US warplanes on Friday carried out fresh bombing raids to eliminate the last pockets of al-Qaeda and Taliban resistance in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, an Afghan commander said. "The fighting is in progress. We continue to finish all of Al-Qaeda. The Americans with their airforce, us with our ground forces," said General Attigullah Luddine, who commands hundreds of Afghan troops fighting alongside US forces in the Operation Anaconda offensive, which was launched on March 2. "The operation is finished but there are still some very small units of Al-Qaeda and Talibans." Then the operation's not finished.
The guys on the ground may have scored a victory in Anaconda, but the public affairs mistakes associated with this effort have been a case study in how not to manage the press. Of course the US press just regurgitated in real time anything that a uniform served up as news or commentary, without any consideration of whether the item was realistic or not. These instant links to reality have only taken out the natural filters that posed as editorial obstacles to stupid news stories in the past. Posted by Tom Roberts 3/15/2002 5:28:41 PM
One of my favorite examples of Press Stupid was in the runup to the Gulf War. CNN was rattling on about how fearsome Sammy's SCUDs were, while the visuals were showing SA-6's on parade. While there are exceptions, in most cases if the same people were reporting on agricultural affairs they'd be talking about "horsies" and "moo-moos." Posted by Fred 3/17/2002 12:17:13 PM
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Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has blasted the United States for trying to use the post-September 11 climate to its advantage and said America would one day include Europe in its "axis of evil." Sadly, the warning came too late. We dismantled Luxembourg last week and the Swedish government is holed up in Uppsala begging for mercy. Next stop: Portugal!
I thought the EU-nuchs were forming the Axis of Nevilles instead... Posted by Tom Roberts 3/15/2002 5:30:00 PM
Ah, yes. The Munich EUnuch. Posted by Mark Byron [markbyron.blogspot.com] 3/16/2002 1:53:56 AM
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U.S. officials say there are no plans to send forces to the Caspian Sea, following a stern statement about Iranian border incidents with Azerbaijan. Despite efforts to ease tensions, the problem of a disputed oil field remains unresolved since an Iranian gunboat threatened an Azerbaijani survey ship in July. Nope. Wouldn't seem to be any of our business.
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Georgia said it might use troops trained by U.S. special forces to conduct "anti-terrorism" operations in its separatist Abkhazia region, but it ruled out a military offensive to win back the province. Sounds like a case of counting chickens before they're hatched. First deal with the problem at hand, then you can mess things up elsewhere.
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RFE/RL carries a fairly detailed article on the influence of "alternative Islam" on politics in Azerbaijan. If you're not familiar with the country, it's one of the former Soviet republics, notable mainly for large quantities of oil and for fighting with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Turan [news agency] last month quoted Zardusht Alizade, co-chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Azerbaijan as saying: "The politicization of Islam has helped drive the secular opposition into corner. A holy place is never empty, and the population has reached out for the mosques... The politicization of Islam was the reaction of the lower classes to the introduction of such attributes of Western mass culture as beauty contests, the cult of eroticism, the legalization of sexual minorities, and the provocative consumption of the upper classes. The ethical puritanism of the conservative sectors of the population manifested itself in the form of devotion to the Islamic behests of their forbears." Yup. That sounds pretty familiar. I know we've heard that someplace before...
One of the most influential such mosques is the Cuma or Abu-Bekr mosque in Baku, the construction of which was financed by the Kuwaiti foundation "Restoration of the Islamic Heritage," and whose imam, Hadji Hamet Suleymanov, is said to be more popular than Sheikh ul-Islam Pashazade. The mosque was investigated in January for a possible connection with the young Azerbaijanis who went on trial on charges of aspiring to fight as mercenaries in Chechnya. But the authorities decided against either closing it down or appointing another imam to replace Hadji Hamet, instead imposing restrictions on its activities and banning the sale there of religious literature. Well, I am so surprised. You could knock me over with a feather...
The Abu-Bekr mosque is only one of an estimated 150 built in Azerbaijan since 1992 with funds from abroad. The independent newspaper "Ekho" reported on 16 February that over that period the Turkish government has financed construction of eight new mosques and the reconstruction or repair of two more. The total number of registered functioning mosques, according to State Committee for Religious Affairs Chairman Rafik Aliev, is around 1,300. Nice of folks outside the country to be that concerned with the religious life of a nation. It's all for the most altruistic reasons, of course.
Aliev said there are up to 2,000 unregistered religious organizations in Azerbaijan... He also said 22 unregistered and Iranian-funded medreses (religious schools) that had been operating for six-seven years have been closed down because the course of instruction they offered was deemed unacceptable by the Azerbaijani government... In the course of that TV interview, Aliev also admitted that his committee is concerned at the sums of money being channeled into religious activities. He pointed out that not all the funds earmarked by foreign organizations for the construction or repair of mosques are actually used for that purpose, adding that his committee is trying to establish how the remainder is used. "Sure, I'd be happy to educate your kids for you. Would you like me to hold your wallet, too?"
great citation, showing two major weakness of the Western press
1. a lack of geographical consciousness
2. not doing any research into what you are writing about
This may be excused as the RFE/RA is a US State Dept operation, and they don't want to rock the boat too much. But the unstated issues here are huge.
1. The word "Russia" was never cited. The word "Iran" was cited once. No mention was made why "Iranian funding" would be unacceptable to the Azeri government.
2. Neither Sunni nor Shiite was ever mentioned.
The Azeris are of Turkish origin and were overwhelmingly Sunni. This contrasts dramatically to the Iranian orientation. Despite the proximity of Azerbaijan to Iran, the Russians and the Azeris have big political and cultural reasons to not want Iranian mullahs setting up shop in Baku. In fact, the natural alliance of the Azeris would be with the Turks, but that is why the Russians have propped up Armenia in between for a decade. This keeps the Azeri secular government on a Russian orientation, as the Azeris fear the Iranians more than they fear the Russians.
Which of course leads to interesting questions if the Turks and US ever formed an alliance with the Georgians, but the Russians have seemed intent on keeping Georgia unstable for the foreseeable future. Posted by Tom Roberts 3/16/2002 1:21:40 PM
This is definitely Culture Clash Country. With the Soviet breakup the Turks see a vast expanse of Turkic-speaking cousins and no reason not to coalesce into a Greater Turkistan. The Russers see the Caucasus and Transcaucasus as their sphere of influence because of all the red stars still hanging in city halls. The Iranians remember the good ol' Persian days, when the Armenians and Georgians (and Circassians and Svans and Avars and such) were buffer states between their Seat of All Power and the Byzantine Seat of All Power. Add the Sufi-Shiite split - and the fact that the indigenous flavors of Islam are in many cases neither fish nor fowl - and the Great Game could come out looking like checkers.
For my personal preference, I'd go with the Greater Turkistan option, and get in on the ground floor with the next Great Power, sometime around 2050. Posted by Fred 3/17/2002 12:28:07 PM
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Police in Indian Kashmir used tear gas for the third straight day on Friday to disperse Muslim demonstrators protesting against controversial remarks that appeared in a newspaper about the region's holiest shrine. Angry protesters pelted stones at police in several places in Srinagar. Muslim youths protested for two days earlier this week after the Asian Age quoted Vinay Katiyar, a leader of the powerful Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), as saying a hair in Kashmir's Hazratbal shrine was from a Hindu priest rather than from the beard of the Prophet Mohammad. Why this deliberate stirring of the Hindu-Muslim pot? Is VHP financed by the ISI or are they just naturally stoopid? Or is the real game much deeper than it appears on the surface?
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Hundreds of Hindu fundamentalists blessed pillars meant for a temple to the god-king Ram in a ritual that ended peacefully despite fears it might trigger religious clashes across India. That's the surprise of the week. I am so confused...
The hard-liners, wearing white and saffron robes and chanting Sanskrit hymns, held the ceremony outside disputed land surrounding a mosque destroyed by Hindu zealots in 1992, backing down from a threat to defy a court ruling and invade the area. So they actually stayed outside the area, just going up to the fence and looking over?
Police rounded up thousands of people across India ahead of the ritual to prevent a fresh outbreak of religious violence after more than 700 people, mostly Muslims, died in unrest which erupted in western India on February 27. Did they actually manage to put out the firebrands? Doubt it. This kind of round-up usually ends up with the arrestees representing a delicate balance of loud mouth and low IQ, plus anybody packing heat.
But the day was quiet, barring some unrest in the western city of Ahmedabad, which bore the brunt of the recent unrest. Police and the army were called in to quell Hindu-Muslim violence and curfew was imposed in some areas. But Ahmedabad wasn't directly a part of this deal. It's last week's riots, nothing but a reminder of what could come...
The religious unrest has plunged Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee into his biggest crisis since taking office, and coincided with a massive military stand-off with Pakistan. Yeah. The whole episode has looked like an attack on him, to make him look as ineffectual as Musharraf. So why didn't they go in for the kill now? Or do they value him more weakened than broken? Or what was the payoff from BJP to VHP?
The fundamentalists, who believe the 16th-century Babri mosque was built by Muslim Moghul invaders, marched through the narrow, winding streets of Ayodhya in northern India, vastly outnumbered by riot police and paramilitary troops rushed in to stop them from storming the disputed land. Suppose it could have been the army that saved the day, but it's not likely. This was supposed to result in dead bodies to point to in return for... What?
India's Supreme Court on Wednesday barred all religious ceremonies on the land until an eventual court ruling on whether it should go to Hindus or Muslims. The temple campaign's leader Ramchandra Das Paramhans, a 93-year-old firebrand with a flowing gray board, had said on Thursday he was ready to die rather than give up his plans to pray on the land surrounding the mosque. But under intense pressure from Vajpayee's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which hails from the same array of Hindu nationalist groups as the Ayodhya hard-liners, he backed down. Well, none of us really wants to catch lead...
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Britain and the US are backing a secret South African plan to persuade Zimbabweâs Robert Mugabe to form a government of national unity with the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) which lost a controversial weekend presidential election. Mbeki yesterday sent his deputy Jacob Zuma on a confidential mission to persuade Mr Mugabe to embrace the MDC and make its leader Morgan Tsvangirai his Vice President. The Nigerian leader Olusegen Obasanjo is also sending a message to Mr Mugabe urging him to move quickly to form a government of national unity with "substantial representation" from the opposition. If I had any money, I wouldn't put it on that plan working. Bob just won a nice victory against the oppo, and he's not going to dilute it by offering them even token power. Morgan's more likely to face "treason" charges or to have an "unfortunate accident."
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The 61-member Commonwealth observer group, including New Zealand's delegates, issued a scathing report saying Mugabe's re-election did not reflect the will of the people, disenfranchised thousands of voters and was held in a climate of fear. When he heard about it, Bob wondered what was for lunch. Could he get that pesky hangnail dislodged? Grace the Wifelet had a new dress. It was red. He'd always liked red.
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Israel began pulling its tanks out of the West Bank city of Ramallah late yesterday as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon met U.S. Middle East envoy Anthony Zinni. Gun battles between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen broke out as the Israeli forces were leaving. They continued early today. Either their mission is accomplished or they're going to hold back while the talks are going on. If it's "accomplished," it'll be for a day or two. The rats will come crawling back out of their holes, waving their guns and making bloodcurdling vows of revenge.
America accused Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh yesterday of "methodically setting a death trap" for murdered journalist Daniel Pearl. The British-born extremist was indicted on two charges. The charges carry the death penalty. A federal grand jury issued the indictments â for hostage-taking and for hostage-taking leading to Mr Pearl's death. Authorities also revealed â or unsealed â an earlier indictment that charges Mr Saeed with a 1994 kidnapping. Even sitting in jug in Pakland, his attitude can be "indict and be damned." The indictment means nothing to him unless the Paks hand him over and chances of that actually happening are remote. Probably the best the US can hope for is for the Paks to convict him - which'll probably mean a couple years house arrest.
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An explosion was heard in an area close to the U.S. embassy in the Yemeni capital, and security forces closed the streets leading to the mission. Security forces blocked access to the area near the embassy, but no ambulances were seen. The embassy on Wednesday warned Americans in Yemen that they could be in danger of "imminent terrorist targeting." The warning came on the eve of a visit by Vice President Dick Cheney, who left Sanaa on Thursday. That's just their little way of saying g'bye.
More:Local residents said someone had hurled a grenade in the area, while a US official in Washington said, "Two concussion grenades were thrown by a Yemeni individual at the embassy. He has been taken into custody." Large men with moustaches and truncheons are discussing the matter with him.
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A man appeared in the office of an Urdu daily, claiming to have killed Daniel Peal. However, he later confessed to newsmen, that he had made the claim in a bid to save Ahmed Omar Sheikh. The man identified himself as Adnan alias Sunny, about 28, a driver by profession. He said he belonged to Jaish Mohammed. He said he was upset over his domestic problems and was planning to commit suicide but later decided to give his life for a better cause.
Sunny said he made the plan last night. He said he believed that Omar Shiekh had no hand in the killing of the journalist and his confession to the murder would have bailed him out. He called Omar Shiekh a great freedom fighter.
Sunny said he had been in the calaboose from 1989 to 1994 in a murder case where he had been set up by an activist of Lashkar Jhangvi.
He said his family had disowned him a couple of years ago. Lately, he said he developed differences with his only brother and sister-in-law. He said his brother had filed an application with the Shahdman police against him a couple of weeks ago which had made him think suicide. Sunny sounds like such a classic loser a body could almost feel sorry for him. He probably walks around with a Joe Btfsplk cloud over his head. If he really belongs to Jaish-e-Mohammad they probably just use him to go pick up coffee. Little kids tie the end of his turban to doorknobs when he's not looking.
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Three Lashkar-i-Jhangvi terrorists, one of them with a 500,000 rupees price on his head, were killed in a shootout with police. Vehar city cops had set up a checkpoint on the Vehari-Khanewal Road and signalled three motorcyclists to stop. The police team chased them and the gunnies opened fire, whereupon they were waxed. A Kalashnikov, Maybe that's why they were stopped. How do you conceal a long gun, even a short one, on a motorcycle? two pistols and press cards of an Urdu-language daily were recovered from their possession. A document containing names of some prominent personalities who were on hit list of the terrorists were also recovered, as well as the address of Munir Ahmad (Mister Big). Coppers raided his house and arrested him. Four hand grenades, one rifle and 82 bullets were recovered from his possession. What an inspring story. Bet their Moms are so proud!
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A crack Israeli Merkava battle tank was destroyed for the second time in a month by Palestinians in an attack in Gaza Strip. Three of its crew were killed. Two other crew members of the tank which was guarding the road between Netzarim and the Karni crossing point between the eastern Gaza Strip and Israel were wounded in the bomb blast, the statement added. The attack was claimed by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and dealt a new blow to the army, following a similar incident exactly a month ago in the same area.
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A little-known terrorist outfit in Jammu and Kashmir has renewed its threat of acid attacks on Muslim women who do not wear the burqa. The group, Lashkar-e-Jabbar (LeJ), had surfaced in August 2001, throwing acid on a group of women in the city. It had set a "deadline" of September 1 for all women to adhere to the "Islamic dress code".
"Restrict your activities, do not mingle with strangers and wear the burqa," LeJ chief Irfan Jameel said in a statement to women on Friday. Should he be defied, "we will be compelled to throw acid on our sisters," Jameel said. The deadline for compliance this time is April 1. "Yes, sisters. Our actions aren't to be controlled by us, but by you. We are your helpless puppets. If you don't do as we say, we'll do as you force us." Is it just me or does that kind of logic not make any sense? And if it's a sin to bare an elbow in front of a man you're not married to, isn't it more of a sin to throw acid on somebody else's relative? Throw it on your own damned sister, if it matters that much to you. And take the punishment when you do.
"For various reasons, we had had to stop our activities for some time," Jameel said. "But this boosted obscene and outrageous practices in the valley." Now, LeJ cadres would take on the "forces of evil â the time has come to strike and eliminate all those who are out to destroy the social and moral fabric of our society". Wonder what those "various reasons" might have been? Could the reason be that the entire cadre of the "army" was laid up with a broken leg? Or perhaps just that the entire cadre of the "army" was out of the country, perhaps waving a rusty AK at infidels in Afghanistan and just got let out of a shipping container with 600 other guys with turbans, beards and six months' worth of B.O.?
Jameel asked cable TV operators to stop airing "obscene and immoral" films, and told parents to "keep a vigil on their children". "If we find any girl mixing with alien boys, they will be severely punished." No Paula and Tonya, duking it out on Fox? I'd emigrate first!
To which alien boys is he referring? He doesn't want good Muslim girls hanging out with heathen Hindoos? Or green fellows with antennae who wiggle their palps when they dance? Or he just doesn't want them hanging out, period?
The LeJ's Talibanistic diktats last year had included ordering Hindu women to wear bindis and Sikh women to wear saffron dupattas so that they could be distinguished from Muslim women. Though they had faded out as suddenly as they had appeared, the LeJ had spread panic and earned publicity for itself. Since "they" faded so quickly, it's likely the "army" is teeny-tiny and the whole thing is susceptible to firm control by drowning Irfan Jameel in the nearest toilet.
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
