LONDON - Britain is to withdraw the recently purchased Vector armored vehicle from operations in Afghanistan after admitting it is too vulnerable as roadside bombs get bigger. The MoD bought nearly 200 of the protected patrol vehicles for units in Afghanistan and Iraq, rushing the first ones into service in early 2007 to replace Snatch Land Rovers in which several British troops had been killed by roadside bombs.
An MoD spokesman confirmed the intention to withdraw the vehicle in a May 1 statement. "Since its introduction to theater, the evolving threat from larger improvised explosive devices on operations has led to a requirement for more medium and heavy capability vehicles to withstand these devices," the spokesman said. "Following the delivery of Mastiff 2, Ridgback and vehicles from the protected mobility package announced [by the MoD] in October 2008, we intend to withdraw Vector from operations in Afghanistan. This will be a phased withdrawal and will not lead to any capability gap."
Sources said many of the six-wheel-drive Vectors are already sitting in vehicle parks, unused by troops who have moved to the more heavily protected Force Protection Cougar vehicle, known in British Army service as the Mastiff.
Vector has attracted increasing criticism in the media for its vulnerability to roadside bombs. The vehicle has also suffered unreliable front hubs and other technical problems. BAE Systems fixed that problem at its own expense.
Defence Secretary John Hutton called the Vector the least successful of the armored vehicles purchased by the MoD under the urgent operational requirements procurement process. "Mistakes were probably made there," he told the parliamentary Defence Committee here April 28.
BAE, which acquired Vector builder Pinzgauer as part of a wider purchase of Armor Holding in the U.S., still has to deliver about 20 vehicles it is assembling at its Newcastle factory in northeastern England. BAE said it would "continue to support the Vector vehicles in British Army service."
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/03/2009 14:21 ||
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#1
Pinzgauer?
I want one. I drove one when I was visiting Colorado. Now that i live here, I may go get one.
Insurgents are actively seeking to bring down one of the eight Chinooks operating in Afghanistan, which routinely carry more than 40 armed troops, in the hope it will weaken Britain's resolve to continue the campaign in Helmand.
In the last fortnight coalition forces have destroyed four anti-aircraft guns mounted on trucks averting a potential disaster.
Intelligence sources suggest that the Taliban's surface-to-air missiles have been made redundant by sophisticated jamming systems fitted to every British aircraft. The insurgents have now resorted to the tactic of using AAA (anti-aircraft artillery) that was highly successful during Soviet occupation and are actively seeking to buy the weapons. Using a twin barrelled 14.5mm cannons mounted on the back of a truck the Taliban would easily be able to destroy one of the eight slow moving Chinook helicopters operating in Afghanistan.
An operational helicopter commander said "any British helicopter" would be a high priority target for them but "a Chinook would be a great coup, a bonanza".
"We have been extremely lucky so far with a mixture of tactics and a combination of good risk assessment," he added. "But as something that keeps me awake at night the loss of a Chinook would be the most recurring nightmare."
Every Chinook flight is always escorted by Apache attack helicopters as a further layer of security.
Within the space of 12 hours local villager reported two ZPU-1s (anti-aircraft guns) mounted on the back of pick-ups trucks were destroyed by US aircraft in the Nad-e-Ali district close to the town of Lashkar Gah where the British brigade headquarters is based and is frequently visited by Chinooks, often carrying VIPs. The weapons were loaded and ready to fire in an area which has been a focus of heavy fighting between British forces and the Taliban in recent months.
A few days later the deadly twin-barrelled ZPU-2 model appeared on April 25 and was destroyed followed a day later by another ZPU-2 towed by a tractor that was taken out by Hellfire missiles fired from a Reaper drone.
The Taliban almost had a "spectacular" success when they hit a British Chinook which was carrying Gulab Mangal, the governor of Helmand, with AAA hidden in a wadi dry river bed. The pilot, Flt Lt Alex Duncan was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for landing the aircraft safely after a round punched a large hole in a rotor and damaged the hydraulics.
As all four weapons were destroyed it has been difficult for forensic analysis to be carried out on their origins. But there is some intelligence that suggests the guns were of Chinese origin and might have been bought from arms dealers in Iran and slipped across established smuggling routes through its border into Afghanistan.
There is confirmed intelligence that Taliban have been in the market for AAA weapons for the last year and could have purchased the weapons from Hezbollah, Pakistan or even China. The insurgent's treasury has been substantially boosted by the opium trade that is said to raise £40 million for fighting.
"The destruction of this anti-aircraft weapon without a doubt saved the lives of Afghan and Coalition forces," said a US military spokesman.
Helicopters are critical in covering the vast distances in Helmand to deliver supplies, troops and medical evacuation.
Originally produced by the Soviet Union immediately after the Second World War, the single barrelled ZPU-1 and double barrelled ZPU-2 machine guns were feared by US helicopter pilots in the Vietnam War.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/03/2009 14:19 ||
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It is generally not a good idea to try and frighten helicopter pilots. It tends to make them moody, and a lot more lethal.
with missiles, one of those lovely Tommy gun thingies, and the knowledge how to use them very effectively. What do you s'pose their slogan would be? "One Texas Ranger, one riot," or "If you run away, you'll only die tired," are in the same general direction, I think.
[RFE: Afghanistan] One of the top candidates expected to bid to unseat Afghan President Hamid Karzai withdrew abruptly from the election race on May 2, dealing a blow to opposition hopes of fielding a contender with a broad enough base to win. The Taliban got their start by hanging some of Gul Agha's myrmidons for raping young girls.
Karzai, who travels next week to meet U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington, confirmed on April 27 that he will stand for another term in an election on August 20. "Oh, yasss! Who could run the country better than I?"
Candidates have one more week to register, and opponents of the president have met privately to try to field a unified slate. Gul Agha Sherzai, popular governor of Nangarhar Province in the country's east and a former anti-Soviet guerrilla commander, had been in talks to head up a broad opposition ticket with two vice presidential candidates that would span ethnic lines. I dunno. Maybe the brute is popular. Afghanistan's a funny country, just not "funny ha ha." Either that, or he told the guy who wrote this that he was popular.
But he told a news conference in the provincial capital Jalalabad that he had met Karzai and been persuaded not to run. "I visited the king president, and hugged his little crown prince son and decided to withdraw my candidacy for the presidential elections," the Pakistan-based news agency Afghan Islamic Press quoted him as saying. "As a gesture of friendship and esteem, Hamid gave me gifts of gold and silver and the lips of three of my enemies."
"I will neither lead this alliance nor announce my candidacy for the presidential election." "I don't want him to give my lips to somebody else."
Sherzai also said he would resign as governor. But Karzai rejected his resignation... "Really. I'll step down. You don't have to have me killed."
"No, no! I have your heart in this jar, so the rest of you can continue as you've been doing."
... and heaped him with praise. And gold and jewels. And lips.
"Hamid Karzai sees Gul Agha Sherzai as a very fine and hardworking governor and a good advisor, and rejects his resignation," the presidential palace said in a statement. How things change. After Mullah Omar was tossed, Hamid appointed somebody else -- I've forgotten who, but I could look it up here -- as governor of Kandahar. Gul Agha showed up and ran the guy out of town, resuming his old position. Hamid couldn't do a thing about it.
"The president of Afghanistan appreciated Gul Agah Sherzai's announcement he will not run in the presidential election, and called it a positive step toward improving the government and unity of the people of Afghanistan." "Unity" implies no differences of opinion. Afghanistan is a country where differences of opinion are part of the culture. It's also a country that's used to being ruled, rather than governed.
Defections appear to have left the opposition in disarray as the election draws closer. Hamid is actually smarter than people give him credit for being. He's also more corrupt, and people give him a lot of credit for being corrupt.
Sherzai is a prominent member of Karzai's own Pashtun ethnic group, Afghanistan's largest.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/03/2009 00:00 ||
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[Maghrebia] A Moroccan NGO and a global Christian organisation recently joined forces for a Casablanca forum on how non-governmental groups can support the fight against terrorism. The Forum for Dignity in Human Rights (FDDH) and Pax Christi International invited contributors from various Arab countries to meet on Saturday (April 25th) to discuss the "reconciliatory approach and its importance in settling the issue of terrorism".
Both FFDH and Pax Christi International hold that dialogue and persuasion are the tools that must be used to fight terrorism.
"Pax Christi has been working for a year to encourage civil society, both internationally and in Morocco, to take the initiative in finding other solutions in the fight against terrorism," Pax Christi representative Gijsbert Van Iterson Scholten told Magharebia.
"We're a movement for peace and we believe it's important for civil society to be an actor in these debates," he added. "We organised this chance to think about the issue, inviting other Arab countries that have adopted a reconciliatory approach to contribute their experiences."
FDDH Chairman Mustafa Ramid stated that the meeting intended to draw Moroccan authorities' attention to the importance of opening up a dialogue with Salafists, with the aim of fighting terrorism.
"In Saudi Arabia, there are two processes for dialogue with terrorist supporters," said Nawaf El Kadimi, a journalist. The first involves advisory committees whose members speak with imprisoned terrorists. The second process involves young graduates of Sharia schools who seek to challenge the beliefs of participants of some 200 extremist web sites and forums.
"This operation was more fruitful that the actions undertaken by the interior ministry," said El Kadimi.
Nabil Abdelfatah, from the Al Ahram Centre for Strategic Study and Research in Egypt, explained that the State was the one to launch the process of engaging in dialogue with different movements, with good results.
"We think that the security approach is not the way to fight terrorism," stated Ramid. "While this approach has a beneficial side, which is improving State security, it can claim many victims, particularly because of trials where some of the elements of due process are missing."
It is therefore necessary to combine the security approach with a reconciliatory one, to allow debate with all those who have been sentenced as part of the fight against terrorism, he added.
Ramid stressed that a distinction should be made between Salafist detainees who have committed terrorist acts, those who hold extremist views but have never put them into action, and individuals who once held extremist views but have since changed their views.
Former Salafist detainee, Abdelali Alam was keen to speak about the reconciliatory approach. He said that a great many of the detainees have never committed a crime. "Now ideological crimes can only be combated with ideas," he said.
In Morocco, however, "the conditions for such a dialogue are not yet in place", argued Mohamed Darif, an expert in politics and a specialist in Islamist movements. "The State does not seem to be ready."
Darif explained that the Salafists are not organised in such a way that they could put forward a representative to speak to the State, as has been the Egyptian experience.
Furthermore, some Salafist groups in Morocco do not advocate the use of terrorism to defend their ideas. Rather, Darif stressed, "They feel it is the state which must change its position towards them."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/03/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Or we could kill the terrorists. I like that idea better.
CAIRO Yemen's special forces have reported a major success an anti-pOfficials said Yemeni special forces have succeeded in capturing four ships seized by Somali pirates. The forces, trained by the United States, were said to have killed three pirates and captured another 11 in the attack on a Yemeni oil tanker seized in the Gulf of Aden, Middle East Newsline reported.
"A team of the special commandos stormed the vessel at 5 a.m. [April 27] and fought the pirates, shooting three of them dead," the Defense Ministry said.
The special forces also captured three other Yemeni vessels seized by Somali pirates on April 26. The battle took place in the Arabian Sea about 16 kilometers off the coast of Yemen.
Officials said Yemeni special forces fought the pirates for two days for control of the oil tanker, Qana. They said at least five pirates were killed, and the tanker, with a crew of 23, was then taken to Aden.
This marked the first biggest success by the Yemen Coast Guard in rescuing vessels seized by Somali pirates. In February 2009, Sanaa joined a U.S.-led naval task force to battle piracy in the Gulf, Arabian Sea and Red Sea.
The United States has financed the Yemen Coast Guard. Since 2003, Sanaa has sought to build a 40-vessel fleet.
The Defense Ministry said Yemeni Marines and special forces were transported by helicopter in the attack on the pirates. The ministry said two of the Yemeni troops were injured.
WASHINGTON (AFP) US President Barack Obama said Friday his administration was "especially concerned" about the detention of two US journalists in North Korea and one in Iran.
"We are... especially concerned about the citizens from our own country currently under detention abroad: individuals such as Roxana Saberi in Iran, and Euna Lee and Laura Ling in North Korea," Obama said in a statement marking World Press Freedom Day on May 3.
I'd like more than just a one-line statement but this is, at least, a start ...
He also said he was using the occasion to "sound the alarm about the growing number of journalists silenced by death or jail as they attempt to bring daily news to the public."
US-Iranian reporter Saberi, who marked her 32nd birthday in jail Sunday, was sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of spying for the United States, allegations Washington says are unfounded. Her father, Reza Saberi, told AFP in Tehran that his daughter was now into her second week on a hunger strike, in which she takes only sugared water, and that despite losing lots of weight would keep up her protest until she is released.
Euna Lee, a Korean-American, and Laura Ling, a Chinese-American, were detained by North Korea March 17 along the Tumen River which marks the border with China. Pyongyang said Friday the two female journalists would stand trial on criminal charges, a move seen by some analysts as pressuring Washington to open direct dialogue. The North had previously said the pair would face trial for "hostile acts" and illegally entering the country.
Obama decried the jailing or active harassment of journalists that have taken place "in every corner of the globe," including China, Cuba, Eritrea, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe. "Emblematic examples of this distressing reality are figures like J.S. Tissainayagam in Sri Lanka, or Shi Tao and Hu Jia in China," he said.
Obama noted that since World Press Freedom Day was first celebrated in 1993, 692 journalists have been killed as they worked "to expose truth and enhance accountability around the world."
#1
Shouldn't they've stayed in USA---exposing vast right wing conspiracy by combat veterans? Or, at least, went to Gaza to report on Zionist oppression?
#5
And to the person who called me a stupid piece of fecal matter the last time I commented on this subject -- do yourself a favor and stay off the internet. Your stupidity is stunning and may cause self-inflicted injury.
#6
Emotions run quite high here from time to time Zorba. I'm sure it was only meant as emphasis, or simply a term of endearment. The ones look out for are not the ones who call you a POS or SOB in a blog or over a bar stool. They are the friendlies! Mind the silent ones.
#8
Obama doesn't give a shit but was told by his handlers "You should say something".
There, fixed it for you.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
05/03/2009 13:40 Comments ||
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#9
We're holding several Iranians captured in Iraq, and Iran is hoping for a 'prisoner exchange', same as in 2007. President Bush didn't blink then and sure enough, Iran eventually let the "Iranian-American" go, unharmed.
Jim is right about Obama, but I sure as hell hope he doesn't decide to any kind of exchange for Saberi, hunger strike or not. Dollars to donuts she'll write a glowing report of how well she was treated in Iran's most 'infamous' prison, just as her predecesor did.
#10
ION PAKISTANI DEFENSE FORUMS > IRANIAN HELICOPTERS ATTACK IRAQI KURDISH VILLAGES DESPITE US CONTROL OF AIRSPACE; + WAR IS COMING:PENTAGON ASKS US CONGRESS FOR WARTIME AUTHORITIES/POWERS FOR DEALING WITH PAKISTAN [OABAM ADMIN, USDOD desire to treat PK as a de facto US WAR/COMBAT ZONE = THEATER as per IRAQ 2003 + AFGHANISTAN], + PAKISTAN'S FOUR THEATRES OF WAR.
Before they were considered the country's premier example of homegrown terrorists, the three Duka brothers operated a business called National Roofing. Their advertisements featured the American flag and the slogan, "We roof America." They worked long hours and did jobs for free for the poor, their father said. Those are the men Ferik Duka talked about last week in federal court in Camden before each son - Dritan, Eljvir, and Shain - was given a life sentence.
"I told them who my sons are - hardworking people, good to the community, good to society," Duka said in an interview Friday at his Cherry Hill home. "Who did you nail? The people who build this country. You didn't nail terrorists, radicals."
All five men convicted in December of planning to attack Fort Dix were sentenced last week - four were given life terms - ending perhaps the government's highest-profile case of domestic terrorism. But afterward, relatives expressed no doubt that their loved ones are innocent. And many said they would continue to make their case.
"I'm not going to stop, even if I have to go to President Obama or the Congress just to see justice," Duka said. "If there is an investigation in this case, the truth will come out," added his fourth and youngest son, Burim.
Throughout the eight-week trial, which also ended with the convictions of Mohamad Shnewer and Serdar Tatar, opposing pictures of the defendants emerged. Prosecutors said the men were dangerous jihadists, training and planning for an armed attack on Fort Dix. The defense said they were alienated young men who had expressed some radical views but never intended to harm anyone. All five defendants also professed their innocence at their sentencings, some of them forcefully.
Some defense attorneys said that if their clients truly were radicals seeking martyrdom, they would have embraced the allegations, not denied them. Prosecutors were not moved by that argument. "They're more in the position of being . . . unsuccessful jihadists," acting U.S. Attorney Ralph Marra said. "I don't think any of us are surprised that they'd want to take back their words and actions."
The defense argued that both informants had goaded their clients into tough talk about jihad, and that the men had never formulated a plan to do anything. "This is war against Muslims," said Shnewer's father, Ibrahim. "If there is no Mahmoud Omar, there is no case. They sent the informant to innocent people." Attorneys for all five defendants filed notices last week that they would appeal.
This year, the Duka brothers said through their family that they wished to make their case to the media. Officials at the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia denied a request to interview the Dukas, citing security concerns.
Ferik Duka said that it was difficult to be a Muslim after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and that many Muslim friends had been afraid to go to court and speak in his sons' behalf.
Some Muslim advocates and groups have rallied around the case. Mauri Saalakhan, who runs what he called the small grassroots Peace and Justice Foundation near Washington, traveled to the sentencing. "What we witnessed today in the name of a quote-unquote war on terrorism was an atrocity," he said after the Dukas were sentenced. "These young men were entrapped."
Project SALAM, a small organization that tracks prosecutions of Muslims, also learned of the case and held an event April 23 in West Philadelphia. Lynne Jackson, a volunteer for Project SALAM, said the Fort Dix case had followed a pattern she had seen around the country of informants entrapping Muslims in phony conspiracies. "It's like a witch-hunt that's going on," she said. "It's such a waste of resources, and it ruins families."
The Duka family also has reached out to the Council on American-Islamic Relations. An official there said it would monitor the appeals process.
Marra invited Muslims who have concerns about the case to reach out to him, but he said anyone who thinks the Fort Dix defendants are innocent are "ignoring the evidence."
The defenses were based largely on the same recordings that prosecutors used. While the tapes were heavy with talk of jihad, they were dotted with instances when the men backed away from their hard-line discussions. "We are going to end up in jail for 30 years, 40 years for doing nothing, just talking," Dritan Duka said in one recorded conversation. "By talking, you cannot hurt nobody," Ferik Duka said.
The sentencing judge noted that the Duka brothers had expressed no remorse. "What are we going to show remorse for? We did nothing wrong," Burim Duka said. "They apologized for the stupid things they said."
Ferik Duka noted that the judge had mentioned how expensive the case had been to bring to trial. "This is just to justify their expenses," he said. "I don't find that human, destroying somebody else's lives for the expenses."
He said the case had devastated his roofing business, and now he must support his daughters-in-law and the six children of Dritan and Eljvir. "Now I have to fight for my kitchen table. I have orphans to feed," he said. "They destroyed me. I'm in bad shape right now."
#5
BAD according to the maxim "You shall not murder, Fucking brainwashed idiots (Also called "Religious Martyrs") to the rest of the world.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
05/03/2009 13:37 Comments ||
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#6
:...records show the Duka brothers had plenty of run-ins with police. From 1996 to 2006, Cherry Hill police charged Dritan Duka and Shain Duka with assorted disorderly persons offenses, including marijuana possession, improper behavior, prowling, disturbing the peace, and obstructing the administration of law. They were fined between $20 and $830 on various occasions and sent home, according to court records.
The three brothers were also issued about 50 traffic citations between 1997 and 2006 - more than 20 by Cherry Hill police - for speeding, driving without licenses, driving while on the suspended list, failure to appear in court, and other charges.
Lt. Bill Kushina Jr., the Cherry Hill police spokesman, said it was up to the arresting officer to decide whether to take the unlicensed Duka men into custody and impound their cars.
"It's not black and white. There's a lot of gray that goes into the decision," he said, adding that officers would be reluctant to pack traffic violators into the county's overcrowded jails."
Posted by: lord garth ||
05/03/2009 14:37 Comments ||
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#7
I'm a little bit surprised these boneheads were evem found guilty. When El Sayyid Nosair (who shot a rabbi with hundreds of witnesses identifying him) was found 'not guilty', his lawyer bragged it was largely due to "a jury of third-worlders" in NYC.
Doesn't bode well for our future in my opinion, but then I'm a minority to a majority of third-worlders in my state.
[Geo News] Pakistan on Saturday dismissed as "totally baseless" a report claiming that the country has shared its nuclear secrets with some countries. Foreign Office spokesman was responding to a report, "Pakistan Shares Nuclear Secrets" published in a foreign newspaper on April 30. "No such briefing ever took place," the spokesman said. "Pakistan's strategic assets were absolutely safe, given our robust multilayered Command and Control systems. Concerns, if any, over the safety of our strategic assets are, therefore, unfounded," the Spokesman said.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/03/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Ignore the Chinese nuke warhead blueprints marked w/ "Property of Pakistan" that Libya turned over.
Posted by: ed ||
05/03/2009 9:56 Comments ||
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The federal government has directed the Balochistan government to take stern action against the Taliban establishing hideouts in the camps of the Afghan refugees, BBC Urdu has reported.
According to a letter issued by the Interior Ministry to the Balochistan government, Taliban and other militant groups are establishing hideouts in Panjamai area of Mastung city of Balochistan to escape military action in the Tribal Areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The letter said these hideouts would provide an alternative route to the Taliban for cross-border movement, as their routes in the Tribal Areas were under threat from military operations. The Interior Ministry has also directed the authorities concerned in Islamabad and the other provinces to maintain a vigilant eye on refugee camps in their areas to ensure the Taliban do not attempt to establish their hideouts in those areas in a bid to further their control.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/03/2009 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani visited North and South Waziristan, said Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Saturday. Corps Commander Peshawar Lt. General Masood Aslam welcomed the Army Chief on his arrival in Miranshah. On the occasion Division Commanders of North and South Waziristan gave detailed briefing to General Kayani. The Army Chief met with army officers and personnel deployed in the area. Later, he laid floral wreath on the graves of Shuhda in Miranshah and offered Fateha.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/03/2009 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] The Awami National Party (ANP) has decided to close all its units and wards in Karachi. Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, ANP Sindh President Shahi Syed said the decision has been taken in view of the prevailing law and order situation in Karachi. He said his party remains committed to abiding by decisions taken in a high level meeting chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/03/2009 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] The administration of US President Barack Obama is reaching out to former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the chief rival of President Asif Ali Zardari, in hopes to find a way to strengthen the country's government, The New York Times reported late Friday.
Sharif, who served as Pakistan's prime minister twice during the 1990s, represents the Pakistan Muslim League-N.
Citing unnamed administration officials, the newspaper said on its website that because of his ties to Islamists, the US government has long held Sharif at arm's length.
But now some Obama administration officials say those ties could be useful in helping Zardari's government to confront the challenge from Taliban insurgents, the report said.
The Pakistani government ceded control of the nearby Swat valley to Islamists in February, signing a deal to allow religious hardliners to enforce Islamic law in the region in order to end a bloody two-year rebellion led by a radical cleric.
But instead of disarming as required under the deal, the Taliban instead pushed further south towards Islamabad, taking over large swathes of Lower Dir and Buner.
According to the paper, the US move reflects heightened concern in the Obama administration about the survivability of the Zardari government.
The head of the United States Central Command, General David Petraeus, has said in private meetings in Washington that the Pakistani government is increasingly vulnerable, The Times said.
No one in the administration is trying to broker an actual power-sharing agreement between Zardari and Sharif, the paper noted.
But administration officials say Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Richard Holbrooke, the special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, have both urged Zardari and Sharif to look for ways to work together, The Times said.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/03/2009 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] Tehreek-e-Insaf Chief Imran Khan Saturday said ban on his entry in Sindh province is unconstitutional. Talking to media, Imran Khan questioned under what law he is being barred from entering Sindh. He said there are cases against Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain in Britain. Imran Khan said it is the fourth time that he is being prevented from visiting Sindh.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/03/2009 00:00 ||
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The government has allotted 12 acres of land in Islamabad for the construction of Jamia Hafsa, a private TV channel reported. The channel quoted its sources as saying that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) had allotted the land in Sector H-8 of the federal capital for the construction of the seminary.
Lal Masjid cleric Amir Sadeeq told the channel that though the CDA had allotted the plot, the decision whether to accept it would be made by Lal Masjid chief cleric Abdul Aziz after he returned from umrah. He said the place adjacent to the Lal Masjid would be used for expansion of the mosque.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/03/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Guess that illegally constructed Mosque is now legal. Nice reward for armed insurrection against the state.
Posted by: john frum ||
05/03/2009 8:35 Comments ||
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sraeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has finally prevailed upon his own military bureaucrats in the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv to buy Raytheon's excellent Vulcan Phalanx super-fast heavy machine gun and guidance system as a defense system against very-short-range ballistic missiles.
Barak told the respected Israeli newspaper Haaretz April 20 that he had finally taken the plunge to buy the Vulcan Phalanx system, a mature technology effective up to 4 miles in range that has operated superbly well for the U.S. Army in Afghanistan and Iraq, for the Israel Defense Forces. It is expected to be deployed to guard Sderot and other Israeli communities in northwestern Negev that have been under bombardment for years from Gaza.
Israeli press reports have presented Barak as the hero who wanted to buy the Vulcan Phalanx before but was stymied by his own bureaucracy, but there appears to be a large element of spin control in those reports.
#3
This should be entertaining. Phalanx is essentially an automated radar-controlled gatling gun. With an engagement range of 4 miles, I'm (totally!) guessing rounds that miss travel at least half again as far. So the Paleos launch one of their big bottle rockets and Phalanx replies with a big shower of shrapnel 5~10 miles down range. How droll! And totally automatic. Don't forget your umbrella.
[Straits Times] TWENTY-THREE Philippine sailors abducted more than five months ago by Somali pirates returned home on Saturday for an emotional reunion with their families. Looking haggard but relieved, and led by their captain Abelardo Pacheco, the crew of the Philippine-flagged MT Stolt Strength was reunited with their families at Manila's international airport.
The vessel and its crew were released on April 21, ending a 162-day ordeal during which Pacheco said they survived on prayer and constantly feared for their lives.
'Daily life was always a combination of fear and helplessness, hopelessness. It was the most negative feeling one could experience,' said a teary-eyed Mr Pacheco, 62, a veteran of the seas with 41 years' sailing experience.
He said 'there were many attempts' made against the crew's lives as representatives of their vessel's owner, Sagana Shipping, negotiated a ransom. The amount eventually paid was not disclosed.
He said the pirates had threatened to shoot them if they tried to escape, and that there were times he had to put himself between his crew and the gunmen.
For second mate Roel de Guzman, the ordeal was a lesson in faith. He said he feared he would never again see his wife, Vilma, and their four children, aged eight to 16.
'But we prayed hard and we were not forgotten,' Mr De Guzman told AFP, as he tightly held his wife, who had waited for hours in the airport lobby.
The release of the Stolt Strength, one of the ships longest-held by Somali pirates, has raised hopes for dozens of kidnapped Philippine sailors.
The Philippines is the world's biggest supplier of sailors, with over 350,000 sailors manning oil tankers, luxury liners and passenger vessels worldwide.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/03/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
That's the way to go IDIOT, boost the pirates image.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
05/03/2009 13:31 Comments ||
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[Jerusalem Post Middle East] UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned that Hizbullah is making an effort to create "intimidation" in Lebanon ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for June, AFP reported late Monday. He was also quoted as voicing concern for Hizbullah activities in Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
In a report to the UN Security Council, Ban said, "The threat that armed groups and militias pose to the sovereignty and stability of the Lebanese state cannot be overstated."
"It creates an atmosphere of intimidation in the context of the upcoming parliamentary elections. It also undermines the stability of the region, and is incompatible with the objectives of Resolution 1559," he added, referring to a 2004 resolution which called for the "disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias."
The UN chief described the groups arsenal as "a direct challenge to the sovereignty of the Lebanese state and an obstacle for the conduct of the normal democratic process in the country."
On Friday, Ban condemned what he said was Hizbullah's interference in the affairs of another country. "I am alarmed that Hizbullah publicly admitted to providing support to Gaza-based militants from Egyptian territory," he said.
"Such activity indicates that Hizbullah operates outside Lebanese territory and beyond its stated national agenda. I condemn such unwarranted interference in the domestic affairs of a sovereign member state," he said.
Ban renewed his call for Hizbullah to disarm and to transform into "a solely political party."
The group has rejected local and foreign calls to disarm, saying its arsenal of weapons and rockets is needed to defend Lebanon against any Israeli attack.
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05/03/2009 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] Iran's Foreign Minister says detained journalist Roxana Saberi's appeal will be heard and considered based on justice and Islamic compassion.
"Any Iranian who violates the law will be prosecuted and Saberi is no exception to the rule," Manouchehr Mottaki said in a joint press conference with visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone on Saturday.
The 32-year-old Saberi, who has reported for the BBC, NPR and other media, was arrested in late January for working in Iran after her press credentials had expired.
The Iranian-American Saberi has been sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of spying for the government of the United States.
Nakasone, for his part, expressed concern over the fate of the freelance journalist. "Since her mother is Japanese... from a humanitarian perspective, we are following the case with concern."
Mottaki reassured his Japanese counterpart that Saberi's appeal would be considered based on justice and Islamic compassion.
Earlier on Wednesday, Deputy Head of the Iranian prosecutor's office judge Haddad said the jailed Iranian-American journalist has a chance of sentence reduction on appeal.
"The case will be reviewed by the court of appeal and amendments will be made to the sentence should there be room for amendments," said the judiciary official.
Saberi's father, Reza, claimed that Roxana is on the second week of a hunger strike, telling the panel that she is "extremely unhappy and is on a hunger strike".
Iranian Judiciary spokesman Alireza Jamshidi on Tuesday rejected reports about Saberi's hunger strike, saying she is in "good health".
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05/03/2009 00:00 ||
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[Khaleej Times] The powerful Lebanese group Hezbollah on Friday attacked an international investigation into the 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri, describing its work as politicised and dishonest.
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Iranian-backed Islamist movement, said in a televised address that this week's release of four Lebanese generals held since August 2005 in connection with the killing was "conclusive proof" that the international investigation had been unfair.
The Hague-based Special Tribunal for Lebanon on Wednesday ordered the release of the four generals seen as pillars of a Lebanese state dominated by neighbouring Syria at the time of the killing.
The generals were among a number of Syrian and Lebanese officials implicated in a preliminary report by the international investigation. The head of the inquiry at the time, Detlev Mehlis, requested their detention.
Syria has always denied any involvement in the assassination, which led to its military withdrawal from Lebanon. The generals always said they were innocent.
The prosecutor said in his filing to the court on Wednesday that an assessment of evidence had not proved sufficiently credible to warrant indictments due to inconsistencies in potentially key witness statements and a lack of corroborative evidence. [ID: nLT208083]
"After four years, the truth of the falsification and politicisation of the work of the international investigation commission has become clear," said Nasrallah, a close ally of Syria whose group backed the generals' campaign for freedom.
"Today, I hope that nobody will ask us in advance to accept anything from the prosecutor, or the international investigation, or the judges of the tribunal simply because it issued a correct decision two days ago," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/03/2009 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.
[RFE: Afghanistan] One of the top candidates expected to bid to unseat Afghan President Hamid Karzai withdrew abruptly from the election race on May 2, dealing a blow to opposition hopes of fielding a contender with a broad enough base to win.
Before they were considered the country's premier example of homegrown terrorists, the three Duka brothers operated a business called National Roofing. Their advertisements featured the American flag and the slogan, "We roof America." They worked long hours and did jobs for free for the poor, their father said. Those are the men Ferik Duka talked about last week in federal court in Camden before each son - Dritan, Eljvir, and Shain - was given a life sentence.
[Geo News] Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani visited North and South Waziristan, said Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Saturday. Corps Commander Peshawar Lt. General Masood Aslam welcomed the Army Chief on his arrival in Miranshah. On the occasion Division Commanders of North and South Waziristan gave detailed briefing to General Kayani. The Army Chief met with army officers and personnel deployed in the area. Later, he laid floral wreath on the graves of Shuhda in Miranshah and offered Fateha.
[Bangla Daily Star] The administration of US President Barack Obama is reaching out to former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the chief rival of President Asif Ali Zardari, in hopes to find a way to strengthen the country's government, The New York Times reported late Friday. 
The government has allotted 12 acres of land in Islamabad for the construction of Jamia Hafsa, a private TV channel reported. The channel quoted its sources as saying that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) had allotted the land in Sector H-8 of the federal capital for the construction of the seminary. 
[Khaleej Times] The powerful Lebanese group Hezbollah on Friday attacked an international investigation into the 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri, describing its work as politicised and dishonest.
