise scenarios, different capabilities, different assets and different places."
China has repeatedly expressed concerns about joint exercises by South Korea and the U.S. near its own coast. There are allegations that the U.S. made a deal to listen to China regarding the Cheonan incident and joint drills in the Yellow Sea in return for China agreeing to new Security Council sanctions on Iran.
The anonymous official denied such allegations.
"We only consult with our allies about military exercises," he said. "We do not consult outside the alliance. There is no truth to the suggestion that somehow the decision about the shape of the exercise we do with the ROK is driven by consultation or diplomatic pressure from China."
Technical considerations drive the military planners to decide on the shape of the exercises, he said.
"People just assumed that the Cheonan was sunk here so that is where the exercise has to be," the official said. "But that is not what the military planners proposed. They have many technical considerations that go into their planning. Their proposal was for this to take place off the east coast."
The official noted, "The George Washington just conducted a major combined exercise in the Yellow Sea seven or eight months ago. It has never exercised in the East Sea. That is one major consideration for the planners.
"The other reason is that the George Washington has a schedule already," he said. "It is home-ported in Yokosuka (Japan). So the exercise on the Japan side means that they can spend more time training and less time just traveling."
The official said that the aim of the joint exercises is to send a message to South Korea to "assure that the alliance is very strong and our joint resolve is strong."
"These exercises are not about China," he said. "These are defensive exercises. And we are sending a message of deterrence to North Korea by demonstrating our capability and our readiness."
The official said that the final decision on the joint exercises will be made next Wednesday when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates visit Seoul to discuss the bilateral alliance and joint defense capabilities.
"The secretaries and ministers will meet on the 21st (of July) to make a final decision," he said. "The first series of the exercises could begin any time after they give the green light."
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/15/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
IOW, the US-ROK MIL/NAVEXS will go on, just widout the "GEORGE" until after 07/21st + "TWO-PLUS-TWO" SUMMIT.
* WAFF > US, S.KOREA NAVAL EXERCISE POSTPONED.
* WAFF > RUSSIA TO TAKE DELIVERY OF FIVE S-400 ADS BRIGADES IN 2010 [TWO S-400 Brigades slated for deployment to RUSS FAR EAST, on the border either agz CHINA or more likely NORTH KOREA].
ARTIC = RUSS says that 90% of its S-400 MILSYS EQUIPMENT is good to last for 25-30 Years.
* WAFF > [RIMPAC 2010] US SENDS A MESSAGE TO CHINA: "THE PACIFIC IS OURS".
* WMF > STRATEGIC REVIEW: EAST ASIA REACHES A [decisive]"CROSSROADS": RISE OR FALL OF ASEAN + "ASIA RISING" AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE US-CHINA RIVALRY, COMPETITION FOR EAST ASIA.
* SAME WMF > JAPAN FACING NATIONAL BACKRUPTCY: CHINA MUST PREPARE FOR REGIONAL + GLOBAL ECON, GEOPOL CONSEQUENCES WROUGHT BY JAPAN'S NATIONAL DEBT BEING 229% OF ITS GDP.
* SAME WMF > PEKING UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR: AS LONG AS KIM JONG-IL IS ALIVE, CHINA'S POLICIES TOWARDS NORTH KOREA WILL NOT CHANGE; + US CSIS PACIFIC FORUM DIRECTOR RALPH COSSAS CLAIMS THAT THE US WILL NOT REDUCE ITS MILITARY PRESENCE IN SOUTH KOREA [Japan?] AS LONG AS THE NORTH KOREAN THREAT TO THE SOUTH REMAINS.
* PAKISTANI DEFENCE OFRUM > [Times of India] CHINA BUILDING THE "BIGGEST" LAND PORT TO CONNECT WID SOUTH ASIA VIA NEPAL.
#3
I suspect this is done because Jong Il is crazy enough to want to go out with a bang, and the Yellow Sea is too tricky to guarantee defensive coverage.
He would probably order some suicide missions throwing Skvalls at it. "Go ahead, nuke my country. I don't care."
A judge was poised to decide whether the government and some fellow judges were right when they said a 70-year-old former civil rights lawyer convicted in a terrorism case received too much leniency when she was sentenced to just over two years in prison.
U.S. District Judge John Koeltl was to resentence attorney Lynne Stewart on Thursday after considering the comments of appeals court judges who said he should review the role of terrorism in her case and consider if she lied when she testified at her trial.
Stewart, facing up to 30 years in prison, was sentenced to two years and four months after her conviction on charges that she let blind Egyptian Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman communicate with a man who relayed messages to senior members of an Egyptian-based terrorist organization.
#1
Egads. Stick her in jail. The only value she has to society is a deterrent to others who would have been criminals had it not been for the possibility of being her bunkmate.
#7
NEW YORK A judge had resentenced a 70-year-old civil rights lawyer to 10 years in prison for letting a jailed Egyptian sheik communicate with his radical followers.
Federal Judge John Koeltl sentenced Lynne Stewart in Manhattan after she pleaded with him to reimpose the two-year, four-month sentence he had originally given her in 2006. She said she has been diminished since her November imprisonment.
An appeals court had ordered a new sentencing, saying the judge needed to consider whether she committed perjury. Koeltl says she did and he says she lacked remorse after her first sentencing.
Prosecutors had asked the judge to impose a sentence of at least 15 years.
#8
Please someone mail her some facial waxing strips in prison. Its never to late to learn how to do something of value, unlike her valueless lawyering.
Concerns that Somali terrorists might stage a brazen attack on America are on the rise after the deadly Uganda bombings, senior Obama administration officials said Tuesday.
Al Qaeda-aligned Al Shabaab's attacks in Kampala Sunday that killed 76 World Cup revelers, including one American, could foreshadow a U.S. terror plot, they said.
"There is a concern Al Shabaab might try to carry out similar types of attacks in other venues," a top U.S. official told reporters.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said he dispatched a sergeant and three officers to join about 60 other Joint Terrorism Task Force investigators in Uganda. A detective who was already based in South Africa for the World Cup is also on his way, Kelly said.
Shabaab goons - including some Somali-Americans and Al Qaeda operatives who moved to Somalia to flee a CIA drone blitz in Pakistan - have long been targeted by U.S. Special Operations Forces.
"I'm worried about any organization - particularly one associated with Al Qaeda and has Al Qaeda sprinkled within it - [and] their determination, as well as potential capability, to carry out an attack outside of the region," the senior administration official said.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/15/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
May it be contained within the walls of congress, Inshallah.
#2
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said he dispatched a sergeant and three officers to join about 60 other Joint Terrorism Task Force investigators in Uganda. A detective who was already based in South Africa for the World Cup is also on his way, Kelly said
Behold! Emphasis AFRICA. All things now are CHANGE.
Although he claims that enforcing immigration laws is vital to national security and public safety, the Assistant Secretary of Immigration and Customs Enforcement -- known as ICE -- circulated an internal memo ordering officers not to arrest a broad range of illegal aliens he deems immune from mandatory detention, according to watchdog public-interest group Judicial Watch.
According to a report obtained by the 14,000-member National Association of Chiefs of Police, field office directors should not expend detention resources on aliens who are known to be suffering from serious physical or mental illness, or who are disabled, elderly, pregnant, or nursing, or demonstrate that they are primary caretakers of children or an infirm person, or whose detention is otherwise not in the public interest, according to a memorandum issued by ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton.
Thats because the Homeland Security agency has limited resources and must prioritize the use of its enforcement personnel and detention space. Therefore, illegal immigrants that fall into the above referenced category are not subject to mandatory detention, according to Morton, who also writes that particular care should be given when dealing with the immediate family members of U.S. citizens.
Morton further points out in the four-page memo that the agency only has the resources to remove less than 4% of undocumented people living in the U.S. Thus the justification for ignoring the other several million, even if it compromises national security, public safety and all those other important things, according to the Judicial Watch press statement.
Days after the agency charged with immigration enforcement admits it cant -- or won't -- get the job done, the Obama Administration sued Arizona for passing a law that unconstitutionally intervenes with the governments authority to do it.
The measure, which makes it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally and bans sanctuary city policies, interferes with federal immigration responsibilities, according to Attorney General Eric Holder.
While denigrating the citizens of Arizona, President Barack Obama and his so-called national-security team have never commented on "sanctuary city" policies in Los Angeles, New York and other locations, that are indeed a violation of federal immigration law.
In addition, the Obama Administration recently appointed a police chief -- Harold Hurtt, who believes in illegal alien sanctuary city policies -- to command an immigration enforcement program that entails federal agents working with local police departments on cases involving illegal aliens.
As part of the Homeland Security Department's anti-terrorism mission, the new director for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Office of State and Local Coordination is now Hurtt, an outspoken critic of immigration enforcement on the local level such as Arizona's new immigration enforcement law.
"Officials who call their city a 'sanctuary city' for illegal aliens is basically aiding and abetting federal crimes Add the other crimes committed as a result of illegal aliens -- identity theft, counterfeiting driver's licenses, social security cards, and other identity documents -- and suddenly you're talking about government corruption in those cities," said former NYPD police detective and military intelligence officer Sid Franes.
"If you ask me, the Obama administration is attacking the wrong people. But I'm not surprised... liberal-left politicians always side with criminals, terrorists and other malefactors," said Det. Franes.
"Arizonians are understandably frustrated with illegal immigration and the federal government has a responsibility to comprehensively address those concerns," Holder said after filing the lawsuit in Phoenix this week. He added that setting immigration policy and enforcing immigration laws is a national responsibility.
Not surprisingly, Holder didnt address the shameful ICE memo that reveals the federal government is in fact ignoring its responsibility when it comes to immigration enforcement. That means more states will probably follow Arizona officials' lead in creating their own measures and the feds will spend more tax dollars to fight them, according to Judicial Watch.
The top official in Pakistan-held Kashmir vowed Tuesday to fight India for control of the disputed territory in a speech to thousands of people assembled by a coalition of banned militant groups.
The provocative comments by Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan come amid the worst unrest in years in India-held Kashmir, which like Pakistan is majority Muslim. Residents have often chafed against rule by majority Hindu India.
Khan's comments also come a day before India is scheduled to make its highest level visit to Pakistan since militants linked to Pakistan killed 166 people in Mumbai in 2008. The talks are meant to reduce tension between the two countries, but Khan's comments could do the opposite.
"Let me assure you that every home in Kashmir will become a bunker against India," Khan told the crowd in the capital of Pakistan-held Kashmir, Muzaffarabad.
"Azad Kashmir will become a base for the independence movement," he said, referring to the Urdu name of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.
The rally was organized by the United Jihad Council, a coalition of 12 anti-India militant groups. Many of the groups - including Lashkar-e-Taiba, which India blames for the Mumbai attacks - were started with the support of the Pakistani government in the 1980s and 1990s to fight India for control of Kashmir.
Pakistan banned the groups several years ago following pressure from the U.S. But many of them are allowed to operate openly, a fact that India says hampers improved relations between the two countries.
India has demanded that Pakistan crack down on Lashkar-e-Taiba and other Kashmiri militant groups, but many analysts believe the government continues to view them as an effective tool to put pressure on India.
The ability of thousands of members of banned militant groups to gather freely in Muzaffarabad on Tuesday was likely to reinforce that notion.
"Holy war is the only solution to our problem," said Syed Salahuddin, the head of Hizbul Mujahideen, which helped organize Tuesday's rally. "It is mandatory for every child in every street to wage war against India to bring it down to its knees."
Salahuddin rejected upcoming talks this week between the foreign ministers of Pakistan and India, saying they "are like sprinkling salt on the wounds of the Kashmiri people."
India and Pakistan have fought two wars over control of Kashmir since their independence from Britain in 1947. Both countries claim the territory in its entirety.
Khan, the Pakistani Kashmir prime minister, said that he would like to see normal relations between the two countries but doubted Indian intentions.
"India is not sincere," he said in a Dawn News TV interview.
Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, where separatist politicians and armed Islamic militants reject Indian sovereignty and want to carve out a separate homeland or merge the region with Pakistan.
India-held Kashmir has been rocked by protests and strikes for the past month, and at least 15 people have died mostly in shootings blamed on police and paramilitary soldiers.
"Pakistan is committed to the cause of the Kashmiri people for their right of self-determination," Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said in a statement Tuesday.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/15/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
AL QAEDA'S OFFICIAL FOR PAKISTAN [Farooq]> stated that THE AFGHAN + PAKISTAN BATTLEFORNT ARE ONE + THE SAME, + drew HISTORICAL INFERENCE ON HOW ISLAM USED KABUL [Afghanistan] AS A PRIMARY STAGING AREA TO ATTACK + CONQUER INDIA [attack "New Delhi" = MOGHULS/MOGULS/MOGHALS]
Pakistan's intelligence agency controlled and coordinated the 2008 Mumbai attacks, a top Indian security official said, in what is the most direct accusation yet of Pakistan by India in the attacks that killed 166 people.
The accusations come as the foreign ministers of the two countries are going to meet in Islamabad to attempt to rebuild a fragile peace dialogue that was shattered by the attacks. It appeared to be an attempt to ratchet up the pressure on Pakistan to prosecute people, whom India says, were deeply involved in the attacks.
In an interview published on Wednesday, Home Secretary GK Pillai accused Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of playing a key role the attacks.
"It was not just a peripheral role. They (the agency) were literally controlling and coordinating it from the beginning till the end," Pillai told the newspaper.
Pillai said that new information about the role of the agency had emerged from the interrogation of David Coleman Headley, an American who pleaded guilty in the US in March to being involved in the planning of the attacks. Headley, the son of a former Pakistani diplomat and an American woman, was arrested in Chicago last year and has pleaded guilty to scouting the hotels and other sites in Mumbai that were targeted by the militants. He was subsequently questioned by Indian investigators.
"The sense that has come out from Headley's interrogation is that the ISI has had a much more significant role to play (in the attacks)," said Pillai.
Pillai also pointed the finger at Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba founder. India wants to put Saeed on trial, who now heads the Jamaatud Dawa.
"The same goes for Hafiz Saeed. He was also not a peripheral player," Pillai said.
Pillai added that he was hopeful that Pakistan would share information on steps it has taken against the Mumbai planners. "We have given them a whole series of data and information that we have. We have given them the names, we have given them the descriptions, we have given them what their height is or their complexion is," he said, adding: "Now it is up to them."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/15/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
India has like ten times the resources, so they should plan an incredibly lethal counterattack against the Pakis. If they want to keep it "clean", they could just target a whole bunch of the most vehement anti-India ISI. Maybe take out some of the more radical madrassas at the same time.
A few thousand casualties. There is more where that came from.
Four Pakistan Army Mi-17 helicopters after maintenance overhauls, funded by the US, were returned to the army on Wednesday at the Chaklala Air Base. The overhaul programme provides critical support to the Pakistan Army by expediting maintenance and returning urgently-needed aircraft for flight operations. The US has funded maintenance overhauls for 24 Pakistan Army Mi-17s, twelve of which were completed and returned last year. The remaining eight helicopters are scheduled for delivery later this year. The US is also coordinating to fund overhauls for another 10 Mi-17s, and has recently delivered two Bell 412 helicopters to the Pakistan Army. Another 13 AH-1F Cobras have been procured for use as spare parts to further enhance operations of the Pakistan Army Aviation. Since 2001, the US has provided more than $12 billion to Pakistan in security assistance, training and equipment, which also includes $8.1 billion in Coalition Support Fund (CSF) reimbursements.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/15/2010 00:00 ||
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Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
07/15/2010 8:11 Comments ||
Top||
#3
In this case, I think it's a good investment, and to the point.
The Pakis have become complete converts to the cult of the helicopter, and now think it is the greatest thing since rotor sliced bread. *And*, they are using their helicopters with great fury against the bad guys in bloody mountain ops.
And they have a pretty good argument, that "You give us more helicopters, we kill more Taliban." Which is pretty persuasive, given their current performance.
In fact, helicopters could change the regional picture. They are proving so effective that Pakistan will probably start making their own. Which would also mean a steady stream of helicopters to the Afghan government--for the same purpose.
They could do for Pak-Afghan what they did for Vietnam.
#4
The Cobra's came out of the junk yard and are used as spare parts bins because Bell no longer makes parts for them.The ten MI-17's are the only cost effective anc capable aircraft for that area. Our Blackhawks have problems with the heat and altitude. They are also expensive to maintain and procure. The MI 17 is the AK47 of the helicopter world. Cheap, easy to maintain and fly, and dependable.
Giving money to Pak still does not sit well with me but their choice of aircraft is sound.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
07/15/2010 9:44 Comments ||
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BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: A two week time span is not enough time to reach an agreement on the new Iraqi government, before the next session of the countrys Parliament, Sadrist Lawmaker Bahaa al-Aaraji said on Wednesday.
There are no new results in negotiations between political blocs, al-Aaraji told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. He described the negotiations as unserious.
The Parliaments next session will be repeatedly postponed unless there is a real patriotic will to solve the problem, al-Araji said, referring to the current political crisis in Iraq.
Heads of political blocs have agreed to postpone the parliaments session scheduled for July 13 for two weeks, as the Temporary Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Foad Maasom, had announced. Maasom had said that leaders of political blocs will meanwhile continue their meetings until they agree on what should happen during the session, two weeks from July 13.
He noted that according to the constitution, lawmakers attending the session should select the parliaments permanent speaker, his two deputies, and the president of Iraq.
Political blocs have so far reached no agreement on who should hold each of these positions.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/15/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Jeez, we gave you two weeks.
You're just dragging your feet!
Heh...
Israel's decision to ease its blockade on Gaza has had an odd effect on the region: it has apparently thrown Gaza retailers into a panic, causing them to pressure their rulers.
As a result, the Hamas terrorist organization is fighting the implementation of the crossing agreements proposed by the Palestinian Authority and Israel. This, despite years of bitter complaints from Hamas, albeit unsubstantiated, that the blockade by Israel was causing a humanitarian crisis in the region.
According to the Gaza-based Al Ayyam newspaper, clothing retailers are claiming that rather than a lack, there is now an overabundance of selections in their market.
The problem is that since Hamas has not paid salaries, there are few customers available to buy the goods.
Gee, the UN keeps shipping money to the 'government' in Gaza. Wonder how come so little of it trickles down into salaries?
Soft drink manufacturers and those in the furniture industry are also complaining, as they don't want to compete with the lower prices of Israeli goods.
Both have called on the de facto Hamas government to prevent the entry of Israeli products, citing their ability to meet the needs of the local market themselves and fears they may have to close their factories if they cannot meet the competition.
Due to the goods that continue to be "imported" through the Gaza smuggler tunnels, as well as those that enter the region by truck, there is now a surplus of products in the small market.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri claimed the agreement is "part of the plot by Israelis, Arabs and Europeans to restore the rule of the [Fatah-led] Palestinian Authority in Gaza."
While Hamas backpedals on its claims that Israel has been starving its population by limiting the flow of aid through the crossings, the new policy change has resulted in what Gaza retailers are calling a glut of goods in the region.
Data gleaned from the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (CoGAT) for June showed a 60 percent increase in aid transferred from Israel to Gaza via the Kerem Shalom Crossing.
A new joint task force comprised of personnel from the Palestinian Authority and the IDF's CoGAT was created to oversee the policy changes and work on advancing coordinated projects to be supervised by the international community. The task force also continues to work on finding ways to increase the capacity of goods being transferred daily through the crossings, according to a statement from the IDF Spokesman's Office.
More than 3,000 trucks crossed into Gaza through Kerem Shalom and the Karni Crossing last month. In addition, the Jewish State continued to supply the region with heating gas (4 million liters), cooking gas (4,000 tons) and diesel fuel (approximately 600,000 liters). Some 2,500 PA residents of Gaza entered Israel as well during the month of June, passing through the Erez Crossing, which is specifically intended for human traffic. The number is a 25 percent jump over previous figures. In total, the number of trucks making their way into Gaza through the Israeli crossings has increased by 12 percent, according to the CoGAT.
I guess the closer they get to any thing with, "free(dom)," in it causes trouble in that part of the world. In this case, any thing resembling a free market I guess.
The Iranian nuclear scientist who claimed to have been abducted by the CIA before departing for his homeland Wednesday was paid more than $5 million by the agency to provide intelligence on Iran's nuclear program, U.S. officials said.
Shahram Amiri is not obligated to return the money but might be unable to access it after breaking off what U.S. officials described as significant cooperation with the CIA and abruptly returning to Iran. Officials said he might have left out of concern that the Tehran government would harm his family.
"Anything he got is now beyond his reach, thanks to the financial sanctions on Iran," a U.S. official said. "He's gone, but his money's not. We have his information, and the Iranians have him." That sounds...ominous.
Whether the agency received an adequate return on its investment in Amiri is difficult to assess. The size of the payment might offer some measure of the value of the information he shared. But it could also reflect a level of eagerness within the U.S. intelligence community for meaningful information on Iran.
The U.S. official said the payments reflected the value of the information gleaned. "The support is keyed to what the person's done, including how their material has checked out over time," said the official, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity surrounding the case. "You don't give something for nothing."
The transfer of millions of dollars into Amiri-controlled accounts also seems to bolster the U.S. government's assertions that Amiri was neither abducted nor brought to the United States against his will. Given the amount of money he was provided, a second U.S. official said, "I'm sure he could have been very happy here for a long time."
Posted by: tu3031 ||
07/15/2010 11:25 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#2
If he shows up dead in Iran, he might have given us worthwhile information. If he thrives, was he a double? Or maybe they know that killing him validates his data, so they keep him thriving as disception? Or maybe we know that and he is a triple reverse penetration agent?
Or maybe he's a dope?
Wilderness of Mirrors....
#4
Speaking to journalists after a flight via Qatar, Amiri repeated his earlier claims that he was snatched while in the Saudi holy city of Medina and carried off to the United States. The first months were full of intense pressures, he claimed. "I was under the harshest mental and physical torture," he said at the Tehran airport, with his young son sitting on his lap.
He also claimed that Israeli agents were present during the interrogations and that CIA officers offered him $50 million to remain in America. He gave no further details to back up the claims or shed any new light on his time in the United States, but promised to reveal more later.
"I have some documents proving that I've not been free in the United States and have always been under the control of armed agents of U.S. intelligence services," Amiri told reporters.
Previously he claimed the CIA "pressured me to help with their propaganda against Iran," he said, including offering him up to $10 million to talk to U.S. media and claim to have documents on a laptop against Iran. He said he refused to take the money.
Amiri refused to say how if under guard he could have escaped U.S. agents to release videos in which he alleges that he had been snatched by American and Saudi kidnap teams while on a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. He said that to disclose such information now could harm national security, and said he would explain everything later.
#6
well, he either tells the Iranians he gave the CIA no info - which would seem to indicate (via $5 million greenbacks) that he is lying, and they torture/imprison/kill him; or he tells them all the juicy info he gave up for the $5 million and they/torture/imprison/kill him. Sucks to be him, as they'll surely take that money before he can get it
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/15/2010 18:54 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Either way, he dies flat broke. Only outstanding question is how soon.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
07/15/2010 21:16 Comments ||
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After several leading jihadi forums were recently hacked and forced offline, including Al-Falluja, Al-Shumoukh, and Al-Tahadi, other jihadi sites (as well as Al-Tahadi, which has since reappeared online) have been posting announcements meant to reassure the mujahideen and their supporters. The messages stress that the attacks on the forums were part of ongoing efforts by the enemies of Islam to harm the jihadi websites and sow division among the mujahideen, but that these efforts would not prevent the forums' administrators from renewing the sites' activity, which constitutes "jihad of the pen." Readers were also advised to take certain precautions in order to avoid exposure, and to treat certain sites with suspicion.
Against this backdrop, sites began blaming one another for the forums' collapse, with accusations about collaborating with the enemy against rival sites, or of having been infiltrated by enemy agents. Forum participants wondered which sites could be trusted and which were recognized by Al-Fajr, the prestigious jihadi media company organization that distributes videos and communiqués from Al-Qaeda and its franchises.
On July 9, 2010, Al-Falluja became fully operational once more, but initially it did not post Al-Fajr materials, which could indicate distrust on the part of Al-Qaeda towards the reactivated site. On July 11, it posted a communiqué attributed to Al-Fajr; however, this communiqué was not posted from the normal "Al-Fajr reporter" account, but rather from the "Al-Falluja reporter" username. In recent years, Al-Falluja and Al-Shumoukh have been the only two sites that received materials directly from Al-Fajr, which indicated (though somewhat indirectly) their status as sites recognized by Al-Qaeda; the outward sign of this recognition was the use of the "Al-Fajr reporter" account, which makes its current absence potentially significant. Nonetheless, Al-Falluja has posted a fair amount of Al-Fajr material in recent days, which indicates either that the connection between the two is still intact, or that Al-Falluja has been receiving it from some as yet unknown third party.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/15/2010 00:00 ||
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[5 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda
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.
A judge was poised to decide whether the government and some fellow judges were right when they said a 70-year-old former civil rights lawyer convicted in a terrorism case received too much leniency when she was sentenced to just over two years in prison.
Concerns that Somali terrorists might stage a brazen attack on America are on the rise after the deadly Uganda bombings, senior Obama administration officials said Tuesday.
