NATO in Afghanistan will remain on the offensive against Taliban forces regardless of the expected surge in attacks by the insurgents in the spring, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said on Wednesday. NATO has not the slightest intention to cede the initiative to anyone - spring, or no spring. He said the alliance was seeking closer cooperation with Pakistan to check infiltration. He rejected a Pakistani suggestion to mine and fence Afghan border. NATO spokesman Mark Laity also said in Kabul the force had strong reservations about Pakistans plan to fence its border with Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
And by NATO we mean the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada; i.e. the Anglosphere. If anyone else has substantial forces in Afghanistan I do apologize.
We had some of this yesterday, but it looks like Mullah Hanif is continuing his song.
A captured Taliban spokesman has said the movements fugitive leader is hiding out in Pakistan with the protection of that countrys spy agency, Afghan intelligence officials said on Wednesday.
Abul Haq Haqiq, who was known to the media as Mohammad Hanif, was arrested in the eastern province of Nangarhar late on Monday. During interrogation he said fugitive Taliban leader Mulla Mohammad Omar, who has a multi-million-dollar bounty on his head, was in the western Pakistan city of Quetta, the Afghan intelligence agency said in a statement. He is under the protection of the ISI in Quetta, it quoted Hanif as saying.
We are, like sooooooo surprised. Who'da ever thunkit?
Haqiq was not presented to the media for questioning and the authenticity of the claims could not be verified.
"So, really, he probably didn't say it, at least not quite like that. And he prob'ly meant something else..."
The Afghan intelligence agency, called the National Directorate of Security, said the 26-year-old Haqiq had also said the regular suicide attacks in Afghanistan were plotted in a madrassa in Pakistans Bajaur tribal area. He also claimed former ISI chief Hamid Gul had financed the attacks and showed propaganda videos against the foreign forces in Afghanistan, the NDS statement said.
Hamid is "retired" from ISI, of course. Being a former chief of ISI seems to pay pretty well, well enough to give you a fortune large enough to subvert the country next door. How much more plausible can your deniability get?
An Afghan governor showed the media on Wednesday photographs of Hanif, claiming he had been picked up in a house containing packets of anthrax powder. Gul Agha Sherzai, governor of the eastern province of Nangarhar, did not say how it had been proven the powder was the deadly anthrax bacteria or what quantity had been found. Intelligence officials involved in the arrest and police would not confirm the discovery of anthrax, which would be a first for Afghanistan.
I'm not sure I'd take Gul Agha's word on which direction the sun comes up, or whether it's raining outside.
Another purported Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousef Ahmadi, confirmed Hanifs arrest in a phone call from Peshawar an undisclosed location, but said that the Talibans governing body had already appointed a new spokesman, Zadiullah Mujahid.
Yeah, they said that yesterday, too...
Pakistan rejected Afghan intelligences claim that Mulla Omar was in Quetta and said that Pakistan did not know any Taliban spokesman detained by the Afghan government. Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasneem Aslam said that the Afghan intelligences claims were absolutely baseless and unfounded.
"That guy they caught don't know what he's talkin' about. He's lyin', y'know. He's got it in for Pakistan..."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Even NPR was reporting yesterday that he's in Quetta. I was shocked.
Disinformation, in the context of espionage, military intelligence, and propaganda, is the spreading of deliberately false information to mislead an enemy as to one's position or course of action. It also includes the distortion of true information in such a way as to render it useless.
Disinformation techniques may also be found in commerce and government, used by one group to try to undermine the position of a competitor.
Unlike propaganda or the Big Lie technique designed to engage emotional support, disinformation is designed to manipulate the audience at the rational level by either discrediting conflicting information or supporting false conclusions. A third technique of concealing facts, or censorship is also used if the group can affect such control. When channels of information cannot be completely closed, they can be rendered useless by filling them with disinformation, effectively lowering their signal-to-noise ratio.
The Cold War made disinformation a recognized military and political tactic, though disinformation is generally more subtle and designed to remain unnoticed by the target audience.
Disinformation should not be confused with misinformation, which is not deliberate; i.e., the person or news source forwarding the information doesn't know it's not true and/or actually believes it; thus, disinformation can be relayed as misinformation if the one relaying the message is not aware that the originator of the message deliberately manufactured false information and offered it up for distribution. Whether the target of such an attack is to mislead the end user of the information or if the disinformation is meant to destroy the credibility of those gullible enough to relay it (usually news agencies) and not really caring what damage it does to the ultimate recipient must be judged on a per case basis.
#13
Nuking Quetta has my vote, and has had since the war began. Peshawar and Rawalpindi are two other good choices. Islamabad and Karachi should be nuked as a last resort - the pakiwacki government is an asset - it keeps things so confused and stirred up nobody knows what's going on.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/18/2007 20:26 Comments ||
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(SomaliNet) Shortly after he was removed from the parliament with majority vote, Sharif Hassan Sheik Aden said on Wednesday the vote against him by the lawmakers in Baidoa city, 245km southwest of Somalia capital Mogadishu was illegal.
Sharif Hassan who is in the Italian capital Roma said he did not accept the legality of the todays parliament session. Speaking with the local media, Hassan said: I do not believe that the voting has taken place in fair way but I deem that the MPs were forced to assemble and vote against me and that is not legal session, He argued that Somalia is under Ethiopian occupation therefore anything happens in forceful way.
Earlier, Sharif Hassan said he could be removed from his post in the parliament. Sharif Hassan and other Somalia lawmakers are now in Roma for talks with the Italian officials over how to solve the political rift with the senior interim government officials.
The removal of Mr. Hassan from the parliament has ended the long standing political divergence between Somalias top leaders. In Baidoa, 183 of the 192 lawmakers voted yes to the motion against the speaker while nine members voted No in hand raising system. No one has abstained. Osman Elmi Boqore, the deputy chairman of the parliament who was chairing the session announced the result of the voting after hours of assembly saying Sharif Hassan has lost the leadership of the parliament in transparent way.
31 MPs brought anti Sharif motion before the parliament and the lawmakers moved suddenly into steps against the speaker. The removal of Hassan from the parliament came after he had close contacts with the out rooted Islamists. Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden split with the president and prime minister late last year over his peace proposal to Islamists rival. The move came as the US conducts efforts to mediate between interim government and senior ousted Islamist officials to reach sustainable solution to the crisis of the war torn country.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2007 00:00 ||
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(SomaliNet) As part of peacekeeping mission in Somalia and Sudan, a Mozambican military contingent is training intensely in preparation for possible deployment in those African countries, military spokesman said Tuesday. Mozambique defence ministry spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Joaquim Mataruca said the training began in December in response to UN and other requests for more peacekeepers.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Let me ask a stupid question: Are folks like Mozambique paid to send peacekeeping troops? What motivation does Mozambique have to volunteer to get themselves killed in the Sudan and Somalia?
#2
Some form of regional stability is what they would be after .... Along with eradicating the pest that is Islam , obviously ..
As regards payments , I believe like Bangladeshi peace keepers , they are paid for by the UN . Peacekeeping earned Bangladesh approx $200m last year , yet they only had about 10,000 troops on the ground .
#3
The UN pays costs. Which takes the troops off the national budget for the time they are deployed in the peackeeping op. Also they get some experience. And I dont think the govt expects to get many killed.
#5
Plus, they earn political chits that can be cashed in whenever the sending government gets its tail in a crack.
Equipment upgrades for the sent units are also quite common, all paid with UN funds. As well, the "peacekeepers" tend to get much better training from actual professional armies than they could get at home.
Another plus is the medical attention such units get while on duty with the UN force : access to doctors, medicines, and techniques not generally available in the third world. The troops that the sending country gets back tend to be much healthier than when they left home : fully immunized, dental work done, fungal infections treated and cured, that sort of thing.
Another noted trend among "peacekeepers" is the amount of weight that the troops put on during their tours : access to much better quality food and in large amounts, often by stealing the local relief supplies. And that leaves out the whole "food for sex" aspect of "peacekeeping" : travel the world, see new and interesting people, and have sex with their barely pubescent sons and daughters.
And the governments do get reimbursed in hard currencies for any costs on the sent troops : important to the GNP of the sending countries.
One last benefit is that you can reward regime loyalists with such assignments, which lets them earn hard currency and fly your flag.
#6
Wolf, actually the opposite is often true. You send potential troublemakers overseas never to be heard from again. I believe a couple of units have been on duty with the UN for decades.
An Egyptian blogger went on trial today on charges of insulting Islam and inciting sectarian strife for his Internet writing criticising Muslim authorities and the Egyptian government, his lawyer and court officials said. It was the first trial of a blogger in Egypt, where a string of anti-government bloggers have been arrested the past year, drawing condemnation from human rights groups.
Abdel Kareem Nabil, who has been in detention since his arrest in early November, could face up to seven years in prison if convicted on the charges, court officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of court rules. His lawyer, Radwa Sayed Ahmed, said Nabil had been held in solitary confinement, forbidden visits from his family and lawyers. In todays brief court session, he didnt look good, she said from court in the port city of Alexandria.
Nabil was charged with inciting sedition, insulting Islam, harming national unity and insulting the president, the court official said. His defence asked for time to review the indictment against him and the trial was adjourned until January 25.
Nabil, who uses the name Kareem Amer on his blog, frequently denounces the government of President Hosni Mubarak on his blog and is often deeply critical of Egypts Islamic authorities, particularly Al-Azhar, one of the Sunni Muslim worlds top religious institutions. Nabil, a resident of Alexandria, was former a law student at Al-Azhar University.
Best evidence in print in quite a while about the necessity and viability of the Republic of Eastern Arabia, a 50 km wide strip of sand ...
AL HUFUF, SAUDI ARABIA - Future REA House Speaker Sadek al-Jubran says he's all too familiar with fatwas that declare him an infidel. As a member of a religious minority in a country without religious freedom, Mr. Jubran grew up with discrimination. It's something Shiites like him have regularly faced in this conservative Sunni-ruled kingdom in the streets and at school, in courtrooms and at the office.
Over the past decade, however, Shiites have managed to gain a larger stake in Saudi Arabian society. They've seen incremental reforms, getting elected to local councils and being allowed to observe religious holidays openly. But now, many worry that their steady progress is being checked. With a Sunni-Shiite cold war descending on the region, Saudi Arabia appears to be hardening its sectarian battle lines. That, experts say, could mean that it once again will regard its Shiite minority, mainly clustered in eastern oases like this one, solely as enemies of the state.
Recent rumblings from clerics and politicians alike recall the days when the kingdom braced against spreading influence from Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Today, Saudi Arabia is on edge from the deepening civil war in Iraq and a possibly nuclear Iran.
"You don't see [Saudi King Abdullah] quashing any of this very, very public anti-Shiite rhetoric," says Mr. Jones. "That's a sign that he either isn't interested in doing it or that he can't."
Or he's scared stiff. Well, he's always stiff, and now he's also scared.
#4
Because the Royals did not want to dirt their hands with the daily grind of running the oil patches, and they needed Saudis that would do the sh*t details in the oil fields. Most Saudis consider manual labor beneath them, the Shias were just glad to get the work.
Besides, who are they going to replace the Shia with, Bedu? Like they are going to sit still and do the nasty jobs the Shia are doing.
#2
Omar Brooks, an extremist also known as Abu Izzadeen
needs to meet the remainders of the Provos and IRA; first hand...something they can agree on
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/18/2007 21:56 Comments ||
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#3
great, I have a family reunion in Ireland this summer, and have been looking into flights that require going through London. I don't think I ever want to travel outside of the US, even to see family and my grandparents house again.
It angers me that I even let this type of info frighten me. I must say I like the protection in place being in America.
I thought traveling to Ireland would be realtively safe, silly me.
Posted by: Jan ||
01/18/2007 22:14 Comments ||
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#4
Unfortunately, the IRA made its peace with this animals in the 1980s. Hell, they have been farming out some of their better bombmakers to the Islamics for the past 15 years, just like they did to FARC in Columbia.
The IRA of 1980s and 90s is the hardcore Marxist terrorist remnants of the old Easter Revolution IRA. I doubt that the boys of Dublin Post Office raid would have done anything less than execute scum like the Real IRA, or gutted the bombers of Londonderry shops.
Labour will have to admit that serious errors have been made over the war in Iraq if it is to restore public trust in the government, a growing number of ministers believe. The acknowledgment may come when the chancellor, Gordon Brown, takes over in Downing Street, possibly by launching an inquiry into the conduct of the war - a move that has been resisted by Tony Blair.
The impetus for Labour to show contrition has come from admissions by four ministers, who have gone on the record to concede that a string of errors was made in Iraq. Hilary Benn, the international development secretary, told the Fabian Society: "The current situation in Iraq is absolutely grim, so let us be clear about that truth. Look, the intelligence was wrong, the de-Ba'athification went too far, the disbanding of the army was wrong and, of course, we should have the humility to acknowledge those things, and to learn. I am not insensitive to the huge well of bitterness and anger from lots of people in the party."
He's also unwilling to antagonize them by telling them what stoopid gits they are.
Peter Hain, the Northern Ireland secretary, also claims in an interview to be published today by the New Statesman: "The neo-con mission has failed ... It's not only failed to provide a coherent international policy, it's failed wherever it's been tried, and it's failed with the American electorate, who kicked it into touch last November. The problem for us as a government ... was actually to maintain a working relationship with what was the most moderate rightwing American administration, if not ever, then in living memory."
You really don't have to. Go twaddle off with your Y'urp-peon friends and commit cultural and demographic suicide.
A fast-rising Blairite minister, James Purnell, has also admitted that the Iraq war has lacked moral legitimacy and made other military interventions in crises such as Darfur more difficult. Mr Purnell said: "There are many, many lessons we need to learn about Iraq and it is very important for us politically to recognise that. In terms of international politics, we need to learn the lessons of the mistakes that clearly have been made.
"I think the biggest mistake is that you always need to learn the importance of moral legitimacy and international support. Going back and looking at what happened, if we and the Americans had realised that the Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction as an imminent threat, we would have had more time to get a second UN resolution we were trying to get. If we had gone into Iraq with international support, the situation would have been much much easier.
'Second' UN resolution? He means 'seventeenth', since that's what it would have been. And we were never going to geet 'international siupport', by which he means the French (bribed by Saddam), Russians (bribed by Saddam) and Chinese (oil contracts from Saddam). Nor were we ever going to get the European and American left to go along since they consider anything America does to be ucky. The whole notion of 'moral legitimacy' begs the question: moral by what standards? As judged by whom?
He added: "It would have legitimised an intervention in Darfur in a way that it is now very very difficult."
You're the one connecting Darfur to Iraq. If that's how you feel just leave Darfur as is, I'm sure the people will understand how you daren't soil your hands.
The remarks were made at a Fabian conference last weekend, at which the housing minister, Yvette Cooper, seen as close to Mr Brown, also suggested the emphasis after the invasion had been wrong. She said: "I think if different decisions had been taken early on, we might have seen a different course of events. There would always have been difficulties in Iraq, but you should not underestimate the importance of people having a functioning economy - of having jobs to go to, people able to get food and to have a proper functioning infrastructure and how significant that can be to the course of events."
A functioning economy and infrastructure are important. Parts of Iraq have that, because those same-said parts have had security. Whether it was the security of enlightened Kurds in the north or scheming, numerically-superior Shi'a in Basra, those parts have done pretty well. It's the parts of Iraq that haven't had security that are troubled the most with infrastructure and economic breakdowns. Criticize US and Iraqi miliary/police policy there -- we've made our mistakes -- but don't forget that in this argument, basic security comes first.
Ministers have previously indicated that there may need to be a review of aspects of the war, but the new wave of criticisms suggests this may change as Mr Blair's premiership starts to close.
And as a new election looms on the horizon against a revitalized (if nearly unrecognizable) Conservative Party. Seems like Mr. Brown thinks more hand-wringing is required to get the Scottisth Labour vote to stay on his side.
Senior ministers are absolutely opposed to widening the Iraq conflict into a war with Iran, even though they acknowledge that the crisis in Iraq has made Iran more confident. They are also refusing to rule out talks with the Syrians, even though the US seems to have ruled out such a diplomatic initiative.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/18/2007 00:00 ||
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Posted by: Dave D. ||
01/18/2007 4:53 Comments ||
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#3
Damn. I always wanted to visit Britain. No way I'll visit the Islamic Republic of Britain.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
01/18/2007 5:40 Comments ||
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#4
Funny you should say that Robert , I always envisaged myself retiring here and living out my final days fly-fishing and shooting up until about 6 years ago , now i just count down the days till im ready to leave for good.
Britain is just a mess, and far too overcrowded now
#5
Then come to Texas, McNails... lots of wide open spaces, still. Charming small towns in the Hill Country, fly-fishing galore.
Hell, you can even own guns. And if someone breaks into your house in the middle of the night, you can shoot at them. Really. The cops won't mind at all; they'll look on it as perfectly understandable; laudable, even.
Does get a bit hot in the summer, though. Always has, glow-ball worming notwithstanding.
#6
And the Fabian Society would wank themselves unconscious if Sammy were back in power? Clueless, feckin useless, wanky lefties who haven't got a clue about the real world.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
01/18/2007 8:37 Comments ||
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#9
Yeah, we have beaches, a whole Gulf Coast worth of beaches... and an IT industry, and bright stars and fly-fishing, a forbearing constabulary... and best of all, the veritable food of the Gods: The Breakfast Taco!
#12
And don't forget to mention frequent hurricanes, just to add to the authentic Florida atmosphere, Ship.
The Hill Country is becoming the new Provence: thriving wine industry at the point where Californias' was twenty years ago. Also fields of lavender and other herbs and wildflowers, a handful of enthusiasts have started olive groves; and we even have locally made goat cheese.
Cal Florida offer that?
All we need is a couple of wealthy eccentrics to build some hilltop castles or rambling mansions, and we'd have it all.
All our cousins across the pond, I'd consider Texas over Florida. A LOT less crowded, you do have beaches (but they're nowhere as gorgeous as Florida's), and mostly, stay out of the way of hurricanes (except for Rita recently). Tons of IT there (heard of Dell, Texas Instruments, etc?). And, it just impresses me when you cross the State border (from Louisiana) that the Interstate sign says "El Paso, 850-something miles" (goes to show you how big TX is). The heat can be a bear though.
Me personally? I'm headin' to L.A. (Lower Alabama) when I retire. Low cost of living, low taxes, and close enough to those FL. panhandle beaches to visit anytime, but far enough away to miss the hurricanes, lol!
Posted by: BA ||
01/18/2007 11:55 Comments ||
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#14
Serious fields of wildflowers, from the pictures I've seen. President Johnson's wife was into wildflowers, I believe, and she started a foundation after he retired, the model for wildflower societies around the country.
#16
***sigh***
It was the fault of those hippy types who collected exotic pets... all those arty types who got into spinning and weaving and all. They got little flocks of kashmir goats, and then had to figure out what to do with the milk. Seriously, though, it's good stuff. The local HEB grocery chain carries several local brands, and its' good!
HEB--- another reason to live in Texas; an excellent local chain grocery.
Oh, yes, Lady Bird was seriously into wildflowers: the highway verges have been seeded for years, but practically anywhere you go from March to about late May, there will be meadows of every kind of wildflower you can imagine: Bluebonnets, Mexican Hat, primroses...
Hey! (**** looking around ****) I know it's waaaaay off-topic, but I'm supposed to be the Minister of Tourism, and this is an opening, 'kay? McNails and Bright, and Howard might be keen to come and see.... ACK! (****exit, stage left, dragged by mod with shepards' crook****)
#17
MacNails, Howard, Bulldog (where are ya, bro?) Come on over here. We will treat you well. Live in Texas, but come up to Alaska during the summer. Great fishing, scenery, and free rides on mosquitos in certain places. We'll show you a good time.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/18/2007 14:27 Comments ||
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#18
I'd like to mention San Diego which has wonderful beaches, breakfast burritos, no humidity to mention, a couple of hours from Vegas and the occasional carrier or two in port for those impressed by that sort of thing.
#19
(****despairing wail from offstage****) Yeah, but what about the cost of living in S-D!!!!
The cost of liv.....! (****muffled by something placed over mouth*****)
#20
Now Ima love Texas, but MacNails sounds like a serious fisherPerson, Texas stocktanks really can't compete with real lakes and does Texas allow bear hunting?
#21
Labour will have to admit that serious errors have been made over the war in Iraq
Yes...you must admit your errors, Comrade. And remember, we have always been at war with Eurasia.
Down with Goldstein.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/18/2007 16:46 Comments ||
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#22
Gotta wonder if our English cousins could ever fall in love with fried catfish, though. Or, shrimp and grits!
Posted by: BA ||
01/18/2007 17:58 Comments ||
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#23
(****muffled voice from offstage****)
No-o-o-o-o! Not the grits! Anything but grits, like cream of wheat but without the delicious flavor! And for the love of god, don't tell them about sausage gravy! That horrid stuff!!!It looks like vomit, I tell you! It does! Like vom.....(***mfmf....***)
Our British Rantburgers should come to Virginia. Beaches, ocean, lots of hunting and fishing, plenty of unspoiled rural areas, never too far from a metropolitan area. Not as hot in summer as Florida and Texas, nor as cold in winter as Alaska.
And y'all will understand us, too. Virginia-speak is just like English-speak, slowed waaaay down. ;-p
Y'all come!
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/18/2007 19:00 Comments ||
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#25
Aaaaw shucks , im gonna go bed and sleep well tonite :)
#27
PS - MacNails et al. - y'all don't have to have sugar in your tea. And you don't have to drink it cold, either. ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/18/2007 19:30 Comments ||
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#28
In the mountains of East Tennessee I can go outside and not hear anything but the birds, insects, hawks, and wind. mrp, I was thinking more along the lines of a Mason jar filled with corn squeezins. Sgt. Mom, I can cook you a meal with grits that you will enjoy.
Unfortunately, Virginia has a high proportion of loonies in its legislature. You know about Delegate Frank D. Hargrave (R-Glen Allen), for example?
The present commonwealth has nothing to do with slavery, said Del. Frank D. Hargrove, R-Glen Allen, whose ancestors were French Huguenots who came to America in search of religious freedom.
How far do these calls for apologies go, wondered Hargrove, a member of the House Rules Committee that could take up McEachins resolution as early as Wednesday.
Are we going to force the Jews to apologize for killing Christ? Hargrove wondered. Nobody living today had anything to do with it. It would be far more appropriate in my view to apologize to the Upper Mattaponi and the Pamunkey Indians for the loss of their lands in eastern Virginia, he said.
We're all angry at my synagogue. As Lawrence Simon once blogcasted, "Yes, we did. And you're next."
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
01/18/2007 20:55 Comments ||
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#34
Concur on San Diego - Stennis ported at 11:30AM today (from my office window). Due to the fence, we have less illegals than other portions of the border. Don't be fooled by Texas's siren calls!
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/18/2007 21:29 Comments ||
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#35
No, New Hampshire. If we hear voices in the night, we fling open the windows and start shooting.
#36
PS - MacNails et al. - y'all don't have to have sugar in your tea. And you don't have to drink it cold, either. ;-p
Jeebus, Barbara. In my neck of the woods, 'dem are fytin' wordz!
Seriously, our British cousins would LOVE sweet tea. And, we've got some good dentists, if'n your teeth start rotting out!
Serious college story (from my Alma Mater, Auburn University in Auburn, AL)....some friends of mine had a HUGE U.S. map up on their apartment wall. We literally re-drew the Mason-Dixon line based upon our college travels (SEC football can take you on some LONG trips) and what they served at the local restaurants. Unfortunately (at least in my experience), Virginia is no longer the "South" if you base it on sweet tea, lol!
Posted by: BA ||
01/18/2007 22:13 Comments ||
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#37
Depends on which part of Virginia you're talking about, #36 BA. I don't drink tea myself, sweet or otherwise, but the first thing a friend's daughter said when she moved back to Richmond was at last she could get sweet tea - unlike in Connecticut.
#33 Eric - when you start talking politicians, all bets for sanity are off in every state. I did hear on the news this evening that his office had said they were getting calls & e-mails about his statement, with them running 20 to 1 in his favor (which I'm pretty sure is about the slavery part, not the Jews part - though who knows?).
I'd like an apology for slavery, too - from the Africans and Arabs. I'd like for them to apologize not only for the historic slave traffic that they were suppliers for (which ended in this country in 1865, in case no one has noticed), but for the present-day slavery they engage in.
You'll notice I'm not holding my breath.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/18/2007 23:06 Comments ||
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From East Asia Intel, subscription
SEOUL In a sign of the widening gap in the security alliance between the two countries, the top U.S. military commander in South Korea has vowed to "fight" any effort to delay relocating American troops to a new major base south of Seoul.
Some military analysts warn the relocation of U.S. troops could fuel security risks on the peninsula. The frontline American troops have long been regarded as a "tripwire" that could automatically lead to full-scale U.S. involvement in case of an invasion by North Korea.
"I am opposed to any decision to stretch this out for any reasons, whether it's political or it's fiscal . . . or whatever it is," Gen. B.B. Bell, commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), told journalists.
He called for the expansion of Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, to be completed by 2008 as scheduled to house some 30,000 American troops.
But South Korea said last month it would not be able to complete the expansion of the U.S. base by 2008 due to protests by residents and a dispute over cost sharing. Seoul's Defense Ministry said the relocation could be delayed until as late as 2013. SKor govt dragging it out.
The expansion of Camp Humphreys is the key component in the realignment of U.S. bases in South Korea. Under a 2004 accord, the United States would redeploy the frontline U.S. ground forces in one of the most significant changes in U.S. force structure in this country since the 1950-53 Korean War.
The delay comes amid high military tension following the North's nuclear and missile tests last year. Some military analysts here warn the North may stage a limited war on the South to break the standoff over international sanctions. I don't know how much limited the war would be once it got started.
Bell became emotional at the news conference saying he was surprised by Seoul media reports that the base relocation would be delayed, indicating that he learned the news from media reports rather than from official military-to-military channels. Well, it was an akward thing to bring up, so the SKors just let the press do it.
Bell said U.S. soldiers in the South badly need new facilities for a "normal life" with their families.
"Any further delay in our consolidation efforts at Camp Humphreys concerns me," said Bell, who serves as chief of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) and the United Nations Command (UNC). "I do not want to see any further delays and it's simply not right," he said. "I will fight this." I hope he is backed up by the Pentagon and the Administration.
His angry protest embarrassed South Korean officials who are pushing to regain wartime control of South Korean troops from the United States.
South Korea voluntarily put the operational control of its military under the U.S.-led UN Command shortly after the Korean War broke out in 1950. It took back peacetime operational control in 1994, but wartime operational control remains in the hands of the top U.S. commander here. If you want wartime control, we can always leave and you can have it all.
President Roh Moo-Hyun has pushed for regaining wartime control by 2012 as part of efforts to bolster the country's self-defense posture.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/18/2007 18:40 ||
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#1
In a sign of the widening gap in the security alliance between the two countries, the top U.S. military commander in South Korea has vowed to "fight" any effort to delay relocating American troops to a new major base south of Seoul.
Actually, I'd have them north of Seoul since it is located at 37.54N latitude and Olympia Washington near Fort Lewis is 47.03N latitude. Fort Lewis should be able to handle most of them. Works for me.
Pyongyang, January 16 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il inspected the Command of KPA Unit 398. After going round the room devoted to the history of the unit, he dropped in at the military lecture room to learn about the unit's performance of duty and training. He set forth the tasks to be tackled by the unit to increase its combat capability, expressing satisfaction over the fact that the unit has trained all its commanding officers as fighters equipped with high combat capability and technique by intensifying the training. He underscored the need for the unit to organize intensive combat and political training and put all forms of trainings on a scientific basis so that all its servicepersons may acquire a-match-for-a hundred combat capability.
Looking round combat and technical equipment, he said the future of the cause of socialism and the Songun revolution depends on the arms, a precious legacy of the revolution which has been handed down through generations, as it is associated with the blood and soul of the anti-Japanese revolutionary forerunners. He urged all the servicepersons to prize the weapons like the apples of their eyes and handle them with good care.
He made the rounds of the servicepersons' hall, library and other entertainment and educational facilities to acquaint himself with their cultural and emotional life. He praised the unit for having refurbished the servicepersons' hall well as a centre for entertainment and education and operated it on a regular basis, stressing the need to provide ample conditions for their cultural and emotional life. He was very pleased to learn about the excellent relations that exist between the servicepersons of the unit and the inhabitants of the area where it is stationed and emphasized the might of the rock-like unity between the army and people is a source of victory because no powerful weapon can ever match it.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2007 00:00 ||
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I dunno. I don't see the obligatory presentation of the AK47 ("Thanks, Kimmie. Just what we need...") that he usually gives when he goes on the on the spot field guidance curcuit. KPA Unit 398 could be pissed.
Unless he brought doughnuts...
#5
Who uses the term "servicepersons". Unless of course, all the mins have dies off, and they're down to wimmins now, eh?
*No offense meant to the Fairer Sex ladies here at the 'burg*
Posted by: BA ||
01/18/2007 11:39 Comments ||
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Commies?
Posted by: ed ||
01/18/2007 11:42 Comments ||
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FYI it is considered a GREAT honor to have the Dear Leader visit your factory, house, office or barracks. The event is usually commemorated with a statue or plaque. I look forward to see pictures of the bunny-suit statue erected outside the barracks of our brave KPA unit 398. Good job guys.
The firebrand cleric who went overseas just days before some of his cohorts were rounded up in the nation's biggest counter-terrorism raid is the subject of a new police investigation, after a call for children to join jihad as holy warriors appeared in a DVD being sold in Australia.
Sydney-born Sheik Feiz Mohamed's radical sermons - available on the internet and on DVDs and videos - have become popular with Muslims around the world. In one video, running on the hugely popular website YouTube, he admonishes his followers in English for not "sacrificing a drop of blood" as martyrs.
Australian Federal Police said yesterday they had begun inquiries into Sheik Feiz's DVD encouraging jihad, which is believed to be unclassified in Australia and illegal to sell.
NSW Premier Morris Iemma accused the cleric yesterday of inciting terrorism. "This DVD goes a lot further than vilification," he said. "The sort of incitement that the DVD encourages is incitement to acts of violence and acts of terror."
Sheik Feiz, a member of Sunni Islam's fundamentalist Wahhabi sect, left Australia for Lebanon in late 2004, just days before federal and state police and ASIO conducted raids in Sydney and Melbourne, arresting 23 people on terror-related charges. The cleric calls two of the accused terrorists close friends and knew all of the Sydney men arrested. He has links to almost every notable member of Australia's Islamic community and continues to direct his Global Islamic Youth Centre - the nerve centre of Islamic youth in Sydney, setting the tone for 4000 youths, their families and fraternities.
WASHINGTON - The US government plans to open a complaint service for passengers who believe they have been mistakenly placed on a no-fly list of terror suspects, the Department of Homeland Security said on Wednesday.
The service, due to begin on February 20, will permit passengers who have been subjected repeatedly to extra security checks to file an inquiry in order to have erroneous information corrected in the governments database, the DHS said in a statement. Additional details about how travelers can file and trace the progress of an inquiry will be available when the program launches next month, the department said.
US authorities meanwhile were conducting an elaborate case-by-case review of the names on the list of terror suspects, Kip Hawley, the director of the Transportation Security Administration, told a congressional hearing. This effort will effectively cut the no-fly list in half, Hawley told the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
The no-fly list dramatically expanded following the attacks of September 11, 2001, with tens of thousands of names added amid numerous complaints of errors. In some cases, innocent passengers were included on the list because their names were similar to terror suspects. In September 2004, a US-bound plane with singer Cat Stevens, who now goes by the name Yusuf Islam, on board was diverted because his name appeared on the no-fly list. US Senator Edward Kennedy was delayed several times from boarding flights because his name appeared on the list by mistake.
And Fat Boy was unhappy about it.
Airlines must check each passengers name against the list, which places travelers into two categories those who are banned from flying and those who must undergo additional security checks.
Opening the complaint service, known as the DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP), will improve the traveling experience for passengers and help focus government resources on genuine suspects, said Michael Chertoff, secretary for homeland security, in a statement.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/18/2007 00:00 ||
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Our mistake. Sen. Kennedy should be on the no-drive list.
National Guardsmen were carrying loaded M-16s when they were approached by armed men near Sasabe Jan. 3, but they backed off because they were following the idiotic rules agreed upon by the border states and the federal government, the National Guard's top general in Arizona told the Tucson Citizen in a recent interview. They did not flee, said Maj. Gen. David P. Rataczak, commander of National Guard troops in Arizona. "They left because that's what they were taught to do," Rataczak said. So the individual soldiers are brave enough, but their leadership is craven. Sounds like another country, n'est ce pas?
The guard has three main missions along the border: watching for people or vehicles, manning command posts so Border Patrol officers can work in the field and performing engineering jobs, such as building or repairing fences and roads, Rataczak said. He denied that the guardsmen fled, stating instead that the troops were following rules of engagement signed by governors of the border states, the Border Patrol and the Department of Defense. "Unless they feel personally threatened, they have to leave and walk away and not get into a confrontation with these people, and that's what they did," Rataczak said.
The three guardsmen were approached in the dark by four or five men who came close enough for the guardsmen to talk to them. A language barrier prevented communication, and the guardsmen left their position and called the Border Patrol, Rataczak said. "We do not handle people. We do not arrest people, and we do not detain people. Border patrol is there, we have radio communication with them and they will respond to these types of situations," he said.
The troops called Border Patrol agents, who responded within minutes on foot and in ground vehicles and helicopters. The men who approached the guardsmen were not aggressive and did not raise their weapons, Rataczak said. "The site was under control, our people were under control and, as I said, they were standing off to the side watching the site and watching these people," he said.
The people disappeared in the darkness and were not apprehended. The National Guard has 60-80 such observation posts along the border on any given day. The sites change daily based on intelligence and Border Patrol needs, Rataczak said.
The contact was expected, Rataczak said. "We anticipated this. We knew at some point in the future that someone would eventually approach these sites," he said. And so you adopted a Run Away policy.
#4
This comes directly from Bush. Do you realize the two Border Patrol in El Paso who tried to stop a drug dealer bringing in 800 pounds of drugs were sent to jail yesterday for 12 year terms? What did you hear from Bush ? How about that POS Gonzalez ? How about the useless ass wipe Chertoff ? These people, both Guard and Border Patrol, are being directly ordered or inhibited from protecting our border. It comes from Bush in behalf of his SPP concoction. For this and many other backhanded operations, he should be facing impeachment. These actions directly fly counter to the oath of office he swore. This is more than sufficient grounds and needs to be acted upon now to preserve the integrity of our republic. This is an outrage of the largest proportions far surpassing anything Nixon did with regard to Watergate.
#6
The grand idea of eliminating borders between US/Mexico/Canada. Go see spp.gov. They ardently deny any aspect of this, of course. Meanwhile, all barriers, including barriers to illegals, are being torn down. This really constitutes treason as far as I can comprehend. All this structure is being put in place outside Congress and the knowledge of Americans in general. What percent of US citizens would you imagine favor this if they were aware ?
Pakistan on Wednesday rejected Indias claim of a ceasefire violation near the international frontier in Kashmir an incident in which, according to an Indian BSF spokesman, Pakistani troops fired covering fire for suspected Muslim militants.
Two BSF troops, an officer and a constable, were wounded, a senior Indian security official told Reuters. AFP quoted the BSF spokesman as saying, This is the first time since the ceasefire that there was direct firing by Pakistani Rangers. He said the Pakistani guards were providing cover to a group of about 10 suspected militants trying to cross the border. Inter-Services Public Relations termed the statement ludicrous and fabricated.
An ISPR spokesman said that at about 2:15am on Wednesday, two BSF posts, located north of Najwal village in Indian-held Kashmir, fired 7 illuminating rounds, followed by small arms fire that continued intermittently till 3:20am. Pakistan Rangers did not fire a single shot, he said. BSF Additional Deputy Inspector General KS Chouhan told reporters, We lodged a strong protest with Pakistan Rangers at a flag meeting at Matkola outpost in Khour sector.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2007 00:00 ||
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"Pakistan rejects Indian ceasefire violation claim"
and denies ISI hiding anyone at all .
Pakistani Inter-Services Public Relations termed the statement ludicrous and fabricated
The government has asked federal and provincial authorities to enhance security and vigilance, fearing a possible backlash after an air strike on an alleged militant camp in South Waziristan on Tuesday. The home secretaries and police inspector generals have been asked to increase Special Branch activity, stay in contact with intelligence agencies and share information about the activities of members of banned militant and religious organisations. The provinces have been asked to form teams at the district and tehsil levels to gather information about militants and members of banned religious groups and update the Interior Ministry, sources said.
ICT Chief Commissioner Khalid Pervez chaired a meeting on Wednesday to review security in the federal capital. Senior officials from police and intelligence agencies attended the meeting. The Diplomatic Protection SSP, present in the meeting, was told to take extra measures for the protection of diplomats and stay in close liaison with them, especially regarding their movement. The deputy commissioner and the Operations SSP have been told to hold meetings with clerics and ensure religious harmony during Muharram.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2007 00:00 ||
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When security lives in fear , u know you are f00ked
The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has voiced opposition to hanging as the method for the implementation of the death sentence and proposed that a less painful method should be adopted. The Supreme Court had sought the councils opinion on the issue through a letter dispatched by the office of the registrar, sources told Daily Times. The Supreme Court had also asked if carrying out the death sentence through an injection of poison was Islamic or un-Islamic. The issue was discussed during the last meeting of the council in December 2006, the sources said. The CII members agreed that the method to implement the death sentence should be less painful. They also discussed the philosophy of crime and punishment in Islam. They were of the opinion that according to Islamic teachings, punishments were awarded as a deterrence and not to make criminals an example for others, the sources said. The members also reviewed other punishments given to criminals in Pakistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2007 00:00 ||
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Actually, stoning, flogging, and decapitation would be the more traditional Islamic approaches. Not sure any of the three is truly less painful that a proper hanging which breaks the neck and severs the spinal cord.
Baitullah Mehsud, head of a pro-Taliban group of militants, has threatened to avenge the attack on an alleged militant compound in South Waziristan within 15 days.
Baitullah struck a peace deal with the government on February 7, 2005, and this was the first attack in the area since then. His response reinforced earlier reports that militants belonging to his group were using the five compounds targeted in Tuesdays airstrike. Baitullah told the BBC from an undisclosed location that his men would continue jihad and Islam comes first before Pakistan. I do not want to fight Pakistan but the armys operation is forcing me to do this. I know fighting Pakistan will neither help me nor Pakistan itself but the United States will be the great beneficiary, Baitullah was quoted as saying.
Senator PalpatineSaleh Shah of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal from South Waziristan said any revenge attack would seriously destabilise the area. South Waziristan chief administrative officer Hussain Zada met members of the Mehsud peace committee in Tank city on Wednesday, seeking its help to keep things going from bad to worse, said a member of the committee.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2007 00:00 ||
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Iraq refuses to be a launching pad for threats against any of its neighbors and at the same time countries surrounding Iraq should not threaten the security of this Arab state, former Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, said Wednesday amid rising tension between the United States and Iran.
Jaafari told reporters in this holy city after meeting the country's top Sh'iite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani that followers of radical Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr will end their six-week-old political boycott "very soon."
The United States is building up its troops in the region in what appears to be a message to Iran and last week captured six Iranians working at a liaison office in the northern city of Irbil. One of the six was released and the five were said to be connected to an Iranian Revolutionary Guard faction that funds and arms insurgents in Iraq.
Asked if the buildup in US troops is a threat to Iran, Jaafari said "we don't want Iraq to pose a threat to any country. We also don't accept that any neighboring country poses a threat to Iraq." He did not elaborate.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2007 00:00 ||
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Take down the Iranian regime, then the dominos will fall
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/18/2007 0:58 Comments ||
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Keep your eyes on the movements of the troops, not the movements of the lips. Something wicked this way comes.
#2
perhaps every litle fuckhead male in Ramle needs to be beaten to death as tribute to Charles Darwin?
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/18/2007 21:44 Comments ||
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Look, if she was dumb enough to go back home after other people went out of their way to get her out of that situation, all I can say is don't even try to get my sympathy meter to react.
I am *not* saying that her family members shouldn't face punishment. Of course they should. But I can't help but think that her passing hasn't improved the gene pool a little bit, and the Palis need all the help they can get.
(Yeah, I'm cynical. You would be too if you saw battered women get pissed off at the officer, not the guy who beat them up....because by arresting her honey, the family couldn't go on their trip to Disneyland. I wish I was making that up.)
The bombshell that IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz dropped late Tuesday night has set off a tight race over which general will succeed him to become Israel's 19th chief of staff. There are three main candidates - Deputy Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Moshe Kaplinsky, Defense Ministry Dir.-Gen. and former deputy chief of staff Maj.-Gen. (res.) Gabi Ashkenazi, and OC Ground Forces Command Maj.-Gen. Benny Gantz - plus a wild card: a former general who is now outside the defense establishment.
On Wednesday, Peretz met with the main three candidates and consulted with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, opposition leader MK Binyamin Netanyahu, and additional officials regarding viable candidates for the job. Defense officials said that Peretz plans to bring his candidate - after reaching an agreement with Olmert - to the cabinet for approval this coming Sunday.
After a candidate is chosen by the defense minister, he will need to be approved by a legal committee led by retired judge Yaacov Tirkil, which will be responsible for determining if the appointment presents a conflict of interest or any other legal tangle.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2007 00:00 ||
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Politicians from the left, right, and center said Chief of General Staff Dan Halutz's sudden resignation provided an opportunity for much-needed rehabilitation within the IDF following the summer's fighting with Hizbullah. Ophir Paz-Pines (Labor) said the resignation of Halutz was "part of an inevitable process," and expressed hope that it was "the first step in remedying the crisis of confidence facing the army and the defense establishment, and an opportunity to build from anew the IDF's deterrence."
Amir Peretz and Ehud Olmert have to go, because the entire country, and not just the IDF, needs to be purified.
MK Arye Eldad (NU-NRP) said that it was a "shame that [Halutz] wasted four precious months needed to rehabilitate the IDF. Now, [Defense Minister] Amir Peretz and [Prime Minister] Ehud Olmert have to go, because the entire country, and not just the IDF, needs to be purified."
I'm always nervous for some reason when a politician uses the words "the entire country needs to be purified."
"Nurse! Give them a national enema!"
"Olmert's and Peretz's understanding of national security is close to nil."
Gilad Arden (Likud) said the defense minister and the prime minister should be excluded from this rebuilding process, and that Halutz's replacements should be chosen by a panel of experts appointed by the Knesset. "Olmert's and Peretz's understanding of national security is close to nil, and their input on the selection of the next chief of staff, at this point, would likely be based on political calculations."
Knesset Member Zeheva Gal-On (Meretz) concurred: "the prime minister and defense minister lack the ethical validity to appoint the next chief of staff [because] the responsibility for the failures of the Second Lebanon War can not be attributed solely to the military's upper echelons, but also to the politicians that made irresponsible decisions during the fighting."
"In a framework where there are so many problems from top to bottom, at the end of the day responsibility lies with the individual at the top of the pyramid, just as in any other profession, reservist protest leader Roni Tzvangenboim said of Halutz's resignation.
However, Tzvangenboim said the sudden resignation signinified only a partial realization of the movement's goals and that the struggle would continue. "I don't sleep at night for fear of the next war. We are not interested in right or left, we are sick of politics, scandals, and failures. We need a complete overhaul from the leadership in the last war, period," Tzvangenboim said.
The protest movement of the families echoed his sentiments, saying that Halutz's resignation was only the first goal in battle to have those responsible for the war's failures be held accountable. "158 deaths should have been good enough reasons for the chief of general staff, defense minister, and the prime minister to resign," the families said in a statement. "We call on the Prime Minister to give the bereaved families, and to the Israeli nation, a chance to recover from his leadership."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2007 00:00 ||
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I'm with you on that purification comment. Israel's debacle should open the door for Bibi's return.
85 percent of Israelis think Defense Minister Amir Peretz should follow in Chief of General Staff Dan Halutz's footsteps and resign, according to a survey conducted by Channel 10, Wednesday evening. The survey also said that 73 percent of Israelis considered Halutz's resignation to be the right decision, and that 69 percent thought Prime Minister Ehud Olmert should resign as well. 63 percent of those surveyed thought early elections should be held in Israel.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2007 00:00 ||
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Not holding by breath (most Kadima MK know they'll never be MK if electioctions are held now).
#2
But...but... if he resigns, that'll be more proof that Hezballah won!
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/18/2007 6:12 Comments ||
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#3
That means his approval rating is up to 15%; and just last week is was a mere 14%. With that meteoric rise, surely he will just have to stay!!
(/"no he won't, and quit calling me shirley"/)
Defense Minister Amir Peretz expressed regret Wednesday at the decision by IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz to resign, warning Israel's enemies not to misinterpret the move. Speaking at the graduation ceremony for naval commanders in Haifa, Peretz said Halutz's decision was "premature. I am sorry he won't be with us to complete the task" of restoring the army after the failures of the summer's war in Lebanon.
Peretz, who is also under fire because of the inconclusive outcome of the war, had a message for Israel's enemies. "Do not misinterpret the army chief's decision to resign as a sign of weakness," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2007 00:00 ||
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IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz resigned not only because of the failures in the Lebanon war, but also over the situation in the Gaza Strip, Abu Obaidah, spokesman for Hamas's armed wing said Wednesday. "Halutz couldn't bring Gilad Shalit home or stop the rocket," Abu Obaidah told Israel Radio. "[His resignation] proves that a military solution is useless, that Israel has failed." Abu Obaidah proclaimed that armed resistance had "won."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2007 00:00 ||
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OTOH, JANES/DEFENSE DAILY/OTHER > out of several 000 attacks on Israeli armor, iff I remember the number correctly OUT OF HUNDREDS OF ISRAELI MBTS -AFVS USED/INVOLVED ONLY FOUR? MERKAVA TANKS OF ALL TYPES WERE TOTALLY DESTROYED = UN-RECOVERABLE, USUALLY BY SUPER-IED/ROAD MINE EXPLOSIONS.
A spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees said Wednesday that outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz, who resigned late Tuesday, was being punished for the "blood spilled in Lebanon."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2007 00:00 ||
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Hizbullah declared on Wednesday that IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz's resignation was further proof the guerilla organization defeated the Israeli army in the summer's 33-day war.
Al-Manar, Hizbullah's official television station, interrupted broadcasts with reports that Halutz quit his post because of "failures in the last war." Hizbullah leaders were yet to issue an official statement.
Syria state television said Halutz's resignation was the latest "blow to the government of Ehud Olmert, which is subjected to a string of political scandals, the most prominent being the opening of a criminal investigation which implicates Olmert himself for corruption."
A spokesman for the Gaza-based Popular Resistance Committees said Halutz was being punished for the "blood spilled in Lebanon," while Abu Obaidah, spokesman for Hamas's armed wing, asserted that he resigned not only because of Lebanon, but also because the IDF had been unable to quell the resistance in the Gaza Strip. "Halutz couldn't bring Gilad Shalit home or stop the rockets," Abu Obaidah told Israel Radio. "[His resignation] proves that a military solution is useless, that Israel has failed."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/18/2007 00:00 ||
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Hizbollahs 3 major support centers were turned into rubble during the intervention. Some victory.
#2
It is merely proof that Israelis are coming to their senses raghead and that they will stomp your ass into the sand on the next go round. What an idiotic fool. Trying to tickle the tiger.
The U.S. has configured Patriot PAC 3 anti-missile missiles to be launched from F-15 fighters. This would enable missiles to be in position, over a wider area, to intercept incoming ballistic missiles.
The PAC 3 version of the Patriot is lighter (700 pounds, versus 2000) than the anti-aircraft version. PAC 3 also has a shorter range (20 kilometers versus 70). An F-15 can move around a lot faster than the towed launchers that normally carry PAC 3 missiles.
The PAC 3 fired from the air can also hit cruise missiles, or ballistic missiles that were just launched, and are still climbing. Work is now underway to adapt the 17 foot long PAC 3 to be launched from the F-16, F-22 and F-35 aircraft as well.
#1
Interesting idea. But why fit it to an F-22? That's supposed to be our new, stealthy, high-performance fighter. As we bring in the F-22 and F-35, why not just have a squadron or two of F-15s specially tasked to this purpose?
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/18/2007 1:26 Comments ||
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Because the Air Force is trying to justify its existence. They are proposing weapon mods to just about everything in their inventory, so that the F-222 and F-35 will get purchased in larger numbers. They have even suggested a CAS mission for them, and replacing the A-10 with one or both aircraft.
The general lack of utility of high-performance fighters for counter-insurgency warfare, and the bad image CAS has with the Air Force top brass, has created a real PR and funding crunch for the Air Force. The Marine Corps has been suggested as the force to take over ALL close air support, with the Navy's F/A-18s serving as backup; thereby removing one of the major funding rationales for Air Force upgrades and new equipment.
The only reason that the Army has bought such expensive helicopters, including those that have been cancelled, is that they are legally prohibit from operating fixed-wing aircraft for CAS - the 1947 Department of Defense reorganization explicitly prohibits the Army from providing CAS using fixed-winged aircraft.
#3
SPACEWAR.com/OTHERS > USA's LASER TESTINGS becoming more and more successful/potent. More successes, more capable, more accurate, you-betcha stronger.
#5
...Actually, all they've done is work out the technical requirements for doing so. PAC-3 is only about ten inches wide (by way of comparison, an AMRAAM is 7")so length is the only factor there. IMHO however, they need to keep these away from the tactical ships and rig them on B-52s, B-1s, and B-2s. A single bomber could carry enough long enough to defend against the bad guys for hours until another one comes on station.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/18/2007 6:16 Comments ||
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I have to wonder about the F-22 and F-35. How are they going to get these things in the internal bays? And hanging them outside would compromise your stealth.
It's not a problem for F-15 and F-16, since the old Sparrow was around that size.
#8
The AF was in such a hurry in the downsizing after the first Gulf War, that they wanted to terminate the A-10 all together. Someone in Congress got a rider put in the funding authorization bill that required the AF to transfer the craft and crew to the Army if the Army wanted them. The AF did a step back but put them in the Guard units. It is interesting that technically it's the Army National Guard not the Air Force National Guard, however on federalization it's DAF not DA. Time to revisit the law on fixed wing aircraft issue between the services.
#9
I don't think the F-22 is gonna be the jet lottering over Japan with this thing attached. However, if you are the only jet available during a ballistic missile attack, you had better be able to launch the goddamn thing. That is what is going on here. Backup, for the backup's backup.
F-22 and F-35 do have external hardpoints - to the USAF's credit, somebody realized that sometimes you've gotta carry stuff that won't fit in the bay. It's just that standard planning assumes that they won't be used.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/18/2007 10:40 Comments ||
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I can't tell if this is a wild or extremely awesome idea.
#14
Why not mount on a "long loiter" platform like globalhawk?
Posted by: frank martin ||
01/18/2007 12:00 Comments ||
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You need a radar that can send guidance data to the missile.
Posted by: ed ||
01/18/2007 12:07 Comments ||
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I imagine that bolting one onto a UAV will require some upgrades to the software and controllers. Still, a good idea, one that probably someone's working on.
For that matter, you wonder if it's possible to trick out a C-130 or something like that with a whole mess of PAC-3s.
Agree with DV, this is so you can hang one on any airplane that's handy if you need to.
Posted by: Mike ||
01/18/2007 12:11 Comments ||
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4 Why not mount on a "long loiter" platform like globalhawk?
For long loiter times what you need is a good war zeppelin.
The chief of the regimes judiciary in the western city of Kermanshah, Allah-Yar Malik-Shahi yesterday said, Soon there will be a number of limb amputations in public in connection with robberies in [Kermanshah] Province. (Official news agency IRNA, January 10, 2007)
He said, The judiciary will cut off the hand which steals peoples properties in order to serve as a lesson for others Carrying out several sentences in public will greatly decrease such crimes in society.
The medieval regime has resorted to extreme measurers, such as limb amputation, eye gouging, flogging, and the degrading punishment of parading prisoners around towns, to combat the rising tide of popular uprisings and demonstrations in various provinces across Iran.
The Iranian Resistance calls on all international human rights organizations to condemn the medieval regimes punishments and take urgent action to stop the barbaric and systematic violations of human rights in Iran.
#2
You know if an underground there were to kidnap the Mulla ordering the maimings of folks protesting the regime, and administer the removals like that Mullah ordered, I bet these kinds of things would slow down quickly.
A "Two-Hooks-One-Eyed Mullah in London is a hero, but a thousand would become passe...
#5
USN, if you are a woman, stoning after being buried up to your neck; if you are a man, flogging unless you are smart enough to make a generous donation to the local imam's retirement fund.
Iran has invited envoys from developing nations accredited to the UN nuclear watchdog to visit its nuclear sites in a show of openness about its atomic fuel programme, diplomats said. Tehran has invited envoys from the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) of developing nations attached to the IAEA, and heads of the larger Group of 77 states and of the Arab League office in Vienna, to visit on Feb 2-6, an Iranian diplomat said. They have been invited to visit our nuclear installations from the 2nd through the 6th, the diplomat, who asked for anonymity, said on Tuesday. He did not elaborate.
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01/18/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
He invited the non aligned movement. The left are going to tout this one big time. Nevermind its even more of a sham then the U.S. inviting Israel to look at one of our reactors.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/18/2007 0:20 Comments ||
Top||
#2
have been invited to visit our advertised nuclear installations from the 2nd through the 6th
#3
DEFENSETECH.org is arguing that it should'nt had taken Iran this long to install 3000 new centrifuges, that some obstacle or new condition has occurred to cause a delay.
#4
Iran has invited envoys from developing nations accredited to the UN nuclear watchdog to visit its nuclear sites in a show of openness about its atomic fuel programme
hopefully AFTER its flattened and put back in the stone age
#1
Al-Sheikh is the highest religious authority in Saudi Arabia, Chairman of the Senior Ulema, and also a member of the Saudi government. He objects to men and women mingling ("khalwat") and believes women should always be veiled.
Allegations that the U.S. provided funding for bin Laden proved inaccurate
The United States did not "create" Osama bin Laden or al Qaeda. The United States supported the Afghans fighting for their country's freedom -- as did other countries, including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, China, Egypt, and the UK -- but the United States did not support the "Afghan Arabs," the Arabs and other Muslims who came to fight in Afghanistan for broader goals. CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen notes that the "Afghan Arabs functioned independently and had their own sources of funding." He notes:
"While the charges that the CIA was responsible for the rise of the Afghan Arabs might make good copy, they don't make good history. The truth is more complicated, tinged with varying shades of gray. The United States wanted to be able to deny that the CIA was funding the Afghan war, so its support was funneled through Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence agency (ISI). ISI in turn made the decisions about which Afghan factions to arm and train, tending to favor the most Islamist and pro-Pakistan. The Afghan Arabs generally fought alongside those factions, which is how the charge arose that they were creatures of the CIA.
Former CIA official Milt Bearden, who ran the Agency's Afghan operation in the late 1980s, says, "The CIA did not recruit Arabs," as there was no need to do so. There were hundreds of thousands of Afghans all too willing to fight, and the Arabs who did come for jihad were "very disruptive . . . the Afghans thought they were a pain in the ass." Similar sentiments from Afghans who appreciated the money that flowed from the Gulf but did not appreciate the Arabs' holier-than-thou attempts to convert them to their ultra-purist version of Islam. Freelance cameraman Peter Jouvenal recalls: "There was no love lost between the Afghans and the Arabs. One Afghan told me, Whenever we had a problem with one of them we just shot them. They thought they were kings.'"
#1
according to "Charley Wilson's War" the US wasnt even wild about giving money to Hekmatyar, but he was the Pakis favorite. The US had to go around the ISI, at first using MI6 contacts, to give support to Ahmed Shah Massoud, whom Paki didnt like cause he wasnt either Pashtun or fundie.
Course y'all might not like the book, which shows how some Democrats were more stalwart to beat the Soviets in Afghan than the admin was - the admin thought they could beat the Soviets in Nicaragua.
#2
Allegations that the U.S. provided funding for bin Laden proved inaccurate
Doesn't make a bit of difference to the lefties. It's about truthiness not truth. It's about power not right or justice. It's about the greater picture not about facts. Just ask any lacrosse player from Duke.
#4
some Democrats were more stalwart to beat the Soviets in Afghan than the admin was
Yeah, Funny how they were willing to take on an obvious Soviet move that at the ass-end of the earth, and not the 'home-grown Marxists' in their own hemisphere.
I guess one should be thankful Chris Dodd never made repeated trips to Afghanistan...
#5
If the US created Osama we have an obligation to stop him. We are not responsible for his crimes anymore than a mother is responsible for the crimes of an adult child, but we have a responsibility if we showed him how to use a pistol.
If the US did not create Osama Bin Laden we have an obligation to stop him because he has killed over 3,000 Americans and nobody else in the world has the will or ability to do so.
So it's a wash. WE're obligated to whack the bastard.
#6
r: If the US created Osama we have an obligation to stop him. We are not responsible for his crimes anymore than a mother is responsible for the crimes of an adult child, but we have a responsibility if we showed him how to use a pistol.
Screw that responsibility stuff - if we showed him how to use a pistol and he turned it on us, we need to whack him to show that rank ingratitude will be punished. If you help someone and he turns on you - that's not an example of you creating a monster - it's an example of him deciding that the word "gratitude" is not in his vocabulary.
#8
"Yeah, Funny how they were willing to take on an obvious Soviet move that at the ass-end of the earth, and not the 'home-grown Marxists' in their own hemisphere."
Made sense on several grounds - 1. In Afghanistan we were actually killing Russians, not a bunch of lame central American reds. 2. The Soviet rule over Afghanistan was brutal, and the resistance was fairly spontaneous, having grown tremendously before the CIA funded it in a big way. Nicaragua, OTOH, was no more dictatorial than lots of other Lat Am regimes we were Ok with, and Contras were virtually created by the CIA, from what I understand 3. A soviet victory in Afghanistan would change the balance in the region. A Sandinista win would have been easily contained - Nicaragua is so close to US air and naval bases, they would not have been very useful as a base. Nic was at most an annoyance and an embarrasment.
#9
The theories of Area 51'ers are typically easy to debunk. They usually follow a similar format. Such as: A + B = C, therefore (A + B) (A or B) = X, and therefore X is the Antithesis of C.
Of course, the problem with that logic is that sometimes, Y + (A or B) = C.
With that said, the authors of this article seem to go out their way to downplay the contribution of the Arabs and imply they were only bit players in the outcome of this conflict. However, the facts suggests otherwise. Its hard to refute that the funding they brought, the actual boots on the ground, and tenacity of their fight were enormous factors that resulted in the Soviet withdrawal. And obviously the CIA funding, weapons, and logistics provided to Mujahidin factions via Pakistan were also keys to that success. So there shouldnt be much argument that the triumph that resulted from the collaboration of indigenous and foreign fighters (And their benefactors) was the genesis for the eventual Taliban/AQ relationship. Now with that said, thats a far cry from saying the CIA created Bin Laden.
#10
Who says the CIA created Binny? Some left-leaning-liberal-loser in the liberal press?
John Kerry?
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/18/2007 13:09 Comments ||
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#11
"Its hard to refute that the funding they brought"
But how DO you estimate the funding they brought? KSA as a govt gave massive funds, but that was based on KSAs own dislike of the USSR, their relations with Pakistan, their desire to show the muslim world they were at the forefront of jihad, etc. They didnt need stray arabs on the ground, they were happy giving the money to the ISI to give to Afghans. OBL may have added his own personal money, and gotten some money from individual Saudis, but how much was that?
#12
I thought we flushed this turd (story) months ago
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/18/2007 14:38 Comments ||
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#13
Can anyone really explain to me why the Soviets invaded in the first place? The most common reason is the desire for a warm-water port which is crazy because they would still have to invade one of Afghanistan's neighbors to do that. Afghanistan has no oil either. I understand the desire to spread the Commie flag everywhere but the move into Afghanistan just seems daft and I must be missing something. Perhaps it had something to do with their own ethnic muslims?
1. Once they had a place they didnt like to give it up. Sets a bad precedent, ya know? Shows theyre weak. Gives folks ideas. They had kinda sorta been behind the previous Afghan king, and then behind the steadily more leftwing govts that succeeded him. By 79 afghan had a communist party in charge (divided into two factions, but thats another story) So by the Brezhnev doctrine, retreat was inconceivable. "failure is not an option"
2. The fact that it bordered on central asia made things worse. A fundie muslim regime, hell any unfriendly regime in Afghan, could lead to turmoil in the SSRs bordering Afghan. Better to squelch the thing first.
3. If it gave them a chance to flank Pakistan (a kinda sorta US/Chinese ally) , to flank Iran (not friendly to the USSR) and to maybe get in better position to take Baluchistan, and thus get to the Indian Ocean, so much the better, even if those were not the main drivers of the op.
#15
Reason #4 : the Russians, whether under Czar or Premier, had lusted for and fought for Afghanistan for 400 years, refer to Rudyard Kipling's Great Game.
Reason #5 : The KGB, GRU, and Ministry of the Interior Special Police were all getting reports of MAJOR dissatisfaction with Soviet rule in the Central Asian republics, and they needed a clear example of what happens to those who cause problems. Wrong example, it turns out.
Reason #6 : Jimmy Carter was an absolute punk and the Soviets were doing a worldwide expansion because of him : Angola, Mozambique, Nicaragua; major increases in funding for Communist insurgent/terrorists in El Salvador, Guatemala, Northern Ireland, the Philippines, and Columbia.
Reason #7 : Soviet Army and GRU was justifying the latest set of equipment purchases and its expensive Spetsnaz units against KGB encroachments.
Reason #8 : Expansionist imperial Soviet Union's very nature required it to gobble countries when available - refer to Communist theory of historic inevitability of people's revolutions and republics.
#16
Reason #9 : military reformers in the Soviet Union were questioning the general effectiveness of mass Soviet attacks in regards to Western European and US weapons and tactics. Also, China's spreading influence and use of troops in Southeast Asia called into question Siberian safety. Needed an example to quell the Chinese.
#17
6. angola, Moz, and Nic were all targets of opportunity - the former two opened up while Ford was prez, thanks to the coup in Portugal. None of them required Russian troops (angola they used Cubans)
expansionist nature? Dunno. Seems sending in the Red Army implied a LACK of faith in inevitable revolutions. Maybe why they did more under Brezhnev, when the ideology was dying or dead, than under Krushschev, a true believer.
#19
rjschwarz: Can anyone really explain to me why the Soviets invaded in the first place?
Richard Pipes explained that the threat from Soviet Russia had little to do with it being Communist and everything to do with it being Russian. Empire is simply part of the Russian identity. (I think there's something similar going on with Communist China).
#21
By the way, LH, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan took place on Dec. 25, 1979. The Chinese invasion of Vietnam took place in February of 1979 and ran through March/April of 1979 - fully 9 months earlier than the Soviet invansion. The Chinese got ground up by the Vietnamese in the first month and then the Chinese declared a "victory" and went home; the Soviets did whatever they wanted in Afghanistan for the first 3 years.
So the lesson to China was a big part of the Afghani war on the Soviet side.
Second, the only reason the Cubans got to Angola, Moz, and Nicaragua is that the Soviet Navy and Air Force transported them there. Plus, the massive amount of older armor and artillery used in the Southern African zone was issued from Soviet depots inside the Soviet Union, as well as stores kept in the Soviet bases in Cuba. The KGB had a large network of prepositioned equipment in Cuba, based on the NATO prepositioning setup in Europe - e.g., it is easier to marry up people with the stuff already in the country, than it is to transport it over in time of war.
#22
The SOviets were also heavily engaged in commodities trading to shore up their rigid economy and support national policies. When competing agz the likes of the USA = NATO + Japan, commodities is not enuff, hence pragmatic need to get close to near-abroad OIL NATIONS LIKE IRAN. The Soviets first priority is unto themselves, NOT THE PROBS, DESIRES, OR AMBITIONS OF THE LOCALS. Doesn't and didn't matter back then that both Shah- and post-Shah Iran were agz the USSR - thats what Gulags and Death Camps are for. As for my old friend Osama, etal. no one has said that the USA was the "sole source" of anti-Soviet Muslim groups fighting in Afghanistsan. That being said, he was dedicated to the anti-Soviet cause, was supplied and trained by the USA and fought alongside our proxies, so in Soviet eyes Osama was indeed "ours" since Osama wasn't for them. It won't matter to the Soviets and thier local allies that Osama, etal. had outside sources of funding, training or combat advice.
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Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
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NATO in Afghanistan will remain on the offensive against Taliban forces regardless of the expected surge in attacks by the insurgents in the spring, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said on Wednesday. NATO has not the slightest intention to cede the initiative to anyone - spring, or no spring. He said the alliance was seeking closer cooperation with Pakistan to check infiltration. He rejected a Pakistani suggestion to mine and fence Afghan border. NATO spokesman Mark Laity also said in Kabul the force had strong reservations about Pakistans plan to fence its border with Afghanistan.
A captured Taliban spokesman has said the movements fugitive leader is hiding out in Pakistan with the protection of that countrys spy agency, Afghan intelligence officials said on Wednesday. 
regular suicide attacks in Afghanistan were plotted in a madrassa in Pakistans 
An Afghan governor showed the media on Wednesday photographs of Hanif, claiming he had been picked up in a house containing packets of anthrax powder. 
(SomaliNet) Shortly after he was removed from the parliament with majority vote, Sharif Hassan Sheik Aden said on Wednesday the vote against him by the lawmakers in Baidoa city, 245km southwest of Somalia capital Mogadishu was illegal. 
Labour will have to admit that serious errors have been made over the war in Iraq if it is to restore public trust in the government, a growing number of ministers believe. The acknowledgment may come when the chancellor, Gordon Brown, takes over in Downing Street, possibly by launching an inquiry into the conduct of the war - a move that has been resisted by Tony Blair.
Pyongyang, January 16 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il inspected the Command of KPA Unit 398. After going round the room devoted to the history of the unit, he dropped in at the military lecture room to learn about the unit's performance of duty and training. He set forth the tasks to be tackled by the unit to increase its combat capability, expressing satisfaction over the fact that the unit has trained all its commanding officers as fighters equipped with high combat capability and technique by intensifying the training. He underscored the need for the unit to organize intensive combat and political training and put all forms of trainings on a scientific basis so that all its servicepersons may acquire a-match-for-a hundred combat capability. 
WASHINGTON - The US government plans to open a complaint service for passengers who believe they have been mistakenly placed on a no-fly list of terror suspects, the Department of Homeland Security said on Wednesday.
Iraq refuses to be a launching pad for threats against any of its neighbors and at the same time countries surrounding Iraq should not threaten the security of this Arab state, former Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, said Wednesday amid rising tension between the United States and Iran. 
The bombshell that IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz dropped late Tuesday night has set off a tight race over which general will succeed him to become Israel's 19th chief of staff. There are three main candidates - Deputy Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Moshe Kaplinsky, Defense Ministry Dir.-Gen. and former deputy chief of staff Maj.-Gen. (res.) Gabi Ashkenazi, and OC Ground Forces Command Maj.-Gen. Benny Gantz - plus a wild card: a former general who is now outside the defense establishment. 
Politicians from the left, right, and center said Chief of General Staff Dan Halutz's sudden resignation provided an opportunity for much-needed rehabilitation within the IDF following the summer's fighting with Hizbullah. Ophir Paz-Pines (Labor) said the resignation of Halutz was "part of an inevitable process," and expressed hope that it was "the first step in remedying the crisis of confidence facing the army and the defense establishment, and an opportunity to build from anew the IDF's deterrence." 
Defense Minister Amir Peretz expressed regret Wednesday at the decision by IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz to resign, warning Israel's enemies not to misinterpret the move. Speaking at the graduation ceremony for naval commanders in Haifa, Peretz said Halutz's decision was "premature. I am sorry he won't be with us to complete the task" of restoring the army after the failures of the summer's war in Lebanon. 
Iran has invited envoys from developing nations accredited to the UN nuclear watchdog to visit its nuclear sites in a show of openness about its atomic fuel programme, diplomats said. Tehran has invited envoys from the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) of developing nations attached to the IAEA, and heads of the larger Group of 77 states and of the Arab League office in Vienna, to visit on Feb 2-6, an Iranian diplomat said. They have been invited to visit our nuclear installations from the 2nd through the 6th, the diplomat, who asked for anonymity, said on Tuesday. He did not elaborate.
