#3
As in ex-Marine (USMC) who's been "drummed-out"; I'd fully agree. Actually, based on Ventura's many insipid statements to the "MSMedia" over the years, I doubt he ever was a "been thru it all" Navy SEALs sea warrior. But then, I'm outta the loop these days...what would I know?
Posted by: Slomp Oppressor of the Faeries1490 ||
01/08/2012 0:08 Comments ||
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The U.S. military is testing a revolutionary new drone for its arsenal, a pilotless helicopter intended to fly cargo missions to remote outposts where frequent roadside bombs threaten access by road convoys.
Surveillance drones for monitoring enemy activity and armed versions for launching airstrikes have become a trademark of America's wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East. But this is the first time a chopper version designed for transport has ben used operationally.
Two unmanned models of the Kaman K-MAX helicopters and a team of 16 company technicians and 8 Marines are conducting a 6-month evaluation program for the new craft at Camp Dwyer, a Marine Corps airfield in the Garmsir district of southern Helmand Province.
The craft have flown 20 transport missions since the inaugural flight on Dec. 17, said Maj. Kyle O'Connor, the officer in charge of the detachment. They have delivered nearly 18 tons of cargo, mainly thousands of Meals Ready to Eat and spare parts needed at the forward operating bases.
"Afghanistan is a highly mined country and the possibility of improvised explosive devices is always a problem moving cargo overland in a convoy," O'Connor said.
"Every load that we can take off of a ground convoy reduces the danger and risk that our Marines, soldiers, and sailors are faced with," he said. "With an unmanned helicopter, even the aircrew is taken out of harm's way."
The Marines from Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 1 lead the missions and deliver the cargo into combat drop zones, while contractors operate and maintain the two aircraft.
The craft's onboard computer uploads the mission plans, enabling them to fly on autopilot. But an operator at base control monitors progress and can step in and override the autopilot for manual operation if any problems occur, or if the drone must be redirected in mid-flight.
[Dawn] Afghanistan's Taliban forces of Evil have demanded in negotiations with the US that prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay be transferred to Qatar, an Afghan government front man said on Friday.
But President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... 's government objects strongly to the move and wants the prisoners sent directly to Afghanistan, presidential front man Aimal Faizi told AFP.
The Taliban announced this week that they planned to set up a political office in Qatar, a move seen as a precursor to peace talks with Washington.
At the same time, the hardline Islamists demanded the release of prisoners from the US military detention centre at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba -- but the statement did not specify where they should be sent.
Karzai was told by the US about the demand that they should go to Qatar shortly before the Bonn conference on Afghanistan in December, Faizi said.
"Several meetings had taken place between the Americans and the Taliban. It was something discussed between the two sides.
"But that day, when the Americans talked to Karzai, it was the first time that they talked about the transfer of the prisoners to Qatar." Faizi said his government was in favour of a release of Guantanamo prisoners, "but we don't want them to go directly to Qatar -- our government is strongly against it".
Karzai's government is concerned about being sidelined in the negotiations towards possible peace between the Taliban and the US, and Faizi stressed that it wanted "an Afghan-led transition".
"The prisoners should be sent to the Afghan government first. We've been discussing this with the USA for the last five-six years. But so far, we have reached no agreement on that issue."
Washington said on Wednesday it had taken no decision to release prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay in order to boost negotiations aimed at ending the 10-year war with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The US led an invasion of Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, ousting the hardline Taliban government, and about 130,000 US-led troops are still in the country.
Afghanistan's Taliban forces of Evil have demanded in negotiations with the US that prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay be transferred to Qatar, an Afghan government front man said on Friday.
But President Hamid Karzai's government objects strongly to the move and wants the prisoners sent directly to Afghanistan, presidential front man Aimal Faizi told AFP.
The Taliban announced this week that they planned to set up a political office in Qatar, a move seen as a precursor to peace talks with Washington.
At the same time, the hardline Islamists demanded the release of prisoners from the US military detention centre at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba -- but the statement did not specify where they should be sent.
Karzai was told by the US about the demand that they should go to Qatar shortly before the Bonn conference on Afghanistan in December, Faizi said.
"Several meetings had taken place between the Americans and the Taliban. It was something discussed between the two sides.
"But that day, when the Americans talked to Karzai, it was the first time that they talked about the transfer of the prisoners to Qatar." Faizi said his government was in favour of a release of Guantanamo prisoners, "but we don't want them to go directly to Qatar -- our government is strongly against it".
Karzai's government is concerned about being sidelined in the negotiations towards possible peace between the Taliban and the US, and Faizi stressed that it wanted "an Afghan-led transition".
"The prisoners should be sent to the Afghan government first. We've been discussing this with the USA for the last five-six years. But so far, we have reached no agreement on that issue."
Washington said on Wednesday it had taken no decision to release prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay in order to boost negotiations aimed at ending the 10-year war with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The US led an invasion of Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, ousting the hardline Taliban government, and about 130,000 US-led troops are still in the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2012 00:00 ||
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[Daily Nation (Kenya)] A massive plan to protect Egyptian churches swung into action on Friday as Coptic Christians prepared to celebrate their first post-revolution Christmas, with Islamist leaders attending for the first time.
"The interior ministry has drawn up a huge security plan in cooperation with the armed forces to protect all the churches of Egypt at Christmas," the official told AFP.
Police and troops have been deployed outside churches and surrounding streets, while all those attending services will go through a security check, the official said.
The measures come a year after more than 20 people were killed in an apparent suicide kaboom targeting a church in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. In 2010, six Copts were killed as they emerged from a Christmas eve mass in southern Egypt.
For the first time, the Christmas Eve service led by Coptic Pope Shenuda III, will be attended by Islamist groups -- propelled to the centre stage of politics after a popular uprising ousted veteran president Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... in February.
The powerful Moslem Brüderbund -- long banned under Mubarak -- is to send its number two, Mahmud Ezzat, while the group's political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, will be represented by its leader Mohammed Mursi, the group said.
Last week, the Brotherhood announced it had set up popular committees to protect churches during the Christmas period "so that the hands of sin do not ruin the festivities like they did several times under the old regime."
Coptic Christians, who make up around 10 percent of Egypt's 82 million population, have been the target of frequent attacks and complain of systematic discrimination.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2012 00:00 ||
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Britain's newest warship is heading to the Gulf for its first mission at a time of tensions over Iran's threat to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key transport route for oil.
The Royal Navy's Type 45 destroyer HMS Daring, which has a "stealth" design to help avoid detection by radar, is to join other British ships in the region, the Ministry of Defence confirmed on Saturday.
Although its deployment has been planned for more than a year, it comes as Britain and its allies have expressed deep concern about Iran's threat to close the shipping lane through which 20 percent of the world's oil flows. Iran has threatened to take the move if it is hit with fresh sanctions over its disputed nuclear programme.
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said on a visit to Washington this week that both Britain and the United States would ensure that their response to any provocation was "very measured, that there isn't an accidental escalation".
But he added: "What we cannot answer for is whether there is a plan on the other side to escalate."
A Ministry of Defence spokesman in London said: "The Royal Navy has had a continuous presence East of Suez for many years, including the Armilla patrol and its successors since 1980.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/07/2012 15:59 Comments ||
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#2
As per CNN + FOX NEWS AM, the proposed Bammer USDOD Budget calls for keeping all eleven US CVNS, so methinks Britain + its RN, MoD will be crossing their fingers tightly in hope that nothing happens in the world, e.g. IRAN + FALKLANDS, until the CVF QUEEN LIZ-class comes on line.
Turkish FM Davutoglu dispels rumors of tension between the countries stemming from NATO missile shield in Turkey.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu vowed Thursday that his country would not allow attacks on Iran to be carried out from its territory, Turkish daily Hurriyet reported.
Davutoglu made the comments at a joint presser in Tehran with his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi.
The Turkish foreign minister attempted to dispel rumors that the NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the cut of the American pants... missile shield recently stationed in Turkey, should pose as a threat to Iran or damage relations between the countries.
Davutoglu stated that Turkey and Iran trust each other. "I certainly do not see Iran as a threat," Hurriyet quoted Davutoglu as saying.
The Turkish foreign minister arrived in Iran on Wednesday for talks with Salehi on Iran's nuclear program and developments in neighboring Iraq and Syria.
Davutoglu's visit was described as being in the framework of regular talks between the two ministers, but it comes at a key time for the region and relations between the two regional powers.
"It is intended that they will exchange views on topical subjects such as Iran's nuclear program and developments in Syria and Iraq," the Turkish foreign ministry said.
Davutoglu's visit was set to finish on Thursday.
Turkey is evaluating whether to seek a waiver from the United States to exempt Turkish oil importer Tupras from new US sanctions on institutions that deal with Iran's central bank, a Turkish official said on Tuesday.
US ally Turkey is among the biggest buyers of Iranian oil and gas. It gets about 30 percent of its oil from neighbor Iran, and Tupras, Turkey's biggest crude oil importer is a big buyer of Iranian crude.
#2
The Saudis are also a question mark despite the ongoing Sunni-Shia rivalry for OWG Caliphate domination - by extension, ditto [faulure?] as per the Arab League + proposed OWG-NWO Islamic/Muslim Union.
The World changed on 9-11, + IMO that means or infers that the Arab League + aligned [OIC, OPEC] must de facto begin to police its own Members.
At minimum, one of the major premises behind desired OWG-NWO Islamic Caliphate is PARITY in all things ASAP AMAP ALAP vee the JudeoChristian = Non-Muslim World, which the AL, etc. will fail at iff they keep letting the US-NATO lead in milactions agz "rogue" Muslim AL + other World States.
#3
ION TELEGRAPH.UK > THE BATTLE FOR THE PACIFIC WILL CHANGE THE WORLD, as per the US-vs-Rising China + new US Strategy.
On a higher scale, IMO its more correct to say that the competition in PACOAS + EAST ASIA vee US-VS-CHINA-VS-NUCLEAR-ISLAMISM will induce the US to decide whether to stay as World #1 or not.
SOLE GLOBAL SUPERPOWER/HYPERPOWER, versus so-called "MULTIPOLAR WORLD" WHERE THE US IS JUST ONE OF SEVERAL OR MANY.
It will be a NUKULAAR COMPETITION FOR POWER + INFLUENCE, between historically organized Nation-States; + Nuke-WMD/CBRN armed, highly decentralized, Asymmetric Groups + NGOS.
[Dawn] President Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari ... sticky-fingered husband of the late Benazir Bhutto ... has said that the PPP itself rejected writing a letter to Swiss court over cases against him and further stated it would be like having a trial over the grave of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. ... 11th Prime Minister of Pakistain in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996. She was the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founder of the Pakistain People's Party, who was murdered at the instigation of General Ayub Khan. She was murdered in her turn by person or persons unknown while campaigning in late 2007. Suspects include, to note just a few, Baitullah Mehsud, General Pervez Musharraf, the ISI, al-Qaeda in Pakistain, and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, who shows remarkably little curiosity about who done her in... "I ain't doin' it fer myself, see? It's for Morticia, may she rest in peace."
During an interview with a private television, President Zardari discussed a number of issues dealing with current issues that are plaguing his government.
Among the the subjects he gave his view on included the Memogate scandal, the alleged rift between the civilian government and the military, and the continuing tussle with the Judiciary.
Zaradri said that there was a great deal of hype surrounding the memogate issue and that it was overblown out of proportion. He said that the Parliamentary committee decision on memo case will be accepted.
He said that the civilian government had no problem with either the army or the judiciary.
The president said that Prime Minister Gilani's statement in the parliament over responsibility of giving the late Osama bin Laden ... who was potted in Pakistain... a visa was directed not at the military itself but rather towards former president Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... 's military dictatorship.
On the subject of Musharraf himself, the president stated that a trial against him should not be held because it would have a demoralising effect on the armed forces.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2012 00:00 ||
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Hamas' politburo is considering leaving Damascus and opening an office in Tunis, the Arab newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat reported.
Previous reports suggested the terror group was considering moving its politburo to Cairo or Oman. A spokesman for Tunisia's ruling Islamist Ennahda party said the establishment of Hamas offices in Tunis was a "done deal."
The Israeli military is gearing up together with U.S. forces for a major missile defense exercise, the Israeli military announced Thursday, as tension between Iran and the international community escalates.
The drill is called "Austere Challenge 12" and is designed to improve defense systems and cooperation between the U.S. and Israeli forces. It follows a 10-day Iranian naval exercise near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Israel's military said the drill with the U.S. was planned long ago and is not tied to recent events.
Both Israeli and U.S. officials said the exercise would be the largest-ever joint drill by the two countries.
The Iranian war games came as the West was adopting new sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear program, charging it is making weapons. Iran insists its program is peaceful.
Israel considers Iran a strategic threat because of its nuclear and missile programs and support of violent groups in Lebanon and Gaza, as well as frequent references by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Israel's destruction.
The Israeli military spokesman did not give a date for the drill Thursday, but a senior military official said it would be in the next few weeks. He said it would be the biggest missile defense drill ever held. He was speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
[An Nahar] A Fatah delegation was on Friday prevented from entering the Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,-controlled Gazoo Strip where they were to have held reconciliation talks with the Islamist movement, Fatah said.
The planned visit comes as Nabil Shaath, a member of Paleostinian President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... ' Fatah party's central committee, has been in Gazoo since January 2 for talks with Hamas leaders and other Paleostinian representatives on implementing a reconciliation deal.
"Hamas has denied the official presidential delegation entry to Gazoo," General Ismail Jaber, Abbas' adviser on security issues, told Agence La Belle France Presse by telephone.
"We came with good intentions to a part of the nation for the purpose of reconciliation, but at the (Hamas) checkpoint we were forbidden entry," said Jaber, a member of the delegation.
The group also included an Abbas adviser and two Fatah central committee members.
Jaber added that following the incident, the Fatah delegation returned to the West Bank.
But Hamas interior ministry front man Ihab al-Ghussein told AFP that there "was no ban on the Fatah delegation's entry."
"What happened is that they refused to wait a short period of time while the security forces at the checkpoint contacted their superiors," he said, claiming that one delegation member had cursed and insulted the security forces.
"The wait did not last more than ten minutes.
"We don't prevent anyone from entering, as shown by the arrival of Shaath, who has been able to work freely in Gazoo," Ghussein said.
Since 2007, the Paleostinian territories have been politically divided into two, with Fatah largely ruling the West Bank and Hamas governing Gazoo.
In April, following years of bitter rivalry, the two factions signed a reconciliation deal whose implementation has since stalled.
Last month, Abbas met Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal in Cairo and the two agreed on a process that would pave the way for the Islamist group to join a reformed Paleostine Liberation Organization and for long-delayed Paleostinian elections.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2012 00:00 ||
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Iran's nuclear chief, Fereidoun Abbasi says his country is willing to help what he called "friendly" African nations that have uranium reserves to set up facilities to process the ore into nuclear material.
TENSIONS on the shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf have escalated amid threats of an EU embargo on Iranian oil, with the announcement of new naval exercises by Iran and news that Israel and the US are planning to carry out their most extensive joint manoeuvres.
Britain is also sending its most formidable warship to the Gulf for its first mission as tensions rise in the strategically vital region.
The naval commander for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi, said the drill would be ''different compared to previous exercises held by the IRGC''.
The Iranian navy finished 10 days of exercises in the Gulf last week, during which it tested a range of new missiles. It warned that Iran could close the strait of Hormuz, the narrowest point in the Gulf, through which a fifth of the world's traded oil passes.
On the same day, the Israeli military said it was preparing for joint exercises with the US to rehearse missile defence and co-operation between the forces. The manoeuvres, which are codenamed Austere Challenge 12 and involve thousands of troops, have been planned for some time and were hailed by Israeli and US officials as their biggest ever joint drill.
Associated Press quoted an unnamed Israel official as saying the drill would test multiple Israeli and US air defence systems against incoming missiles and rockets.
Israel has developed the Arrow anti-ballistic system with the US, which is designed to intercept Iranian missiles in the stratosphere.
British naval commanders believe the deployment of HMS Daring, a Type 45 destroyer, will send a significant message to the Iranians because of the firepower and technology carried by the warship. UK Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has publicly warned Iran that any blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would be ''illegal and unsuccessful''.
The military activity in the region comes at a time of high tension. At the end of this month, EU foreign ministers are expected to agree to impose an embargo on Iranian oil imports, after a report in November by the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, confirmed Western allegations that Iran had worked on nuclear weapons design.
Iranian officials have made clear they would view an oil embargo as an act of aggression, and could respond by closing the strait. The US and UK have said they will act to keep the shipping lanes open.
The sabre-rattling over the strait drove the price of crude oil to more than $US100 a barrel.
Meanwhile, there is continual speculation that Israel might attack Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran says is for peaceful purposes, and which the West and Israel allege is a front for acquiring nuclear weapons, or at least a capacity to make them.
Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 6 -- Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) is set to carry out naval military maneuvers in February of 2012, Commander of IRGC's Navy Ali Fadevi said, Fars News Agency reported. Fadevi added that the maneuvers will take place in an area of Persian Gulf and the Hormuz Strait. Codename for these maneuvers is "Great Prophet VII".
The "Great Prophet IV" land exercises were held in Iran in June-July of 2011. During those, Iran introduced missiles launched from an underground launcher and tested the Fateh-10 missile.
Speaking about the "Great Prophet VII" maneuvers, Fadevi noted that "maneuvers will demonstrate the strength of IRGC", and also pointed out that "this maneuver will be different from the ones Iran held before".
Iran announced that the war drills are a "message of peace and friendship to countries of the region."
That's usually how Medes and Persians greet others, you know...
The Islamic Republic stated it felt no exterior threat, apart from the U.S. and Israel, and that the missiles pose no danger to Europe.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/07/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
"I got a bad feeling about this..."
- Han Solo
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/07/2012 7:22 Comments ||
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#2
What happened to Prophets V and VI? No, seriously, I want to know this information. I can just imagine all sorts great Ops for them. "Great Prophet V", the operation to make Dinnerjacket think he's taller by lowering the bathroom mirror!
Posted by: Charles ||
01/07/2012 7:52 Comments ||
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#3
Seriously, the USN needs to start doing a job on the Iranian navy, to lower their confidence level several rungs. The best way is probably for their warships to encounter unrepairable errors, so they have to be towed back into port.
[An Nahar] Former prime minister Saad Hariri Second son of Rafik Hariri, the Leb PM who was assassinated in 2005. He has was prime minister in his own right from 2009 through early 2011. He was born in Riyadh to an Iraqi mother and graduated from Georgetown University. He managed his father's business interests in Riyadh until his father's liquidation. When his father died he inherited a fortune of some $4.1 billion, which won't do him much good if Hizbullah has him bumped off, too. on Friday denied what he said was a "rumor" of a failed attempt Curses! Foiled again! on his life in the Saudi capital Riyadh. "No, no. I'm dead."
"You might have heard the rumor about my so-called liquidation in Riyadh. My presence here, now, is a natural denial of this lie," Hariri said in English on the social networking website Twitter.
"This is a political fabrication. Part of what they think is psychological warfare against us. Well, it doesn't and will never work," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
So if he didn't escape, does that mean he's dead?
[An Nahar] U.N. human rights ...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions... experts may train Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... observers monitoring the Syrian government's deadly crackdown on opposition protests, a U.N. front man said Thursday.
The announcement came the day after Qatar's prime minister sought help from U.N. secretary general the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... , saying the vaporous Arab League mission in Syria had made "some mistakes".
Ban and Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani discussed "practical measures how the United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... could assist the observer mission," U.N. front man Martin Nesirky told a briefing.
He said staff for U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay could help the Arab League observers.
"So this will be a small scale undertaking to train observers from the League of Arab states. This is something that is under discussion with the League of Arab states for the moment," Nesirky said.
Sheikh Hamad said after his meeting with Ban on Wednesday that the Arab League was conducting the first mission of this kind in Syria and "there are some mistakes."
The sheikh would not say what the mistakes were though Syrian opposition groups say the monitors have been kept under too tight a rein in the country and that hundreds of people have been killed despite the presence of the monitors.
"This is the first experience for us. I said we have to evaluate what sorts of mistakes" have been made, the Qatari prime minister said, according to the Kuwaiti news agency KUNA.
"There is no doubt for me. I can see there are mistakes, but we went there not to stop the killing but to monitor."
Arab League ministers are to discuss the mission at a meeting on Saturday. Sheikh Hamad said ministers "will see whether we can continue the mission or not and how we can continue the mission."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
Did you see that?
See what?
Ah...you've done this before. This'll be easy. Any good restaurants in town?
[An Nahar] Iran is to hold fresh military exercises in and around the strategic Strait of Hormuz within weeks, the naval commander of its powerful Revolutionary Guards was quoted as saying on Friday.
The maneuvers are to be held in the Iranian calendar month that runs from January 21 to February 19, the Fars news agency quoted Ali Fadavi as saying.
They will underline Iran's assertion that it has "full control over the Strait of Hormuz area and controls all movements in it," Fadavi added.
The announcement -- which narrowed down a timeframe for the exercises the Guards had previously only given as "soon" -- risked aggravating tensions with the West over the strait.
The waterway is the world's "most important chokepoint" for oil tankers, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administrations. Some 20 percent of the world's oil flows through the narrow channel at the entrance to the Gulf.
Iran's regular navy completed 10 days of wargames to the east of the strait, in the Gulf of Oman, early this week with tests of three anti-ship missiles.
Iran's military and politicians have warned they could close the strait if increased Western sanctions halt Iranian oil exports.
The navy has also warned it will react if the United States tries to redeploy one of its aircraft carriers to the waterway.
The Revolutionary Guards, who use high-speed skiffs mounted with missile launchers and other lightweight vessels, periodically hold maneuvers in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
The last ones took place in July 2011 and included the firing of several anti-ship missiles, including two Khalij Fars missiles with a range of 300 kilometers.
Fadavi did not give details of the new maneuvers.
"The 7th in the series of Great Prophet Maneuvers will be conducted in the area of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. They will have significant differences from the previous ones," Fars quoted him as saying.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
I assume observers are taking notes, once again, and the joint Israeli-Americanexercise will be modified accordingly. So nice of them to do so much of our work for us!
[An Nahar] The Damascus ...Capital of the last remaining Baathist regime in the world... -based chief of Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, was instrumental in getting Syria to accept an Arab observer mission into the country, the head of the Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... said on Friday.
Nabil al-Arabi was speaking in Cairo after talks with Khaled Meshaal, the exiled head of the Paleostinian Islamist group Hamas.
Meshaal "played a big role in advising the Syrians to sign the document," Arabi told news hounds.
"I had sent a letter with him to the Syrian authorities to say that it was essential to work in honesty, transparency and credibility to stop the violence in Syria," Arabi said.
A team of Arab League monitors has been in Syria since December 26, trying to assess whether Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs... 's regime is complying with a peace accord aimed at ending its deadly crackdown on dissent.
But critics say it has been completely outmaneuvered by the government and failed to make any progress towards stemming nearly 10 months of bloodshed.
Activists have called for the observer mission to admit its failure and hand over to the United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit...
The U.N. estimates that more than 5,000 people have been killed since the crisis erupted in March.
Meshaal arrived in Cairo late on Thursday for a one-day visit in which he also held talks with Egyptian officials about Paleostinian reconciliation efforts.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2012 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.
Afghanistan's Taliban 
A massive plan to protect Egyptian churches swung into action on Friday as Coptic Christians prepared to celebrate their first post-revolution Christmas, with Islamist leaders attending for the first time.
Turkish FM Davutoglu dispels rumors of tension between the countries stemming from NATO missile shield in Turkey.
Asif Ali 
Pervez 
A Fatah delegation was on Friday prevented from entering the 
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
Iran is to hold fresh military exercises in and around the strategic Strait of Hormuz within weeks, the naval commander of its powerful Revolutionary Guards was quoted as saying on Friday.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
