WASHINGTON — Afghan President Hamid Karzai has vowed to remove corrupt officials from government, after high-profile international criticism that graft has undermined coalition war efforts. In an interview to be broadcast Monday, Karzai told PBS that "individuals who are involved in corruption will have no place in the government."
"Bring in a new batch of czars!"
"Wrong country, sir."
His comments come after warnings from the UN and others that Afghanistan could see billions in international assistance dry up unless his new government tackles corruption. But he dismissed allegations widely made against top officials, including his brother, Wali -- widely accused of being involved in the opium trade.
Karzai said he had asked US and European officials to present evidence of his brothers alleged corruption, but there was "never an answer."
There never is ...
"Where we have found such corruption, we have addressed it," he said, adding that allegations his brother also worked for the CIA "doesn't surprise me at all," because the CIA was "in contact with a lot of people."
Karzai, long supported by western governments, has seen ties with the west sour dramatically since he was re-elected in a widely condemned poll earlier this year. The poll coincided with a sharp upturn in violence and as US president Barack Obama weighted the possibility of sending tens-of-thousands more troops to the country to quell the bloodshed and tackle insurgents.
The UN recently announced it would withdraw more than 50 percent of its international staff, or 600 people, in the wake of an attack on a Kabul guesthouse that killed five UN staff.
Karzai said the move would have "no impact."
He's certainly right about that ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/09/2009 00:00 ||
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Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on Sunday advised the US against sending additional troops to Afghanistan, instead urging renewed diplomacy and ultimately a complete withdrawal of US forces. "I think that what's needed is not additional forces," Gorbachev told CNN, adding that "withdrawal from Afghanistan should be the goal." The Soviet leader said that his government also mulled increasing troops during its occupation of Afghanistan, but ultimately decided against it. "This is something we discussed too, years ago. But we decided not to do it. I think that our experience deserves attention," Gorbachev said. "Instead we decided to emphasize the domestic developments in Afghanistan, national reconciliation," Gorbachev said. "We addressed also this issue through an international conference, and we were in consultation with America, with the Iranians, with Pakistan and with India," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/09/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
ION WMF > EAST-CENTER CHAIRMAN DANNILOUYI: US WILL USE PROXY WAR TO TRY TO STOP THE GLOBAL POWER SHIFT TO CHINA.
* SAME > OKINAWANS PROTEST PRESENCE OF US BASES: THERE SHOULD BE NO US TROOPS STATIONED ANYWHERE IN JAPAN.
#2
He's probably right, especially given the current world situation and US administration. I suspect GW Bush shifted the focus of the war to Iraq as soon as he could because his people recognized the potential of A'stan to be a tar baby.
[Quqnoos] Afghan Ministry of Foreign affairs said UN special envoy in Afghanistan was acting beyond his authority by instructing Karzai to exclude warlords and bring reforms "Kai Eide's comments exceeded international norms and his authority as a representative of an impartial international organization," Ahamad Zahir Faqiri, foreign ministry spokesman said on Saturday.
On Thursday, Kai Eide said that the international community did not want to see warlords in Karzai's new government and called on president Karzai to bring significant reforms.
President Karzai has announced that fighting against corruption, bringing reforms and rule of law are his next government priorities to implement.
However, the Afghan foreign ministry says that over the last few days diplomatic circles and propaganda agencies of certain countries have intervened in Afghanistan's internal affairs by issuing instructions over the composition of next government organs and political policies.
Earlier, after Karzai was declared the elected Afghan president, US President Barak Obama called on him to stem corruption within six months otherwise he will lose international support.
UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown in reaction to the killing of five Britain troops in Helmand province also called on Hamid Karzai to fight against rampant corruption in his administration, saying if Karzai fails to do so then Britain would not imperil the lives of its soldiers in Afghanistan.
"I am not prepared to put the lives of British men and women in harm's way for a government that does not stand up against corruption," Brown said in a speech in London.
President Karzai in his speech after he was declared the president stressed that he would take strong action against corruption that defamed his government in the past and all opponents are welcomed to his next government.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/09/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
It's not as if the UN had any moral authority anyway. Besides, the UN prefers that all corruption profits itself.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
11/09/2009 8:43 Comments ||
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Turkey said Sunday it will welcome Sudan's leader even though he has been indicted for orchestrating crimes against humanity in Darfur.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is free to join an Istanbul summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. The 57-nation group holds its main meetings Monday.
Erdogan said Turkey respects human rights and would not hesitate to challenge al-Bashir if it believed he had committed atrocities. But Erdogan said he doesn't believe that Sudanese paramilitary forces committed acts of genocide against African residents of Darfur.
"It is not possible for those who belong to the Muslim faith to carry out genocide," Erdogan told ruling party members.
Turkey does not recognize the International Criminal Court, the Netherlands-based body that in March issued an arrest warrant for al-Bashir. The court accused Sudan's leaders of orchestrating a campaign of murder, torture, rape and forced expulsions in Darfur.
"If there were such a thing in Darfur, we would be chasing this to the end," Erdogan said.
Erdogan accused Israel of committing much greater crimes versus Palestinians during Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip in January. He said it would be easier to discuss state killings of civilians with al-Bashir than with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"I cannot discuss this with Netanyahu but I can easily discuss such issues with Omar al-Bashir. I can say to his face: What you are doing is wrong," Erdogan said.
#1
"It is not possible for those who belong to the Muslim faith to carry out genocide,"
I realize their culture has not quite caught up to the Age of Enlightenment, but there appears to be something in Islam that renders its adherents impervious to logic and reason. Either that, or there is something in the water over there.
#6
Amazing levels of hyporcrisy. Or, is it double-think? He actually might be sincere, at least in some way.
I really think people should shed that notion that all humans are equal.
They sure are equal in RIGHTS (not to be killed, not to be oppressed, to freedom of speech, thoughts, religion,..., hell, even the bigot I am fully agree with that), equal in basic functions and needs, biological differences not-whistanding...
But they are not equal in "BUILD", IE they are not hardwired the same way, and this leads to gaping differences in behavior, that may be finely grained at the individual level, but get larger and deeper as the lens focuse to a more collective level.
And, the positivist idea to 'force' everyone into the same "Enlightened Westerner" mold (thanks for nothing, auguste comte!!!) just is wrong, and even poisonous.
We are not them, and they are not us, deal with it, liberalism/progressivism to the contrary.
#7
It's double-think, anonymous5089. The definition is that Muslims cannot do such a thing. Therefore anything that looks like that thing must, by definition, be something else.
Shades of Muhammad. In Medina he wiped out one Jewish tribe, killing some 900 boys and men. Then selling off the women and girls.
Thus having killed off precisely half of the population, not all of it. Technically not genocide, although all involved considered the end of the male line to be the same thing.
[Bangla Daily Star] Three Pakistani nationals, still holed up in Bangladesh, targeted the US Embassy and Indian High Commission in Dhaka for attacks before hajjas part of a Lashkar-e-Taiba's plan, said detectives yesterday.
Officials of the Detective Branch of police said they received the information from detained Bangladeshi LeT leader Mufti Harun Izahar, son of Islami Oikya Jote leader Mufti Izaharul Islam, and Harun's associates Shahidul Islam and Al Amin alias Saiful.
The detectives said during interrogation, the arrestees divulged that three Pakistani nationals aged around 30 came to Bangladesh two months back to execute the attack plan with the help of Harkatul Jihad al Islami members.
The LeT men also had plans to attack embassy officials or explode bombs in front of the diplomatic missions, said DB officials.
DB Assistant Commissioner Sanwar Hossain told The Daily Star, "We are trying our best to arrest the militants involved in the plot to attack the foreign missions."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/09/2009 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Terming secularism irreligious, Islami Shikkha Rakkha Jaitya Committee, a forum of Islamic organisations, yesterday said most pious Muslims in the country are concerned about some issues in the draft education policy.
"There is nothing called secularism in the world. It's a vague term that refers to irreligious beliefs," said committee convener Maulana Muhiuddin Khan at a views-exchange meeting with the education minister on the draft education policy.
The committee demanded replacing the words "secular and gonomukhi (people-oriented)" with 'religious values and employment-oriented (karmamukhi)' in the policy.
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said the government would not keep anything in the education policy that go against Islam, madrasa education or religious values.
He said madrasa education, which has a long glorious past, would be modernised.
A 25-member delegation of the committee submitted to the minister a set of recommendations that include replacing the word "sense of secularism" with "piety and sense of morality" in the policy.
The committee leaders also suggested replacing "introduction to four main religions in Bangladesh" with "introduction to own religion" in chapter-7 of the policy.
They also proposed keeping primary education up to class five, inclusion of basic education on religions of all faiths from class one and providing salaries, allowances and other facilities to teachers at independent Ibtedai madrasa and establishing Islami Arabic University.
The committee leaders also proposed excluding Lalitkala from the policy, claiming it goes against the religious values of the majority of people.
They suggested replacing Lalitkala with "religion and moral education" in class one and two and, "health science" from class three to eight as additional subjects.
The recent speeches of the chief of education policy formulation committee has hurt the sentiment of the people, said Muhiuddin Khan, also vice chairman of Islami Oikya Jote.
"The people of this country are extremely annoyed at the remarks," he said.
The committee convener however said they believe that a certain quarter is trying to portray the government's effort in a bad light.
Committee member AFM Khalid Hossain claimed madrasa education is a specialised form of learning. There would be problems if any attempt is made to modernise it, he added.
The minister said they will consider all opinions with due importance before finalising the policy by December.
Committee Member Secretary Maulana Muhammad Azizul Haque Murad also spoke.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/09/2009 00:00 ||
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CHINA has executed nine people over deadly ethnic unrest in its far-western Xinjiang region, regional authorities said, the first executions since the violence in July.
"The first group of nine people who were sentenced to death recently have already been executed in succession, with the approval of the Supreme Court,'' Hou Hanmin, spokeswoman for the Xinjiang government, said.
#4
ION CATHAY, WORLDNEWS/TOPIX > RSS CHIEF BHAGWAT SAYS CHINA IS BECOMING A HUGE [security] THREAT TO INDIA [ Claims China has encircled INdia + has new base in Burma/Myanmar]. ARTIC > CHINA'S ANTI-INDIA INTENTIONS ARE CLEAR, BUT SUBTLE.
* SAME > PILLAI: CHINA HAS SENT ARMS INTO INDIA [ Militant Groups] SINCE 2001.
versus
WMF > JAPAN TO BUILD NEW BASE ON BIRD ISLAND [Okonotori Reefs-Islets] TO CONTAIN CHINA. Okonotori, located 1740-kms SW from Tokyo, blocks CHINA'S = PLAN'S [strategic]ACCESS from EAST CHINA SEA ROUTES near GUAM, SAIPAN-CNMI, PHILIPPINES + TAIWAN.
SAME WMF > PRO-US AND PRO-JAPAN SOVEREIGNTY FACTIONS COMPETE AGZ PRO-CHINA, UNIFICATION GROUPS FOR POWER IN TAIWAN.
SEOUL, Nov. 8 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il urged his country's armed servicemembers to improve their combat capabilities, saying they must be prepared to protect their socialist nation, the North's official news agency reported Sunday. The call came during Kim's recent visit to Korean People's Army (KPA) Unit 1224, according to the report by the Korean Central News Agency.
The report did not elaborate on when the visit was made, only saying the North Korean leader was accompanied by KPA vice-marshal Kim yong-chun, vice chairman of the National Defense Commission and minister of armed forces Gen. Kim Jong-gak and several other officials.
"After watching the servicepersons' training at the unit, (Kim Jong-il) was greatly satisfied to see all the servicepersons grown to be a-match-for-a-hundred fighters fully prepared politically and ideologically and in military technique to firmly safeguard the socialist motherland," the English-language report said.
"He set forth the tasks to be fulfilled by the unit to increase its combat capability in every way," it added.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/09/2009 00:00 ||
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The private train North Korean leader Kim Jong-il uses on his trips either within the communist country or abroad consists of six around 90 carriages, and some 20 train stations have been built specifically for his own use. To defend Kim against attack, two separate trains precede and follow the main entourage, one handling reconnaissance and the other security.
Pay attention, Halliburton, don't be fooled ...
South Korean and U.S. intelligence have been spying on Kim's private train with satellites, U-2 reconnaissance aircraft and other surveillance equipment, as well as testimonies of North Korean defectors. Among private stations for Kim's train are the Pyongyang Yongsong and Kangdaedong stations. Others are in Wonsan, Shineuiju and Hyesan, which are no more than 30 km away from his private retreats.
When Kim travels, three separate trains operate in conjunction. The advance train handles security checks to see whether the rail tracks are safe. Behind Kim's train is another carrying his bodyguards and other support personnel. Kim's train travels at an average speed of 60 km/h. Around 100 security agents are sent ahead of time to stations and sweep the area for bombs. Before Kim's train nears the station, the power on other tracks is shut off so that no other trains can move.
Kim's train is armored and also contains conference rooms, an audience chamber and bedrooms. Satellite phone connections and flat screen TVs have been installed so that the North Korean leader can be briefed and issue orders.
Sources say when Kim gets out of his train and moves to his private retreat, he is driven in a Mercedes or other car that has been brought along. When Kim travels within North Korea aboard his private train, IL-76 air force transport planes, MI-17 helicopters and other aircraft provide security support and haul necessary personnel and equipment to nearby airports. So far, Kim has taken 129 on-the-spot guidance trips around North Korea, matching the record he set in 2005 and probably exceeding it by the end of the year.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/09/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Time to swap out a few of those railroad ties with RDX.
The U.S. Forces Korea last Friday confirmed that the Eighth Army will stay in South Korea even when full operational control of South Korean troops is transferred to Seoul in 2012. USFK headquarters said the relocation of U.S. military bases to Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province and the Eighth Army's stay will consolidate U.S. commitment to a strong Seoul-Washington alliance and the defense of South Korea.
A senior Defense Ministry official said USFK Commander Gen. Walter Sharp suggested to the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and the U.S. Army late last year that the Eighth Army stay in Korea as the symbolic expression of the U.S. commitment to defend the Korean Peninsula, and the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff accepted.
The USFK therefore decided not to create an Operational Command Post-Korea which had been mooted to replace the Eighth Army headquarters on relocation to Hawaii. A new Korea Command (KORCOM) will be established next year to replace the current USFK headquarters in preparation for the operational control handover in 2012. And KORCOM will oversee the Eighth Army and Second Infantry Division.
A military source said the decision to keep the Eighth Army in South Korea is part of efforts to alleviate fears among South Koreans about the transfer of the operational control.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/09/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
A military source said the decision to keep the Eighth Army in South Korea is part of efforts to alleviate fears among South Koreans about the transfer of the operational control.
What, no parades were planned to celebrate our departure?
#2
Mebbe one day the U.S. Army will be stationed in both Koreas. We didn't listen to Mac and are still paying the price more than a half-century later.
#5
Japan has been "burning" weapons grade plutonium in its reactors for decades. We have been providing a lot of it, too. Some of it came from Russia, some from the US.
Even a conventional reactor starts out with uranium fuel. As fission progresses, a lot of the uranium is converted to plutonium. By the time the fuel is "spent", most of the reaction taking place is plutonium.
Google around for an article titled: Smarter Use of Nuclear Waste
Posted by: ed ||
11/09/2009 7:24 Comments ||
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#7
borgboy: There may be just the opposite outcome. That is, the Chinese might be persuaded that a South Korea led unified Korea is not unacceptable. In fact, it could be very profitable for China as long as the Koreans kept tight border controls.
China could then get send a lot of annoying North Korean illegals home, the South would be busy for decades rebuilding the North. But, very importantly to the Chinese, the Koreans culturally follow "the Chinese Way", which forgives them countless sins.
But this would be dependent on the US 8th Army slowly withdrawing from Korea, just keeping a naval base at Pusan.
If done slowly and gradually, so that the Chinese, the Koreans and the US are comfortable, it could evolve into a much less expensive security situation for the US.
#8
I'm under the impression that many of those annoying North Korean illegals are female, Anonymoose, and therefore are replacing the missing Chinese females for the lower classes. Am I mistaken?
#9
trailing wife: I have no clue on that one. However, China is looking at 30m+ males with no chance, so I doubt that Nork women could take up much of that slack.
Add to that that most of the Norks have been so utterly ground down with perpetual malnutrition that many are retarded, diseased, etc. This is not something pleasant to contemplate.
#10
Iff ISLAMIST IRAN indeed goes NUKULAAR NLT 2012 as antcipated, as per STRATWEAPS = NUCMILTECHS, the USA may wanna consider reactivating the TENTH ARMY [ASIA-WIDE Nuke-WMD MIlitancy Scenarios, not just the Koreas]???
CHRISTIAN Democrat MP Fred Nile has warned of the risks of allowing Muslims to serve in Australia's armed forces. The Rev Nile says last week's killing spree in the United States in which an army officer shot dead 13 people should cause "all associated with the free world's military forces to feel serious concern".
The NSW MP and former army officer said the Australian Defence Force could already harbour Muslim personnel who may be a threat to their comrades in arms.
"Australians would like to be assured that our defence forces have in place a system of assessment and review which would identify any person whose adherence to any alien ideology might one day override loyalty to mates and loyalty to the Crown," Mr Nile said.
"There is an argument for suggesting that the safety and morale of our troops may warrant a ban on dedicated Muslims joining the armed forces, who may be influenced by Islamic fundamentalism."
#1
"There is an argument for suggesting that the safety and morale of our troops may warrant a ban on dedicated Muslims joining the armed forces, who may be influenced by Islamic fundamentalism."
Argument yes, but referred locally as 'good common sense.'
#2
Especially if there are gigantic warning signs such as multiple and strongly worded complaints that Hasan was anti-American over a long period of time.
Of course, they may have just thought he was a Democrat.
President Obama will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday evening after a rough stretch in U.S. efforts to settle the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Could I but be a fly upon that wall...
The White House announced the meeting on Sunday.
Netanyahu has resisted Obama administration calls to halt Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the heart of a future Palestinian state, though he announced his government would limit construction of new settlements.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas announced last week that he would not run in the next Palestinian elections, set for January, amid open frustration among Palestinian leaders with Washington.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton fueled Palestinian anger last week when she described Netanyahu's decision to restrict -- but not halt -- West Bank settlements as "unprecedented." Clinton later clarified that the United States "does not accept the legitimacy" of building Israeli housing on occupied Palestinian land. But she was unable to persuade Abbas to resume talks with Israel.
Netanyahu is scheduled to address a conference of Jewish groups in Washington on Monday, but no meetings had been scheduled between the U.S. and Israeli leaders as of late last week, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday.
"Surely we can find twenty minutes somewhere in the schedule for that man!"
#1
Fly on the wall is right, the clueless naked emporer and the hard bitten Isreali realist in the same room. The contrast could hardly be more be more stark.
As the American public and the global community await the completion of the Obama administrationÂ’s extensive review of U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan, Mikhail Gorbachev, the former president of the Soviet Union, said Sunday that, instead of sending more troops, Obama should begin to the lay the groundwork to withdraw from Afghanistan.
“I think that what’s needed is not additional forces,” the former Soviet leader said through a translator, “this is something that we discussed, too, years ago but we decided not to do it. And I think our experience deserves attention.”
Instead of more troops, Gorbachev said the Soviets decided to emphasize domestic development in Afghanistan and promoting national reconciliation between the various clans in the country. In deciding how to proceed in Afghanistan, Gorbachev said the Soviet Union also consulted with other countries including the United States, Iran, Pakistan, and India.
Soviet troops occupied Afghanistan in 1979. They withdrew a decade later after facing stiff resistance from Afghan fighters, who were backed by the United States and Pakistan. The conflict killed 13,000 Soviet soldiers and more than a million Afghan civilians.
But the former world leader added that AfghanistanÂ’s history as a staging ground for international terrorism could not be ignored.
“Of course, when we are facing a dangerous concentration of terrorism – and we see that in this situation – certainly, terrorists must be defeated. But the overall emphasis must be on dialogue, on the revival of Iraq, probably Afghanistan – of the long-suffering people of that country.
“Yes, withdrawal from Afghanistan should be the goal,” Gorbachev said in conclusion.
For more than a month, Obama has been conducting meetings with his top military and foreign policy advisers about how to proceed in Afghanistan. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. and NATO commander in the country has reportedly requested 40,000 additional troops. The Obama administration says it has no plans to reduce U.S. force levels in Afghanistan.
#3
We facilitated these monsters.We organised them, trained them, supplied them with advanced arms,encouraged them, used them as a political tool to defeat the Soviet Empire.we gave them the tools to destroy the soviet union and they turned them on us.We got our political revenge against the USSR for the vietnam war.Sometimes I wonder if we had not been better off to have just allowed the soviets to kill off the islamic militants?
#4
That's not quite right, Woozle. The Afghans who fought the Soviets were a broad national movement including many who later became allies of the West (remember the role of the Northern alliance in toppling the Taliban).
#5
MUSLIM NEWS > AAFGHANISTAN: NINE MILYUHN AFGHANS LIVING ON LESS THAN ONE DOLLAR A DAY [USD$1.0]. Excessive rates of UNEMPLOYMENT + ILLITERACY, wid approxi 1/2 of AFGHANISTAN's 25MILYUHN population being under age 15 [Tweens, Teenies].
PAKISTAN is only slightly better off
versus
WMF > PAKISTAN"S SITUATION IS DETERIORATING INCLUD SERIOUS ECONOMICS-RELATED CLASS DIVISIONS. ITS MANY SECURITY COMPANIES ARE MOSTLY POORLY PAID AND HELPLESS TO STOP THE MILITANTS.
IRONY > a job wid sameabove POORLY PAID SECURITY COMPANY(S), espec for PAK Men wid mil experience, is actually ONE OF THE BEST JOBS LOCAL PAKIS COULD EVEN HOPE TO GET???
The attorney for a man suspected in a deadly shooting spree at Fort Hood, Texas, says he's heading to San Antonio to meet his client.
Retired Col. John P. Galligan says he was retained by Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's family on Monday. He says he has asked investigators not to question Hasan and doesn't know if he's been medically cleared to talk.
Hasan is accused of opening fire on the Army post on Thursday, killing 13 people and wounding 29 before civilian police shot him. He remains at a U.S. Army hospital in San Antonio, where a spokesman said Monday he is now able to talk. Authorities won't say when charges would be filed or if Hasan would face military justice.
Galligan questions whether Hasan could get a fair trial anywhere, given the widespread attention to the case.
What are we supposed to do because of that, let him walk?
Colonel John Galligan retired from the US Army in June 2001.
At the time of his retirement, he was serving as the Chief Circuit Judge, 3rd Judicial Circuit, Fort Hood, Texas.
Born in 1949 at Fort Bliss, El Paso,Texas, Colonel Galligan spent his childhood as a military dependant, accompanying his parents on remote military assignments to Fort Churchill,Canada, Taipel, Formosa, and Istanbut, Turkey.
Upon Graduating from Georgetown University ( school of Foreign Service) in Washington,DC, in 1971, Colonel Galligan was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the military intelligence branch.
To fulfill his regular Army commission responsibilities, he served as a combat arms officer in the infantry branch,initially as a platoon leader and later as a company executive officer and the Brigade Courts and Boards Officer, with the 41st infantry, Combat Developments Experimentation Command, Fort Ord, California.
Selected for the US Army Excess Leave Program in 1973, Colonel Galligan received his J.D. (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Puerto Rico in 1976. From 1976-1979, he served as a Defense Counsel and later as a Trial Counsel in the 1st Armored DIvision, Federal Republic of Germany. From 1979 until 1981, Colonel Galligan served as an Appellate Counsel with the Government Appellate Division, US Army Legal Services Agency, representing the government in cases before the US Army Court of Military Review and the Court of Army Appeals.
After completing the Graduate Course at the Judge Advocate General's School in Charlottesville, Virginia, Colonel Galligan was selected to assist in developing the Trial Counsel Assistance Program, designed to assist military prosecutors in developing trial advocacy skills.
Colonel Galligan twice served in the US Army Litigation Division, First as a Branch Chief from 1988 until 1991 and later as the Division Chief from 1992 until 1994. He had two tours with the 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, first as the Dupty Staff Judge Advocate from 1985 until 1988 and as the Staff Judge Advocate from 1991 until 1992. From 1992 until 1994, Colonel Galligan served as the Staff Judge Advocate, US Army South, in Panama.
In 1997, he assumed duties as a Ciucuit Judge at Fort Hood and , in 1999, took over responsibilities as the Chief Circuit Judge for the third Judicial Circuit, one of the largest and busiest jurisdictions in the Army.
In 1983, Colonel Galligan was selected to participate as a member of a Judicial Reform Assessment Team, Coordinated by the US Department of State, to consult with high level governmental officials and members of the legal community in El Salvador and Honduras on issues related to legal reform, with particular emphasis on the area of criminal prosecution and military justice. In 1999, he participated as an instructor with a DILLS team dispatched to Bogota, Columbia, to perform similar functions.
Colonel Galligan is licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Washington, DC. and Texas. He is admitted to the highest courts in those jurisdictions. as well as being a member before the United States Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the United States Claims Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. He served as the Vice- Chair and later as the Chair for the Military Law Section of the State Bar of Texas.
In addition to the usual Basic and Advanced Courses for his Branch, Colonel Galligan is a graduate of the Armed Forces Staff College (1985) and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces ( 1995).
His Medal ( with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters), and the Legion of Merit ( with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters.
#2
Translation: the pleader wants a duel of shrinks, not lawyers.
Cops have a duty to attempt to speak to an accused party. They can make extraordinary efforts to persuade him to waive his right to silence. When the accused is in custody, defense attornies have access, but it is controlled access.
In any case, I have heard enough. Motive for Murder: jihad obligations in the arab-quran.
#3
And the lawyer ought to hang as well. Jesus, what has happened to this country? Why would this nutjob ever get someone to try and defend the indefensible. Truly unbelievable.
Posted by: Jihad Joe ||
11/09/2009 21:19 Comments ||
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#4
Jesus, what has happened to this country? Why would this nutjob ever get someone to try and defend the indefensible. Truly unbelievable.
Oddly enough, Miranda was just as guilty as could be and never reformed. He died in prison.
And, as a military prisoner, he may not retain those rights.
It will be a more fair trial than he could get elsewhere, but the impartiality of a military panel is not guaranteed or even required, I believe. More of the evidence will be seen by the panel and fewer shenanigans will be allowed.
Posted by: Jame Retief ||
11/09/2009 23:50 Comments ||
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#3
I hope the the first thing he saw was 72 FBI agents and only Jewish doctors. I can't wait to hear how he was icked on and driven to this by the way mooslims are treated in this country.
#1
No one in the mosque responded with concerns about HasanÂ’s extremist views.
That's all but a given. In fact, I'm fairly sure that when asked that just about everybody at the mosque had minimized or disavowed knowing anything about this.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and relatives of those killed in 2001 on United Flight 93 turned shovels of dirt at a groundbreaking ceremony Saturday for a permanent national memorial at the western Pennsylvania crash site.
"Let's roll," Salazar said, borrowing a phrase from Todd Beamer, the passenger who led a revolt against terrorist hijackers. The memorial is set to open by Sept. 11, 2011, the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
Gordon Felp of the group Families of Flight 93 said that the victims' courage inspired people to work on the project. The 2,200-acre park will feature a chapel with 40 chimes, one for each of the victims, at its entryway. A path will guide visitors to the crash site.
The plane was traveling from Newark to San Francisco when it was diverted by hijackers with the likely goal of crashing it into the White House or the Capitol.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/09/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I'd prefer a less Muslim-looking memorial. Or else build it in Islamistan from 40,000 feet.
The soldiers at Fort Hood had it coming, says a radical Muslim in Queens who travels to mosques around the city spreading anti-American hate and has sent a "Get Well Soon" message to the major behind the Texas massacre.
"An officer and a gentleman was injured while partaking in a pre-emptive attack," Yousef al-Khattab wrote on his Web site, called "Revolution Muslim." "Get well soon Major Nidal. We love you."
In the twisted logic of al-Khattab, who was born Jewish in New Jersey and converted to Islam in 2004, the 13 slain and 38 wounded Army victims gunned down by the radical one-man sleeper cell were "terrorists" who deserved to die.
"These people are soldiers in a volunteer army," he told The Post during a sitdown at a Woodside, Queens, cafe. "They expect to see combat. They know the danger."
"Rest assured the slain terrorists at Ft. Hood are in the eternal hellfire," al-Khattab writes on his Web site.
Army shrink Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, 39, reportedly shouted "Allahu akbar" -- Arabic for "God is great" -- before unloading more than 100 rounds at soldiers preparing to ship off to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Amanda Foote, whose husband is in Iraq, went to visit a soldier who survived the onslaught yesterday and said she was stunned that the base had been hit by such horror.
"I told my husband the other day, 'I thought I would never say I was happy you were in Iraq.' I never thought it would be safer for him to be there than to be on post at home," she said.
Like Hasan -- whose pro-homicide bomber rhetoric on the Web had caught the authorities' attention -- the FBI is well aware of al-Khattab's dangerous online lunacy, but they are unable to do much about it as he just skirts the line between protected speech and inciting violence.
"It's terrible. It's reprehensible. For the mosques it's a p.r. nightmare. He's probably putting members of the mosque in danger from attacks from non-Muslims, but he's not breaking the law," said Barry Covert, a First Amendment lawyer in Buffalo.
He said that unless al-Khattab incites people to immediate acts of violence, the Constitution protects him.
The Woodside extremist spends his free time annoying mainstream Muslims in front of mosques around the city, handing out literature and denouncing the US.
Imams in Manhattan are appalled by his message and have tried to get the police to stop him from spreading his radical message.
"We spoke to law enforcement about them, because we are disgusted with their behavior," said Shamsi Ali, an imam at the Islamic Cultural Center of New York, a mosque at 96th Street and Third Avenue.
He said that at a recent Muslim parade, al-Khattab and his followers were preaching violence, but despite complaints from the congregation, the NYPD could only watch.
"They say that as long as there is not a physical threat, there's nothing that they can do." said Ali. "They say it's a free-speech issue."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/09/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
i wont defame putrid scumbags with a comparison to this POS.
Posted by: abu do you love ||
11/09/2009 0:55 Comments ||
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#2
For the mosques it's a p.r. nightmare.
I think we'd all be surprised (shocked, really) if we knew just how many in these 'mosques' share al-Khattab's sentiments.
#7
This little piece of unregurgitated fecal matter should be declared persona non grata and returned halfway to Mecca. Maybe he can fly. If he can't, he'll make a nice splash and food for sharks in the local area.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/09/2009 22:28 Comments ||
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#8
How long do you suppose before there is a 'Free Nidal' [bowel] movement starting up?
#2
Health and Human Services lesson: marrying your cousin is a great way to ensure your children won't be bright enough to join the military, but it won't prevent them from becoming a suicide bomber.
Physical security at the nuclear weapons areas of most of Pakistan's air bases is pretty good. Human security is another thing. A sharp imam would be able to twist the Koran in such a way as to gain access. An even easier way would be to offer the guards a substantial enough bribe. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that two or three nukes have already "gone missing", but the Taliban or Al-Qaida just don't have the right codes to activate them. Nukes are VERY tricky devices, and need frequent care. Even WITH the right codes, there's a pretty good chance the weapon wouldn't respond as expected. People may be questioning whether the nukes themselves are being treated carefully enough not to melt down into a very "dirty" puddle on a concrete floor somewhere.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/09/2009 22:38 Comments ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Iraq's parliament on Sunday passed a long-delayed election law paving the way for a national vote in January after overcoming a potentially explosive row over the disputed city of Kirkuk, lawmakers said.
The parliamentary election next year is a crucial test for the world's 11th largest crude oil producer as it emerges from sectarian carnage unleashed by the U.S. invasion in 2003 and starts to stand on its own feet while U.S. troops pull out.
The vote is slated for January 16 but the date has been thrown into doubt because of delays and wrangles over the system to be used in what will be the second national poll since the ouster of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
Key to the passing of the electoral law were provisions governing the conduct of the vote in Kirkuk, a disputed and ethnically-mixed province of Kurds, Sunnis and Turkmen.
Kurds favored using current voter registration lists and keeping Kirkuk as one electoral constituency, Arabs and Turkmen want 2004 or 2005 records to be used, or for Kirkuk to be split into two constituencies.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/09/2009 00:00 ||
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Hamas rejected an alternate peace plan presented by Kadima No. 2 Shaul Mofaz on Sunday, saying the group would not negotiate with Israel, Army Radio reported. ''Hamas will not negotiate with Israel,'' said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum. ''We do not believe in engaging with the occupation, or in talks that would beautify its face in the eyes of the world.''
Posted by: Fred ||
11/09/2009 00:00 ||
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#3
Reminds me of a very old movie I saw, the cops have the gangster surrounded, he yells "You'll never Take me alive" the cop shouts back, "Fine by me".
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/09/2009 22:08 Comments ||
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[Ma'an] A majority of Palestinians oppose President Mahmoud Abbas' stated decision not to seek another term in elections he recently called, according to an opinion poll released on Sunday.
The poll, conducted by the Ramallah-based firm Near East Consulting, 62% of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza said they are opposed to Abbas' decision, which he made public on Thursday.
Only 38% said they supported Abbas' decision to step down. The split appeared to correlate with party affiliation, as 79% of Hamas supporters opposed the decision, and 77% of Fatah urging the president to change his mind.
However, fully 76% of those surveyed said they expected Abbas to reverse his decision. The other 24% said he was not likely to change his decision.
Asked to choose their preference from a list of potential presidential candidates, 31% chose Abbas, 12% chose jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouthi, 8% Fatah's ex-strongman in Gaza Muhammad Dahlan, 7% caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, 4% de facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, and 3% Palestinian National Initiative leader Mustafa Barghouthi. Six percent chose other figures. Another 16% percent said they would refrain from voting in an election, and 13% refused to answer the question.
The poll results showed that Dahlan and Marwan Barghouthi drew high levels of support among younger people, whereas Abbas drew his support from all age groups.
The poll predicts also predicts a lopsided result in potential parliamentary elections. If elections were held next week, 62% said they would vote for Fatah, and just 7% said they would support Hamas, the victor in the previous election. Three percent said they would vote for left-wing parties, 8% for other parties, and 20% not voting.
Seventy-five percent said they were against dissolving the Palestinian Authority. Twenty-five percent said they favored the idea.
Near East Consulting surveyed 780 Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem for the poll, which had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5%
Posted by: Fred ||
11/09/2009 00:00 ||
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Massive weapons shipment in full violation of multiple binding resolutions
It's been five days since Israel seized a cargo ship reportedly carrying enough weapons and munitions for the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group to fight Israel for at least one month. And for the past five days, the United Nations has failed to take any action even though Iran was caught red-handed arming a terrorist group in full violation of binding U.N. resolutions.
The cargo ship originated in Iran and was headed for Syria. The Israeli army announced it found documentation showing Iran was the point of origin for some containers on the ship, with Syria as the intended destination.
Iran regularly attempts to send weapons to Syria, and from there the shipments are smuggled to Hezbollah bases in Lebanon, Israeli security officials said.
Israel last week put on full display its find of hundreds of tons of Iranian-supplied arms, including rockets -- the largest-ever weapons cache captured by Israeli forces. Israel Radio reported that advanced anti-aircraft platforms were also on board, with Rani Ben-Yehuda, the deputy commander of Israel's navy, confirming the presence of "very advanced weaponry."
The Iranian arms shipment set sail in violation of U.N. Resolution 1701, a binding resolution which ended the Second Lebanon War of 2006 and prohibits the delivery of weapons to any entity in Lebanon but the Lebanese government. The shipment also breaks multiple international laws against funding and supporting terrorist organizations.
Israel's U.N. ambassador last week complained to the international body about Iran's blatant disregard for international law, but no response has been forthcoming from U.N. officials. I've been following this since the pictures of the munitions and the shipping containers were released. After reading this article, I'm left wondering: What could Iran be distracting the Israelis from with their seizure of this massive & obtuse attempt of delivery of arms to either Hamas or HZB that was, 1. Obviously going to be detected, and 2. Was most likely based on information leaked to serve the shipment as a diversion?
Last month, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei brokered a deal between Iran, France, Russia and the United States to supply much-needed uranium to a research reactor in Tehran. But while Moscow, Paris and Washington all quickly approved the plans, Tehran said it wanted amendments and further talks. Under ElBaradei's proposal, Iran would ship out most of its known low-enriched uranium to Russia for further enrichment. The material would then be turned into fuel for the Tehran research reactor by France. On Friday Iran said it is preparing to give more details on its response to the international proposals for supplying nuclear fuel and expects more negotiations, even as Washington warned the time for talking is over. OOOOOOOOOH!!!I bet the MMs are laughing their a$$es off shaking in their curly toed Nikes slippers over O's admonitions.
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Tehran would give the additional details to the IAEA following the initial response it gave on October 29. "We have some more details which we have to give to the International Atomic Energy Agency," state television quoted Mottaki on its website as saying. "We have three options -- enrich the fuel ourselves, buy it directly or exchange our uranium for fuel," he said. "They (the IAEA and the major powers) have to choose from these options. Given the need of Iran to have the fuel, my view is that they will accept another round of discussions."
His suggestion of further talks came despite a warning from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday that Washington's patience at Tehran's failure to give its definitive response was beginning to wear thin. She called on the Islamic republic to accept unamended the proposals drawn up by the IAEA. "As I have said, this is a pivotal moment for Iran, and we urge Iran to accept the agreement as proposed," Clinton told reporters. "We will not alter it, and we will not wait forever," she said. The IAEA proposal is aimed at allaying Western concerns that Iran could otherwise divert some of low-enriched uranium (LEU) reserves and enrich them further to the much higher levels of purity required to make an atomic bomb. Tehran strongly denies seeking to manufacture a nuclear weapon, and says its atomic programme is for purely peaceful purposes.
The UN nuclear watchdog has asked Iran to explain evidence that it has experimented with highly advanced nuclear warhead designs, a British newspaper reported Friday.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) believes Iranian scientists may have tested components of the sophisticated technology, known as a "two-point implosion" device, the Guardian reported.
This technology -- whose existence is secret in the United States and Britain -- would allow for the production of smaller and simpler warheads and reduce the diameter of a warhead and make it easier to put on a missile, it said.
The Guardian cited previously unpublished documentation in a dossier compiled by the IAEA, drawn in part from reports submitted by western intelligence agencies, and presented to Iran for response.
An unnamed European advisor on nuclear issues told the newspaper: "It is breathtaking that Iran could be working on this sort of material."
Western powers have long feared that Iran is developing nuclear weapons, something it denies.
Iran and western powers are currently engaged in talks over how to procure nuclear fuel for an Iranian research reactor.
Under a UN-brokered proposal Iran would send its low-enriched uranium (LEU) abroad for conversion into fuel for the reactor. Iran says it would rather buy the fuel directly. Build the gadgets small enough so they can be set on a missile.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
11/09/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Lest we fergit II, 1990's NET > RADICAL MULLAHS = "Nuke" or nuclear" means THERMONUCLEAR = HIGH-YIELD STRATEGIC NUCLEAR, NOT BATTLEFILED = TACTICAL, or even URANIUM, NUKE.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Amid talks between Iran and the world major powers on the nuclear issue, Tehran welcomes the improvement of strategic cooperation with Russia.
"Strategic cooperation with Russia is an option for the Islamic Republic of Iran," said top Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili in a meeting with the visiting Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov in Tehran Sunday.
"Tehran welcomes continuation of talks based on its package of proposals," he added.
Jalili, who is also Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), said Iran had a 'positive and strategic' performance in recently-held talks with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- Russia, China, France, Britain and the United States -- plus Germany (P5+1).
He, however, warned that certain countries seek to impose the outcome of their false behavior on others.
The top Iranian nuclear official reiterated that 'technical and economic views of the Islamic Republic' should be completely taken into consideration in any talks on the country's nuclear program.
After holding hot nuclear discussions with Western powers, diplomats close to talks say the country seeks a two-staged, simultaneous exchange of enriched uranium with potential suppliers.
Iran is in need of 116 kilograms of uranium enriched to 20 percent to supply a medical research reactor in Tehran that produces isotopes for cancer treatment.
According to the diplomats, Iran has proposed that it twice exchange 400 kilograms of low-enriched uranium (LEU) with some 60 kilograms of 20-percent nuclear fuel.
Ryabkov, who is in Tehran at the invitation of deputy secretary of the SNSC Ali Baqeri, said that continuation of talks between Iran and the P5+1 states would be in the interests of all sides.
He said that enrichment of uranium is an absolute right and an indication of wise attitude of the Islamic Republic.
Talks on the fuel supply for the Tehran reactor include only economic aspects, he added, expressing hope that the talks would bear fruit soon.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/09/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
The Russian Bear has sharp and long talons - Iranians appear ignorant of its former (and perhaps) present Imperial designs. Pass the popcorn...
A senior Iranian lawmaker warns that any attempt by Moscow to back down on a deal to the deliver S-300 air defense system to Iran 'would run counter to Russia's interests'.
"The S-300 case, which is an old case, marks a new chapter in Russia's failure to keep its end of the deal," Iran's Parliament (Majlis) National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Chief Alaeddin Boroujerdi told reporters on Sunday.
Boroujerdi was referring to a contract signed between the Tehran government and the Kremlin in 2007.
"Given the extensive bilateral cooperation between the two countries, it would run counter to Russia's interests if negotiations fail to bear fruit in this matter," the influential lawmaker added.
Iran has opted to acquire the sophisticated S-300 defense system in reaction to Israeli rhetoric against Tehran. The missile defense system, according to Western experts, would shield Iranian nuclear sites against any Israeli airstrike.
"If Tehran obtained the S-300, it would be a game-changer in military thinking for tackling Iran," says long-time Pentagon advisor Dan Goure.
The S-300 surface-to-air missile system can track targets and fire at aircraft 120 kilometers (75 miles) away. The system features high jamming immunity and is able to simultaneously engage up to 100 targets.
The Israeli officials have on numerous occasions expressed concern over the possibility of the system being delivered to Iran.
"The S-300 is a Russian-made surface-to-air missile system that is very advanced, with long ranges and many capabilities," Israeli Air Force (IAF) commander, Major General Ido Nehushtan said in September.
"We need to make every effort to stop this system from getting to places where the IAF needs to operate or may need to operate in the future," he added.
While Russia's Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation said in October that Moscow would fulfill its commitment according to its 'international obligations', there has been interminable confusion reigning over the delivery of the defense system.
Boroujerdi warned that should Russia fail to fulfill its promises regarding the S-300 missile system, 'a negative point in the two states' relations would emerge'.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/09/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
With every passing year, the value of that system declines. At some point it becomes an obsolete system that even the Mexican Air Force can defeat.
#2
An obvious solution to the dilemma is for the Rooskis to deliver the S-300s the day after the Juice do their traditional ceremonial reactor flyover.
[Asharq al-Aswat] A high-ranking Lebanese security source has revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that, "The investigations into the firing of a rocket from the Town of Hula in south Lebanon have not ended." And that, "According to the available information, it is obvious that a suspect party seeks to implicate Hezbollah by infiltrating a sheer Shiite area."
The source said: "Hezbollah does not want to start a battle at this stage, and the way it operates indicates this fact."
"Accordingly, it seems that this party managed by money to cause a clear breach. This fact is indicated by some information that has resulted from ongoing investigations into the placing of rockets inside the house from where one of the rockets was fired." The source added.
He said it is likely that the Fatah al-Islam Organization is involved in this action. He added that he is convinced of Fatah al-Islam's connection to Israeli parties.
The source said: "This organization, which adopts the Al-Qaeda Organization's thought, is financed by wealthy extremists to help it recruit people. These extremists belong to parties that seek to use Lebanon as a place to achieve their goals."
He added: "Currently, the Fatah al-Islam extremists are incited against the Shiites, the United States, and the regimes that are allied with it. This harms moderate Islam and moderate Arabs and serves Israel's interest through fomenting confessional feuds. The aim behind such actions is to embarrass Hezbollah and then drive it out."
The security source noted the importance of the army intelligence service's success in arresting Palestinian Fadi Ibrahim, 35, alias Samku, a few days ago. Ibrahim is one of the Fatah al-Islam Organization's activists.
The source said: "Ibrahim played an important role in Fatah al-Islam, alongside fugitives Naim Abbas and Tawfiq Taha. He is among the five leading members of this organization. During the investigation of this organization's members, it transpired that they try to conceal his role. They accuse dead persons or people residing outside Lebanon of the crimes that their organization committed."
However, the source added: "The security agencies managed to piece together the information about him. These agencies were able to secure the requirements of the investigation through persistent work."
With regard to the explosion that took place in the Town of Tayr Filsayh on 12 October, the source said: "The explosion happened by mistake, and it was not a powerful one."
He added: "They delayed us one hour during which they managed to erase the traces and burn down the place where the explosion happened in order to hide the evidence."
He continued: "Because we do not have the necessary equipments to facilitate monitoring on roads, we could not complete the investigation. Anyway, the investigation is continuing, and some time is needed for the evidences to be complete."
Commenting on the incidental cooperation between the Lebanese security agencies and Hezbollah in the Southern Suburb of Beirut, the source said: "Anyone who secures money and his situation improves needs the state agencies to protect his interests. Poverty exists not in the Southern Suburb or the south, but in Bab al-Tabbanah and the Central and Northern Al-Biqa."
He noted: "Hezbollah cannot provide all the state requirements in the areas that it controls, and the experience has shown this fact. Had it not been for Hezbollah's fear for its leaders, it would have handed the responsibility for security in the Southern Suburb over to the army and other security forces."
The source pointed out: "Hezbollah rejected the presence of the state in the past, but its plan seems to have changed. However, this does not negate the fact that Hezbollah has obligations that it cannot give up because it needs Syrian and Iranian support."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/09/2009 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
WASHINGTON — Afghan President Hamid Karzai has vowed to remove corrupt officials from government, after high-profile international criticism that graft has undermined coalition war efforts. In an interview to be broadcast Monday, Karzai told PBS that "individuals who are involved in corruption will have no place in the government."
Turkey said Sunday it will welcome Sudan's leader even though he has been indicted for orchestrating crimes against humanity in Darfur.
SEOUL, Nov. 8 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il urged his country's armed servicemembers to improve their combat capabilities, saying they must be prepared to protect their socialist nation, the North's official news agency reported Sunday. The call came during Kim's recent visit to Korean People's Army (KPA) Unit 1224, according to the report by the Korean Central News Agency.
The private train North Korean leader Kim Jong-il uses on his trips either within the communist country or abroad consists of six around 90 carriages, and some 20 train stations have been built specifically for his own use. To defend Kim against attack, two separate trains precede and follow the main entourage, one handling reconnaissance and the other security.
As the American public and the global community await the completion of the Obama administrationÂ’s extensive review of U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan, Mikhail Gorbachev, the former president of the Soviet Union, said Sunday that, instead of sending more troops, Obama should begin to the lay the groundwork to withdraw from Afghanistan.
The soldiers at Fort Hood had it coming, says a radical Muslim in Queens who travels to mosques around the city spreading anti-American hate and has sent a "Get Well Soon" message to the major behind the Texas massacre. 
[Asharq al-Aswat] A high-ranking Lebanese security source has revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that, "The investigations into the firing of a rocket from the Town of Hula in south Lebanon have not ended." And that, "According to the available information, it is obvious that a suspect party seeks to implicate Hezbollah by infiltrating a sheer Shiite area."
