The United States has renewed its terrorism alert for east Africa. The advisory, issued by the American state department in Washington, was to remind US citizens that Islamic extremists were active and may be plotting attacks in east Africa.
On Tuesday, the US statement department said: "This (alert) is being re-issued to remind Americans of the continuing potential for terrorist actions against US citizens in east Africa, particularly along the east African coast.
"A small number of al-Qaeda operatives and other extremists are believed to be operating in and around east Africa."
It said Americans travelling to the region should be careful, "considering the threat". The alert replaces an existing November 18 warning, was released on Friday, and re-issued by the US embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, on Tuesday.
The US state department said East Africa had been the site of several al-Qaeda-linked terrorist attacks over the past seven years - including the near simultaneous bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in August 1998. It also said that the US feared Somalia was becoming a haven for groups such as al-Qaeda.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
05/10/2006 01:02 ||
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An anonymous article recently circulated through a Yahoo e-group and subsequently posted on several jihadist message boards, provides a roadmap for al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia and suggests new targets. The author claims that the initial stage of the development of al-Qaeda in the Saudi Arabia was a "failure from all points of view". The author identifies failures in devising a propaganda campaign resonating with the people, presenting a viable political alternative to the regime of the al-Saud royal family, and finding media outlets to give sympathetic coverage to al-Qaeda operations.
In order to be effective, future al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia attacks should focus on political personalities, American and British Embassies and their employees, oil exporting facilities, and the Saudi military.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
05/10/2006 00:35 ||
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MANAMA - Bahrains decision to expel the representative of a US-based pro-democracy organization from the country has triggered concerns over US-Bahrain relations prior to upcoming elections. The head of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) office in Manama, Fawzi Guleid, had been given till Friday to leave the country after his permit visa expired and the government refused to renew it.
Guleid would not comment on the decision but he reportedly began preparation to leave the country after being informed of the governments decision.
"Hasta-la-bye-bye!"
The Bahrain Institute for Political Development (BIPD), formed by the government late last year, had demanded that NDI seek prior approval of contacts with Bahraini civic groups. NDI, which promotes democracy worldwide and is affiliated with the US Democratic Party, was invited to Bahrain to help the nascent democratic transformation after the launch of reforms in 2001.
The group began operating in early 2002, ahead of Bahrains first municipal and parliamentary elections in almost three decades. In 2005, NDI came under attack by Islamist members of Bahrains parliament, who questioned whether the Washington-based institute was serving US interests and accused it of violating Bahraini law banning foreign bankrolling of local political activities.
Something which with the Democrats have experience.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/10/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
...affiliated with the US Democratic Party.
Heh. I'da used the "tossing the clown" pic myself...
#2
Wish we could do that! Ah the fantasy: "I'm sorry to inform you Mr. Kerry, Kennedy, and Jane that we will be revoking your citizinship and you have until Friday to get TFO of our country!"
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
05/10/2006 15:03 Comments ||
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The Bahrain Institute for Political Development (BIPD),
In this particular case the operative word is "development." Interesting that even an Islamic country recognizes the futility of linking the democrats with any sort of positive development.
An East Asian intelligence agency has successfully tapped into frequent calls made by Kim Jong-il's oldest son Kim Jong-nam from Beijing to the North Korean leader's younger sister Kim Kyung-hee in Pyongyang, the Sankei Shimbun reported Monday.
In the calls, Kim Jong-nam complains that he was detained in Japan because of then incompetence of public security officials in the North, according to the Japanese daily. In May 2001, Kim Jong-nam attempted to enter Japan on a forged passport but was unmasked and detained and later deported. Kim Kyung-hee also complains about the misrule of the Kim Jong-il regime, who ordered the demotion of her husband Chang Song-taek from his position as department head in the ruling Korean Workers Party.
The two reportedly have occasional drunken conversations that last more than an hour. The paper said they appear to have joined forces with some success, with the restoration of Chang Song-taek confirmed at the beginning of the year. Competition to succeed Kim Jong-il has as a result heated up between the eldest Kim Jong-nam, Kim Jong-chul, the son of the leaders wife Ko Young-hee who died the year before last, and the third son Kim Jong-woon.
With their future riding heavily on the outcome of the power struggle, military and party officials have split into three factions supporting one of the candidates, the Sankei says. This may be the reason the North Korean leader has told his circle he will not be naming a successor until his 70th birthday and vowed in his birthday address on Feb. 16 to continue working even into his 80s and 90s.
Posted by: Steve ||
05/10/2006 14:37 ||
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#11
Saddam's daughter + Chavez's daughter + Kimmie's > three for Hillary. Of course you know we American = Amerikan, Fascist = Hald-A-Commie Male Brutes are doomed.
The government made an error when it allowed the Swedish Air Force to undertake exercises together with Israel, Göran Persson has said.
The Air Force took part in exercises with Israel last year in Canada, it has emerged. Last month the government withdrew Swedish participation in international exercises because of the presence of the Israelis, drawing criticism from the opposition in Sweden as well as from Israel.
"The same rules should have applied then as now," the Prime Minister said on Wednesday.
The exercises in Canada last year were twice approved by the government.
"There is no good explanation for it. It must quite simply, as one of the generals responsible said, be down to a mistake. The same position should have applied then as now," Persson said.
Despite the fact that Israel's participation was mentioned in documentation of both the formal government orders, ministers failed to notice the fact.
"Not every government order is perfect, we have made misses before and we will miss again. Clearly we missed here," the Prime Minister admitted.
Despite the controversy, Persson described relations with Israel as good.
"They are good, and I have over the years seen to it that we have developed very close relations with the state of Israel, its government and with Jewish groups around the world as well as here in Sweden."
"I thing that one needs good relations with both sides in the Middle East conflict."
Persson tried to play down the significance of the decision to grant a visa to Palestinian minister Atef Adwan.
"I think the cancelled air force exercises are, in the circumstances, of marginal importance."
"The Hamas decision is, on the other hand, an important question of principle over visa rights and how they should be handled. In this area every individual has a right to have his visa application tried and it is the individual who is subjected to a personal examination."
Persson said that while Hamas is classed as a terrorist organization, that does not mean that everyone who is linked to or is a member of Hamas is classed as a terrorist, Persson argued.
"A fairly large group applied for visas to Sweden. Of that group, two were denied visas. The decision to deny a visa to one of them was taken after contact with France, so it was handled completely correctly according to the way it should be done in Schengen.
I dread moving towards a situation in which political decisions determine the awarding of visas, because then we will have taken a backwards step.
Government ministers were banned from meeting Adwan, yet a number of Persson's colleagues in the Social Democrats did meet him, something the prime minister refused to criticize.
"Sweden is a land free of all forms of oppression, and all forms of censorship. If an individual wants direct relations or conversations with a representative of Hamas, then they may.
"Among them are certainly Social Democrats, Left Party members and Greens - and possibly even one or two free-thinking liberals for all I know. But it would be strange to say that they must not talk with people who are in our country," Persson said.
Bräunlich and Nitzschke are unlikely to forget their ordeal anytime soon. The German government, for its part, will also spend some time facing public scrutiny over its decisions to spend such a large sum of money to save the two engineers' lives. It can count on widespread support within the population for its checkbook diplomacy. Seventy-six percent of Germans surveyed believe that the lives of hostages should take priority, even if it means that the millions spent will fall into the hands of terrorists and Islamists. But the end of the hostage crisis also marks the beginning of a debate over the extent to which German politicians should yield to extortion. It'll be an extension of the debate that's been conducted within the crisis task force in recent weeks and between Merkel and Foreign Minister Steinmeier.
Security officials are especially concerned that the affair could now mean that every German carries a price tag, and that the price placed on German hostages' heads is likely to balloon because their government is seen as being all too willing to give in to ransom demands. Indeed, that price inflation is already evident in the difference between the ransom of just under $5 million paid for the 14 Sahara hostages in 2003 and the sums the German government paid to gain the release of recent hostages -- more than $5 million for Susanne Osthoff alone, and the ransom it paid for Bräunlich and Nitzschke, which is reportedly much higher.
Security officials foresee a dim future for Germans abroad, and many officials in the crisis task force share their views. "A country can afford to do this kind of thing, but only within limits," says a high-ranking administration official, "but the question is, when are those limits exceeded?" And yet no one in Berlin political circles can offer a better or alternative solution. The two hostages have been released from their trap, whereas the government now finds itself in a trap of its own.
Are these guys really related to the guys who pulled off the Ardennes twice? TGA must be hemorraging.
#2
Next time a meet a German I will kidnap them. WARNING! If you are German, stay out of Minnesota.
Now that I think about it, this may be a great way for the U.S. to get some funding for the WoT.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
05/10/2006 16:29 Comments ||
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What is Germany (or any other EU country) going to do when the ransom asked exceeds what they are willing to pay? Eventually the demands will reach a point where Germany cannot or will not pay.
If they paid $5,000,000 for Susan Osthoff, and "much more" for the two engineers, the next kidnap victime will cost $20,000,000 or more. If the Germans pay that, the next victim will cost $50,000,000. If they keep paying, eventually there will be a kidnap victim which could cost more than the annual GDP for the country ($2.45 trillion). Somewhere before that, Germany will have to either let the hostages die, or go bankrupt.
People can say that you can't put a value on a human life, but that isn't true. I don't know what the value is, but eventually Germany (and any other country) will reach a point where they are unwilling to pay.
#4
And a point when they are unwilling to let their citizens out of the country. It will certainly become too expensive for them to participate in the coalition of the willing. Auf Wiedersehen, Al-Emagne
#6
They can all stay home for all I care. They are more a member of a coalition of the sometimes says the right things than a coalition of the willing anyway.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
05/10/2006 16:48 Comments ||
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Security officials are especially concerned that the affair could now mean that every German carries a price tag,
Seriously, it took you this long to figure this out?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
05/10/2006 21:01 Comments ||
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The best ransom is what Russia paid once.
After some US hostages were taken in Lebanon, the bad boyz decided they would take some Russian hostages.
The Russians counter-kidnapped the bad boyz Imam, then FedEx'ed a body part or two to the kidnappers, who were then so anxious to return the Russian hostages that they drove them to the Russian embassy.
Posted by: The Ghost of Walter Duranty ||
05/10/2006 14:53 Comments ||
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How can it be a "real" story when it pertains to WaPo Dana?
Posted by: Captain America ||
05/10/2006 17:15 Comments ||
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Priests shocking claims did more than embarrass the administration; they harmed Americas national security and intelligence gathering capabilities during a time of war.
That says it all, what else do you need to do to get a pulitzer?
While the threat from al-Qaida remains strongest overseas, a terrorist attack on Canadian soil is "now probable,'' the head of Canada's spy agency has quietly advised the government.
In his annual report to the public safety minister, Jim Judd says the Canadian Security Intelligence Service's highest priority involved trying to prevent assaults occurring in, or originating from, Canada.
"The threat of further attacks by Sunni Islamic extremists and other like-minded groups continues, bringing with it elevated demands on the service's resources,'' says the report, which covers the year 2004-05.
A focus of the intelligence service's counter-terrorism program "was therefore the interdiction and removal'' of such radicals.
"During the past year, Canada and Canadian interests abroad continued to be under threat from al-Qaida and its affiliated groups,'' Judd says.
"While the threat remains concentrated overseas, an attack on Canadian soil is now probable.''
Judd's comments represent some of the strongest language used by a senior Canadian official to date in characterizing the threat from Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network.
A declassified copy of the top secret report was obtained Tuesday by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act.
It was delivered by hand in late November to then-public safety minister Anne McLellan, later defeated in the January election.
Al-Qaida, which perpetrated the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, included Canada on a list of target countries in both November 2002 and March 2004.
Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan have come under repeated attack from al-Qaida and Taliban elements opposed to the new western-supported government in Kabul.
Stephen Rigby, acting national security adviser to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, said Tuesday the government is maintaining "a very high degree of vigilance'' with respect to al-Qaida.
"We're just trying to increase the level of sophistication as to how we refine that consideration of the threat, where it might come, how it might come,'' Rigby said after speaking to a conference on national security.
For instance, federal officials pay "a lot more'' attention to the possibility of a strike on transit systems following the deadly terrorist assaults on commuters in Madrid and London, he said.
That extends to closely examining the explosive devices used by extremists in these attacks.
"We study those, and we sort of consider various scenarios in which they might be used in Canada,'' Rigby said. "We try to develop the most refined threat scenarios that we can.''
Rigby said, however, that Canadian officials have "no specific evidence'' of a plot at this time.
Transport Canada's John Forster told the meeting, sponsored by the Conference Board of Canada, that transportation systems have figured in one way or another in almost every major terrorist attack during the last 30 years.
"So, unfortunately, there's no reason to believe that this troubling reality will change,'' said Forster.
One concern is that terrorists might set off a "dirty bomb'' -- a conventional explosive laced with radiological material that could contaminate several city blocks.
Judd's report says the spy service's counter-proliferation branch, which tries to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction, "continued to investigate Shiite and state-sponsored terrorism,'' as well as the activities of certain unnamed foreign governments.
The report also stresses the service's involvement in security screening, namely the vetting of visitors to Canada, refugee claimants, immigrants, prospective citizens and employees who work at sensitive government jobs and installations such as nuclear plants and airports.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
05/10/2006 02:10 ||
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#1
Putin may yet get his chance to use the Gorby-Yeltsin-Putin Doctrine, where post-USSR Russia reserves its unilateral and unconditional right to use any means necessary, includ military force, to protect the lives of Soviet/Russian emigres and citizens anywhere in the world. MOTHER CINDY > FEAR NOT, "FASCIST-OCCUPIED NOLA/SOCIALIST AMERICA", HELP AND SALVATION, FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY, IS COMING C/O THE COMMIE INVADIN' = PEACEKEEPIN' AIRBORNE.
#2
Time for Canada to start deporting terror-linked "asylum seekers", I think. Harper's Conservative government is making great strides toward controlling the situation, after years of surrender by Chretien, et al.
#4
Where's that asshat Candanian that thinks Americas' economy can't support the WoT and seems to think that terrorism is Americas' problem?
Posted by: Mike N. ||
05/10/2006 16:44 Comments ||
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#4 Where's that asshat Candanian that thinks Americas' economy can't support the WoT and seems to think that terrorism is Americas' problem?
Posted by Mike N. 2006-05-10 16:44
_________
I don't know but I'm hoping Canadian Leftist asshats get a taste of the raw sewage they've admitted into their land and at the same time, permitted that sewage to seep southward. I understand that when you dance with a bear, its the bear that decides when to stop dancing.
#7
Rafael took time off to rethink his comments (on his own) after some questioned him. When he returns - keep an open mind, listen to what he says, not what he said in the past? If I can, anyone can....
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/10/2006 19:31 Comments ||
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Well said, FrankG. Those of us who are honest with ourselves, a prerequisite for being honest with others, are evolving as new information is absorbed and integrated - and that is to be commended.
Intelligence insiders say that former CIA Director Porter Goss was given less than a day to pack his bags by new White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten, who is moving swiftly to put a new and more aggressive face on the administration.
Despite Monday's praise by President Bush for Goss, with whom he held an exit ceremony last Friday at the White House, the insiders say that the decision to dump Goss came hard and fast. One says that Goss revealed to his senior staff on Friday that Bolten had called him last Thursday night to ask if he had "thought through an exit strategy."
On Friday morning, Bolten made a second call to demand Goss's resignation that day, which he gave.
Some insiders view Bush's praise for Goss as part of an effort to offset stories that the director had been fired. Others say it was an attempt by the White House to make Goss look good so that his hiring less than two years ago isn't viewed as a mistake.
Anticipating no response to its demand that President Bush place U.S. troops on the Mexican border, a civilian watch group said Tuesday it will start building a short border security fence May 27 on private land. Last month, Minuteman Civil Defense Corps leader Chris Simcox said the group would break ground to start putting up fencing privately unless the White House deployed military reserves or the National Guard to the border by May 25 and endorsed more- secure fencing. "We are not anticipating that the White House will make any effort in the next 2 1/2 weeks as far as putting troops on the border, or even as far as moving training to the border," Minuteman spokeswoman Connie Hair said.
The group initially plans to put up two parallel 15-foot high steel-mesh fences, anywhere from 50 to 150 feet long, on a ranch in Southern Arizona, the busiest illegal entry point on the U.S.-Mexican border. An unpaved road will run between the fences. Hair declined to reveal the location in hopes of avoiding harassment, repercussions or retaliation.
Todd Fraser, a U.S. Border Patrol spokesman in Washington, said the agency has no position on such fencing. "If private citizens want to construct something on their property . . . who is the Border Patrol to say they can't do it?" Fraser said.
The Minuteman group has received about $175,000 in Internet donations to build fencing, while others have volunteered time, equipment and materials, Hair said. Initially, a large fencing company offered to donate materials, but it won't be able to provide supplies immediately, she said. The Minuteman group will buy the materials to be used later this month.
Hair said Simcox still hoped to hold costs to between $125 and $150 a foot with volunteers donating labor, including design and survey work, as well as heavy equipment. Plans call for a fence complex based on an Israeli design. Much seeting expected.
On the south side facing Mexico, a 6-foot deep trench will keep vehicles from crashing through the fencing. Behind that, coiled and razor-edged barbed wire will be placed in front of a 15-foot high heavy-gauge steel mesh fence angled outward at the top to make climbing more difficult. The other fence will be built behind that on the other side of the road. Inexpensive video cameras will be mounted between the fences and monitored from home computers.
Other Minuteman groups have also undertaken fencing projects. On April 30, some 200 Minuteman Civil Defense Corps of California volunteers began building a 6-foot barbed wire fence along a quarter-mile of rugged terrain 50 miles east of San Diego. It connected to an existing 12-foot high government-built fence. Meanwhile, the California-based Minuteman Project, founded last year by Jim Gilchrist, is raising money to build a private fence along parts of the California-Mexico border.
Simcox said last month that a half-dozen Arizona border landowners indicated they would allow fencing to be put up. Other border landowners in California, New Mexico and Texas also have given their approval, he said.
#11
What's to stop the wet backs from cutting through the fence?
"Trespassers Will Be Violated" signs?
Posted by: ed ||
05/10/2006 16:07 Comments ||
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#12
In how many languages?
Posted by: Mike N. ||
05/10/2006 16:30 Comments ||
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One, Mexican version of Spanish.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
05/10/2006 21:07 Comments ||
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#14
Seriously, they should read "Do you want to die"
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
05/10/2006 21:09 Comments ||
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#15
That is something I suggested a while back.
Put up big signs that frighten (not threaten). Maybe with a big thermometer on top saying something like "110 degrees - 2 miles - 1 gallon of water" (how hot it is, how far most people can walk at that heat, and how much water they will need to drink). Tell them how far it is to the next water and to turn back now if they have any doubts.
Give them dire warnings of how dangerous it is, and how to signal for help, to beware of robbers and drug runners who may kill them.
And liberally covered with skulls and crossbones.
By themselves, such signs wouldn't stop many. But added to other things, they might have a powerful deterrent effect.
#16
Here's the Minutemen Fence site. I like their design - and donated enough to build a few feet. There are "competing" orgs, but I wouldn't trust anyone else with my donation. Simcox is doing everything right.
Adding signs would be another good step, but the fence is the key - and yes, Moose, I recall you were the first here to strenuously call for its construction in the key places - kudos and my appreciation. You were right.
Simcox is beginning to succeed in shaming the Congress into acting. It's working, people, please keep it up and lay some money down. We will win this one in spite of the asshole politicians, but the sweetest part IMHO will be thumping the socialistas with a hefty length of rebar across the nose.
May 10, 2006: In Pakistan, the two separate tribal wars (against Pushtuns and Baluchis) go on. The army has 45,000 troops fighting several Pushtun tribes in Waziristan, along the Afghan border. In the last few months, the troops have killed nearly 350 and arrested 142 suspects. While the tribes say they are pro-Taliban, dozens of foreign fighters have been killed or captured. These are al Qaeda, and not shy about admitting it. Two months ago, 1,500 Taliban and al Qaeda fighters sought a spectacular victory by attacking a small army base. But the Pakistanis quickly brought in helicopters and artillery fire, repulsing the attack, and killing or wounding some twenty percent of the attackers. Since then, the tribesmen have reverted to their ancient tactics of ambush. This has not been as successful as in the past, as now the Pakistani army has dozens of American helicopters. The army is also using UAVs, to spot the ambushers before they can fire, and turn the ambush into a defeat for the tribesmen. The tribesmen have had to face aircraft before, and they don't like it and have never come up with an effective way to deal with it (except to fall flat on the ground, as from the air their brown clothing blends with earth to make them invisible.) But now the Americans have provided heat sensors. The camouflage effect of the traditional clothing doesn't work against that.
What does still work is the willingness of the tribes to out-wait the army. To keep resisting until the soldiers go away. But this time, that may not work. After over half a century, the government sees a chance to finally bring the tribes to heel. The war on terror has turned into the war on the tribes. The Americans are providing technical and intelligence help, along with new equipment. Both the Pakistanis and Americans want the tribes out of the terror business, and neither care if the tribes lose some of their traditional freedoms along the way.
As a bonus, these operations, employing divisions and brigades, gives Pakistani troops invaluable combat and operational experience. This could be decisive in any future wars with India. Because both nations have nuclear weapons, it is believed that future wars will be brief and contained affairs along the border. In those circumstances, the combat experienced Pakistani troops would have an edge.
Posted by: Steve ||
05/10/2006 09:47 ||
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#1
Maybe we can find ways to let Indian troops help us in the WOT which would give them useful combat experience as well.
#2
Find the most hard-core villages that support the Talib, tell them they have 24 hours to get out - and help them do so: line up deuce and a halfs to carry their stuff 500 miles or more away.
Once thats done, give warnings on loudspeakers, then bomb the joint flat (MOAB be good to put to use there), pluw the rubble to put in antipersonnel mines (with a 5 year self destruct), and salt the fields.
Stating that 59 terrorist training camps were operational across the Line of Control (LoC), Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee asked Pakistan to demolish the infrastructure of support for terrorists.
Mukherjee also said the Al-Qaeda had 'always been a threat to India no matter where it was based'.
Talking to media persons at the airport after visiting Kulhand in Doda district and Basantgarh in Udhampur district where terrorists had killed 32 Hindus last week, he said that he would like to remind Pakistan that terrorists are not the friends of anybody. Cross-border terrorism had no affiliation and terrorists are a menace for the world.
Pakistan should not allow terrorists to use its territory, and their infrastructure should be demolished so that a message is sent out that terrorists have no support, he added.
New Delhi has often accused Islamabad of failing to deliver on its January 2003 commitment that it would not allow terrorists to operate from its territories. Pakistan denies the Indian charge.
Mukherjee said that no state should support terrorism as part of state policy. "If it does, it will have to pay the penalty," he said in reply to a question.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
05/10/2006 02:08 ||
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The founder of one of the most feared militant groups fighting in Kashmir accused the United States on Tuesday of pandering to India and being anti-Islam by branding the charity he now runs as a terrorist organisation. All this is being done at the behest of India, Hafiz Mohammad Saeed told Reuters in his first interview since the US State Department outlawed the Jamaatud Dawa charity and one of its affiliates earlier this month. This decision is part of the anti-Islam attitude of America. Our only sin is that we are Muslims, said Saeed. He insisted he had severed his links with Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Pakistan banned Lashkar-e-Taiba in 2002 after the United Nations put it on a list of groups associated with Al Qaeda. Saeed resigned from Lashkar and became head of Jamaat. The US says Jamaat is just a front. Action would have been taken far sooner, according to Western sources, but establishing a legally watertight paper trail between Jamaat and Lashkar was painstaking work.
Jamaat is not involved in any terrorist activity inside or outside the US, Saeed said, speaking by telephone from Lahore. We dont have any direct quarrel or confrontation with America, but we want the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to be stopped, Saeed said. He said his charity only gave moral support to those fighting foreign occupation in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kashmir. Pakistan has said it wont ban Jamaat until the UN proscribes it. The State Department says Jamaat also has links with religious militant organisations in Southeast Asia and Chechnya.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
05/10/2006 00:54 ||
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PESHAWAR: Several countries are responsible for the promotion of terrorism and militancy in the region, said Kathy Gannon, a journalist of Canadian origin who has served in the region for around 18 years, along with acting as bureau chief of the Associated Press in Pakistan and Afghanistan. "During the mid 1980's, several countries spread the concept of jihad and promoted the possession of arms among generations of Afghan refugees," said Kathy Gannon while taking to journalists at the Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday.
Either she doesn't say which ones, or they're not reported by the Daily Times. At the time, that was us, and the Soddies, and the Paks. The mid-80s were the heyday of the anti-Soviet jihad. The Afghans are perfectly capable of differentiating between the muj who fought the Soviets and the what happened in the aftermath of the Sovs pulling out. There were actually three different flavors of jihad being promoted: the jihad against the Russers, by us; the jihad against the infidels, by the Soddies; and the jihad for the main chance, by the Paks. We wanted to contain Soviet expansionism, and there was a lot of sympathy for the Afghans in general and the muj — specifically Masood — in particular. I don't think at that time the Learned Elders of Islam back in Riyadh and Mecca had come to the conclusion that they were going to take over the world. And the Paks were both nervous about the joys of Communism being introduced into Pashtunistan and, as long as it was on the American and Soddy nickle, willing to continue their efforts at Great Gaming and the quest for Strategic Depth™.
She also disagreed with the claim that journalists were also responsible for destroying Afghanistan. Journalists, she said, were not involved in policy-making. Rahim Ullah Yousafzai highlighted Gannon's association with Pakistan and Afghanistan and accredited her as "an aggressive, but objective and impartial reporter". Gannon, who has received several awards in journalism, has recently written a book, 'I is for Infidel, From Holy War to Holy Terror', in which she describes her experiences in Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/10/2006 00:00 ||
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A high-level meeting chaired by President Gen. Pervez Musharraf yesterday vowed to curb terrorism and extremism in the country's tribal regions by "fast tracking" economic development of the areas. Musharraf promised socio-economic development in the areas by introducing political and administrative reforms, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) quoted him as saying. "This will open up economic opportunities and curb extremism in these regions," he told the meeting in the garrison town of Rawalpindi.
There are seven semi-autonomous tribal regions, each called an agency in the country's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Two of the seven agencies North and South Waziristan have witnessed a series of military operations since late 2003, which were aimed at tracking down Taleban and pro-Al-Qaeda militants, hiding there.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/10/2006 00:00 ||
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May 10, 2006: The U.S. Army is testing a new body armor idea in Iraq. It's the Cupola Protective Ensemble (CPE), and it's a simple idea, which proved turret gunners with better protection. This is done by taking the existing bomb disposal protective suit, and adding the new liquid cooling unit. This provides exposed turret gunners with some more protection. The turret gunners, usually in hummers, are not only exposed to explosions and enemy fire, but are prime targets because they operate a .50 caliber machine-gun, and have the best view of any enemy in the area. But that view works both ways. Turret gunners are considered to have the most dangerous job in Iraq, and the highest casualty rate.
The CPE has gotten mixed reviews, partly because of the way it looks, but also because of the weight and the way it restricts movement. The CPE is basically the upper portion (less the armored pants) of the bomb disposal suit. This item is used by EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) when they have to get close to an explosive device in order to disarm it. The suit is basically a lot of body armor (Kevlar and protective plates) as well as padding (for protection from blast.) The helmet has a bullet proof transparent visor. It does the job. Several turret gunners have been spared serious injuries because of the CPE.
The down side is that it restricts movement, making it difficult for the gunner to swing around, and move in general. This makes the gunners weapon less effective. Moreover, when the cooling jacket (a vest with tubes in it that circulate cool water) system breaks down, the CPE has to come off before heat stroke sets in. The things is also heavier than the usual protective vest, making the gunner tired sooner on long missions, although the cooling unit helps counteract the fatigue. Finally, the troops believe the CPE makes them look lame. The CPE is rather cartoonish in its appearance, being big, bulky and, well, not cool. That said, when going on a mission that appears to be more dangerous than usual, troops are expected to regard the CPE in a more favorable light, at least until the danger is past.
Posted by: Steve ||
05/10/2006 09:53 ||
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#2
Of course it's not happening. You can trust Mahmoud's cell over there, they'd never betray the resisitance by talking to the government . . . even though Mahmoud's brother-in-law's second cousin is a filthy collaborationist . . . and the sheik in his old hometown hates your guts over that money he says you owe him from ten years back. You've got nothing to worry about. All this stuff about secret talks is just Zionist propaganda.
Next item on the agenda: we need to find the informant who burned our last IED operation--but it wasn't Mahmoud, don't worry.
Posted by: Mike ||
05/10/2006 10:02 Comments ||
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A purported al Qaeda document published by the U.S. military may or may not be authentic but its message that the Sunni Islamist guerrillas face problems in Iraq could reflect reality, security experts said on Tuesday.
The U.S. military published late on Monday what it said was a captured al Qaeda document that showed the militant group recognised it was weak and unpopular in Baghdad.
The document, an apparent review of the group's strategy in the capital where it has claimed some of postwar Iraq's bloodiest attacks, was seized with videos on April 16 near Yusufiya, just southeast of Baghdad, a U.S. statement said.
A translation of the undated, three-page document suggested al Qaeda was reviewing tactics in the city, currently focused on car bombs and other guerrilla tactics, and proposing improving its military capabilities to hold territory in any civil war.
Security experts reacted with caution and skepticism to its publication, noting a long-running public opinion battle between the United States and the Iraqi government it backs on the one side and Sunni Arab insurgents including al Qaeda on the other.
"I have a question mark to say the least," said Mustafa Alani, an Iraqi senior consultant of the Gulf Research Center based in Dubai. "Who wrote this, we don't know."
"It is true that they (al Qaeda in Iraq) have problems but why produce such a document to highlight the problems?" he said.
"Why admit all the weaknesses in a written document?"
The document was mentioned in a news briefing last week at which the U.S. military also aired what it said were outtakes from a video promoting Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al Qaeda's best known leader in Iraq, that was posted on the Internet.
A spokesman mocked the Jordanian's competence with a gun and his choice of American sports shoes, seen in the unedited film.
"There is a strategy to ridicule al Qaeda and Zarqawi," said Magnus Ranstorp at the Swedish National Defense College. "It could also be part of a U.S. psychological campaign."
"It is a question of isolating these forces and driving a wedge between them and the rest of the population," he added.
A U.S. military statement accompanying its transcript of the "Baghdad Strategy" document said:
"Al Qaeda in Iraq attacks mosques and other public places to draw media attention and is having difficulty recruiting members because the people of Iraq do not support its cause."
A military spokesman said that that commentary was earlier erroneously described as a quote from the al Qaeda document.
The U.S. military has previously released what it says are captured documents showing dissent or disillusion in the guerrilla ranks.
Alani said al Qaeda had lost public support in Iraq and was now also losing the backing of the domestic Iraqi resistance to U.S. occupation, which he said felt it had an interest in the political process, unlike Zarqawi.
"I believe we are now witnessing some kind of gradual divergence between the two movements," he said, adding al Qaeda faced difficulties both with recruiting and logistics in Iraq.
Ranstorp said he did not believe al Qaeda had any problems finding new recruits from outside Iraq eager to fight the U.S. military, but said the movement had become more unpopular inside the country, partly due to attacks on crowds of civilians.
Some military intelligence sources in Iraq and figures within the Sunni insurgency have lately cast doubt, however, on the perception of rifts between secular Sunni nationalists and al Qaeda's pan-Islamic militants, seeing continued cooperation.
The document published by the U.S. military showed the unknown author putting the strength of active fighters, referred to as "mujahideen" or holy warriors, at about 110 in Baghdad.
"These are very small numbers compared to the tens of thousands of the enemy troops," it said.
"How can we increase these numbers?"
Since U.S. and Iraqi officials generally assess the ranks of the Sunni insurgency in the thousands, the figures may refer to hardcore Islamist militants, rather than all Sunni gunmen.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
05/10/2006 01:08 ||
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security experts said on Tuesday
Our security experts are bigger than your security experts! /ABCNews
Iraq's prime minister-designate said on Tuesday he was close to forming a government that would end five months of stalemate marked by a lurch to civil war.
But senior negotiators said there was much hard bargaining left before Nuri al-Maliki could present to parliament the sort of national unity coalition he and Iraq's U.S. backers hope can drag the nation back from the brink of sectarian conflict.
A suicide car bomber killed 17 people and wounded 35 at a market in the northern city of Tal Afar, recently held up by President George W. Bush as an example of progress being made in freeing Iraq from violence by al Qaeda and other guerrillas.
It was one of the worst attacks of recent weeks and came after the U.S. military published what it said was new evidence of despondency among Sunni rebels, in the form of a purported captured al Qaeda document detailing their setbacks in Baghdad.
Maliki, a Shi'ite Islamist whose nomination ended months of factional deadlock, has another two weeks to name a cabinet but told a news conference he might do it "today or tomorrow."
"We have achieved much and there is little left to do," he told a news conference where he impressed observers with a lucid style that wasted few words. "We have done 90 percent."
The apparent breakthrough, following heavy pressure from the United States, comes after rival Shi'ite, Kurdish and Sunni groups agreed to fill the sensitive ministries of interior and defense with figures free of ties with militias, Maliki said.
Sunni leaders and, less vocally, the United States are demanding the removal of the present interior minister, accused of condoning Shi'ite death squads in the police. But there was still no agreement on who should take his place, officials said.
Among other posts still undecided, Maliki said, were oil, trade and transport key to rebuilding the crippled economy.
A senior negotiator said an agreement on the few ministries left could be more complicated than Maliki appeared to suggest, however: "We have too many names for the jobs left, but each candidate is facing objection from one of the other blocs."
Another highlighted a contest for the oil ministry between technocratic and secular former minister Thamir Ghadhban and Hussain al-Shahristani, a leading Shi'ite Islamist politician.
He called the fate of the ministry, the battered controller of the world's third biggest oil reserves and provider of almost all of Iraq's national income, a litmus test for Maliki's will to favor technical competence over sectarian arithmetic:
"It'll be a test of Maliki's commitment," the official said.
Though seen as a Shi'ite hawk when named last month, Maliki insisted he was ready to reach out to Sunni rebels who laid down their arms and joined the U.S.-backed political process.
Seen as open, energetic and decisive, Maliki has admirers among the Kurds and Sunnis who blocked the appointment of his ally and predecessor Ibrahim al-Jaafari. He sought to hang on to his job after an undistinguished year as interim premier.
While the politicians wrangled after December's election, Iraq pitched toward sectarian civil war in the bloodshed and refugee movements that followed the destruction of a major Shi'ite shrine in Samarra in late February.
The United States hopes the formation of a broad-based government will help quell a Sunni Arab insurgency and allow it to begin withdrawing its 133,000 troops in Iraq. At least 2,420 American soldiers have been killed in the Iraq war.
One was killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad on Monday.
"The formation of a government of national unity will set the stage for efforts to diminish violence," the U.S. ambassador to Baghdad, Zalmay Khalilzad, said at a conference in neighboring Jordan intended to drum up investment in Iraq.
"Iraq is strategically heading in the right direction now."
But in fresh violence, police on Tuesday retrieved from the Tigris river south of Baghdad 11 bodies, nine of which were beheaded, including a 10-year-old boy. It said all of them were bound and had been killed four or five days ago. Seven of the victims wore Iraqi security forces uniforms.
The motives behind the killings were not clear but sectarian bloodshed has forced tens of thousands to flee their homes.
Among Maliki's early tasks once a government is formed may be holding a much postponed national reconciliation conference. A spokesman for Iraq's president said there were tentative arrangements being made for a gathering in Baghdad next month.
An earlier version in November, hosted by the Arab League in Cairo, was followed by December's election in which Sunni leaders, including some rebel groups, encouraged their community to take part in large numbers for the first time.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
05/10/2006 01:05 ||
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SEOUL, South Korea - South Korea on Tuesday began bringing troops home from Iraq under a plan to scale back its presence there by a third, military officials said. Seoul plans to withdraw about 1,000 of its 3,200-member contingent stationed in northern Iraq by the end of this year.
The first group of 40 soldiers left Tuesday as part of a troop rotation, in which South Korea brought home more troops than those sent to Iraq to replace them, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. The countrys parliament endorsed the cutback plan in December, when lawmakers also approved extending the overall deployment by another year.
South Korea deployed nearly 3,600 troops in the northern Iraq city of Irbil in 2004, making it the second-largest US coalition partner after Britain. Even after the withdrawal, South Koreas contingent will be one of the largest foreign units in Iraq.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/10/2006 00:00 ||
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Iraq's prime minister-designate said Tuesday the main stumbling blocks to forming a new Cabinet have been overcome and he expects to present his team to parliament for approval by the end of the week. Nouri al-Maliki said representatives of the country's political parties had agreed on who will head the main posts and that just a few ministries remain unfilled. Discussions were still under way on the nominees for the oil, trade and transportation ministries, he said.
The incoming prime minister did not say who would get the key ministries of interior, which controls police, and defense, which runs the army. U.S. and British officials have insisted those posts go to people without ties to sectarian militias, believed responsible for many of the revenge killings of Sunnis and Shiites. "The direction we took, and which was agreed upon by the political groups, was that the two who will occupy these posts be independent and unaffiliated with a party or a militia," he said at a news conference.
Al-Maliki, a Shiite, said he hoped to present the Cabinet to parliament by the end of the week. Parliament must approve each minister by a majority vote. Since he was nominated prime minister last month, Al-Maliki has struggled to complete the final step in establishing the new Iraqi government. U.S. officials hope the formation of a unity government will help calm sectarian tensions, lure Sunni Arabs away from the insurgency and eventually allow the withdrawal of some American forces.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/10/2006 00:00 ||
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RAMALLAH, West Bank - The Israeli company that provides fuel to the Palestinian areas is cutting off supplies due to growing debts, Israeli and Palestinian officials said Wednesday, a move that could deepen a humanitarian crisis in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Faster, please.
The head of the Palestinian petrol commission, Mujahid Salame, said he expected gasoline supplies to run out by Thursday. "If this happens, there will be a humanitarian crisis," he said. Thursday you say? Might be something on the tube worth watching this weekend after all.
He said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was in touch with American and European diplomats in hopes of pressuring Israel to ensure the flow of fuel to the Palestinian areas.
Dor Energy has been the sole provider of gasoline to the Palestinian areas since interim peace agreements were signed in the mid-1990s. Company officials declined comment.
Salame said the Palestinians owe about $26 million to Dor, but he accused the company of taking a political decision aimed at punishing the Hamas-led Palestinian government. This is more of that cause and effect you Paleos don't understand because you're born losers. Losers.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
05/10/2006 10:47 ||
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Recommend they burn their own dung. Goes well with their 7th century meme.
Posted by: ed ||
05/10/2006 12:19 Comments ||
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#2
By Saturday it will be all over the news that the Joos are starving the poor poor palos. This will be great theater!
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
05/10/2006 12:24 Comments ||
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#3
Asaf Shariv, a top Olmert aide, said Israel would not pay the debt with tax revenues it collects for the Palestinian Authority, but has been holding in escrow since the Hamas-dominated parliament was sworn in three months ago.link
#6
Can't happen. Steam power requires a level of competence far boyond that of the paloes. In other words, steam is not a no-brainer and is therefore beyond paleo ability. Would like to see them try to build a steam powered anti-jooo rocket though.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
05/10/2006 14:22 Comments ||
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#7
Any efforts to stop an economic crisis among the Paleos is an effort to sustain their war. Only when they *must* mind their own business, will they. If that means mind their own business, or starve, I think that is a reasonable option.
#8
Cutting the power does sound like a great idea, and one that I would certainly like to see tried.
If it is a Israeli Gov't run power company it might cause more negetive press than they are willing to except. If it is a privately run company it may be the perfect move.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
05/10/2006 14:33 Comments ||
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#9
those Qassams are heavy - can't wait to see the goat or camel-bearing rocketry....
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/10/2006 15:42 Comments ||
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#10
I betcha Hamas cuts gas to ambulances before they cut gas to Hamas leaders vehicles.
I also betcha Israel gives in. But that they extract SOME concessions from the EU first.
The road to Zarqa from Amman runs for 15km through beige hills peppered with limestone quarries, past factories, military camps, a scrapyard for big yellow cabs and a KFC joint. Trucks, taxis and military Land Rovers speed up and down, leaving trails of dust and black smoke.
Like every other town in that part of Jordan, Zarqa is a place of filthy streets, traffic jams, donkey carts and grey breeze-block buildings. What makes it different, however, is its connection to one of the worlds most feared Islamic militants, because this is the home of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
In Zarqas streets, women hurry to and fro in different stages of hijab while young men in jeans stand on street corners. There are other men, too, in traditional Afghani shalwar kameez and prayer caps, who wear long bushy beards and wary looks. These are the salafis, followers of an austere interpretation of Islam, some of whom consider jihad as the only way to achieve the puritanical society they wish for. They know they are being monitored by the secret police. When they see each other they nod, say alsalam aleikum in a low voice and keep moving.
These are not good times; another brother was taken yesterday, says a frail young man. I am monitored. See the people selling coffee over there? They are mukhabarat [secret police].
This man, still in his early 20s, was a veteran of the Jund al-Sham jihadi camp in Afghanistan, where in 2000 he joined al-Zarqawi. They stayed together for two years, later meeting in Iraq for a few months. He is not unusual in Zarqa. This town is filled with al-Zarqawis disciples and acquaintances.
Al-Zarqawis life story is shrouded in myth and propaganda. The Jordanians and Americans portray him as a lunatic who grew up among gangs, guns and drugs. His followers say he is a prophet, a young man who took on the task of enforcing the will of God. According to family members, he fits neither of these descriptions.
He was born in 1967, has seven sisters and two brothers, and there was little unusual about his upbringing. A cousin of al-Zarqawi narrows his eyes as he thinks back, then says he was like all the kids in the street: high-tempered and thuggish.
Mukhlf al-Zayoudi, another cousin of al-Zarqawi, explained how the tribe perceives him: He represents a superhero for the tribe in a time when heroism has disappeared. He is a source of pride and honour. They are proud they produced this historical hero, the saviour. We wish we had 10 Zarqawis.
One of the people who knew al- Zarqawi in the early days is Abu al-Muntasser, a big, 42-year-old Palestinian with a grizzly beard and a keffiyeh wrapped around his head like a turban. In 1988 he went to Pakistan to fight alongside the mujahideen against the Russians and found his way to Sada camp for Arab Afghans, returning to Jordan on the eve of the 1991 Gulf War. There, most of the popu-lation sympathised with Iraq, and al-Muntasser found the atmosphere ripe for spreading the radical Islam he was familiar with from Afghanistan.
The Jordanians cracked down on the jihadi groups, and in 1992 al-Muntasser was keeping a low profile in his house when two guests arrived. They sat in the small room that doubles as a prayer room, and discussed Islam and the plight of Muslims around the world.
One of the guests was a stocky 25-year-old Jordanian who had just spent three years touring the jihadi camps in Afghanistan. He sat listening attentively and said nothing. The next day he returned, and sat on the floor.
Al-Zarqawi was more talkative on his second visit, says al-Muntasser, and was filled with enthusiasm. He asked al-Muntasser to join an Islamic militant group, drawn from the ranks of the veterans of the Afghan jihad, that would work to establish an Islamic nation and start the jihad against the Zionists and the American imperialists, but their first enemy would not be the United States or the West but Arab governments like that of Jordan, perceived as an agent to Israel and the Americans.
Al-Muntasser accepted al-Zarqawis offer and joined the group, called Bayat el-Imam, or Allegiance to the Imam. He was enthusiastic and wanted to work fast. I urged him to slow down, to concentrate more on establishing a group that focuses on preaching as we had no power and no weapons.
According to al-Muntasser, a hastily planned operation by al-Zarqawi, which involved sending a man with hand grenades to attack Israeli targets, led to the Jordanian government uncovering the group. Al-Muntasser went into hiding and was later joined by al-Zarqawi and his family. For three months they shared a two-room house. We had to share the little food we had, we spent the days reading the Quran and praying ... We lived just like the prophet and his companions.
Al-Muntasser describes al-Zarqawi as a quiet man with extreme views. He was more extreme than [Osama] bin Laden. He used to say that Bin Laden was too tolerant and despised the Taliban for its efforts to join the UN. He said the UN is a council of kafirs [unbeleivers]; why should the Muslims join?
After three months, the men were arrested and sentenced by a Jordanian security court. Al-Zarqawi spent seven years in prison until his release by a royal pardon in 1999.
Abdullah Abu Roman, a Jordanian secular journalist, went to the same prison for insulting the king. He remembers the group of militants. In prison [al-Zarqawi] was given responsibility for organising the group and leading it. They were a small group of around 30 men -- some of them were ordinary criminals who converted. In the beginning they were a loose organisation, but al-Zarqawi managed to control it in a professional way.
According to Roman and al-Muntasser, al-Zarqawi imposed on his comrades a strict order of reading the Quran and daily fitness training. They all started wearing the shalwar kameez like him, you could see that he was building a charisma for himself and his group, says Roman.
Al-Zarqawi was released a few years later and travelled in Afghanistan, where he met with Muhammad al-Bahray, a Yemeni who was Bin Ladens chief bodyguard in Afghanistan. He established his own training camp with the aim of toppling Arab governments. From the beginning ... he wanted to train Jordanians and Syrians and use them to topple these governments. He disagreed with the al-Qaeda strategy and Bin Laden, and insisted that they should start fighting the closer enemy.
In a Palestinian refugee camp on the outskirts of Amman, I sat with another jihadi who had just returned from Iraq. Abu Hanin described how he once went with al-Zarqawi to see insurgents in Anbar province in the insurgent west of Iraq.
He left a big impact on them. His words would stay hanging in the air even after he left. He was like the prophet when he went to people and talked to them ... He speaks with authority and wisdom.
He added: When I first met him, I didnt think that this would be a man who would change history. He says things you and I can say, but he moves people. He captures their hearts.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
05/10/2006 02:06 ||
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al-Zarqawi imposed on his comrades a strict order of reading the Quran and daily fitness training.
Looks like the latter went to shit.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
05/10/2006 13:22 Comments ||
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WARNING: Anyone with high blood pressure, heart conditions, or live ammo close at hand ought to stop reading right now.
Hamas signaled on Wednesday it still had problems accepting Western demands to recognize Israel and renounce violence, hours after international peace brokers agreed to temporarily send direct aid to the Palestinians.
Boo fucking hoo, losers.
"The Quartet have conditions. They aim to push the Palestinian government to make concessions that harm (Palestinian) rights and red lines and give the (Israeli) occupation legitimacy," Haniyeh told reporters in Gaza. Haniyeh did not elaborate but Palestinian Authority spokesman Ghazi Hamad said a statement would be would be issued later on Wednesday in response to the Quartet's decision. Senior Abbas aide Saeb Erekat told Reuters the Quartet's plan did not go far enough. Abbas appealed in a letter to the Quartet for funds to pay salaries, overdue since March, to 165,000 workers employed by the Palestinian Authority. "Besides the potential humanitarian crisis resulting from the general deterioration of the economic situation, inability to pay salaries might have deep destabilizing political and security implications," said Abbas.
#2
nah, this was to be expected. You want to make it so Hamas cant pay anyone, and so their authority collapses. You want to do that without, as far as possible, creating images of starving, sick, civvies. It may not be possible to thread that needle, but its not time to give up yet.
#4
drop loaves of bread. Hamas will still starve the kiddies for photo ops for all your logic-challenged, hand-wringing, liberal friends who will, as usual, happily play the role of the dhimmi.
#6
From this day forward, due to my love for humanity, I will be saving all my leftovers and sending them to the Paleos.
They should be good and rank by the time they get there.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
05/10/2006 11:27 Comments ||
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#7
Images of civvies who are sick and starving as a direct consequence of their irresponsible decisions might well be an effective means of making sure they don't continue to make such decisions which threaten powerful world interests. The sooner the international community stops rewarding destructive behavior, the sooner muslims will come to realize that abandoning common sense is suicidal.
#8
Take the $400 million US aid and route it those more deserving, like Liberians, Congolese, Burmese and Haitians. Then there is my favorite Thai charity, Bombs For Buddhists.
Posted by: ed ||
05/10/2006 12:13 Comments ||
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#10
Not a cent. It is not unreasonable to ask an aspiring country to renounce violence. It's a huge stretch of sanity to expect a democratic country to recognize it's neighbours and agree to live in peace. Democratic countries do so as a non-question.
If Pals want us to recognize their "democractic" government, they must accept these simple facts of life. Expecting your enemies to continue to pay for your lives, all you consume, the basics you need for life while accepting your death threats against them is NUTS. Think it out. Then get to work on creating a viable nation that takes care of itself and lives in peace with it's neighbours.
Yielding to pressure from its allies, the Bush administration endorsed a European proposal on Tuesday to increase aid to the Palestinian territories, including money that could pay the salaries of some civil servants working under Hamas.
The administration's endorsement modified its opposition to any aid that could find its way to government employees as long as Hamas is in power and does not renounce its violent opposition to Israel.
Europeans said their plan was a response to mounting anxiety that a cutoff in aid since the election of a Hamas-led government in the West Bank and Gaza has led to critical shortages of food, medicine and other basic needs. The shortages could also create riots and instability, European officials said.
The Europeans have been searching for a way to increase aid while circumventing the Hamas government. Although the plan is still being formed, the idea is to have the money go through a new financial entity, possibly some kind of international organization, for the time being. The goal, said Benita Ferrero-Waldner, external relations commissioner of the European Union, is to "distribute aid to the Palestinian people without going through the Palestinian government."
However, European officials said Tuesday that in some cases, the aid could pay for salaries of teachers, nurses and doctors now on the Palestinian payroll. Part of the crisis in the West Bank and Gaza, they said, is that salaries for some 160,000 government employees have not been paid for two months.
More important, the EU wants the Hamas bomb techs, splodydopes and gunnies to have work so that they don't migrate to Y'urp ...
The Bush administration did not endorse the plan in a separate statement. Instead it signed on to a declaration issued Tuesday by the group known as the quartet, consisting of the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations. The declaration endorsed "a temporary international mechanism that is limited in scope and duration, operates with full transparency and accountability and ensures direct delivery of any assistance to the Palestinian people."
Despite the broad endorsement, it was apparent that differences remained on exactly how the mechanism might work. Javier Solana, ineffectual senior foreign policy envoy of the European Union, said it could be used to raise money for salaries of teachers and health care workers. A senior State Department official said that was possible, but the United States reserved the right to review or oppose any future arrangement.
In addition, European officials, speaking anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss the statement, said it was also possible that Israel would be encouraged to place some of the tax money it collects for the Palestinians into the new financing mechanism. Since the Hamas government was installed, Israel has refused to hand over the tax revenues.
American officials said that Israel might feel comfortable transferring the funds to the new entity if it were seen as entirely separate from the Palestinian governing authorities.
Instead, the Israelis are turning off the gas, as noted elsewhere on the Burg today.
A senior State Department official, speaking anonymously under briefing ground rules, observed that the American and European governments faced different political pressures. In effect, the official said, Europeans are alarmed about reports of a crisis in the West Bank and Gaza, but Americans are not that upset.
Since we're getting exactly what we want.
The Bush administration, reflecting that American view, argues that any crisis in the area results from Hamas's intransigence, specifically its continued militant opposition to the existence of Israel. The administration also says that Hamas must make tough choices on where to spend money before it gets more. Though the Palestinian Authority has received $1 billion a year in foreign assistance, it has still run up huge deficits, in part because of more hiring and salary increases last year.
The Europeans, on the other hand, say they have no desire to become the paymaster for Palestinian government officials, even if Hamas were to change its colors, but that a looming humanitarian crisis and instability is in no one's interest. "Aid to the Palestinians must be kept for humanitarian and political reasons," said Philippe Douste-Blazy, the French foreign minister, in an interview. "Our position is to oppose punishing the Palestinian people just because they voted badly. That makes no sense."
It's the whole point of democracy, you idiot! You vote in a bunch of terrorists, you live with the result. Or change your government.
He added that aid was needed as leverage to get Hamas to change its ways.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
05/10/2006 00:33 ||
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#2
If governments absolutely feel the need to feed Paleos, then assistance should be in kind. Drop sacks of flour and drums of cooking oil off in Gaza, but NOT cash. Money is fungible and will disappear down the first rathole it passes. We have been supporting this abnormal situation for over 60 years, time for a little tough love.
#3
Yielding to pressure from its allies, the Bush administration endorsed a European proposal
This shouldnt be viewed as capitulation quite yet. And as much as the NYtimes want us to believe, its not even a softening. This is the natural evolution of an effective squeeze play. If successful, this step will accomplish a number of objectives. For starters, it makes the baby duck crowd believe they have a seat at the table and therefore more reticent to simply open the spigot. And, if only temporary, it soothes the heartburn in most of the hand wringers. And, of course, it provides a roundabout compassion element that triggers headlines such as this article. Its been said that the two primary levers of motivation in man are fear and self-interest. In the end, for HAMAS, this step has the possibility to pique one or both of those inducements. BTW, Kudos to Rice. Her temporary mechanism statement proves shes finally mastered a subtle immediacy close.
#5
"Aid to the Palestinians must be kept for humanitarian and political reasons," said Philippe Douste-Blazy, the French foreign minister, in an interview. "Our position is to oppose punishing the Palestinian people just because they voted badly..... carry AK's, and want to exterminate the entire nation of Israel and the west as well.
So who offered the hudna? My guess it's whichever group those explosives the Israeli navy intercepted was bound for.
Militants linked to Hamas and Fatah have agreed to work together to end the internal violence that has plagued Gaza, the Palestinian prime minister said Wednesday, after two days of gunbattles between the rival groups. Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh summoned Hamas and Fatah leaders to his Gaza City office for talks that ended early Wednesday. Haniyeh, flanked by Fatah activists, told reporters after midnight Wednesday that the two sides agreed to put a stop to the violent clashes. Haniyeh said the they agreed that "dialogue is the only language to solve our differences." Ahmed Helas, a Fatah leader, read a joint statement with a pledge to work out problems peacefully and expel any member who uses weapons illegally.
In the Gaza City clash, Fatah said Hamas gunmen opened fire from a car at seven bodyguards protecting a house where a top Fatah activist, Samir Masharawi, was staying. Fatah said at least one Hamas gunman was wounded. Dozens of Hamas and Fatah gunmen streamed to the scene, and eight more people were wounded in the gunbattles that followed, including five children, Fatah said. Hamas said Masharawi's bodyguards kidnapped three members of Hamas' military wing earlier Tuesday, and Hamas gunmen came to free them. The outbreaks of fighting have been preceded by kidnapping charges, but there has been no actual evidence of abductions.
Hamas and Fatah have been in a power struggle since Hamas won January parliamentary elections. Most members of the security forces are loyal to Fatah, and instead of trying to disarm them, Hamas has set up its own militia. Both sides are training for escalating clashes, but so far the violence has been localized and on a small scale. Despite deep disagreements, Palestinians have pulled back from the brink of all-out conflict in the past. Snipped out all the bits about the "economic siege"
The Quartet of Middle East peace brokers has agreed on a way to channel aid to the Palestinians for a trial period to ease a financial squeeze on the new government following the election of Hamas. The group of international mediators - the United Nations, the United States, Russia and the European Union, reached the agreement at the UN headquarters on Tuesday. The Quartet issued a statement after a day of talks in which Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia warned of a civil war if the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority was left to collapse. "The Quartet expressed its willingness to endorse a temporary international mechanism that is limited in scope and duration, operates with full transparency and accountability," it said.
The United States, which initially opposed a European proposal to channel aid to the Palestinians via an international mechanism such as the World Bank, said any such move would have to be limited in scope and mechanism so aid would not reach the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority. Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, told a news conference at the United Nations that "the thrust of the statement is that the international community is still trying to respond to the needs of the Palestinian people". "It is to provide assistance to the Palestinian people so they do not suffer deprivation," she said.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/10/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Hopefully, this aid can begin arriving in the next year or two or three.
The noose is tightening around the two Al-Qaeda franchised Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militants who allegedly helped assemble the bombs that killed 202 people on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, high ranking Filipino security officials confirmed to Adnkronos International (Aki). Marine Brig. Gen. Ben Dolorfino, Philippine Army's Southern Command deputy commander, confirmed that the army is hot on the trail of Omar Patek and Dulmatin, two top Indonesians terrorists who have been hiding in the southern Philippines island of Mindanao for the last few years.
"Our manhunts continue and although there are no major developments, the military has a general idea regarding their location," Dolorfino told AKI, declining to divulge the terrorist's presumed whereabouts so as not to preempt the Army operation.
Dolorfino nonetheless confirmed that the anti-terror stance taken by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has probably forced the two Indonesians to abandon their Central Mindanao sanctuary and move south, towards the Zamboanga Peninsula and the islands of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.
The MILF, the Philippines main Islamic rebel group, has time and time again refuted the accusation that it is sheltering terrorists in the forests within its controlled territory or that it has any links with terrorists organizations such as Jemaah Islamiyah, Al-Qaeda or the Abu Sayyaf.
The MILF, who has been fighting for an independent state in Mindanao since 1977, is currently holding peace-talks with Manila's central government.
"The two have gone outside the MILF areas. I don't think they have ongoing training with new recruits because they are always on the run. The only way to ensure their safety is to split into smaller groups," the military official said.
The possibility of Dulmatin and Patek training new recruits was also suggested by Colonel Akmad Mamalinta, regional police commander in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
"I have been receiving persistent reports about their activities there. We believe they are training new recruits in the mountains of Munai. We have intensified our security to prevent possible attacks," Mamalinta told AKI.
Mount Munai is located in the Mindanao's province of Lanao del Sur, some 820 kilometres southeast of Manila.
The United States embassy spokesperson in Manila, Matthew Lussenhop also confirmed the presence of the two JI militants in Mindanao.
"I do not know where they are but we believe that they are in Southern Philippines. They are both wanted and rewards are offered within the justice program that we have with the Philippine government," Lussenhop told AKI by phone.
The US State Department has offered 10 million dollars for the capture of electronics expert Dulmatin and one million dollars for Patek.
On February this year, Gijs de Vries a visiting official from the European Union told lawmakers at the House of Representatives in Manila that the presence of JI in the Mindanao region will be "extremely damaging" not only to the Philippines but also to its standing in the international community.
"It's very important that JI is denied its opportunities for training, which they currently still enjoy," he said as quoted by the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
05/10/2006 02:14 ||
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The presence of insurgent or terrorist sanctuaries in non-belligerent countries is one of the most intractable, explosive issues in international relations. It was a central fact of the Vietnam War, brought about the destruction of Lebanon, and continues to plague the coalition in Iraq. It is also key to the present "war on terror" in Southeast Asia.
Vietnam differed from Korea and Malaya, where containment and counterinsurgency prevailed, because the communists could outflank allied forces in South Vietnam by using "neutral" territory in Cambodia and Laos. Like the Palestine Liberation Organization presence in Lebanon until 1982, this strategy plunged hapless host countries into civil war and provoked invasions by stronger powers, in turn spurring more extremist movements like the Khmer Rouge or Islamic Jihad.
Like previous host countries, the Philippines is a weak state, at peace with its neighbors and the West. But, since 1994, its lawless southern islands have replaced Afghanistan as the main training ground and refuge for Southeast Asian jihadists. Most are Indonesians belonging to Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), Mujahidin Kompak, and other Darul Islam factions.
Graduates of Mindanao's terror camps, for example, now rival in number the older generation of Southeast Asian Afghan alumni that forged ties with Al-Qaeda. Veterans of the Mindanao camps took part in almost every JI-linked bombing since 2000, including the attack that killed hundreds in Bali in 2002. New cohorts will pose a danger for years to come.
The terrorist attacks on the United States of September 11, 2001, galvanized American interest in the southern Philippines. Mere weeks after the planes hit, Pentagon planners negotiated a return of American troops to Mindanao for the first time since the colonial era. Indeed, Mindanao was the second front in the war on terror until Iraq came to dominate U.S. threat perceptions. Australian Prime Minister John Howard has likewise openly mulled preemptive military strikes on terrorist sanctuaries in the region.
Mindanao is not Cambodia or Lebanon, but the essential dilemma is the same. How does one separate the terrorist parasite from its unwilling host, without doing fatal violence to the patient?
In the Philippines, the diagnosis is complicated by the fact that terrorists are embedded in a volatile Muslim insurgency with which the West has no quarrel. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is Southeast Asia's strongest separatist group. It enjoys popular support, expresses legitimate grievances, and peace talks are under way. Like the Palestinians, however, the MILF is riven by factions, and its leaders cannot, or will not, exclude terrorists from areas that they control.
In part, this reflects political hedging by the MILF in the face of Manila's incapacity to make meaningful concessions. President Gloria Arroyo's government is on the ropes, with a state of emergency declared in February, following an abortive coup attempt and months of instability arising from allegations of fraud in the 2004 elections. The allegations involve the armed forces' manipulation of the Mindanao vote - underscoring how state failure in the south, a politicized military, and paralysis in the capital reinforce each other in a downward spiral.
State failure in the southern Philippines now places the entire region at risk. After a rough passage to democracy, a traditionally strong Indonesian state is reasserting itself, forcing jihadists out, and across Mindanao's porous frontiers. Despite concerns over conflict in southern Thailand, there are no secessionist enclaves beyond government control, and no indications of foreign terrorist involvement.
Only in the Philippines do state failure, chronic insurgency, and proliferating ties between local and foreign terrorists come together in a lethal cocktail. Combined with a restive military and an impotent administration, the country has become Southeast Asia's weakest link in the war on terror.
So what is to be done? American forces are probing the sanctuaries in the guise of training exercises, and they are backing targeted air strikes. But they must tread lightly, lest they be drawn into a shooting war, which would catalyze new alliances among local and foreign militants. A conventional military approach failed in Cambodia and Lebanon. It would fail in Mindanao, too.
Instead, surgical military strikes based on an expanded intelligence effort should complement the peace process, prying extremists away from the MILF mainstream. A crucial, if embryonic, mechanism in this campaign is the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group, established by the Filipino government and MILF negotiators to facilitate cooperation against "lawless elements" in MILF territory. The Joint Action Group's mandate should be widened, and resources should be provided to allow it to tackle terrorism explicitly.
In return for MILF cooperation, the U.S., Australia, and other interested countries must pick up political slack and build the government's capacity to deliver a sustainable peace agreement for Mindanao. Prompt, substantial infusions of post-conflict aid will be indispensable for peace.
But so will security reforms. The Filipino armed forces must be better-equipped to close down any remaining terrorist sanctuaries - and keep them closed. However, this will remain a futile mission until the armed forces are professionalized and depoliticized through reorientation to external defense, border security, and special operations. Only then will they lose their vested interest in an insurgency that has no end.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
05/10/2006 01:04 ||
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A Japanese envoy yesterday failed to convince Tamil Tiger rebels to start immediate peace talks with the Sri Lankan government, as the military announced the seizure of a stockpile of arms and explosives in the rebels northern stronghold. Peace envoy Yasushi Akashi met with S.P. Thamilselvan, the head of the political wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, in an effort to stave off a renewed civil war in the island nation. But he failed to convince the separatist Tamil Tigers. We have explained to the Japanese delegation that we will not be in a position to attend talks until the killings cease and our commanders are given safer transport for the meeting, Thamilselvan told reporters in Kilinochchi, 275 km north of Colombo after the meeting. We have explained to them that there is no cease-fire environment here, the military has disrupted normal civilian life and is getting ready for an all-out war, Thamilselvan said.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/10/2006 00:00 ||
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#2
ROFL, JAB. When he deigns to post, Iowahawk is painfully funny - and astute...
"And finally, Work towards the establishment of a unified international community a community which will be governed by Christ and the virtuous Hidden 11th Imam, but only after they recombine as MegaMessenger to do final battle with the diabolical MechaJew."
and
"...
The twin whore daughters of yours: do you suspect they might secretly have a thing for swarthy mature men?
The whole Jew race, I mean, how long is that bullcrap going to go on?
Mr President, I am just throwing it out there, and it is not my intention to harsh the international mellow. According to divine verses, we have all been called upon to follow the teachings of divine prophets:
"Ina godda davida baby, don't you know that I'm loving you"
Ooo ee oo ah ah, wing bang walla walla bing bang"
And in this ever-changing world in which we live in, makes you give up and cry, LIVE AND LET DIE"
More about Abbas Fakhravar, and Iranian dissident who has been in the news lately, contained in an op ed. I thought it was worth discussing. Excerpts:
Yet, in assessing these risks, insufficient attention is paid to the fundamental weaknesses of the opponent. The first is ideological. In the 27 years since the Islamic Revolution, Iran has come full circle. The religious fervour of Khomeini gave way to Rafsanjani's economic pragmatism, which was in turn succeeded by mild liberalisation under Khatami.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who became president last August, is attempting to turn the clock back to 1979 at a time when the ayatollah's fanaticism is discredited and the population, two thirds of which was born since the revolution, hates its leaders for their oppression, corruption and incompetence.
The second weakness has to do with political legitimacy. Loss of faith in the revolution calls into question the system of velayat-e faqih, or guardianship of the religious jurist, by which ultimate power lies not with elected representatives, but with the clergy. The mullahs' dominance seriously compromises Iran's democracy. For example, in parliamentary elections in 2004, the Council of Guardians, a clerically appointed body, barred about 2,500 reformist candidates from participating. A year later, the second round of the presidential poll was marred by widespread accusations of fraud.
The third weakness, veiled by the near-doubling of oil revenues over the past two years, is economic. The revolution has failed to provide work for an overwhelmingly youthful population; unemployment is running at about 30 per cent. The regime clings to an outmoded model of import substitution through industrialisation, and things are likely to get worse under Ahmadinejad. Members of a supposedly pliant parliament have criticised the current budget as likely to bring higher inflation and joblessness and slower growth.
The defiant rhetoric of Iran's leaders thus belies manifold fragility. Patrick Clawson, of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, has likened the regime to a vase balanced on a mantelpiece. How best, then, to tip it off? We need to tip it off before it's stabilized by a nuclear armed mullacracy.
The obvious answer is from within, and here it is worth listening to a brave opposition voice recently forced to leave the country. Speaking to me by phone before his exile, Amir Abbas Fakhravar said the referral of Iran's nuclear dossier to the UN Security Council had been a cause of street celebrations in the capital and other major cities. I did not notice this in the news. And the riot police had not dared intervene. Such was the hatred of the regime, Mr Fakhravar said, that people were prepared to put up with economic sanctions, including an oil embargo, and even military strikes, if they led to its overthrow. Interesting that Fakhravar says that air strikes might be tolerable to the internal resistance. This foots with what Gerecht has written. Much of the Iranian opposition is anti-American so even if air strikes cause the nation to rally around anti-Americanism, it does not necessarily help the regime.
Asked how this might be brought about, he said there was as yet no dissident leader within the country. Cue Pallavi and Hossein Khomenei?However, he spoke of a well-organised underground student movement and of the increase in strikes and demos against the government. There must be leaders if there are organizations. Otherwise, it's just a bull session with a bunch of college kids.
Mr Abbas, 30, was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2002 for defaming the supreme clerical leadership in a book, This Place is Not a Ditch. Last year, he was allowed out of Evin jail to take a university exam. He went on the run and has recently escaped to a neighbouring Arab country.
His assessment of the internal situation in Iran points to the wisdom of increasing foreign funding for propaganda. He said the extra $75 million requested by the Bush Administration from Congress for this purpose could best be spent on setting up a television station in a neighbouring country. It could also be used on scholarships for overseas study to help young Iranians understand the principles of democracy. The best criticism of the administration, IMO, is that this did not start sooner. $75MM is a rounding error in our federal budget and, unlike much government spending, this guy thinks it would have an impact.
That would target the mullocracy's ideological and political weaknesses. As for the economy, Ahmadinejad's call last October for the destruction of Israel has already led to a flight of private investors from the Teheran stock market, and foreign capital will be deterred while the political situation remains so unstable. In contrast, equity markets in Iraq are booming.Even if Russia and China block sanctions at the UN, Iran would be hurt were the EU and Japan to join America in applying them; this vulnerability explains the vehemence of its reaction. I am still not sure what's going on there, and according to the papers, neither does the CIA. It seems though that we have roughly a year before we need to bomb (i.e. nuke program sufficiently advanced or next generation Russian SAMs deployed). In this year we should do our best to squeeze the regime financially and also create conditions in which the dissidents can become a real threat to the theocracy. I remain skeptical. However, as many have noted here, the recent saber rattling by Iran can easily be interpreted as a desparate bluff rather than a sign of confidence. Iran seems to know that this next year or so represents a window of vulnerablity before it can become a nuclear power and the leader of global militant Islam. IMO Amadinejad is a loose cannon and was not the Mullahs' first choice. However his utterings accurately reflect the worldview of the Mullahs and should not be ignored because his position has limited power.
I think we Rantburgers should follow what Pallavi (Shah jr.) and Hossein Khomenei do over the next 3 months and hope for some meaningful sanctions even if it means token concessions to to keep the EU on board until the end of the year. It will be also interesting to track the activity of the Iranian minorities. There seems to be an uptick in activity in the non-Persian part of Iran. To me, this is a sign of weakness in the regime. It it is not clear that we are actively supporting these minority groups at this point in time.
Lastly, IMO, even if by some miracle Iran falls peacefully Hezbollah must be destroyed. They are a threat to peace in Lebanon and a direct threat to the US and Israel.
#1
I cant imagine more than one generation living under theocratic rule. There again I aint Muslim and cant possible understand them. I have seen video of the Iranian leaders at Friday morning prayer shouting Death to America and Death to Israel but not really offering a way to improve life for the average Iranian. Hatred can only be maintained for so long then people begin to wonder why they have this hate towards ________. Usually, people need a bit more to hang onto except the morning rant. Someday soon the oppressed people of the world will turn towards their leaders and demand: Show me the Money! If they cant then they are finished. I wish the Shah well and may he have a good struggle.
#3
An internal overthrow would be the best case scenerio, but it also might be wishfull thinking. Iran freaks me out because I can solve all the worlds problems without even trying, all except Iran.
#4
did the demonstrations on hearing about the UNSC resolution take place, since we didnt hear about them?
Maybe, maybe not. 1. In all likelihood a dissident exagerates what is happening. Weve seen that regularly from the Iranian opposition. 2. OTOH, western media isnt strong on the ground in Iran. Its an authoritarian society. If the demo doesnt happen outside the hotel windows in downtown Teheran, Im not sure the MSM hears about it. 3. Theres a certain amount of demos we DO hear about, relating to local economic issues and so on. Is it possible there was a spike in these, and the relationship to the UNSC res is impossible even for someone on the ground in Iran to discern?
No leaders -well obviously theres somebody who manages to coordinate student strikes, and there are labor leaders who coordinate strikes, etc. I think this means there are no national leaders around whom the entire opposition could rally. Whether thats true or not, I dont know, but its consistent with localized protests. Not sure if theres even, say, a national student leadership, or if the students at individual campuses, for ex, just organize around a campus leadership.
#6
I think LH is right. Local protests could be confused or misrepresented as being linked to the UN referral. The Iranian dissidents often overstate their case so the media can be forgiven for not covering it, especially when there are few AP stringers roaming the Iranian hinterlands.
By 'organization' I mean groups with an objective and strategy for achieving it rather than just throwing a demo here and there which is more akin to a temper tantrum. Even if this organization is local in nature it is more likely to join a united front if it has a longer term set of goals and somebody who can speak on behalf of the group.
I agree that Iran is a tough nut to crack. I read Rantburg to get a better idea of what's going on and what the strategy should be. Based on what I've seen, there has been a tad bit of movement towards an organized, national resistance with credible leaders in the last 2 weeks, though it's still a hint. Pahlavi was very explicit about overthrowing the regime in the Human Events article. In the past he has been more circumspect. Now he's providing details. Hossein Khomenei has criticized the current regime but has not, to my knowledge, clearly stated what he thinks should happen.
I think these two represent the best hope for a united national resistance leader who could then articulate demands and conditions to achieve human rights. Their ancestry gives them some credibility (and, of course, baggage) as national leaders, especially since neither has stated a desire to rule themselves. If any of the other groups were going to provide leadership it would have happened already.
The reason I am so concerned about a national leader is that I think Pahlavi could almost triangulate between the evil Americans and corrupt Mullahs. In this scenario, he could say to the people (and select military units) "take to the streets, overthrow the mullahs, I'll lead a provisional government until we have true open elections, then we'll root out corruption and pursue our nuclear ambitions in a manner consistent with our treaty obligations. Otherwise, I'm worried that the Crazy Cowboy will mess up our country." We could then offer 'carrots'(like WTO membership, non aggression treaty, genuine manufacturer C-130 parts nuclear power tech, etc.) with reasonable conditions that would be acceptable to Pahlavi but not to the Mullahs.
This is just an scenario I have been thinking about. I'm sure holes can be shot in it, but I am trying to be more realistic than some in the US who think Iran is ripe for a spontaneous pro-American student revolution against the Basji while still holding out hope we can avoid a war.
Hopefully Pahlavi gets enough traction that we start to worry about Iranian intelligence having him killed.
There isn't a national leader, and there won't be until the rural areas come around. Tehran and the rest of the urban areas can demonstrate all they want. The ranks of the Pasadran and the 'native' part of the Basij are from the countryside.
There won't be a clear picture unless there's HUMINT and some intrepid reporters inside Iran. For example, the official unemployment estimate is 30%. It's likely much higher than that, perhaps even double in the younger age groups. At this point there's no clear way to find out.
Iran's religious authorities in the holy Shiite city of Qom have officially invited Cuba's revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, to convert to Islam, according to Hojatolislam Mohammad Reza Hakimi, quoted by Iran's Farda news agency. "I met Castro together with the Iranian foreign minister, Saiid Salili, and gave him some sacred Islamic texts translated into Spanish," said Hakimi, who recently returned from a government visit to Cuba.
"We spoke with Castro for several hours, and I think I almost managed to convince him to become a Muslim," Hakimi added. "Castro certain that Cuba is suffering from a lack of spirituality, and seems very interested in Islam, above all in the writing of Iran's revolutionary leader, Ayatallah Khomeini," Hakimi continued.
Khomeini in 1989 invited Mikhail Gorbachev, former president of the Soviet Union, to renounce Communism and to convert to Islam. Gorbachev's political and economic reforms in the mid-1980s triggered the non-violent transition from authoritarian to democratic forms of government in Eastern Europe, and from state-controlled to more free-market economies.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
05/10/2006 02:31 ||
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#1
It was traditional for ancient kings to convert to the religion of powerful allies and then persuade (or force) their subjects to go along. I think if Castro did convert to Islam, though, he'd be overthrown.
#5
Simply another example of muslims living in a fantasy world.
The caliphate, world domination, supremacy, etc. All of these are delusions that nourish their societies in the absence of any real accomplishments on the world stage.
And so, with the filters they have to perceive the world, they view someone who was simply being polite as being a near convert.
Amazing. If not for oil, most of them would be dead.
#9
Iran's religious authorities are as delusional as its president. They're probably busy translating "some sacred Islamic texts" into North Korean Juche too. Good news, Dear Reader, you won't be so ronery when Hojatolislam Mohammad Reza Hakimi comes calling in Pyongyang.
#13
Islam says no to Rum Fidel. I'm not sure what they think about cigars. And they pray five times a day, from what I've heard his speaches or so long they'd have to stop at least once to pray before he was done.
#15
Fidel better be very careful when he answers, a good non-commital non-answer may be his best bet.
Remember the Koran's statements, "Either convert them, or kill them"
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
05/10/2006 21:24 Comments ||
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Britain, France and Germany said Tuesday that they are preparing a package of fresh incentives for Iran -- including affordable energy and greater trade with the West -- that would be granted if Tehran resumed negotiations on its nuclear program and agreed to halt the enrichment of nuclear fuel.
The initiative announced Tuesday -- and the fact that it was backed by the United States -- reflected the Bush administration's inability to persuade Security Council members Russia and China to back a United Nations resolution that takes a tougher line with Iran, including an implicit threat of sanctions.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice held a dinner meeting Monday night with Security Council members in another attempt to gain agreement on a more forceful approach. But diplomats said Moscow remains strenuously opposed on grounds that such a resolution could lead to military action.
The latest diplomacy is expected to delay for at least two weeks the U.S. effort to secure a U.N. resolution, according to diplomats. European negotiators plan to work in coming days to fashion a package of diplomatic carrots and sticks, including inducements for Iran to halt its nuclear activities as well as the prospect of sanctions if it does not.
Iran maintains that its nuclear program is aimed only at producing energy, but the United States and European nations suspect Tehran intends to develop nuclear weapons.
Rice endorsed the new approach, and Tuesday she appealed to Iran to "return to the negotiating table."
"I would just like to say to the people of Iran: Obviously, if there is a way for Iran to accept the will of the international community, to accept proposals for civil nuclear power, this is the time for Iran to take that possibility, because no one wants to isolate the Iranian people," she said. Iran made no public reply, and calls to its U.N. mission were not returned.
The new diplomatic course was set at the United Nations one day after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent a letter to President Bush, in which he assailed U.S. military intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan and the abuse of detainees. The Iranian leader suggested that Bush's policies are contrary to his Christian values.
The Bush administration dismissed the letter, which was laced with religious references, as philosophical musings that provide no opening for diplomacy.
Tuesday, Bush told an audience in Sun City Center, Fla., that he remains committed to exhausting all diplomatic options to resolve the Iranian crisis.
"I've made the tough decision to commit American troops into harm's way," Bush said. "It's the toughest decision a president can ever make. But I want you to know that I tried diplomacy. In other words, the president has got to be able to say to the American people diplomacy didn't work."
Rice insisted Tuesday that the Security Council is in "total agreement on the view that Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon." She added, "Let's just give the diplomacy a little time to work."
European diplomats said they hope that, by offering Iran rewards for cooperation, they can persuade Russia and China to approve tougher action if Tehran continues to refuse. British and other European diplomats have argued for months that new negotiations with Iran are required to break the standoff in the council.
They have faced resistance from the Bush administration's sharpest critics of engagement with Tehran. On Monday, U.N. Ambassador John R. Bolton questioned the virtue of negotiations with Iran, saying that diplomatic initiatives by European nations and Russia over the past three years have not restrained Iran's nuclear program. But on Tuesday, he conceded it is worth making a fresh effort to maintain a common approach to Iran in the Security Council.
After European negotiators come up with proposed incentives for Iran, they are to present them to European Union foreign ministers in Brussels as early as Monday, diplomats said. The package would then be presented to the United States, Russia and China.
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy told French reporters Monday night that it would offer an "ambitious package" of incentives, which would expand commercial ties to Iran, ensure Iran's energy needs were met and preserve Iran's right to develop nuclear energy. In exchange, Iran would be required to provide verifiable assurances that its energy program is not a cover for building atomic bombs.
G ermany's U.N. ambassador, Gunter Pleuger, said Tuesday that the decision to offer new incentives reflects a recognition by the United States and European nations that "we use both the Security Council and the negotiating table, because if we draw everything into the council, we will not achieve anything."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
05/10/2006 00:32 ||
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#1
Okay, as long as MadMoud is willing to forego nucweapons and ultimately the Regional-Global Caliphate. For me is basically the Iranian version of offering North Korea fuel + food, which we all know didn't, hasn't, and won't stopped NK from dev nucprogs. All thats missing is the US giving Iran = NK energy reactors. The Mullas + Moud = Kimmie > they still ultimately want their US-and West-recognized "great nation/power" status, regardless of the merits. It remains to be seen iff the Mullahs can successfully reconcile status quo Iran with the tenets within Radical Islam for world conquest.
The United States and its European negotiating partners are preparing to repackage economic incentives aimed at inducing Iran to cooperate in eliminating its suspected nuclear weapons program, and to add some "new ideas" for Iran to consider, American and European officials said Tuesday.
A senior State Department official said the "new ideas" would not substantially change the package of economic incentives offered to Iran last August, when the Europeans told the Iranians they could achieve a full political and economic relationship with the West if Iran ended its nuclear activities suspected as part of a weapons program.
He said that, contrary to some reports circulating Tuesday, the new package would not include security guarantees for Iran and would not allow it to continue enriching uranium, an activity that Iran defends as part of a nuclear energy program but that the United States views as a cover for a weapons program.
Disclosure of the new initiative on incentives came from European diplomats on Tuesday, following a full evening of discussions with American officials on Monday. Envoys from Russia and China also attended that session.
American officials say the evening discussions failed to break an impasse over the American, British and French drive for a United Nations Security Council resolution that would make it mandatory for Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment activities, stop construction of a heavy-water nuclear reactor and resume talks with the West.
Russia and China oppose such a resolution as too threatening and are likely to provoke a counterreaction, causing Iran to abandon all cooperation with international nuclear inspections.
European diplomats said one emphasis of the dinner on Monday, which was led by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, was a new effort to persuade Iran that the West was offering "carrots" as well as "sticks" to get it to change course.
"My point of view is that Iran must be faced with a choice," Philippe Douste-Blazy, the French foreign minister, said in an interview. "If Iran is closed to our proposals, we are prepared to discuss deterrent measures. But it seems stupid for us not to stretch out our hand."
Ms. Rice said lower-level diplomats would try to iron out differences on a Council resolution on Iran next week in London and possibly in further meetings after that. Separate discussions on presenting a package of incentives to Iran would also occur at that time.
The original incentives offered to Iran by the Europeans entailed restoration of economic and technical assistance for Iran's development. As part of that package, the United States consented to let discussions start on Iran's joining the World Trade Organization and receiving aircraft spare parts.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
05/10/2006 00:31 ||
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#1
And it goes on and on and on and ...
Less talk please!
#2
Tinhorn genocidal dictators of the world rejoice! The path to your nations achieving a "full political and economic relationship with the West" has been made clear.
1. To placate Russia and China, to get them onboard. No one here really thinks the MMs will give up enrichment for incentives anyway, so whats to lose?
2. To save face for Russia and China - theyve talked about being against sanctions so much, its hard for them to support a Chapter 7 res without SOME concessions from the West, or they look weak.
3. To keep any wavering Euros on board.
And yes, this delays things. Hopefully not too long.
#6
I think that it's way past time that the US told the UN and the rest of the world to go suck eggs. We do not have to revert to isolationism, we can build meaningful bilateral agreements with the Japans, Indias and Aussies of the world. Why should I give a hoot about placating the EUSSR or helping the Russians and Chinese "save face"?
But we should become the curmogeon and demand that others placate US if they want to do something. We don't have to be the bully, but, when something comes up outside our true friends (see above) the first question should be "What's in it for us?"
#11
LibHawk, plz, the "carrots and sticks" and "convincing the Euros" is like pissing into a strong wind.
Lesson #1: The Moolahs cannot be swayed from doing nuke weapons, no amount of dough or caning will stop them. They are in love with the bomb.
Lesson #2: The Euros are a collections of weak-kneed sisters who have been fucking around with the Irantians for over three years. They have gotten screwed at every corner, have had their faces dragged through Moolah shit.
There is only one answer: Bomb or be bombed, let's get rockin'
Posted by: Captain America ||
05/10/2006 17:22 Comments ||
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#12
Maybe saving them the cost of cleaning up rubble, processing radioactive Mullah's, etc......
An initial thought on Ahmadinejad's letter to Bush. When he says this, he is calling Bush to accept Islam -- since in traditional Muslim belief it is only Islam that guarantees "monotheism, worship of God, justice, respect for the dignity of man, belief in the Last Day."
...
In a Hadith, Muhammad tells his followers to call people to Islam before waging war against them:
...
In light of that, this letter could be -- but is not necessarily -- a prelude to an attack. Rest at link.
Posted by: ed ||
05/10/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
100% agreed that this IS a prelude to an attack.
However, I think the commenters who believe that Iran already has nukes are wrong: Tel Aviv would have disappeared already.
#2
We (by that I also mean western intelligence) have no idea
The Iranians are known to have, for several years, parts for thousands of centrifuges. I doubt they stopped making more in the meantime. They could already have extracted enough U-235 for several bombs. We just don't know.
No one is going to use a nuke against nuclear powers when they only have one or a few bombs. They will wait until they have enough to devastate all their enemies. It will take 3-400 just to devastate Israel and the US. Add to this the infidels in Europe and Russia. Not even mentioning those muslim oppressing Chinese.
There is still 15-20 years until Iran has that level of stockpile, assuming they don't get control of spent fuel to extract plutonium.
Posted by: ed ||
05/10/2006 9:14 Comments ||
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#3
That assumes a conventional strategy. Most likely, however, they would use al-Qaeda as proxies, and detonate the bomb far away--possibly in the Mediterranean, then vigorously deny it was them in every one of their embassies around the world.
#4
Huh? What does detonating a nuke in the med get them? US will assume it was the Iranians. If the US fleet is the target, Tehran will be the next target.
Posted by: ed ||
05/10/2006 9:53 Comments ||
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#5
They won't target the US fleet, they'll target the West's economy. One nuke detonated in Lower Manhattan or the financial districts of London or Tokyo would stand a good chance of collapsing the world's fiat currencies. If I were a jihadi bent on destroying western civilization those would be my targets of choice.
#6
If I were a jihadi, I would hit multiple targets aimed at destroying the West, knowing it would be the last boom I make before they collectively annihilate the region. I would make sure the Vatican, as a symbol of the Crusaders, the UN HQ's in NY, Las Vegas, DC, as well as energy supplies and internet services, as relatively soft targets with high symbolic and strategic value. Iran just invited Castro to become Muslim, too, reminding us a Cuban missile crisis is quite possible.
#8
They could also pop one in an Iranian city somewhere and claim the US and the Jews did it. The fabled muslim street would eat it up as well as the raving moonbats here in the US.
Ahmadinejad would claim it was a sign of the return of the Hidden Imam. See the Page 1 story.
Posted by: Steve ||
05/10/2006 12:26 Comments ||
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#12
I would make sure the Vatican, as a symbol of the Crusaders, the UN HQ's in NY, Las Vegas, DC, as well as energy supplies and internet services, as relatively soft targets with high symbolic and strategic value.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair showed "commitment to give and extend the necessary support" to Lebanon on the matter of the occupied Shebaa Farms, Lebanese Premier Fouad Siniora said Tuesday. Siniora, who met Blair at 10 Downing Street on Tuesday, told AFP: "I think I have heard very good, encouraging remarks from Blair and readiness to extend the necessary support to Lebanon."
According to AFP, Siniora "urged Britain to help put pressure on Israel to withdraw its troops" from Shebaa. "There is a great understanding of our situation and real commitment," Siniora said.
Lebanon and Syria have agreed that the strip of border land is Lebanese, but the United Nations has demanded documentation that has not been forthcoming from Damascus. Siniora also touched on the matter in a speech delivered at Chatham House in London on Tuesday, saying demarcating the Lebanese-Syrian border would help resolve the matter. "Border delineation is important because it has direct implications for our ability to liberate the Shebaa Farms area," Siniora said. "Agreeing with Syria on the border line that separates the Shebaa Farms from the Syrian Golan will be an important step in redrawing the line of Israel's withdrawal under Resolution 425. The Syrian government has already declared that the Shebaa Farms region is part of Lebanese territory," he added. "We have approached the Syrian government in order to delineate the border line in that region. We are still waiting for a positive response. We are also seeking UN clarification of the steps needed to document our sovereignty."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/10/2006 00:00 ||
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AL-TANAF, Syria: A group of 244 Palestinians stranded for several weeks on the border between Iraq and Jordan entered Syria on Tuesday at the Al-Tanaf crossing point after Damascus agreed to take them in. The refugees fled violence in Baghdad in March and had been camping in no-man's land on the Iraqi-Jordanian border since Amman blocked their entry. The group of men, women and children entered Syria via the Al-Tanaf crossing point, some 300 kilometers east of Damascus, where they received food and medical care, an AFP photographer reported. The group was expected to be taken to the Abu al-Hol refugee camp, some 700 kilometers northeast of the Syrian capital, a customs official said on condition of anonymity. Some of the refugees who crossed from the border post with Iraq have Iraqi or Palestinian identity papers, "but some have no documentation at all," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/10/2006 00:00 ||
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Muslims in Central Asia and the Future Battle of Islam, a twenty-seven page white paper authored by Abu Musab al-Suri AKA Musatafa Setmarian Nasar in November 1999, advocates jihad in the states of East Turkistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, and the capture of resources. This document is circulated amongst other archived al-Suri materials, such as his 1,600 page book International Islamic Resistance Call , and an assortment of terrorist training lectures, currently placed on a hacked directory of the website, Meats Joke of the Day, www.mjotd.com . Abu Musab al-Suri writes historically of the Soviet invasion of Central Asia, the strategic importance of the area in terms of natural resources, industrial institutions, Islamic capitals, commercial market, and the military vigor of the Muslims in this region.
As this document is written in 1999, al-Suri references the success of the Afghan jihad and the availability of the Taliban regime for providing assistance and experience to the mujahideen in Central Asia, spearheading a rejoicing Islamic and Jihadi arousal. The states of this region are purportedly subjected to a vehement crusading invasion, formerly occupied by the Russians, but now open to economic invasion by the West, including heavy financial investments. Al-Suri summarizes aggression against Muslims in addition to the aforementioned, highlighting hostile policy and armed clashes. He cites arrests and confrontations in Tajikstan and Uzbekistan to illustrate rancor by these governments towards the mujahideen and Muslims.
Concerning the importance of jihad in Central Asia and reasons for its priority, Abu Musab al-Suri explains that in the new global order, this region is the weakest spot of the enemy, and may be a prudent epicenter for operations. He notes the natural geography of the countries, and the the military inheritance, including equipment, structures and ammunition of the [former] Soviet Union that has accumulated in this region is a military resource and an inheritance that the people of Islam cannot even dream of finding elsewhere. Importantly, al-Suri advocates the possession of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in the hands of Central Asian Muslims because they will not be able to wage a successful classical war against the West. The weapons are to be used for threatening and casting fear amongst the enemy. Further, the document reads: The developed state of the industries and the existence of raw materials for these weapons make Central Asia a base, as well as the subject of the Muslims hope, for possessing these weapons.
Media reports indicate that a suspect believed to be Abu Musab al-Suri was captured in Quetta, Pakistan during the beginning of November 2005. Abu Musab al-Suri, AKA Mustafa Setmarian Nassar, or Umar Abd al-Hakim, is an al-Qaeda operative who ran terrorist training camps in Afghanistan and instructs in poison and chemical warfare. On November 18, 2004, the U.S. State Department offered a $5 million for information leading to his arrest. Al-Suri, meaning The Syrian, was indicted in Spain in 2003 for allegedly training al-Qaeda sleeper cells for deployment in Spain, Italy, and France and is believed to have masterminded the Madrid train bombings in March 2004.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
05/10/2006 01:49 ||
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#1
Okay, IOW like the Commies/Maoists and aligned Secular Socialists, or at least AL SHARPTON vv NOLA/KATRINA-GATE where African Americans everywhere have the right to stay permanently welfarized and dependent on PUBLIC/Govt. assistance, the Muslims are fighting -nay, demanding - for their similar Traditionalist Ultra-Conservative right to stay poor iff not poorer, and for Govt., i.e. "the [Ruling]Few" to make any each every and all their life decisions for them.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
The United States has renewed its terrorism alert for east Africa. The advisory, issued by the American state department in Washington, was to remind US citizens that Islamic extremists were active and may be plotting attacks in east Africa.
MANAMA - Bahrains decision to expel the representative of a US-based pro-democracy organization from the country has triggered concerns over US-Bahrain relations prior to upcoming elections. The head of the 
The founder of one of the most feared militant groups fighting in Kashmir accused the United States on Tuesday of pandering to India and being anti-Islam by branding the charity he now runs as a terrorist organisation. All this is being done at the behest of India, 
PESHAWAR: Several countries are responsible for the promotion of terrorism and militancy in the region, said 
A high-level meeting chaired by President Gen. Pervez Musharraf yesterday vowed to curb terrorism and extremism in the country's tribal regions by "fast tracking" economic development of the areas. Musharraf promised socio-economic development in the areas by introducing political and administrative reforms, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) quoted him as saying. "This will open up economic opportunities and curb extremism in these regions," he told the meeting in the garrison town of Rawalpindi. 
Iraq's prime minister-designate said Tuesday the main stumbling blocks to forming a new Cabinet have been overcome and he expects to present his team to parliament for approval by the end of the week. Nouri al-Maliki said representatives of the country's political parties had agreed on who will head the main posts and that just a few ministries remain unfilled. Discussions were still under way on the nominees for the oil, trade and transportation ministries, he said.
RAMALLAH, West Bank - The Israeli company that provides fuel to the Palestinian areas is cutting off supplies due to growing debts, Israeli and Palestinian officials said Wednesday, a move that could deepen a humanitarian crisis in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. 
The road to Zarqa from Amman runs for 15km through beige hills peppered with limestone quarries, past factories, military camps, a scrapyard for big yellow cabs and a KFC joint. Trucks, taxis and military Land Rovers speed up and down, leaving trails of dust and black smoke.
Yielding to pressure from its allies, the Bush administration endorsed a European proposal on Tuesday to increase aid to the Palestinian territories, including money that could pay the salaries of some civil servants working under Hamas.
The Quartet of Middle East peace brokers has agreed on a way to channel aid to the Palestinians for a trial period to ease a financial squeeze on the new government following the election of Hamas. The group of international mediators - the United Nations, the United States, Russia and the European Union, reached the agreement at the UN headquarters on Tuesday. The Quartet issued a statement after a day of talks in which Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia warned of a civil war if the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority was left to collapse. "The Quartet expressed its willingness to endorse a temporary international mechanism that is limited in scope and duration, operates with full transparency and accountability," it said.
The United States and its European negotiating partners are preparing to repackage economic incentives aimed at inducing Iran to cooperate in eliminating its suspected nuclear weapons program, and to add some "new ideas" for Iran to consider, American and European officials said Tuesday.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair showed "commitment to give and extend the necessary support" to Lebanon on the matter of the occupied Shebaa Farms, Lebanese Premier Fouad Siniora said Tuesday. Siniora, who met Blair at 10 Downing Street on Tuesday, told AFP: "I think I have heard very good, encouraging remarks from Blair and readiness to extend the necessary support to Lebanon."
AL-TANAF, Syria: A group of 244 Palestinians stranded for several weeks on the border between Iraq and Jordan entered Syria on Tuesday at the Al-Tanaf crossing point after Damascus agreed to take them in. The refugees fled violence in Baghdad in March and had been camping in no-man's land on the Iraqi-Jordanian border since Amman blocked their entry. The group of men, women and children entered Syria via the Al-Tanaf crossing point, some 300 kilometers east of Damascus, where they received food and medical care, an AFP photographer reported. The group was expected to be taken to the Abu al-Hol refugee camp, some 700 kilometers northeast of the Syrian capital, a customs official said on condition of anonymity. Some of the refugees who crossed from the border post with Iraq have Iraqi or Palestinian identity papers, "but some have no documentation at all," he added.
