WASHINGTON - A top U.S. biodefense researcher apparently committed suicide just as the Justice Department was about to file criminal charges against him in the anthrax mailings that traumatized the nation in the weeks following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to a published report.
The scientist, Bruce E. Ivins, 62, who worked for the past 18 years at the government's biodefense labs at Fort Detrick, Md., had been told about the impending prosecution, the Los Angeles Times reported for Friday editions. The laboratory has been at the center of the FBI's investigation of the anthrax attacks, which killed five people.
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#3
I wasn't aware that you tell people that you're about to prosecute them. He committed suicide but he as easily could have run off to a country that lacks extradition to the U.S. -- say, for example, Iran.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/01/2008 8:27 Comments ||
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#4
If it's as easy for the top biodefense researcher working for the US government to jet off to Iran to avoid extradition as it is to swallow a handful of pills, we've got bigger problems.
#5
Given the option of suicide, or bankrupting your family and loss of pension benefits he did the right thing. There is no guarantee that he was the one, and he might not have had the strength to survive the circus that was to come, or he might have wanted to spare his wife the trauma. He could have been the next Dr. Hatfill, and I am sure that Dr.Hatfill for the return of the wasted years of his life would gladly exchange all the money he might receive. Few of us could have survived such an auto da fe.
#8
Given the option of suicide, or bankrupting your family and loss of pension benefits he did the right thing.
People died. The suicide looks too much like an admission of guilt. I suspect the survivors' attorneys will be bringing sufficient civil suits against the estate that there won't be much left after defence attorneys' fees are paid, let alone damages found.
#12
I'm certain that one person could have done this. I worked at USAMRIID, in the Bacteriology department where this guy worked. It would not have been difficult to remove several vials of frozen Anthrax from the hot suite - which was only P3 then - probalby higher now. I knew Bruce at the time (late 1980's), not well but I knew who he was. He hadn't completed his PHD work then, and I don't recall him being a nut-job, but 20 years is a long time. The article suggests to me that he had some type of mental illness.
#19
I knew Bruce at the time (late 1980's)...and I don't recall him being a nut-job...
According to this, his therapist took out a restraining order on him last week, saying that he'd made specific threats. It also says that he has had "issues" since his graduate days, and that he'd recently been committed (sounds like voluntarily committed) to some sort of mental facility (this one, if it means anything to those in the area).
I saw this in a LA Times article, which I can't find now, but here's a repeat from the SF Chronicle. His brother says:
"I was questioned by the feds, and I sung like a canary," Thomas Ivins said, referring to his efforts to describe his brother's personality and tendencies. "He had in his mind that he was omnipotent."
Waheed Ali, Sadeer Saleem and Mohammed Shakil visited the London Eye, the Natural History Museum and the London Aquarium while allegedly pinpointing potential targets during the trip seven months before the 2005 atrocity. The trio, from Beeston, Leeds, stood trial charged with conspiring with the four bombers and others unknown to cause explosions between November 17, 2004 and July 8, 2005. But following the three month trial at Kingston Crown Court, a jury of eight women and four men could not decide on their verdicts and have been discharged.
The jury had been told that Ali, 25, Saleem, 28, and Shakil, 32, visited places on December 16 and 17, 2004, which bore a "striking similarity" to spots where the bombs were detonated. Detailed 'cell site analysis' of mobile phone use, including calls to the London Tourist Board and various attractions, allowed the group's movements across London to be mapped.
The three defendants admitted making the visit but claimed it was an entirely innocent "social outing" and the purpose was for Ali to visit his sister. They told the jury they used the opportunity to see some of the capital's landmarks at the same time. All three defendants made no secret in court of their support for jihad and defending Muslim lands. But they claimed they did not advocate suicide bombings and had no idea about the July 7 plot.
#2
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I read this article to be saying the jury came back hung and not that these hard boyz were acquited or otherwise found not guilty.
"All three defendants made no secret in court of their support for jihad and defending Muslim lands."
These boyz supported the bombings. They should have their citizenship taken away and exiled (assuming they are citizens). There is no upside to allowing muslim immigration to any non-muslim contry.
BULLETIN: AT 1:59 PM EST RUSH LIMBAUGH REPORTED THAT AYMAN ZAWAHIRI MAY HAVE BEN KILLED BY US FORCES ON JULY 31, 2008.
#3
The US must have forgotten to tell the Paki about the strike.
Posted by: ed ||
08/01/2008 15:08 Comments ||
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#4
The Euros openly cultivate disloyalty. Aliens from the worst oppressor states in the world are told to reflect pride in their homeland' history, while attributing any irregularity to the nominal effects of imperialism and colonialism.
Lenin once said: "The purpose of Parliamentarianism is to destroy Parliamentarianism." I say, "The purpose of Europe is the destruction of Europe."
Just like France's, but in city neighborhoods instead of France's manufactured suburban ghettos. Turks and mostly Lebanese Arabs fight outsiders, police, and each other.
#1
While they may try to compare this with France, I doubt the comparison holds up to much scrutiny. To start with, the Turks are in Germany to work, not to get welfare. They also think themselves European, not Arabic, and generally look at Arabs with contempt and disdain.
One very odd part of the story was the attack on the subway, by a Turk *and* a Greek. That was truly extraordinary, because normally the two are like cats and dogs, hating each others guts.
I suspect that the "Greek" was in fact a Turkish Cypriot, misidentified as a Greek because the EU wants Turkey to relinquish its claim on Cyprus; so Cyprus would be a "Greek" island.
I would also suspect that the German pensioner probably used a few choice words while he was ordering them to extinguish their cigarettes, not knowing that they probably spoke German. And you do NOT want to piss off a Turk with racial epithets. Or insult his mustache, either.
Almost two years have passed since President George W. Bush publicly acknowledged the existence of a CIA program in which agency-leased aircraft fly terror suspects between secret prisons and interrogation sites around the world. "This program has helped us to take potential mass murderers off the streets before they have a chance to kill," the President said on Sept. 6, 2006. Since that admission, the White House has declined to elaborate or comment further on the program's specifics, although multiple reports have surfaced regarding the existence of secret facilities in Poland and Romania.
According to a former senior American official, it appears another locale can be added to the international roster of interrogation sites -- one both more obscure and potentially more controversial than the alleged sites in Poland and Romania. The source tells TIME that, in 2002 and possibly 2003, the U.S. imprisoned and interrogated one or more terrorist suspects on Diego Garcia, an island in the Indian Ocean controlled by the United Kingdom. The official, a frequent participant in White House Situation Room meetings after Sept. 11 who has since left government, says a CIA counter-terrorism official twice said that a high-value prisoner or prisoners were being held and interrogated on the island. The identity of the captive or captives was not made clear. According to this account, the CIA officer surprised attendees by volunteering the information, apparently to demonstrate that the agency was doing its best to obtain valuable intelligence. According to this single source, who requested anonymity because of the classified nature of the discussions, the U.S. may also have kept prisoners on ships within Diego Garcia's territorial waters, a contention the U.S. has long denied. The White House meetings were also attended by a variety of other senior counter-terrorism officials.
TIME discussed the allegation with Richard Clarke, who served as a Special Advisor to President George W. Bush on the National Security Council dealing with counter-terrorism until 2003 but is not the source for this story. "In my presence, in the White House, the possibility of using Diego Garcia for detaining high value targets was discussed," says Clarke.
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After Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilanis first US visit, American think tanks, lobbyists, Congressmen, retired diplomats and bureaucrats are said to be a disappointed lot, and Washington has reportedly decided not to take him seriously as the premier appeared remote controlled by someone in the background, said an article in The News.
That'd be Zardari, of course...
Further elaborating, the paper said that Washington was not happy with Gilanis visit because the man who represented democracy in Pakistan fell short on many scores.
He's PM because Benazir's dead and Zardari was under indictment and couldn't grab the job for himself.
Zardari would have flopped just the same as Gilani. He's not an impressive fellow. Benazir would have had Washigton eating out of her hand, of course ...
Not that the official Washington did not know but the real Washington needed to have a firsthand look at the man they were being asked to deal with after Gen Musharraf. The top US officials and former diplomats couldn't get the perception and confidence that Gilani was the right man who they could instantly start dealing with, trust and depend on, said the paper.
Probably because he's not in control of his own lips.
It added: What they found lacking was the depth of understanding and vision in dealing with complex international and security issues, articulation to comprehend and project Pakistani policies in a clear and candid way, more so on public places than in closed door meetings. They did not find the will and the capacity in the prime minister to grasp the importance of issues, take control of matters and make decisions which he could sustain.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/01/2008 08:30 ||
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#1
Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani's address to the Council on Foreign Relations
The Question-Answer session began with a question by the CFR President Richard Haas about the current challenges and Pakistan's willingness and ability to face it.
Reacting to the Prime Minister's detached response, Richard Haas said, "Let me then come back to the question somewhat differently. Pakistan obviously faces tremendous problems in terms of internal security, which you spoke of in your speech. The fact that the problem has grown to the extent it has, that it's become as bad as it has, is this because of the weakness of the state of Pakistan? Is this because historically the state has been unwilling to take on these challenges? Why has Pakistan, in a sense, gotten into the security challenge that it faces?
What the Prime Minister told the highly knowledgeable select audience, in response to the question is the following:
GILANI: "That we have inherited. This is not the problem of only these three to four months, because you are also fighting the war in Afghanistan for the last five years, and you can also see -- realise the difficulties you are facing. And this is not a war which is a normal war. It is a guerrilla war. And nobody is trained for a guerrilla war. But certainly now we have a challenge and with God Almighty's blessing, we will be able to overcome the problems."
HAASS: Again, it seems to me that to attribute so much of the domestic political history of Pakistan to the United States, we could argue the history, but it also seems to me potentially dangerous, simply because I think you exaggerate our influence. And I would think that there need to be questions the Pakistanis raise for themselves about political culture in Pakistan, about the role of the army.
It's as much a statement as a question. You don't have to answer that. But since you alluded to it, let me take it one step further here, which is, you obviously inherited a situation where you have a former general, now President Musharraf, in power. Is this a situation that you believe is sustainable? Is this something that you believe can be continued in a way that is consistent with the growth of democracy, or do you see Mr. Musharraf staying in office as somehow inconsistent with the future of Pakistani democracy?
GILANI: Actually, you are considering Mr. Musharraf as a president of the United States. This is not the case, because there is a parliamentary form of government; here is a presidential form of government. And you can compare me with Gordon Brown, the prime minister of U.K., or --
HAASS: I hope your political numbers are higher. (Laughter.)
GILANI: -- no, no -- and Manmohan Singh, who is the prime minister of India. Therefore, we have inherited the Westminster system, a parliamentary form of government where the chief executive is the prime minister and not the president.
HAASS: I understand.
Let me ask the question a different way, then -- (laughter) -- beyond President Musharraf, which is whether you think now in the army there is a broader acceptance of a more limited role for the army. Do you think now the coming generation of army officers accepts the notion that their proper role is in the barracks rather than in politics?
GILANI: Certainly, yes. Because of the February 18 election of this year, we have a mandate to the moderate forces, to the democratic forces in Pakistan. And the moderate forces and the democratic forces, they have formed the government. And therefore the people have voted against dictatorship and for democracy -- the chief of the army staff is highly professional and is fully supporting the democracy.
HAASS: One of our senior fellows at the Council on Foreign Relations, Dan Markey, has recently produced a study called Securing Pakistan's Tribal Belt, and it is a study about FATA and what needs to be done there. And one of the questions I would have is whether it is possible to imagine a different relationship between the central government and the FATA, and essentially to end the unique status of the FATA and to integrate it more into Pakistan like other parts of the country.
GILANI: Exactly, you really don't know the exact position of FATA. FATA is already under the federal government. And there are two governments. There's a provincial government and the federal government. And the FATA is under the federal government. Therefore it is controlled by the governor, who is the nominee of the federal government. Therefore it is under the federal government.
HAASS: I understand that it is under the federal government. But it also enjoys, shall we say, a slightly different status or reality than other parts of the country.
GILANI: They have -- (inaudible) -- and they have senators. And interestingly all -- (inaudible) -- and the senators are supporting me.
HAASS: Okay.
Well, we wish you well with that. (Laughter.)
GILANI: In fact, the ISI is quite established in Pakistan. And it is -- it has good relations with the United States; our ISI, and they have worked together. (Laughter, applause.)
And at the same time, it is under the prime minister. Therefore they will do only what I want them to do.
(Cross talk.)
Again short answer; you can ask me another question.
HAASS: So if we have differences or problems with ISI, we now know who to go to.
GILANI: If there are differences -
HAASS: -- or problems. So you actually feel now that ISI -
GILANI: ISI or the army or -- (inaudible) -- is under the civilian government. And that is under the chief executive.
HAASS: Is there any question or issue that you wish you had been asked, that you're dying to talk about? Because we've covered a lot of ground. Obviously we could go on with -
GILANI: I'll tell you one thing.
HAASS: Sure. Yes, sir.
GILANI: Basically I'm a journalist. (Laughter.) And therefore it hardly matters whether -- anybody can ask me any questions.
HAASS: Yes. We can ask questions. (Laughter.) It's your responses though which are interesting
GILANI: This is my ninth appointment. And I still have one more.
HAASS: Well, in that case, you need to save your energy, sir, and pace yourself. It's going to be hard to sustain this rate then for too many more years.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/01/2008 8:49 Comments ||
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#2
The man is a idiot
Posted by: john frum ||
08/01/2008 8:50 Comments ||
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(PTI): The recently unearthed terror module plotting bomb attacks on key installations in Tamil Nadu has no direct link with banned outfits such as the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), police said here Thursday. "This specific module has no direct links with such groups," Intelligence IG Jaffer Sait told reporters here replying to queries but declined to disclose further details as the investigation was on.
To a question whether sleeper cells of SIMI or other terrorist networks existed in the state, he said: "As of now, there is no information, but investigation is on in this direction also."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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Clashes between insurgents and Pakistani troops escalated Wednesday in the country's fractious northwest as Taliban leaders threatened to withdraw their support for peace deals brokered this year with Pakistan's new government.
Accounts of casualties from the skirmishes in Pakistan's Swat Valley, near the Afghan border, varied widely and could not be independently verified. A local military spokesman said that five Pakistani soldiers and at least 38 insurgents were killed, but a spokesman for a pro-Taliban group disputed that tally, saying that only three of its fighters had been slain.
It was the third consecutive day of violence between pro-Taliban extremists and government troops in the formerly serene Swat Valley. After skirmishes erupted near the town of Matta, Pakistani security forces began enforcing a 24-hour curfew in the area, a military spokesman said.
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Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Give them an inch...
Believe it or not: there ARE Seculars in Pakistan. We haven't played that card yet.
Mohammad Rahil Shaikh, Mohammad Faiyaz, Zaibuddin Sayyed, Aslam Kashmiri, Azam Chima. These names are synonymous with terror and each has a link with Gujarat. There are many more names and these are now the centre of post-blast investigations. They are all absconders and crucial terrorist handlers.
Rahil Shaikh though is an explosive expert who designed Improvised Explosive Device (IED). Rahil's name figured in the 7/11 blasts aboard a Mumbai train. Along with him names of Faiyaz and Zaibuddin also figured in the list of suspects.
The same names once again figured, this time for a case closer home -- the RDX blast at the Ahmedabad railway station on February 19, 2006. In that case too, a timer malfunction had prevented the blast from being effective. Very much like the abortive attempts at explosions in Surat.
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Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Thursday dismissed as baseless a statement made by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik, in which he had said that TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud had connections with India. The TTP said Malik's statement was absolutely unfounded and that it was an attempt to malign the Taliban. Talking to the media from an undisclosed location, TTP spokesman Maulvi Umer said Malik's statement alleging that the Taliban had links with India and were getting financial assistance from the country was deplorable and silly and was not based on facts. They said Mehsud had no connections with India and was not receiving any financial aid from it. The spokesman said the TTP came into existence in the name of jihad and its aim was to fight a holy war against India and the United States forces in Afghanistan. Maulvi Umer said the TTP had damaged India's interests in Afghanistan in many actions. He said the TTP could not even think of taking financial assistance from India, an enemy, to create chaos and law and order problems in Pakistan. The spokesman said India was the worst enemy of Pakistan. He said a responsible person like Rehman Malik should avoid issuing statements that were not based on facts as such statements were not in the interests of Pakistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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A peace jirga of tehsil Adenzai in the Lower Dir district on Thursday vowed to crush the elements propagating Talibanisation and spreading hatred in the name of religion in the district. "We have the guts and power to quash such elements from our district", a unanimous resolution passed by the elders said. The jirga formed a peace committee consisting of two members of each political party, which would work along with the law enforcing agencies. The police would also consult the committee before launching any operation. The resolution also put a ban on aerial firing in the district, and requested media personnel not to sensationalise events and avoid publication of news that created panic among the people.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said US concerns about collusion between members of Pakistan's intelligence agency and terrorists are being taken seriously and "will be resolved", according to a report in The Washington Times (WT).
Which is different, on the surface, from the contemptuous dismissal the idea got yesterday...
Gilani told WT reporters and editors that he had seen no evidence to support allegations that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is compromised.
"Oh, yeah. I asked around and everything!"
Asked whether he was confident that the ISI contained no pockets of Taliban sympathy, Gilani said, "I'm pretty sure about it." He however added, "We still have to look into [the accusations]. ... It will be resolved."
"I mean, they did give us some names. And some dates. And some photos. And some video recordings. And DNA samples..."
Top Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and US military officials travelled to Pakistan this month in part to complain about ties between Pakistani intelligence officials and Taliban insurgent groups that may have contributed to a rise in attacks in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. According to the WT report, Gilani confirmed the visit in mid-July of CIA Deputy Director Stephen R Kappes and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm Michael Mullen. According to the New York Times, Lt Gen Martin E Dempsey -- acting commander of US forces in the Middle East and South Asia -- visited the Tribal Areas on Monday.
He had originally brought with him the jawbone of an ass, but it was impounded by customs...
A US official told WT that "not enough is being done" by Pakistan to combat growing problems in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, including Taliban and Al Qaeda sympathisers within government agencies.
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Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
I have a pinch of salt , will that be taken seriously ?
#2
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said US concerns about collusion between members of Pakistan's intelligence agency and terrorists are being taken seriously and "will be resolved", according to a report in The Washington Times (WT).
Blah^3. Next topic.
Posted by: Alaska Paul in Fairbanks ||
08/01/2008 14:27 Comments ||
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It is a country that has become synonymous with suicide bombings and sectarian killings, abductions and refugees -- the savage legacy of one of the most emotive and controversial wars of recent times.
Yet the government of Iraq insists all that will soon be in the past and that the cradle of civilisation, the land of Babylon and the Garden of Eden, will become a paradise for foreign tourists.
With the surge in US troop numbers curbing much of the violence in recent months, and the ragged economy buoyed by petrodollars, the Iraqi government maintains that the time has come for a concerted push to attract visitors under the slogan "tourism not terrorism".
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#1
Not so far-fetched. Not like Vietnam, where the only significant attraction is to veterans paying their respects to fallen comrades and their youth. Iraq has the potential to develop its historical/archaeological treasures and scenic north; it is a convenient stopover point to combine with tours of Africa, East Asia or South Asia (especially from Europe); and it could end up with a government and people who actually kind of like Americans.
Posted by: Menhaden S ||
08/01/2008 7:52 Comments ||
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#2
It's not far-fetched at all, considering all the ancient sites - Sumer, Ninevah, Babylon... if I had enough money (and maybe I will in the next decade if I sell enough of my books!) I'd do a tour of Iraq! It's the cradle of civilization, for pete's sake. They'll be packing tourists in by the bus-load. Imagine some of Saddam Hussein's palaces converted to luxury tourist hotels, imagine skiing holidays in the Kurdish north, and student back-packers doing it all on a few bucks a day. It would be marvelous... and think of the reproach that a happy, peaceful and prosperous Iraq would be to all the 'quagmire-US out now' types.
#3
I agree that Iraq has great tourist potential; some people I know who have been there have made those excersions.
I would like to add that Da Nang is unbelievably gorgeous - clear water and beaches made of powdered sugar sand; add a golf course or two and there ya go. It would be a great getaway stop especially for Korea and Japan and as a launching point for a jaunt to Siem Reip/Angkor Wat visit which is also being heavily developed for tourism. There is also a little market area for selling goods. I think Vietnam is trying to turn that whole area into a sort of tourist sector along the lines of Cancun in Mexico.
A United States-Iraq security pact would set a goal -- but no timetable -- for the American units to leave, Iraqi officials say.
BAGHDAD -- Iraqi officials said Thursday that they were close to finalizing a new security arrangement that would set out the goal of withdrawing all U.S. combat troops from the country, while stopping short of establishing a strict timetable for their departure.
The pact would outline a conditional time frame for Iraqi troops to take charge of the country and U.S. combat troops to be withdrawn, according to Iraqi officials familiar with the talks.
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When you're stuck in Iraq for the Fourth of July, you have to get creative. Capt. Nate Rawlings' celebration involved a goat, a lamb, a medical training exercise and a large translator named Whopper.
The idea for our Fourth of July celebration came from my two youngest soldiers and led to the most useful, yet bizarre training event I have ever seen. Spc. Matthew "Doc" Pooley, my 24-year-old combat medic, had just finished recounting his medical training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, when Spc. Blake Colson, a 21-year-old rifleman, shouted, "Hey Capt. Rawlings, can you get us a goat?"
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush hailed a new "degree of durability" in security gains in Iraq Thursday, saying it should permit him to announce further U.S. troop reductions later this year. With the war in its sixth year and violence substantially decreased in recent weeks, Bush gave a brief update on the war that focused on several fronts of progress.
He said that violence is at its lowest ebb since the spring of 2004, that forces are in their third consecutive month with lower violence levels holding steady, and that Iraqi forces are becoming increasingly capable of both fighting and securing the country. "The progress is still reversible," Bush acknowledged. But he added, "There now appears to be a degree of durability in gains."
Looking ahead to the next recommendation on troop levels from U.S. generals in Iraq, Bush suggested its reasonable to expect "further reductions in our combat forces, as conditions permit."
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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That Bush declared proress is not news. That the AP reported it, is news. And although there is a large helping of doom and gloom (not posted, thank you) it is at the end of the article. But I'm not ready to declare the AP has switched sides.
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/01/2008 6:01 Comments ||
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I wonder if it's dawned on the AP management that as the papers tank a sustained portion of their revenue will go with them? If overall circulation and viewership continue to decline, where is their future?
(VOI) - U.S president George Bush on Thursday held out the prospect of further troop reductions in Iraq later this year, hailing a new security gains achieved in the violence-torn country. "This has been a month of encouraging news from Iraq," a U.S department statement, received by Aswat al-Iraq-voices of Iraq (VOI), cited Bush as saying.
The U.S president noted "violence is down to its lowest level since the spring of 2004, and we're now in our third consecutive month with reduced violence levels holding steady."
He conceded "Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker had cautioned that the progress is still reversible", adding"they report that there now appears to be a degree of durability to the gains that we have made." Seizing on the achieved security gains in Iraq, Bush suggested he "would be open to the idea if trends continue".
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Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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(VOI) - Syrian Foreign Minister on Thursday stressed the importance of achieving national reconciliation among the Iraqi components to ensure fostering the country's unity, sovereignty and security according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). Syria, where over 500 thousands Iraqi refugees are living, is accused by the U.S of harbouring and helping foreign fighters to enter Iraq and to launch attacks against U.S Iraqi forces. Syria denied the charges.
"The deputy Chief of Supreme Islamic Council in Iraq Ammar Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, and Syrian FM Waleed al-Moallem emphasized the necessity of withdrawal of foreign forces from Iraq," said a SANA website statement. "Al-Moallem and al-Hakim reviewed bilateral relations and ways to consolidate and develop them in addition to the latest developments in the Iraqi arena," it added. "Al-Hakim applauded Syrian's stance and its keenness on Iraq's national unity, sovereignty, security and stability and thanked it for hosting Iraqi refugees and bearing their enormous burden" it noted.
On Wednesday, the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad received the Deputy Chairman of Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council Ammar Abdul Aziz AL-Hakim and held talks about cementing ties with Iraq. Al-Hakim noted "the current atmosphere cannot help sign a long security agreement", adding "what is being sought now is outlining the frame of relation between Iraq and the U.S. such as finding a protocol."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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(VOI) -- Iraqi government spokesman on Thursday said Iraq would establish a new security department to crack down on armed groups in the violence-ravaged country. "The Council of Ministers on Monday session decided to form a counter-terrorism department, assigning representatives of security services to review the related legislations in order to refer a final amended draft to the parliament," Ali al-Dabbagh, the government spokesman, told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI). The spokesman noted "the new security department will be specialized in conducting frequent tasks, including actively battling terrorist operations that target people and their properties, and to track down armed groups".
"This department will set a comprehensive strategy to encounter terror along with conducting emergency operations and strategic plans for counter-terror issues in coordination with other specialised departments," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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(VOI) - Turkey expressed concerns on Kurdish claims of annexing Kirkuk to the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan. "Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan voiced his concerns to President Jalal Talabani about Kirkuk's local council request to annex Kirkuk to Kurdistan region", said a president office statement received by Aswat al-Iraq-Voices of Iraq (VOI).
Fighting Kurdish fighters in its south-eastern region, Turkey opposes Kurdish claims to annex Kirkuk, where Kurds, Arab and Turkmen-one of the Turkish languages-struggle over the identity of the oil-rich city. The announcement pointed out "the Turkish PM expressed his support to give 32% share to the city's main denominations and 4% to its Chado-Assyrians (Christian) minority".
On Thursday, 24 Kurdish members of Kirkuk's local council requested annexing Kirkuk to Kurdistan's region amid staunch opposition from Arab and Turkmen members. "The step did not mean joining Kurdistan's region but underscored the threat in case parliamentary blocs and the Kurdish Coalition could not reach an agreement on the provincial polls law," the statement cited Talabani as saying. The Iraqi president emphasized the importance of "reaching accordance among Kirkuk's ethnicities in tandem with his quest to strike a deal among Iraq's denominations".
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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Turks, get over yourselves. You lost this one when you refused to let us disembark a division and assault into Iraq back in the beginning- your forces would have followed and been part of the security of that area.
#2
OS: With you on this but I have never understood why the secular Army wouldn't want a strong Kurdish autonomy in Iraqi as a big counter weight to the growing Islamists inside Turkey. Doesn't make sense to me.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
08/01/2008 5:10 Comments ||
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RAMALLAH, West Bank - Palestinian negotiators said on Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's resignation would deal a swingeing blow to peace hopes at a crucial time in the negotiations. While the Islamist Hamas hailed the news, Palestinian negotiators mourned the loss of a man they felt is "serious" about peace.
The Palestinian Authority's official position is that the corruption allegations that have dogged Olmert and Wednesday's news he will step down after September's contest for the leadership of his Kadima party are an internal matter.
Ineffectual Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said on Thursday he would work with whoever becomes premier. "We will work with any prime minister elected in Israel and we will continue with Ehud Olmert until the arrival of his successor," Abbas told a news conference in Tunisia. "We are not worried by the change in Israeli prime minister because we know that Israel is seriously engaged to remain involved in the negotiation process with the Palestinians," Malki told a news conference in Madrid.
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Posted by: Steve White ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
worried that the next PM won't let you rocket civilians at will with no repercussions? Lucky I'm not PM. You'd be starving and stinking in the dark
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/01/2008 8:14 Comments ||
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#2
Palestinian negotiators said on Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's resignation would deal a swingeing blow to peace hopes
Their word choice reflects their world view, from the Dark Ages: swinge: (Archaic) To punish with blows; thrash. [ME swengen < OE swengan to shake]
President Mahmud Abbas has ordered the release of Islamist Hamas militants arrested by his forces in the West Bank over the past week, the Palestinian Authority said on Thursday.
"President Abbas has ordered his security officials to free all the Hamas militants arrested in recent days in the West Bank," it said in a statement.
But Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zohri, speaking to AFP in Gaza, said: "Despite this statement, no Hamas prisoner has been released until this evening by the Fatah."
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Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
And in other news , Fatah officials seized in Gaza .. Poorest trade-off in history hours
A University of Central Florida researcher may have found a defense against the Black Plague, a disease that wiped out a third of Europe's population in the Middle Ages and which government agencies perceive as a terrorist threat today.
UCF Professor Henry Daniell and his team have developed a vaccine that early research shows is highly effective against the plague. Findings of his National Institutes of Health and USDA funded research appear in the August edition of Infection and Immunity.
The vaccine, which is taken orally or by injection, was given to rats at UCF and the efficacy was evaluated by measuring immunity (antibody) developed in their blood.
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#1
It's natural in the environment of New Mexico. There are several cases contracted a year. The medical establishment is attuned to recognize the symptoms for early treatment which generally is successful. Unfortunately, not so in neighboring states which wait too long and then hand off their patients to New Mexico for what is basically terminal care. New Mexico get stuck with the statistic not the state that delayed getting the patient to effective care.
There's no general outbreak because following simple precautions avoids the problem. Wear long pants and sock when not in urban areas, avoid dead animal carcasses, thus avoiding the vectors/fleas.
#2
oh puhleaze! CA sees a lot of plague in squirrels, and a few humans. We know what to do. Currently, in San Diego there was a news story yesterday of some dead squirrels with plague, and a couple wymyns that caught the West Nile. NM is not an island of high-tech
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/01/2008 19:18 Comments ||
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#3
They are probably talking about the Pneumonic plague, which I supposed could be put into an aerosol as a military agent. This is tricky, as the disease is anaerobic, so would need to be encapsulated in a stable carrier that would break down only in conditions similar to the lungs.
INDONESIA has tightened security at an island prison where the three Bali bombers are being held ahead of their immiment execution, fearing a reprisal attack, a senior official said today.
"We don't want a bomb to explode in any corner of this very big prison complex,'' Nusakambangan island prison chief Bambang Winahyo said. "All things or visitors entering this prison must be checked extra carefully. We don't want to leave any single loophole for any security disturbances or bomb blasts."
The three members of the Jemaah Islamiyah regional terror network - Amrozi, Imam Samudra and Ali Ghufron - were convicted in 2003 for their roles in the 2002 Bali bombings on the island of Bali which killed more than 200 people. Justice officials have said they will be executed by firing squad on the island before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan around September, after their last appeal was thrown out of court earlier in July.
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Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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The Association of Muslim Scholars, an Iraqi Sunni group staunchly opposed to the United States-led occupation of Iraq, vowed in a conference in Damascus this week to continue fighting foreign soldiers in Iraq. The association -- made up of political, religious and tribal Sunni Iraqi figures -- held a four-day conference that focused on ridding Iraq of US-led forces. The conference, which ended on July 28, was not organised by the Syrian government and Syrian officials did not attend. It was the first time that five-year-old association held its conference in Damascus.
For some reason they didn't meet in Baghdad or Fallujah. Hotels must have been booked. Shriners Convention. Must have been it ...
The association is a fundamentalist Sunni group whose power in Iraq has waned as Sunni groups have joined forces with the US to fight al-Qaeda and other radical organisations. Sunni Arabs largely boycotted Iraq's local council elections in 2005 and have limited political power as a result. But Sunnis -- who held power in Baghdad under former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's regime -- are expected to participate in new elections which the US is pushing to be held this year. In the conference, the association remained steadfast in its support for the insurgency against the US presence in Iraq and the government in Baghdad, arguing that the Iraqi authorities are illegitimate because they were elected during an occupation.
"What was taken by force cannot be restored by any other means," said Harith al-Dhari, the association's secretary-general. He claimed that the majority of Iraqis "reject the occupation and believe in the option of resistance". Dhari, who has expressed opposition to al-Qaeda in Iraq, was re-elected to another two-year term at the conference.
That's pretty much the only way this report could be true.
Tehran, 1 August: The official Iranian news agency (IRNA) quotes Expediency Council chief, Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani as saying, "We have started the first activities of nuclear fusion."
Rafsanjani made the remarks today during a speech delivered to a gathering of students at Tehran's Jamaran Hoseynieh. No. Way. A fusion bomb means first mastering fission bombs. Sustained fusion...well, we've been working on that for decades now, and still Mr. Fusion eludes us. So unless the Iranians are claiming that big hydrogen bomb in the sky for their own, this report is, um, wrong. Via Hot Air, where people have already suggested the more likely explanations of 1)a mistranslation or 2)ignorance on Rafsanjani's part.
#2
It's mighty difficult to keep the Djinni in the bottle, as it were. (I don't think I'll see that TokaMate--"Your Personal Fusion Reactor(TM)"--in my lifetime.)
#3
The heat required to induce fusion is beyond comprehension. However, there are potential end-runs - using plasma technology - which involve generation of high temperatures for split seconds, while using alternating pressure technologies to achieve the desired effect. A breakthrough is possible. During the Los Alamos experiments on fission bombs, the detonator was based on use of an expanded model of ignition manifolds, used on vehicles.
For those who don't know, books on high energy physics, lasers, plasma appear on Iranian and Egyptian pirate sites as soon as they are published by Springer, Elvesier, Wiley, Cambridge, etc. These are being read in Teheran and Islamabad while MIT students wait for an opportunity to photocopy same.
His Eminence Sayyid Hasan Nasrallah, Hezbollah secretary- general, has affirmed that the flagrant international interference in the affaires of Sudan and its people has reached a serious level. This interference represents a link in the chain of the international conspiracy that aims at dealing a blow to the Arab and Islamic nation's elements of strength and shaking the internal stability in several countries and areas in order to serve the US and Israeli interests.
While receiving Sudanese Presidential Envoy Dr Qutub al-Mahdi, an accompanying delegation, and the Sudanese ambassador to Lebanon, Sayyid Nasrallah called upon the brotherly Sudanese people to adhere to their internal unity and all-inclusive identity in defence of its common destiny.
Sayyid Nasrallah stressed Hezbollah's strong support for the Sudanese leadership and people, and the need to give Sudan the support and backing it deserves.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir warned Thursday that there would be no strong nation if "every sect wished to create its own state." "We have 18 (religious) communities that should maintain their coexistence through dialogue and understanding and placing the national interest on top of all other interests," Sfeir added. "Dialogue should top violence ... that threatens unity of the Lebanese people," he told reporters at his summer seat in the northern mountain resort of Diman.
Unity among the various Lebanese communities should be "deeply rooted to consolidate stability of the nation," Sfeir concluded.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
They might be able to do that if two of the "religious" communities weren't Sunni and Shia. Muslims don't play well with others.
Acting Army Commander Gen. Shawki Masri said Thursday that the command is looking forward to bolstering the regular force with additional troops and weapons. Masri made the remark in an Order Of the Day to the troops marking Army Day. Such an upgrading of the regular force should be in line with the "tasks that it shoulders and the dangers threatening the nation," Masri said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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Hizbullah declared its controversial weapons "untouchable" and warned against linking the holding of Parliamentary elections in 2009 to its will to remain armed.
Hizbullah's politburo member Mahmoud Qmati outlined the stand in an interview with a daily published in Qatar. Qmati said the forthcoming general elections "would be held on schedule and the present parliament's term would not be extended. The topic of resistance weapons would be discussed before that; during national dialogue that would be sponsored by President Michel Suleiman."
He said the cabinet's policy statement "should be adopted immediately and should be based on moderate concepts so that the cabinet can win a vote of confidence as soon as possible."
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Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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Hizbullah official Hussein Khalil stressed Wednesday there is "no Lebanon without the resistance."
"Widdout us, youse're nuttin'!"
"There will be no Lebanon without the resistance, and no ministerial statement without the resistance," Khalil told reporters after meeting Christian opposition leader Gen. Michel Aoun. Khalil said the defense strategy will be discussed at the national dialogue to be sponsored by President Michel Suleiman after the policy statement is announced. "The resistance is responsible for confronting Israeli aggressions and ambitions as well as defending the territory," he explained.
Khalil wondered whether the U.S. was willing to supply the Lebanese army with anti-aircraft guns in the light of repeated Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/01/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Ok, no Lebanon---never could figure why it was established in the first place.
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.
Almost two years have passed since President George W. Bush publicly acknowledged the existence of a CIA program in which agency-leased aircraft fly terror suspects between secret prisons and interrogation sites around the world. "This program has helped us to take potential mass murderers off the streets before they have a chance to kill," the President said on Sept. 6, 2006. Since that admission, the White House has declined to elaborate or comment further on the program's specifics, although multiple reports have surfaced regarding the existence of secret facilities in Poland and Romania. 
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said US concerns about collusion between members of Pakistan's intelligence agency and terrorists are being taken seriously and "will be resolved", according to a report in The Washington Times (WT).
It is a country that has become synonymous with suicide bombings and sectarian killings, abductions and refugees -- the savage legacy of one of the most emotive and controversial wars of recent times.
The Association of Muslim Scholars, an Iraqi Sunni group staunchly opposed to the United States-led occupation of Iraq, vowed in a conference in Damascus this week to continue fighting foreign soldiers in Iraq. The association -- made up of political, religious and tribal Sunni Iraqi figures -- held a four-day conference that focused on ridding Iraq of US-led forces. The conference, which ended on July 28, was not organised by the Syrian government and Syrian officials did not attend. It was the first time that five-year-old association held its conference in Damascus. 
His Eminence Sayyid Hasan Nasrallah, Hezbollah secretary- general, has affirmed that the flagrant international interference in the affaires of Sudan and its people has reached a serious level. This interference represents a link in the chain of the international conspiracy that aims at dealing a blow to the Arab and Islamic nation's elements of strength and shaking the internal stability in several countries and areas in order to serve the US and Israeli interests. 
Hizbullah declared its controversial weapons "untouchable" and warned against linking the holding of Parliamentary elections in 2009 to its will to remain armed. 
Hizbullah official Hussein Khalil stressed Wednesday there is "no Lebanon without the resistance."
