Russia agreed on Friday to allow NATO to use Russian land to deliver non-lethal supplies to alliance troops in Afghanistan, but not troops or air transit arrangements as initially sought by NATO, Reuters reported.
The deal was showcased at a summit between alliance leaders and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Bucharest as evidence of co-operation between the former Cold War foes. Its been done. It will cover land transit of non-lethal equipment. Air transit is not for today, a NATO spokeswoman said. Letters implementing the agreement were exchanged by NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, a Kremlin spokesman said.
The NATO spokeswoman said non-lethal supplies covered everything from food to certain military equipment. She did not say why troops or air transit would not be covered.
NATO raises 1,800 troops: NATO has raised nearly 1,800 troops as reinforcements in Afghanistan, along with several military trainers and helicopters, a source present at an allied leaders summit said on Friday, according to AFP.
France was the only country to publicly announce troop contributions to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). It said it would send a 700-member battalion to eastern Afghanistan. However, the source said that Georgia, a NATO aspirant, had offered 500 troops, to be split between eastern and southern Afghanistan, while Poland pledged 400 troops and eight helicopters, also to be divided between eastern and southern Afghanistan.
The Czech Republic committed 120 special operations troops for missions in the south, and Azerbaijan would send 45 soldiers, the source said. Other NATO member states committed to sending military training and mentoring teams which usually consist of 19 to 36 troops to work with the Iraqi army and police, the source said.
Italy will move its operations from Kabul to western Afghanistan with three new training teams, while Romania and Greece would provide a training and mentoring team each, the source said. New Zealand said it would modestly increase its forces in Afghanistan to support a provincial reconstruction team, according to the source.
Eight countries had agreed to contribute helicopters, he added.
The move by France to send troops east, not too far from their main base in Kabul, would enable US forces to move south and bolster allies on the frontline of the fight against the Taliban-led insurgency. ISAF compromises some 47,000 troops drawn from almost 40 nations, according to official figures released on April 1.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Taliban
#1
See also NOSI.ORG > FOURTH GENERATION WARFARE - A BATTALION'S WORTH OF GOOD IDEAS.
Also from NOSI > US NAVY - CARRIED AWAY/DEAD RECKONING, via ARMED FORCES JOURNAL. The US Navy Supercarrier future new role as a HUMANITARIAN OCEAN LINER = SUPER AUXIL SUPPLY/MOTHER SHIP???
No mention of Guamanians being transported to manland USA on CV's due to PACIFIC "EARTH CHANGES".
British Muslims who hoped to murder about 1,500 people in co-ordinated bomb attacks on trans-Atlantic airliners claimed, in martyrdom videos, that their plot would be revenge for United States and British military action in Iraq and Afghanistan, a prosecutor said on Friday.
Prosecutor Peter Wright told jurors at a London court trial that at least six members of the gang videotaped messages, some praising Al Qaedas founder, Osama Bin Laden. The eight accused planned to strike at least seven specific jetliners bound for the US and Canada targeting flights to major cities such as New York, Washington and Toronto in the plot, Wright said..
About 1,500: Prosecutors calculated that about 1,500 people onboard the passenger jets and potentially scores more on the ground if the planes exploded over cities could have been killed if the attacks had been carried out.t.
Wright said that, on videotapes, the men attempted to justify their attacks, believing the footage would be discovered following their simultaneous suicide missions. A jury was shown clips of several tapes in which the men each sat alone in front of a black flag inscribed with a message in Arabic.
In one, Umar Islam, 29, angrily wagged a finger at the camera as he spoke, denouncing the US and UK for their military role in Iraq, Afghanistan and the occupied Palestinian territories. This is revenge for the actions of the US in the Muslim lands and their accomplices the British and the Jews, Islam said. I say to the non-believers, as you bomb, you will be bombed. As you kill, you will be killed, he said, referring to combat in Iraq and Afghanistan..
Abdulla Ahmed Ali, 27, before the same backdrop, said Bin Laden had warned the West to expect carnage. Now the time has come for you to be destroyed, he said. Ali claimed suicide operations would scatter the body parts of non-believers on the streets of Western cities.
Islam lambasted the British public, saying it deserved to suffer because it cared more about sports and television soap operas than the plight of Muslims.
Wright, who played brief clips of the tapes on Friday, said the messages left little room for ambiguity. He told the jury on Thursday that the group had expressed hopes of recruiting as many as 18 suicide bombers.
Seven specific United Airlines, American Airlines and Air Canada flights from Londons Heathrow Airport to Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Toronto and Montreal had been singled out for attack, he said.
Though no specific date had been selected for the attack, research conducted by the cell indicated the group planned to strike in a single afternoon in late 2006, Wright said. He said the plotters planned to smuggle hydrogen peroxide-based explosives on board, injecting the mix into bottles of soda. A hollowed out camera battery would have hidden a detonator.
The bombs could easily have been assembled in an airliner toilet, Wright said.
All eight men, each of whom has ties to Pakistan, deny charges of conspiracy to murder and a charge of planning an act of violence likely to endanger the safety of an aircraft. Both offences carry maximum sentences of life imprisonment.
In addition to Islam, Waheed Khan and Ali, the defendants are Assad Sarwar, 27; Tanvir Hussain, 27; Mohammed Gulzar, 26; Ibrahim Savant, 27; and Waheed Zaman, 23.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda
In a series of thorough and carefully documented articles, the Investigative Project on Terrorism has detailed the sinister side of the self-proclaimed Muslim civil rights group CAIR.
Today's tenth and final installment takes a look at CAIR's persistent -- and often contrived -- charges of "hate crimes" perpetrated against Muslims and supposed "anti-Muslim hysteria" rampant in this country.
Here are some of the highlights:
· CAIR's annual report on the status of Muslim civil rights in the United States repeatedly has included, among what it considers to be acts of anti-Muslim discrimination, law enforcement investigations involving Muslims.
· In its 2002 report, CAIR included the closure of HLF, GRF, and BIF and wrote, "Those who oppose the government closure of the charities believe the government violated the Fourth Amendment of the Bill of Rights." The report also condemned the 2002 SAAR raids. CAIR wrote, "No criminal charges were filed and no evidence was produced to back up the government's actions . In the view of many Muslims, what transpired was a form of collective punishment targeting Arabs and Muslims."
· In advancing the notion that government policy has resulted in an undeserved backlash against ordinary Muslims, CAIR seeks to muster opposition to the anti-terror laws it finds objectionable.
A June 2003 US News and World Reports column reasoned that CAIR and other groups "push the bias' button so hard" because "the victim stance works," attracting attention in the media and Congress and raising large sums of money. "It encourages Muslims to feel angry and non-Muslims to feel guilty," the column noted, adding that "by pre-positioning all future criticism as bias, it tends to intimidate or silence even the most sensible critics."
· When CAIR issued a similar report in 2003, the Justice Department called the group's claims irresponsible. "We're talking about unfair criticism based on a lot of misinformation and propaganda," a department spokesman told the Associated Press.
· According to the FBI, CAIR has compromised potential hate crime prosecutions by ignoring requests to keep quiet about ongoing investigations.
A spokesman for the Chicago FBI cited the 2005 case of a local Muslim family who received telephone death threats from an unidentified individual - a caller who could face felony charges if found. CAIR issued a press release even after the FBI asked it not to publicize the case, the spokesman said, and thus "compromised or impeded our investigation."
Yaser Tabbara, then executive director of CAIR's Chicago office, said his organization issued a statement to make the FBI and other agencies "more responsive" and to put the matter "under spotlight." He added, "That makes them take this as seriously as we would want them to take it .We believe we did this in the best interest of the victim."
· Many incidents that CAIR has labeled "hate crimes" have turned out to be dubious.
In a July 2004 case, for example, a fire caused $50,000 in damage at a Pakistani-owned grocery store in Everett, Washington. Firefighters found a gasoline can and a derogatory message directed toward Arabs spray-painted on a wall, and a white cross spray-painted on a refrigerator.
Though police cautioned against hastily labeling the incident a hate crime, CAIR swiftly issued a press release that "called on local and national leaders to address the issue of growing Islamophobic prejudice following an arson attack on a Muslim-owned business in Washington State."
The following month, police arrested the store's owner on a federal arson warrant that accused him of setting fire to the store to collect insurance on the building and its contents. Jurors deadlocked 10-2 in favor of conviction at his 2006 trial; he subsequently was convicted of food stamp fraud and is scheduled for release in March 2008.
Part X of our series is here, click here for the summary.
For the 9 previous installments on CAIR, click here.
With soft, measured voices, Mohammad Zaki Amawi and Darren Griffin spoke about the fight waged by their "brothers" overseas and the need to train for "holy war" while the violent sounds of death and war emerged from videos they were watching.
Recordings of lengthy conversations in the fall of 2004 between Mr. Amawi, a man charged with terrorism-related crimes, and Mr. Griffin, the government's paid informant, were played for jurors in U.S. District Court in Toledo yesterday. The recordings - which contained graphic videos downloaded from the Internet including the beheading of an Arabic-speaking prisoner and the death of a U.S. serviceman - were played during the second day of Mr. Griffin's testimony in the trial of Mr. Amawi, 28; Marwan Othman El-Hindi, 45, and Wassim I. Mazloum, 26.
While machine gun fire erupted and the sounds of Arabic chants rang out, Mr. Amawi and Mr. Griffin spoke of the brothers' struggles while fighting in the Middle East. Mr. Amawi added that he wanted to be trained in fighting skills so as to be a benefit to his "brothers" overseas as well as to protect himself and his family. In one conversation, with a video showing smoke billowing from the towers of the World Trade Center on a computer in front of him, Mr. Amawi expressed concern about the events of Sept. 11, 2001, because it was an attack where "you live." He added that "killing Americans in Iraq is OK."
The three men are each charged with planning to wage a "holy war" using skills they learned on the Internet. Specifically, the government alleged that the three conspired to kill or injure people in the Middle East - including U.S. troops serving in Iraq - as well as providing "support and resources" to terrorists. Mr. Amawi and Mr. El-Hindi also are charged with "distributing information regarding explosives." If convicted, the men face up to life in prison.
Mr. Griffin's testimony, which is expected to last for more than a week, involves hours of recorded conversations with the defendants. It will be several days before defense attorneys are able to question him.
During opening statements Tuesday, attorneys for Mr. El-Hindi and Mr. Amawi told jurors that Mr. Griffin initiated most of the recorded conversations and that he "pushed" the conversations to talk of training for jihad. Attorneys for Mr. Mazloum did not give an opening statement.
Yesterday's testimony focused mainly on interactions with Mr. Amawi. During one conversation, Mr. Amawi spoke of a friend, Wassim, who was also interested in training. Mr. Griffin testified that he first met Mr. Mazloum on Nov. 17, 2004, at Mr. Amawi's home.
In the conversation, Mr. Mazloum said he could not support hurting "innocent people" and expressed concern that their beards would attract attention while they trained. "We should have a goal," Mr. Mazloum said on the recording. "It's not just going there for fun." "I'm learning this to use it against people who deserve it," Mr. Amawi said in the November, 2004, conversation. "We got to do it wise."
Prior to showing the downloaded videos in the courtroom, Judge James Carr, who is presiding over the trial, told jurors that some images would depict graphic violence. He reminded the jury that simply possessing the videos is not illegal. "You will see videos showing people being killed, including civilians and including at one point, American soldiers.... You will see other videos that I suspect some or all of you will find horrific," he said. "The emotional response should pay absolutely no role in determining whether the defendants are guilty or not."
Mr. Griffin is the first witness in the trial, which is expected to last more than three months. He will return to the witness stand Tuesday when the trial resumes.
Two accused, who were arrested in connection with a suicide attack on army recruits, on Friday approached the Peshawar High Court (PHC), to apply for bail. Two activists of the Jaish-e-Muhammad, banned militant organisation, were arrested and charged in connection with the killing of 42 army soldiers of the Punjab Regiment Centre (PRC), Dargai, on November 8, 2006.
Dargai police charged Muhammad Yousaf and Ziauddin, both residents of Swat distiricts Matta tehsil, under sections 302, 324 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), and sections 7 and 12 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).
The police alleged in the first information report that both the accused were active members of the banned outfit, and were involved in the suicide bombing.
Advocate Yousaf Khan Yousafzai, the counsel for the accused, claimed his clients were innocent. The accused applied to the PHC after an anti-terrorism court in Saidu rejected their bail application.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Jaish-e-Mohammad
US forces deployed along the Afghan border with Pakistan only fire across the line when fired at, claims a report published by the Washington Post on Friday, while adding that Afghan and Pakistani soldiers are unreliable, the villagers ambivalent and there are even disputes as to where the true border lies.
The report, which quotes local American military officials, asserts that Pakistanis such as Baitullah Mehsud in South Waziristan are reorganising the Taliban with help from agents in Pakistan's intelligence service. A greater frustration, he and other US troops said, is that they cannot trust their Pakistani counterparts. The Pakistan military is corrupt and lets people come through, Captain Chris Hammonds, commander of Attack Company, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment told the Post correspondent. Pakistani forces reportedly told insurgents the location of his observation post, and when US troops in a firefight call the Pakistani military for help, he said, "they never answer the phone".
The report quotes US officials who charge that over the past 18 months, Taliban fighters have exploited peace deals by Pakistan's government to create an unprecedented haven in the region. From there, insurgents have escalated attacks in Pakistan and in eastern Afghanistan, leading the United States last year to double its troop presence along more than 600 miles of the frontier. However, recent high-level talks among the three countries have called for more intelligence-sharing and co-ordinated operations along the border.
Last Saturday, the first of six new border co-ordination centres -- with officers from the three nations -- opened in Torkham at the Khyber Pass, a "giant step" forward, according to Major General David Rodriguez, the top US commander in eastern Afghanistan.
US commanders say they need at least 50 percent more US troops and more reconstruction money. At current levels, they said, it will take at least five years to quell insurgent attacks, which increased by nearly 40 percent in eastern Afghanistan last year, including a 22 percent rise in attacks along the border.
Collaboration is said to be growing between Taliban commanders in Afghanistan and Mehsud, the CIA has said, while also alleging that Mehsud is responsible for the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. Captain Hammonds said Afghan army units cannot guard the border because they rotate every three to six months and lack enough local knowledge. "The key to securing the border is to remove the Afghan National Army (ANA) completely," he adds.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Taliban
#1
"Reliability of Pak, Afghan soldiers questioned"
I think this has been discussed here quite at length; and just now it is getting noticed????
ht HotAir
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's faltering crackdown on Shiite militants has won the backing of Sunni Arab and Kurdish parties that fear both the powerful sectarian militias and the effects of failure on Iraq's fragile government.
The emergence of a common cause could help bridge Iraq's political rifts.
The head of the Kurdish self-ruled region, Massoud Barzani, has offered Kurdish troops to help fight anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia.
More significantly, Sunni Arab Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi signed off on a statement by President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, and the Shiite vice president, Adil Abdul-Mahdi, expressing support for the crackdown in the oil-rich southern city of Basra.
Al-Hashemi is one of al-Maliki's most bitter critics and the two have been locked in an acrimonious public quarrel for a year. Al-Hashemi has accused the prime minister of sectarian favoritism and al-Maliki has complained that the Sunni vice president is blocking key legislation.
On Thursday, however, al-Maliki paid al-Hashemi a rare visit. A statement by al-Hashemi's office said the vice president told al-Maliki that "we can bite the bullet and put aside our political differences."
"The main aim at this critical juncture is to ensure that our political choices are made in Iraq's interest," al-Hashemi said.
Shiite militias were responsible for the deaths of thousands of Sunni Arabs in the sectarian bloodletting of 2006 and 2007. The Mahdi Army is blamed for much of the killing.
A top leadership council made up of Talabani, al-Maliki and leaders of major political blocs called Saturday on Iraqi parties to disband their militias or risk being barred from contesting elections and participating in political life.
The council also affirmed its support for al-Maliki's campaign against militias and "outlaws."
"I think the government is now enjoying the support of most political groups because it has adopted a correct approach to the militia problem," said Hussein al-Falluji, a lawmaker from parliament's largest Sunni Arab bloc, the three-party Iraqi Accordance Front. Al-Hashemi heads one of the three, the Iraqi Islamic Party.
The Accordance Front pulled out of al-Maliki's Cabinet in August to protest his policies. The newfound support over militias could help al-Maliki persuade the five Sunni ministers who quit their posts to return.
If he succeeds, that would constitute a big step toward national reconciliation, something the U.S. has long demanded.
Still, the Sunnis are looking for concessions from al-Maliki, whom they accuse of monopolizing power.
"The mission ahead is clear," al-Hashemi's office said in an April 2 statement. "There must be a national program that obliges everyone to reconsider, show flexibility, accept the others and ... work in the spirit of one team."
Whether that happens depends largely on how the government deals with the issue of Shiite militias.
The Basra crackdown, ostensibly waged against "outlaws" and "criminal gangs," bogged down in the face of fierce resistance and discontent in the ranks of government forces. Major combat eased after al-Sadr asked his militia to stop fighting last Sunday.
But al-Maliki continued his tough rhetoric, threatening to take his crackdown to the Mahdi Army's strongholds in Baghdad. Al-Sadr hinted at retaliation, and the prime minister backed down, freezing raids and arrests targeting the young cleric's supporters.
Barzani, the Kurdish leader, has been at sharp odds with al-Maliki's government over what he sees as its lackluster reaction to Turkish military moves against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq. The Kurds are also angry over the national government's opposition to Kurdish deals with foreign oil companies.
But the Kurds, for years Washington's most reliable allies in Iraq, also see the Sadrists' anti-U.S. fervor as a threat to the country's political process and its stability.
Al-Sadr is openly opposed to a federal system, arguing that carving up the country into self-rule regions similar to that in Kurdistan would lead to Iraq's breakup. Another source of tension with the Kurds is the Sadrists' vehement opposition to Kurdish claims to the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, which they want to annex to their region over the opposition of its Arab and Turkomen residents.
"I think the events in Basra will help bridge the gap between the central government and Kurdistan authorities," said Fouad Massoum, a senior Kurdish lawmaker.
Al-Maliki has sought to cast himself as a national leader who is above the country's sectarian divide, saying that he was going after "outlaws" and "criminal gangs" regardless of their sect, ethnicity or party links.
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/05/2008 19:07 ||
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Top|| File under:
#1
Just about everyone is smarter than the MSM thinks - except the leftists, who are much dumber.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/05/2008 22:27 Comments ||
Top||
#2
The Byzantine scheme is not unknown in Iraq, and I imagine some pretty complex alignments and animosities have been developing. Oddly enough, when nothing is as it appears, things might be going far more smoothly than you might think.
Plots and schemes can be great confidence builders.
The State Department will renew its contract with Blackwater to provide security in Iraq, Greg Starr, acting assistant secretary of state for diplomatic security, said Friday. No provisions have been added to the contract, Starr said, but Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ordered several changes to procedure after a September incident in which Blackwater guards shot and killed 17 people, including women and children.
The incident placed the operations of Blackwater and other security firms under scrutiny in Iraq, where an estimated 25,000 private contractors protect diplomats, reconstruction workers and government officials. Under a provision instituted in the early days of the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq, security contractors have immunity from Iraqi law.
The five-year State Department contract, which began in 2006, must be renewed every year and is up for renewal next month. Starr said, in effect, Blackwater's contract will roll over for another year.
Blackwater is one of three contractors working under a "task order" to provide security services in Iraq. The other two are Triple Canopy and DynCorp. An agreement, or memorandum of understanding, between the State Department and U.S. military calls for a higher level of coordination and supervision of contractors, Starr said.
Blackwater still has to work under the rules of the Iraqi government, he said.
The FBI is in charge of the U.S. investigation of the September incident, in which survivors and victims' family members said Blackwater guards started shooting unprovoked. Blackwater said its employees were returning fire after coming under attack from armed insurgents, but an Iraqi investigation called the killings "premeditated murder."
Starr said the U.S. government, in particular U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, will take a close look at the FBI's investigation report and then "decide whether it is consistent with U.S. goals and policies to continue the contract." He said it will be important to see whether the FBI finds Blackwater itself criminally responsible, or merely a few of its employees. "We can terminate contracts for the convenience of the government if we have to," he said. "I am not going to prejudge what the FBI is going to find in its investigation. It's complex. I think the U.S. government needs protective services."
Starr said he did have some concern about the reaction of the Iraqi government and people. But he noted that there have been only three additional "escalation of forces" incidents since the new rules of engagement. "I am up to this point very satisfied with the changes we have seen," he said. "Essentially I think they do a very good job. The September 16 incident was a tragedy, it needs to be investigated carefully. The results of that will come out of that eventually and we will decide how we will proceed."
Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell declined to comment, referring all questions to the State Department. IOW: "Bite me."
#1
what makes ppl think any other private security firm "mercenaries" is gonna be any different, and how many of these firms could there be out there that has 25,000 troops on hand for the job
#2
I hope that Blackwater protects itself by establishing a headquarters outside of the US.
Sooner or later, there is going to be a US government that will either be outright hostile to mercenary corporations in general or to them in particular, or who will try to take them over. It is just a matter of time.
Advantages of doing so include being able to recruit non-American specialists, like Ghurkas, yet continue to keep a high level of professionalism, which is a problem for most mercenary companies.
Optimally, Blackwater is big enough so that it could have a private island base in the Caribbean, the Pacific, and possibly in the Aleutians and one in Africa, as well as a US office and training facility for when the government is reasonable.
Boy, howdy! First, Randi Rhodes gets canned from Airhead America and now this? Wait til the libs get a hold of the news that Halliburton's taking over military recruitment station in Berkley! Their heads will explode!
Posted by: BA ||
04/05/2008 17:03 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Thrinesing Peacock8884: Mercenaries can only operate in places under the auspices and protection of governments. Otherwise they are open to all sorts of problems, and not just legal ones.
For example, they have no Geneva Convention protections, and can be killed at will by any other nation.
Blackwater would probably not work outside of the US government, EU or NATO protections, and they are free to reach any contractual agreement they want to. If they don't like the deal, they are under no obligation to stay.
AMMAN - A top UN official warned on Friday of very grave humanitarian problems in Iraq, including a lack of food and the internal displacement of more than two million people. There are very grave humanitarian problems, the most serious is the internal displacement of the Iraqis... this is a phenomenon which we believe has slowed down significantly in recent months, UN Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes told a news conference in Amman.
The UN refugee agency said on Tuesday that the number of internally displaced Iraqis had risen to more than 2.77 million people by the end of March, five years after the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Two million Iraqis have also fled to neighbouring Jordan and Syria, where social and health services are struggling with the influx.
Holmes, who is in Jordan on his way to Iraq, said basic services in many areas in Iraq are still deteriorating. For example there are four million people who do not have enough food, only 40 percent of the population have reliable access to safe drinking water and one third of people are cut off from essential health care, life saving medication and basic immunisation, he said.
According to Holmes, between four and nine percent of children under five are suffering from acute malnutrition.
The humanitarian needs have risen significantly... over the past two years... we are not encouraging people to return to Iraq at the moment, he said.
He's not seeing the Iraq that Yon, Totten and others are seeing. You have to wonder if Holmes gets out into the countryside at all.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/05/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Compare wid STARS-N-STRIPES/RENSE [paraph] > US JOINT CHIEF - NO MORE/NOT ENOUGH SOLDIERS TO FIGHT WAR IN AGHANISTAN.
HMMMMM, by the above methinks that leaves OSAMA + ZAWI + OMAR, etc. versus PUTIN-MEDVEDEV + RUSS ARMY???
#4
we are not encouraging people to return to Iraq at the moment
Somebody should get the word out to all the dumb Iraqis who are returning at the rate of 1,000 per day. They just don't understand what they're getting into. It's nowhere near as nice as when Saddam was running things. Ask the UN if you don't believe me.
#9
For future reference, the US military should make it a practice in future of having "Civilian Identification" units. The purpose of a CI unit will be to biometrically identify *everyone* the US meets, and issue them a picture ID card.
Importantly, all the *data* on the card will be in an encrypted format, so all that can be seen on the card is their photograph. This is so it cannot be used by the enemy.
The value of doing so is incredible. First of all, it is an automatic census. Second, a simple card reader can be issued to quickly verify ID and activity to a central US military database instantly.
Third, it makes most government services much easier to carry out, from voting, food rations, health care, identifying foreigners, refugees, criminals and enemy, etc., etc.
Since it is totally controlled by the US military, it is utterly honest.
Every time any group of civilians is encountered, they present their ID cards, or they are detained until their biometrics can be checked, and if they are not in the system they are entered into the system. If they are already in the system and they pretend not to have an ID, they are suspect.
Much of our administrative and military headaches in Iraq are because we didn't do this.
Importantly, we could even send a CI unit into adjacent countries to register refugees.
#10
Four percent acute malnutrition would be a very big deal - and seems most unlikely. Due to a combination of economic geography and family/community support, very few Iraqis are vulnerable for something like acute malnutrition (as opposed to under-nutrition or chronic malnutrition, esp. some micro-nutrient deficiency).
Besides, I'm not sure how he'd come up with such a figure. Getting such data in most situations is devilishly hard. Probably just a wild-a**ed-guess.
In any event, the best "solution" to any actual problems is to establish and maintain security. Iraq has plenty of economic potential, not to mention being an agricultural country, so that a reasonably secure environment would lead to economic self-sufficiency or better.
Prime Minister Nouri Maliki today declared a halt to raids on armed Shiite Muslim gangs in Baghdad and southern Iraq, just a day after he announced his intentions to carry out operations in districts of the capital that are under de facto control of Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr's Mahdi Army militia.
The new statement, released by Maliki's office, left unanswered whether the prime minister was retreating or taking a break from his pledge to take on lawless elements often associated by U.S. and Iraqi officials with Sadr's militia.
The announcement called for security forces to arrest anyone carrying a weapon on the streets.
Maliki's security forces battled last week with the Mahdi Army in the southern port of Basra, in an operation the prime minister said was meant to impose law and order on Iraq's second-largest city. The Sadr movement described the campaign as an effort by its political enemies to crush his grassroots movement ahead of provincial elections in October.
The fighting spread quickly to Baghdad before Sadr called on his followers to put down their arms Sunday. At least 1,000 Iraqi soldiers deserted during the clashes, a senior U.S. military official said today, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic. More than half the police force in Baghdad's Sadr City and parts of Basra also abandoned their posts, a Western security official told The Times earlier in the week.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2008 00:00 ||
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#2
The ARVN troops that we worked with around Hue in the summer of 68 were very good. The reports that I have read (Roggio, Talisman) say that the IA troops that broke were 5 weeks out of basic, poorly equipped and unfamiliar with their officers. I think that could also be said of the ARVN troops that did not hold the line.
Hamas will devote all political and diplomatic measures possible to lifting the siege on the Gaza Strip, Hamas official Halil al-Haya said Friday at a rally in Gaza in honor of Hamas's founder, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. "The Palestinian people will throw off the siege... All the nations in the region know that Hamas won't allow the Palestinian people to die of hunger," Haya declared.
Unless the widows need more ammunition.
I think they're thinking more in terms of knocking down fences and storming into Israel to despoil the grocery stores. Certainly not in terms of growing their own food, which is beneath the honor & dignity of a warrior cult.
According to the Palestinian news agency Ma'an, Haya also warned Israel not to believe that Hamas and other "resistance factions" would offer a unilateral cease-fire. The Hamas official also denied that any cease-fire between his organization and Israel was currently in place.
Haya said that Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's regime in Gaza would soon be expanded. "The government is working tirelessly, and soon we will expand our services in order to fulfill all our [obligations]," he said.
Meanwhile, the World Tribune Web site has reported that Hamas is seeking to take over Al-Azhar University in the Gaza Strip, one of the last Fatah-controlled institutions in Gaza. The report said that Palestinian sources have reported that Hamas operatives were sent to seize the university, a Fatah stronghold for almost 30 years. The university also opposed Hamas's takeover of the Strip. "Hamas sees Al-Azhar as the last bastion of Fatah in the Gaza Strip," a Palestinian activist said. "All the other Fatah institutions have either been destroyed or went underground."
This article starring:
HALIL AL HAIA
Hamas
ISMAIL HANIYEH
Hamas
SHEIKH AHMED YASIN
Hamas
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
'Hamas won't let Palestinians starve'
Just Fatah members and their families. Cause they're not real Palestinians are they?
Residents of a Gaza town complained this week after Hamas forces constructing a weapons storage facility under the local schoolhouse severed a water main. The Ramallah-based Palestine Press news agency reported that Hamas hoped to use the school to shield some of their heavy US and Iranian-made weapons from Israeli raids and air strikes.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2008 00:00 ||
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Link ||
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Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
"Hamas forces constructing a weapons storage facility under the local schoolhouse severed a water main"
Easy problem to solve - Israel can cut off all the water to Gaza and let the poor ham-asses dig in peace.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/05/2008 9:05 Comments ||
Top||
#2
But using their children as human shields is perfectly ok with the local residents.
#9
What heavy US made weapons do they have and where do they get their ammunition?
Likely stuff they took from PA inventory (thanks, USDS). Ammo is either stuff from PA stock, coming from black-markets via Egypt, or from other... unexpected... sources.
#10
Blow up the ammo dump/school after school hours and when all inter mural activities are done for the night. It's a win-win, except for the water main damage.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/05/2008 13:08 Comments ||
Top||
#11
You gotta figure the school is more of a madrassa that what we normally think of as a place where boys and girls go to learn the three Rs. Most likely it's just for Gaza boys to go there and learn how recite passages from the Koran about killing Jews and infidels.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
04/05/2008 15:00 Comments ||
Top||
#12
"Blow up the ammo dump/school after school hours and when all inter mural activities are done for the night. It's a win-win, except for the water main damage."
That would be a win-win, period, AP - the water main's was already damaged by the paleos. :-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/05/2008 15:40 Comments ||
Top||
#13
I'm sure the IDF could take out the school in a night attack, or do the Paleos keep some kids in the school around the clock?
One of two alleged leaders of the Southeast Asian terror group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) Wednesday denied involvement in a series of 2002 Bali night club bombings and other attacks allegedly committed by JI. At trial, Abu Dujana blamed the media for spreading rumors that he was connected with the terror attacks. He and fellow alleged JI figure Zarkasih first went to trial in December on charges of training and equipping JI members and conspiracy to commit terrorism. Last week, Indonesian prosecutors recommended that Zarkasih and Abu Dujana receive life sentences if convicted and asked the court to officially outlaw the group. It is not yet clear when the trial will conclude.
Dujana, who was arrested in June, previously confessed to leading the JI's military wing, which has claimed responsibility for the 2004 bombing of the Australian embassy in Jakarta and a series of 2005 Bali bombings. On Wednesday, he said this admission was made under duress.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Jemaah Islamiyah
#1
That picture.
"Fu Man Chu" Junior?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/05/2008 19:12 Comments ||
Top||
Leadership and funding problems, along with incessant US-backed offensives, have prevented the Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf from launching more major attacks, a Philippine military official said Thursday.
Abu Sayyaf factions have failed to choose a suitable replacement for rebel chieftain Khaddafy Janjalani and his successor, Abu Sulaiman, who were killed in clashes with US-backed Philippine forces in 2006 and 2007 respectively, Brigadier General Juancho Sabban said.
Janjalani and Sulaiman are believed to have united at least six Abu Sayyaf factions on the southern islands of Jolo and Basilan and developed relations with Asian and Middle Eastern financiers. A number of possible successors have been considered, according to intelligence officials.
"They haven't been able come up with a single, influential leader who can unite the different factions," Sabban told The Associated Press, citing intelligence information and monitoring of the rebels.
The Abu Sayyaf, blacklisted by Washington as a terror group for bombings, ransom kidnappings and beheadings, is believed to have launched its last major attack in February 2005 with simultaneous bombings in Manila and two southern cities that killed eight people and wounded more than 100.
An earlier military report that a little-known, foreign-educated commander, Yasser Igasan, had been picked to lead the Abu Sayyaf remains unconfirmed, said Sabban, who heads an anti-terrorism force based in Jolo, about 950 kilometers south of Manila.
Two other rebel commanders, one-armed Radulan Sahiron and young, violent Albader Parad, have not gained enough support and trust among members, he said.
During recent meetings of Abu Sayyaf commanders, arguments reportedly erupted over logistical and other concerns, Sabban said. They also apparently have problems with ammunition supplies and funds.
Indonesian militants from the Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiyah group, who have been hiding with the Abu Sayyaf since 2003, were also constantly on the run, limiting their usefulness, he said.
Huge US rewards offered for two top Indonesian terror suspects, Umar Patek and Dulmatin, have severely constricted their movement.
"They have to constantly hide because even from within their ranks, some are eyeing such rewards," Sabban said.
American and Philippine experts have been conducting DNA tests to confirm if a cadaver dug up in Tawi Tawi province, near Jolo, in February was that of Dulmatin.
An Indonesian police official has said the body was not Dulmatin's, citing initial DNA test results, but Philippine police say they will make an official announcement after US experts complete the testing.
Efforts by Philippine and US forces to ease widespread poverty on Jolo -- a predominantly Muslim island where fewer than 200 Abu Sayyaf members hide in remote jungle camps -- are weaning communities away from the militants, Sabban said. Projects include repairing roads, schools and water supply systems.
"Anything from us used to be considered `haram,' " said Sabban, referring to the local term for forbidden things. "Now they're clamoring for roads, schools and development from us."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2008 00:00 ||
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[7 views]
Top|| File under: Abu Sayyaf
VIENNA, Austria - Iran has assembled hundreds of advanced machines in a possible indication that it aims to speed up uranium enrichment - a process that can produce both fuel for power plants and the fissile core of nuclear warheads, diplomats have told The Associated Press. One of the diplomats said more than 300 of the centrifuges have been linked up in two separate units in Irans underground enrichment plant in the town of Natanz and a third was being assembled. He said the machines appeared to be more advanced than the thousands already set up and running underground, suggesting they could be the sophisticated IR-2 centrifuge that Tehran has recently acknowledged testing.
But a senior diplomat said that, while the new work appeared to include advanced centrifuges, they were not IR-2s. He added that it was unclear whether the machines were above or under the surface. The location is significant, since the above ground site at Natanz is for experimental work and the underground facility is the working enrichment plant.
A third diplomat - who like the other two closely follows Irans nuclear program _ confirmed that Iran had started linking up advanced centrifuges in a configuration used for enrichment. But he said all remained above ground and none of the machines were running.
In any case, the development reflected Irans determination to push ahead with its enrichment program despite three sets of U.N. Security Council sanctions, the most recent imposed last month. One of the diplomats said officials in Tehran would likely detail the new centrifuge work on April 8, a date Iran has designated National Nuclear Technology Day.
In comments to the AP earlier this week, the first diplomat said two linkups or cascades of 176 centrifuges each had recently been assembled and a third was in the process of being put together.
The workhorse of Irans functioning enrichment program is the P-1 centrifuge, which is run in cascades of 164 machines. But Iranian officials confirmed in February that they had started using the IR-2 centrifuge, which can churn out enriched uranium at more than double the rate of the P-1s.
The February announcement was the first official confirmation by Tehran after International Atomic Energy Agency officials reported earlier that month that Iran was using 10 of the new IR-2 centrifuges to produce small amounts of enriched material.
Ten centrifuges are too few to produce enriched uranium in the quantities needed for an industrial-scale energy or weapons program and far below the 3,000 older P-1 centrifuges in Irans underground enrichment plant in the central town of Natanz.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/05/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under:
#1
See also IRANIAN.WS > VARIOUS ARTICLES > WAR WITH IRAN?, + LATINO-IRANIAN TERROR - IRANIAN INCURSIONS INTO LATIN AMERICA, + IRAN DENIES SETTING UP/CONSTRUX MONITORING STATIONS SYRIA ADMITS TO, + ISLAM AND THE IRANIAN DILEMMA.
The Lebanese council of Muftis urged the opening of the parliament and the election of the president of Lebanon, at the end of their meeting which was held under Grand Mufti of the Republic Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani. The council of Muftis issued the following statement:
" Lebanon boycotted the summit in Damascus to express its displeasure over the absence of a Lebanese president . We strongly object to the continued blocking of the presidential elections , specially since all parties have agreed on Army chief General Michel Suleiman. It is about time the parliament is opened to elect the president of the Republic and the down town Beirut protest lifted since it paralyzed the Lebanese economy. The formation of the new government of national unity should follow as well as the an agreement should be reached on an electoral law for parliamentary elections that will be able to achieve justice for all the Lebanese people"
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hezbollah
(AKI) - A United Nations inquiry set up to probe the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri is investigating the role of a criminal network in his death. Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare says that the UN's International Independent Investigation Commission (IIIC) has evidence that a criminal network conducted surveillance of Hariri (photo) before he and 22 others were killed in a bomb attack in Beirut in February 2005.
In a report to the UN security council, Bellemare said at least part of the (so-called) Hariri network continued to exist and operate after the assassination". He said the commission will now seek evidence about the criminal network responsible for the massive car bombing and determine its participants.
Could this possibly move any slower?
Bellemare says the IIIC is also trying to establish the links between members of the network and others outside the group, and what role the network has played in other deadly attacks against prominent figures in Lebanon in recent years. The commission is also drawing on forensic information and using DNA profiling in a bid to identify the bombers responsible.
The report said that progress had been made in several other investigations, including the attacks that targeted Major General François al-Hajj, killed in a car bombing last December, and Major Wissam Eid murdered after a roadside explosion in late January this year.
In the new cases, the commission is working on a profile of the targeted victim and possible motives for the attack, Bellemare said.
Bellemare said the IIIC cannot rely on rumour or assumption and any investigation must be supported by reliable evidence that will be admissible before a tribunal.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the UN are taking steps to set up the Special Tribunal for Lebanon to try those responsible for the death of Hariri. An agreement has been signed with the Netherlands to establish the tribunal there and a prosecutor and a registrar has been appointed.
Once formally established, the tribunal will determine whether other political killings in Lebanon since October 2004 were connected to the assassination of Hariri and could therefore be dealt with by the tribunal.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
(AKI) - Former members of the Al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb have revealed the details of the last days of a suicide bomber in a report published in the Algerian newspaper Ech-Chourouk. "Once chosen for the suicide attack, the suicide bomber is isolated by the other mujahadeen and is kept in the dark about the plans for the attack until a few minutes before its execution," said the report.
The newspaper put together the testimonies of several ex-terrorists from the Algeria based al-Qaeda group and described in detail the way in which a suicide bomber is selected and how the bomber spends the last few days of his or her life. "About three weeks before they go into action, they call their families to say goodbye," it said. "They are then excluded from their original terror cell and join a new group composed only of aspiring suicide bombers who know that they will die soon for the cause of Jihad."
The suicide bombers do not know anything about the attack until a few minutes before they have to carry it out. In this way, they do not have the chance to change their minds or to go to the police.
Often it's the new recruits in the al-Qaeda Organisation of the Islamic Maghreb are chosen to be suicide bombers. The only exception was the suicide attacker involved in the attack on the United Nations office in Algiers on 11 December 2007. Rabbah Bishla, was reportedly part of the armed group for about 10 years. "Before chosing a new suicide bomber in a group, the head of the cell, the one responsible for training and the head of the cell with the aspiring suicide bombers all meet to agree on a candidate," said the report. "The group of aspiring suicide bombers never exceeds 15 people and those who enter only know that they will be carrying out an attack without any other explanations."
"To ensure that the aspiring suicide bombers are strong in their convictions, the head of the group of 15 people tells them of the possibility of participating in a major operation, an attack on a large scale, and especially the use of the weapon of revenge. In fact every potential suicide bomber is told that his or her attack is necessary to avenge the death or arrested of other members of the group or members of al-Qaeda, in order to motivate them morally," said the Ech-Chourouk report.
"Often the aspiring suicide bomber is forced to volunteer for the job because if he or she does not do so, it could raise doubts in their leaders who may see this as an element of insecurity, which makes betrayal always possible."
On Friday another Algerian newspaper Ennahar, published a report on killings carried out within al-Qaeda by the leaders of a group which was against the militants who expressed doubts about the strategy of the Jihadi organisation or there were fears that they could hand them over to the Algerian authorities.
Often the youngest are chosen to be suicide bombers and especially those who volunteer to do the job. The only exception yet again is Rabah Bishla, who was chosen because he was 60 years old and was the oldest suicide bomber in the history of al-Qaeda, according to the report. The leader of the group, Abu Musab Abdel Wudud, wanted him to carry out that operation as a response to accusations made in the Algerian press that the group only sent minors to carry out such attacks. "Before entering in action, the aspiring suicide bomber is brought to a safe place, far from his cell and possibly close to the target that he has strike," explained a former member of the group.
"Within the first few days, the bomber can call his family, given that most of the suicide bombers are very young people who have abadoned their homes to join the terrorists without informing their parents."
This is what was done by an attacker from Algerian that went by the name Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who carried out an attack last year on a barracks in the area of Dallas which is in the Algerian province of Boumerdes. He was believed to be the youngest suicide attacker in the history of the Al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb. "After the phone call, the suicide attacker then only has contact with the head of his cell who trains the suicide bomber, giving the bomber a long speech on the importance of martyrdom in Islam and for some days the bomber will only watch videos and listed to audio recordings of the leaders of al-Qaeda which describe the rewards and compensation that the martrys will then be able to receive in paradise."
The bomber is reportedly only informed about the target the night before the attack and in some cases is accompanied to the location a few hours before in order to get to know what the attack will take place and to monitor the situation.
According to the former members of the terror group, this was the case for Abdullah al-Shiaani, the one who carried out the attack in the Lakhdariya. He was in the area with other terrorists before carrying out the attack. "The last act before carrying out the action is to record the video testament," said the report. "The aspiring suicide bomber must wear military attire, carry a kalashnikov rifle [perhaps the first time that the bomber will use one as often they are so young that many have not had the time to even have any military training], in order read out his last statement in front of a camera."
"The morning of the attack, the bomber wakes at dawn for his last prayer in which he was to recite a special address dedicated to martyrs, meet the emir of the al-Qaeda cell who will be asked to inform his family after his death and then then he will head directly to his appointment with death."
According to the Algerian newspaper, the aspiring suicide bombers usually drink water, known as the water or martrys, before they carry out their attack. The police in Algeria however have not excluded the possibility that the water is drugged in order to ensure that the suicide bomber does not change his mind before the attack.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/05/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in North Africa
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.
In a series of thorough and carefully documented articles, the Investigative Project on Terrorism has detailed the sinister side of the self-proclaimed Muslim civil rights group CAIR.
AMMAN - A top UN official warned on Friday of very grave humanitarian problems in Iraq, including a lack of food and the internal displacement of more than two million people. There are very grave humanitarian problems, the most serious is the internal displacement of the Iraqis... this is a phenomenon which we believe has slowed down significantly in recent months, UN Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes told a news conference in Amman.
Hamas will devote all political and diplomatic measures possible to lifting the siege on the Gaza Strip, Hamas official 
One of two alleged leaders of the Southeast Asian terror group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) Wednesday denied involvement in a series of 2002 Bali night club bombings and other attacks allegedly committed by JI. At trial, Abu Dujana blamed the media for spreading rumors that he was connected with the terror attacks. He and fellow alleged JI figure Zarkasih first went to trial in December on charges of training and equipping JI members and conspiracy to commit terrorism. Last week, Indonesian prosecutors recommended that Zarkasih and Abu Dujana receive life sentences if convicted and asked the court to officially outlaw the group. It is not yet clear when the trial will conclude. 
VIENNA, Austria - Iran has assembled hundreds of advanced machines in a possible indication that it aims to speed up uranium enrichment - a process that can produce both fuel for power plants and the fissile core of nuclear warheads, diplomats have told The Associated Press. One of the diplomats said more than 300 of the centrifuges have been linked up in two separate units in Irans underground enrichment plant in the town of Natanz and a third was being assembled. He said the machines appeared to be more advanced than the thousands already set up and running underground, suggesting they could be the sophisticated IR-2 centrifuge that Tehran has recently acknowledged testing.
(AKI) - A United Nations inquiry set up to probe the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri is investigating the role of a criminal network in his death. Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare says that the UN's International Independent Investigation Commission (IIIC) has evidence that a criminal network conducted surveillance of Hariri (photo) before he and 22 others were killed in a bomb attack in Beirut in February 2005.
Bellemare says the IIIC is also trying to establish the links between members of the network and others outside the group, and what role the network has played in other deadly attacks against prominent figures in Lebanon in recent years. The commission is also drawing on forensic information and using DNA profiling in a bid to identify the bombers responsible.
(AKI) - Former members of the Al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb have revealed the details of the last days of a suicide bomber in a report published in the Algerian newspaper Ech-Chourouk. "Once chosen for the suicide attack, the suicide bomber is isolated by the other mujahadeen and is kept in the dark about the plans for the attack until a few minutes before its execution," said the report. 
