[Naharnet] Morocco denied on Saturday accusations by Amnesia Amnesty International that security forces tortured six men who were jugged ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... after a demonstration calling for the independence of Western Sahara.
The Sahrawis were arrested on May 9 in connection with a protest that took place five days earlier in Laayoune, the main city in disputed Western Sahara, which turned violent.
Amnesty said the men, aged between 17 and 30, were charged with violence against public officials, obstructing traffic, taking part in an armed gathering and damaging public property.
All six "told the investigative judge that they had been tortured and otherwise ill-treated and that their 'confessions' were extracted under torture in police custody," the group said on Thursday.
The interior ministry, in a statement carried by the MAP news agency, denied the men were tortured.
"What was reported is nothing but pure lies," it said.
It also dismissed claims by Amnesty that the youngest detainee, 17-year-old El Hussein Bah, had been threatened with rape.
Bah "met the prosecutor general twice... and he did not witness any sign of torture or violence," the ministry said.
Amnesty said on Thursday that Bah "alleged that coppers pressed a urine-soaked sponge against his face and pulled his trousers off before threatening him with rape."
If convicted the men face up to 10 years in prison, Amnesty said.
The protests, in Laayoune, Smara and Boujdour on May 4 and 5 were some of the biggest the Western Sahara has witnessed in decades, with 2,000 activists marching in the main city alone, according to the official CNDH rights group.
The Western Sahara is a highly sensitive subject in Morocco, which annexed the former Spanish colony in 1975 in a move never recognized by the international community.
Tensions have been running high in the territory since the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution last month extending the mandate of the U.N. peacekeeping mission but omitting a U.S.-backed plan to task it with human rights When they're defined by the state or an NGO they don't mean much... monitoring.
The proposal was dropped after furious lobbying by Morocco, which has been proposing broad autonomy under its illusory sovereignty for the phosphate-rich territory.
The pro-independence Polisario Front insists on the Sahrawis' right to a referendum on self-determination.
[Naharnet] The head of the EU military committee said on Saturday he was "confident" in the ability of the first Mali battalion being trained by Europe to battle the Islamist insurgency raging in the north.
General Patrick de Rousiers told news hounds in the capital Bamako he had encountered "professional and extremely competent personnel" after visiting the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... Training Mission (EUTM) in Mali.
"I'm enthusiastic because (the trainers) are satisfied with the Malian troops," said de Rousiers, adding that he was "confident" because "the battalion was at an extremely high professional level".
The EU began a top-to-toe overhaul of Mali's weak, ragtag army in April to help the west African nation take over from foreign troops defending it against Islamist bully boys.
Around 700 Malian troops have gathered in Koulikoro, 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Bamako, to train under European instructors as part of a wider effort to bring the army up to scratch as quickly as possible.
La Belle France, which sent 4,500 troops to its former colony in January to block an advance on the capital from the north by al-Qaeda-linked fighters, is the lead country in the mission.
Gay Paree is preparing to hand over to a U.N.-mandated African force in the coming weeks, placing a spotlight on Mali's poorly-paid, ill-equipped and badly-organized armed forces.
The Malian military fell apart last year when well-armed Islamist snuffies seized the country's vast northern desert, terrorizing locals with amputations and executions performed under a brutal interpretation of sharia Islamic law.
The French-led intervention quickly drove out the faceless myrmidons but significant pockets of resistance remain in the northern desert.
Around 2,500 of an estimated 5,000 Malian troops will train over the next 15 months with the EUTM, which will run on a budget of 12.3 million euros ($15.8 million).
The United States had initially begun an ambitious program to train a new generation of Malian officers as part of a counter-terrorism program in North and West Africa but the effort ended in embarrassment for Washington.
One of the officers who attended several courses with the U.S. military, Captain Amadou Sanago, led a coup against the Malian government last March, prompting Washington to suspend its security assistance.
And when Death Eaters pushed out of the north last year, some of the Malian army units ended up defecting, with weapons and hardware falling into the hands of Islamist myrmidons.
French General Francois Lecointre, who heads the EUTM, said past failures had been taken into account to help the mission establish its training methodology.
[Nahaenet] A senior Mali army officer accused La Belle France Saturday of picking favorites among the country's warring militias after its troops attacked Arab rebels who had captured a village from armed Tuaregs.
The intervention came on Friday after the Arab Movement of Azawad (MAA) took the northern desert settlement of Anefis from the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), a Malian and another African military source said.
But the Malian source, a senior member of the war-torn west African nation's army, described the French intervention as "a bit of a mess".
"La Belle France and its partners must treat all illegally-gangs in northern Mali equally. There should not be any favor or preference for the MNLA," he said.
"The MNLA is an illegal gang and must be treated as such."
Mali called in French troops in January to halt an Islamist advance on the capital Bamako.
French and African troops have since pushed the al-Qaeda-linked forces of Evil into desert and mountain hideouts, from where they are staging guerrilla attacks.
The criticism comes as La Belle France begins winding down its force of nearly 4,500 in Mali to 1,000 troops who will maintain responsibility for military strikes against the Islamists.
"I am a soldier. I leave the political management to the politicians. I'm talking militarily. Let's refuse to support the taking up of arms by illegal groups," the Malian officer added.
"This is contrary to democratic principles touted by La Belle France."
It was not immediately clear if there were casualties in the festivities in Anefis, a town of around 5,000 people 120 kilometers (75 miles) southwest of the MNLA-held city of Kidal.
The MNLA initially led the takeover of northern Mali last year in a bid to split the region from the south, where the government in Bamako has long marginalized their community.
Fighting alongside Ansar Dine (Defenders of the Faith) and backed by the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, the Tuaregs were then swiftly pushed aside and the alliance collapsed, with many MNLA fighters instead defecting to Islamist rebel groups.
The vacuum left by the Islamists' retreat has allowed the MNLA to regain a foothold in the area, with Arab groups such as the MAA also staking a claim on the region.
[Naharnet] Tunisian security forces deployed in strength on Saturday after Salafist movement Ansar al-Sharia ...a Yemeni Islamist militia which claims it is not part of al-Qaeda, even though it works about the same and for the same ends... called on its hardline Islamist supporters to defy a government ban on its annual congress.
There was a heavy police presence at tollbooths along the main highway from the capital to the central city of Kairouan where the Salafists ...Salafists are ostentatiously devout Moslems who figure the ostentation of their piety gives them the right to tell others how to do it and to kill those who don't listen to them... have vowed to hold Sunday's gathering, Agence La Belle France Presse correspondents reported.
Police were singling out for checks the private minibuses that ply between Tunisian towns, with special attention paid to men with beards, as sported by Salafists.
Inside the city, helicopters hovered overhead and police checkpoints were set up, while special units were deployed in the square facing the mosque which is the venue for the congress.
A local police officer, declining to be named, said: "We have taken all measures to ensure the meeting does not go ahead... We will not allow those coming for this congress to enter the city."
Meanwhile, ...back at the argument, Livia had made her point with her knee to Jane's stomach... maps were posted on Facebook pages close to the Salafist movement locating the checkpoints and possible routes to avoid them.
Ansar al-Sharia had urged its supporters to travel to the venue in groups in a bid to get past police.
"We advise our brothers coming to Kairouan to travel in groups and not to be separated because the agents of the tyrant are blocking most intersections and provoking our brothers by showing their weapons," it said on its Facebook page.
In Tunis, large numbers of police vans and army trucks were visible both in the city center and in neighborhoods regarded as Salafist strongholds.
As tensions mounted, a U.S. embassy travel advisory warned Americans against travelling to Kairouan, saying "large rallies and demonstrations are possible" if the congress goes ahead.
"There is the potential for disruption to traffic in the area of Kairouan and possible confrontations with security forces. The embassy recommends against all travel to Kairouan during this period."
The Salafists have been blamed for a wave of violence across Tunisia, including an attack on the U.S. embassy in September that left four assailants dead.
Ansar al-Sharia is considered the most radical of the bully boy groups that emerged after the 2011 revolution that ousted veteran strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
The group's runaway leader, Saif Allah Bin Hussein, a former al-Qaeda fighter in Afghanistan, warned last week he would wage war against the government led by moderate Islamist party Ennahda, accusing it of policies in breach of Islam.
The interior ministry on Friday said Ansar al-Sharia posed a threat to public order as it confirmed the ban on the planned congress.
"We have decided to prohibit this gathering, which would be in violation of the law and because of the threat it represents to public order," it announced.
Ahead of the ministry's announcement, Ansar al-Sharia, which does not recognize the authority of the state, warned that it would hold the government responsible for any violence.
"We are not asking permission from the government to preach the word of God and we warn against any police intervention to prevent the congress from taking place," front man Seifeddine Rais said.
Rais said more than 40,000 people were expected to attend.
The interior ministry retorted that "all those who defy the authority of the state and its institutions, who try to sow chaos, who incite violence and hatred will bear all the responsibility".
It promised a tough response to "anyone who tries to attack the forces of order" and said the police and army are on "high alert to protect the security of citizens and their property".
Salafist group Hizb ut Tahrir condemned the interior ministry ban but also appealed to Ansar al-Sharia to postpone the congress to avoid bloodshed.
"We say to Ansar al-Sharia that we consider it wise and a priority to announce the postponement of the congress, placing the whole responsibility for it on the government," the group said in a statement.
Otherwise, "Sunday will be a day of bloody confrontation."
The Salafists, who advocate an ultra-conservative brand of Sunni Islam, have been blamed for a spate of attacks on police in recent months.
[Naharnet] Several government Internet sites have come under "coordinated and simultaneous" cyber attack, an information security front man in the oil-rich kingdom reported on Friday.
The front man said among them was the interior ministry website brought down for an hour on Wednesday after being targeted in a so-called denial of service attack from "hundreds of IP addresses in different countries".
The kingdom's information security center has begun an inquiry into how to counter such attacks and reduce their impact on online services, he said in a statement.
In August, Saudi oil giant Aramco was the target of a cyber attack that the authorities said was aimed at halting production in the world's largest crude oil exporter.
[Naharnet] Yemen's air force has been the target of "sabotage", the country's military aviation chief said in a televised interview, days after a fighter jet crashed in the capital Sanaa.
"The air force is the target of systematic sabotage," General Rashed al-Janad told the private channel Al-Saida in the interview broadcast late on Friday.
He said the Sukhoi SU-22 that crashed in Sanaa last Monday, killing the pilot, was caused by "shots hitting the aircraft" as it prepared to land at a base next to the capital's airport.
"The black box of the aircraft was hit" in the attack, he said without giving further details. He quoted witnesses as saying the jet had went kaboom! 50 meters (yards) above the ground.
The air force said it would open an investigation into the crash, the second time a Sukhoi jet has crashed over the capital since the start of the year.
On February 19, a Yemeni air force jet crashed into a residential area of Sanaa, killing 12 people, including the pilot.
Janad said an Antonov M26 that came down north of Sanaa in November 2012 "had also been hit by shots that caused a fire in one of its engines".
He added that two other military aircraft, including a helicopter, had been fired on last November near Sanaa, although they had not been hit.
On Wednesday, an army helicopter carrying Transport Minister Ahmad bin Dagher had to make an emergency landing in the central Bayda province after it was shot at three times, Janad said in the interview, adding that security forces had enjugged Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! 12 men over the attack.
But Janad said these acts of "sabotage" took on a new dimension with the kaboom on May 6 of two refueling vehicles at Al-Anad air base in southern Yemen, the largest in the country.
"The aim was to blow up the base's fuel store, but the fire was quickly brought under control," he said.
Janad replaced a half-brother of ousted president Ali Abdallah Saleh as Yemen's air force chief a year ago, as part of a restructuring of the armed forces.
The general said those who had been affected by the restructuring may be behind the acts of sabotage targeting the air force.
Meanwhile, ...back at the abandoned silver mine, the water was up to Jack's neck and still rising. And then he smelled the smoke... President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi urged vigilance from the air force.
"We are fighting forces who do not want the best for Yemen, or security and stability in the country," he said in a visit to the air force's headquarters on Saturday.
Without giving further details, Hadi said these forces were "working to shake the unity of the army, but they will not succeed in their aims and they will be eradicated," official news agency Saba quoted him as saying.
Supporters of Saleh, who have been accused of hampering Yemen's political transition, were removed from top military and security posts after he left power in February 2012 following a year of widespread protests.
[Ynet] French anti-terror judges ordered the detention on Saturday of a man on suspicions he aided al-Qaeda-inspired Mohamed Merah prepare for a shooting spree that claimed the lives of four Jews and three soldiers in and around the southern city of Toulouse ...lies on the banks of the River Garonne, half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The Toulouse metropolitan area is the fourth-largest in La Belle France... last year, a judicial source said.
Anti-terror judges have put the unnamed 25-year-old tossed in the slammer Into the paddy wagon wit' yez! man under formal investigation to determine whether he helped Merah steal a scooter that was used in the shootings.
President Barack Obama will deliver long-promised remarks Thursday on the administration's counterterrorism policy and explain the legal framework behind the use of drones against terrorist threats, according to a White House official.
In his speech at the National Defense University, the president also plans to review the state of threats the country currently faces and efforts to close down Guantanamo Bay's detention facility, the official said.
After facing a barrage of criticism from both parties about the administration's secretive drone policy, Obama pledged in his February State of the Union address to work with Congress on the issue to ensure "that our targeting, detention and prosecution of terrorists remains consistent with our laws and system of checks and balances."
He also vowed to make the administration's efforts "more transparent to the American people and to the world."
A controversial memo leaked from the Justice Department in February confirmed the Obama administration considers drone attacks legal when it entails American citizens involved with al Qaeda or one of its affiliates overseas. While the policy paper had been shown to the Senate Intelligence and Judiciary committees last June, it only became public earlier this year.
#9
WEEKLY STANDARD > THINK-TANK ALIGNED WID OBAMA GETS READY FOR A NUCLEAR IRAN.
America = Amerika = proudly surrendering like France to anti-sovereign, "borderless" OWG-GFU + Debt-based Global Welfare-Nanny Statism + Global Nuclear Jihad since 2013???
SOON TO SURRENDER TO A NUCLEAR CALIPHATE NEAR YOU!
Wide-ranging sentences handed down in the yearslong federal investigation into recruiting and financing for the terrorist group al-Shabab have kindled a mix of outrage, confusion and relief among members of Minnesota's large Somali community.
Some say the 10- and 20-year prison sentences for two Minnesota women who sent money to the group were too harsh, especially since two men who traveled to Somalia and joined al-Shabab got three years. The attorney for one man sentenced to 20 years in prison has already filed a notice of appeal; more are expected.
But others say justice has been served, and authorities said the nine penalties doled out last week show that those who support terrorism will be held accountable.
"This misguided conduct is unacceptable," U.S. Attorney B. Todd Jones said in a statement. "It will continue to be prosecuted vigorously."
Prosecutors have said the men and women were part of a "deadly pipeline," sending money and men to the al-Qaida-linked group. At least 22 men left Minnesota for Somalia since 2007 in what has been called one of the largest efforts to recruit U.S. fighters for a foreign terrorist organization.
Authorities say the conspiracy began in 2007, when small groups of Somali men began holding secret meetings about returning to their homeland to wage jihad against Ethiopians. Ethiopian troops had been brought into Somalia a year earlier by its U.N.-backed government, but many Somalis viewed them as invaders.
[KTVB] An Uzbekistan national locked away Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! in Boise has pleaded not guilty "Wudn't me." in federal court to charges he conspired with a terrorist group on a scheme to use a weapon of mass destruction.
Fazliddin Kurbanov, 30, appeared before a federal judge at 8:30 a.m. He used an interpreter over the phone to communicate his not-guilty plea.
Kurbanov's trial is now set for July 2, 2013 at 9:30 a.m.
FBI agents and police raided Kurbanov's apartment on Cassia Street in Boise on Thursday after a grand jury issued a three-count indictment accusing him of federal terrorism charges.
Court documents show those charges are based on evidence Kurbanov conspired with a foreign terrorist organization in Uzbekistan, possessed an unregistered bomb, made shopping trips for bomb-making materials, conspired with others on how to make bombs, and showed instructional videos on the topic.
FEDERAL CHARGES IN IDAHO
According to U.S. district court documents, Kurbanov both conspired with individual hard boyz to carry out illegal activities and conspired with the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, a known terrorist organization. The charges state the Kurbanov also provided material support and resources to the organization, including computer software and money.
The indictment out of Idaho also states that Kurbanov possessed a hollow hand grenade stuffed with a hobby fuse, aluminum powder, potassium nitrate and sulfur on or about the time of Nov. 15, 2012.
FEDERAL CHARGES IN UTAH
A separate federal grand jury in Utah also returned an indictment charging Kurbanov with distributing information about explosives, bombs and weapons of mass destruction.
David Barlow, the U.S. attorney in Utah, said the grand jury alleges that Kurbanov provided written recipes for how to make improvised bombs and went on instructional shopping trips in Utah showing what items are necessary to buy to make the devices. He said Kurbanov also showed Internet videos on the topic.
The prosecutor declined to say whom Kurbanov took on the shopping trips in Utah but said that information will come out as the case moves through the courts.
Federal authorities tell KTVB Kurbanov will likely face the Idaho charges and any resulting trial period here in Boise before he faces the charges out of Utah.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
05/19/2013 00:00 ||
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[Jpost] US Secretary of State wants to restart Israeli-Paleostinian talks, will meet with Livni, Paleostinian leadership separately.
Utterly pointless, of course, but those Americans keep insisting on beating Israeli heads against that particular wall. Details at the link for those interested.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad welcomed US-Russia moves to initiate a peace plan for the country but swept aside the prospect of resigning from power, in an interview with an Argentinian newspaper.
"To resign would be to flee" he told Clarin, when quizzed on US demands that he step aside as part of a political settlement to the 2 year old Syrian crisis.
"I don't know if Kerry or anyone else has received the power of the Syrian people to talk in their name about who should go and who should stay. That will be determined by the Syrian people in the 2014 presidential elections."
"We have received the Russian-US approach well and we hope that there will be an international conference to help Syrians overcome the crisis," he said.
"We do not believe that many Western countries really want a solution in Syria. And we don't think that the forces that support the terrorists want a solution to the crisis," he added.
"We must be clear," he said. "There is confusion in the world over a political solution and terrorism. They think that a political conference will stop terrorism on the ground. This is unrealistic."
Diplomatic dialogue between the US, Russia and the Syrian opposition has increased in recent weeks, with the two superpowers leading efforts to bring together all parties for a peace conference within a month. However the Syrian opposition and the US have reiterated demands that Assad must step down as part of any settlement, while Russia has stated that there can be no such pre-conditions for talks to take place.
#1
And why not? Most of the "rebels" - like most islamic crazies, Soviets, left-wingers, and thers of pure motivation - refuse to negotiate until they get 90% of what they want up front.
Posted by: Bobby ||
05/19/2013 8:27 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Got to remember that vendetta is something a live and operative in that part of the world. Look at the Sunni and Shiites go at it next door. Unless one side can overwhelm and subordinate the other, there's not going to be any stable resolution.
'The Sunday Times' reports reconnaissance satellites reveal preparations made by the Syrian army to deploy surface-to-surface Tishreen missiles ready to fire at Israel should J'lem conduct another airstrike on the Assad regime.
The paper reports reconnaissance satellites has revealed preparations made by the Syrian army to deploy the missiles, that can each carry half a ton payload.
The paper quotes Israeli missile export Uzi Rubin as saying Syria has a lot of Tishreen missiles, and that should they fire them at Israel, they could potentially paralyze all commercial flights coming in and out of the country.
The report comes amidst a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the Middle East and Syria in particular after Israel allegedly carried out two airstrikes on several targets in Syria a couple of weeks ago.
#2
Israel is steadily becoming harder-pressed to match the expanding threats all around it.
* BHARAT RAKSHAK > ISRAEL: WE UNDERESTIMATED ASSAD'S STRENGTH, i.e. its willingness to fight for existential survival given the level + depth of penetration of Jihadi + Foreign MilTerr elements into Syria.
* SAME > WIKILEAKS: SAUDI ARABIA FEARS SHIA-LED IRAN, IRAQ, + PAKISTAN TRIPARTITE ALLIANCE.
[Jpost] Syrian president hits out at Israel in interview; says Israel is helping rebels target important sites.
Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Trampler of Homs... accused Israel of "directly supporting terrorist groups" in Syria, referring to rebels fighting against his regime, in an exclusive interview with Argentinian newspaper Clarin, which was shared with The Observer on Saturday.
"Israel is directly supporting the terrorist groups in two ways, firstly it gives them logistical support and it also tells them what sites to attack and how to attack them," The Observer quoted Assad as saying, in reference to recent alleged Israeli strikes on his country.
"For example, they attacked a radar station that is part of our anti-aircraft defenses, which can detect any plane coming from overseas, especially from Israel," he told Clarin's news hound Marcelo Cantelmi during the interview, held in the library of his palace.
Assad described international intervention as a "clear probability, especially after we've managed to beat back gangs in many areas of Syria."
Syrian President Bashir al-Assad accused Israel of "directly supporting terrorist groups" in Syria, referring to rebels fighting against his regime, in an exclusive interview with Argentinian newspaper Clarin, which was shared with The Observer on Saturday.
"Israel is directly supporting the terrorist groups in two ways, firstly it gives them logistical support and it also tells them what sites to attack and how to attack them," The Observer quoted Assad as saying, in reference to recent alleged Israeli strikes on his country.
'
"For example, they attacked a radar station that is part of our anti-aircraft defenses, which can detect any plane coming from overseas, especially from Israel," he told Clarin's news hound Marcelo Cantelmi during the interview, held in the library of his palace.
Assad described international intervention as a "clear probability, especially after we've managed to beat back gangs in many areas of Syria."
"Then these [Western] countries sent Israel to do this to raise the morale of the terrorist groups. We expect that an intervention will occur at some point although it may be limited in nature," he opined.
Assad denied reports that fighters from Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards had traveled to Syria to militarily aid the regime, but said that members of both groups had been "coming and going" long before the crisis began.
However, today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... he categorically stated, "we do not have fighters from outside Syria."
He also denied claims by the rebels that his regime had used chemical weapons, and purported that the West "lies and falsifies evidence to engineer wars."
He further rejected accusations that his army was using excessive force, asking his interviewer "How does one define excessive force? How can one decide whether excessive force has been used or not? What is the formula to be applied?"
A fair question. It must be remembered that Assad the Younger would still be happily fixing vision in London, had his brother not died unexpectedly. But all that other stuff is the rankest nonsense, designed to confuse the Arab masses.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
05/19/2013 00:00 ||
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[Telegraph] Iran has dispatched one of its newest warships to shadow the world's biggest mine-hunting exercise that has been taking place over the last few days in the Gulf.
The frigate Jamaran cruised to within a mile of the western vessels, placing her "almost on top of" the fleet conducting exercises to secure shipping, naval sources said.
Commanders stressed they did not view the frigate as a threat and said day to day relations with the Iranian navy were cordial, but its presence underlined the sensitivity of the exercise in one of the world's most strategically important waterways.
The Jamaran, armed with missiles and torpedoes, was built in Iran and launched in 2010, though it is based on a far older design.
Capt Jon Rodgers, commander of the USS Ponce which is one of 35 ships taking part in the exercise, said the Iranian and American navies regularly photographed each other as the two navies - widely seen as potential foes - run up against one another in the congested waters which many believe could be a future flashpoint.
He said: "As long as we are only taking pictures, then we are good."
The fortnight-long exercise in the Gulf has seen 41 nations take part in drills aimed at protecting shipping from mines, attack by small ships and guarding oil platforms. Most of the vessels belong to NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... members but Australia and some Arab states have also contributed ships.
The organisers say the exercise is purely defensive and deny it is aimed at Iran, but Tehran has repeatedly threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, a key strategic chokepoint that is just 25 miles wide at its narrowest point, in a move which would send oil process soaring, deal a heavy blow to the world economy - and would provoke a military clash.
Capt Rodgers said: "The mission of mine counter measures is defensive in nature and we are not belligerent here. We are just practising to open up a waterway that may have been mined, so that oil and gas can get out to countries."
Six British ships are among the vessels taking part in the exercise in which participants are practising securing passage through a stretch of water 250 miles long and 50 miles wide.
The Navy has four mine hunters in the Gulf at any one time, equipped with divers, sonar and Seafox remote controlled underwater drones to find and destroy mines.
Lt-Cdr Ben Vickery, commander of the mine hunter HMS Atherstone, plastic-hulled to prevent it triggering an kaboom, said: "It's something at which the Navy is world leading. It's an area where we have got great pieces of equipment and we are well supported."
The congested Strait carries nearly a third of all waterborne oil supplies, amounting to between 15 and 17 million barrels daily. A single mine costing a few thousand dollars could cripple a billion dollar vessel. Mines were used heavily during the Iran-Iraq war and the first Gulf war, and nine nations in the region still keep stocks.
Crews also held drills to protect shipping against the threat of terrorist suicide kaboom by small bomb-laden boats such as the one which struck the USS Cole in Aden in 2000. The ships bristled with mini-guns and heavy machine guns that would be used to unleash a barrage of fire against waves of attacking small craft, a tactic that has been rehearsed by Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
Cdre Simon Ancona, the Navy officer leading the exercise, said: "It's not one single threat, it's anything that could have a catastrophic effect on big value shipping. That's the thing that has such a huge impact on economies."
Such an attack would send energy markets into an instant panic he predicted, potentially costing billions.
Right now, though, he said relations with the Iranian navy were "polite, professional and reasonably cordial".
"In no sense do we feel that either side has an inclination, or indeed is it in their interest, to sabre rattle or be provocative.
"Neither side would wish an incident of miscalculation."
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.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
