The number of Saudi citizens fighting in Iraq was diminishing as cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Syria increased in an attempt to track down and arrest those crossing the border illegally to join the insurgency; a Saudi source told Asharq al Awsat. As the security situation in Iraq has progressively deteriorated, the source indicated that drug smuggling, especially cannabis, from Iraq into Saudi Arabia has increased. He said, "We have reason to believe the profit from smuggling drugs is financing militants fighting the Iraqi and multinational armies and facilitating the illegal entry of men into the country. It also supports al Qaedaâs terrorist activities inside the Kingdom.â
After spending months monitoring monetary transactions in the Kingdom, the Saudi authorities concluded drug smuggling was funding terrorism. Those supporting terrorism in Saudi Arabia "are known to the authorities but we are purposefully withholding details." However, the source said, the Kingdom was "less sure of the identities of those involved in Iraq but expected a few leads, including the increase in drug smuggling operations, to shed light on the perpetrators. In one year alone, border police intercepted 10 tons of cannabis coming from Iraq, whereas in the past, the merchandise used to consist of alcoholic beverages and prohibited drugs.â
He indicated that those financing the insurgency in Iraq and terrorism in Saudi Arabia were likely related, âwhich some groups who will remain anonymous intent on hurting Saudi Arabia without caring who their money is going to and for what end." He asked, "When thousands of riyals are spent on terrorists in the Kingdom, how can we guarantee the funds will not be also made available for those in Iraq? How can we ensure the profit from drug smuggling doesn't also finance terrorism in Saudi Arabia?â Asked if Saudi groups were financing militants to fight in Iraq, the Saudi source stressed no evidence was available in this regard. He added, âI can confirm that Saudi men who intend on joining the insurgency are financially backed by groups outside of the Kingdom.â Terrorists in Iraq, he continued, âonly want Saudis to act as a fighter or a financier.â
On the route would-be terrorists follow to Iraq, the source said, âThere are a number of ways of traveling to Iraq. Some leave Saudi Arabia legally using their own passport and then travel to Syria, or visit and Arab country before heading to Syria. Those wanted by the authorities cross illegally into Yemen first.â Generally, âA young man decides he wants to fight in Iraq, illegally enters Yemen, travels to Syria, and is subsequently smuggled across the border into Iraq.â The source emphasized, "The Syrian authorities are fully cooperating. The same can be said of the Yemeni government with whom we exchange information on suspected militants.â
Posted by: Fred ||
09/21/2005 00:00 ||
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Camel dong "up in smoke"
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/21/2005 3:52 Comments ||
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...FWIW, when I was in KSA in '95 - and perhaps .com can back me up on this - it was amazing how much drug-related graffitti was all over Al-Kharj and in areas away from the main drags in Riyadh. And nobody seemed to even notice...
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
09/21/2005 7:26 Comments ||
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All those unmarried sons and bored, overeducated daughters have to do something to kill the time.
Cheech & Chong Blowin' Smoke in Each Other's Face Cheech and Chong - can't they get along?
Apparently not.Tommy Chong recently labeled his former comedy partner, Richard (Cheech) Marin, a "sellout" and a "professional Mexican." The 59-year-old Marin retorted to Lowdown: "Gramps is a little old. It's so sad when stoners get to the AARP age, you know? Who knows what's on Tommy's mind! It's the Alzheimer's age."
Chong, who's 67, is promoting his new documentary, "a/k/a Tommy Chong," about his 2003 arrest and nine-month jail term for selling drug paraphernalia online."I just saw Cheech in a Target ad," Chong told an interviewer. "He's a little removed from the stoner humor. He's a professional Mexican now."
Cheech responded: "He called a couple weeks ago when he asked me to do a project with him. I didn't take the call. I was just busy being a professional Mexican." Kidding or not, Marin is making his Broadway directorial debut with "Latinologues," a series of satirical monologues based on the Latino experience in America, opening Oct. 23 at the Helen Hayes Theater. "They asked me to direct, and it was a gift from the gods," said Marin. "What's great is that New York has all the Latino ethnicities: Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, Colombian, Mexican, Mexican-American. It's a very sophisticated audience."
#6
Cheech has "Tincup" and other fine projects (thanks Kevin!) to his credit lately....Tommy (God bless him) has That 70's Show..
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/21/2005 19:25 Comments ||
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As you get older some of your friends get it together. OTOH some of them just keep getting stoned. Sounds like Cheech has got himself a slice of the American Dream through his own efforts. You know, working. Chong on the other hand....
Since Tony Blair's announcement last month that the Islamist organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir would be banned, the threat of proscription has been hanging over not just the group but the whole question of how much free speech our embittered society can now tolerate. The publication of the draft terrorism bill last week spelled out that a group might face proscription not just if its members were involved in terrorism, but even if the organisation was "associated" with statements glorifying terrorism. It is with such sweeping powers that the government apparently intends to send Hizb ut-Tahrir underground.
I think that, rather than driving them underground, I'd be trying real hard to cause them to go out of business. Hizb ut-Tahrir, especially, has a record of being banned in lotsa countries, including not only Central Asia, but also civilized places like Germany and Denmark. The reason for the ban is the organization's position in the Wonderful World of Terror: not only do they keep things stirred up as well as they can by decrying all things that aren't Islamic and calling for the creation of Islamic states in other people's countries, but they also steer the rubes into organizations that aren't ostensibly non-violent. Al-Muhajiroun, for example, a Hizb offshoot, enthusiastically steered young Brits into running off to Afghanistan to fight with the Taliban. The only reason it really made the papers is that Hassan Butt is a publicity hound.
Undoubtedly Hizb ut-Tahrir has an ugly face. Anti-semitic views have been published on its website and distributed by members (though disowned by other members) - and this was the main reason why the Guardian felt unable to continue employing a member of the group earlier this year.
And now comes the big, fat "but"...
But the organisation has other faces too. I first met a couple of articulate women from Hizb ut-Tahrir over a year ago. Among their views on the political system the party would like to see instituted in Muslim states, they talked of its promise of a more equal society focused on distribution rather than production. "There is an alternative to capitalism," said Ruksana Rahman. Another spokeswoman, Dr Nazreen Nawaz, told me: "The Islamic economic system would provide an answer to poverty."
The Islamic economic system has had since approximately 622 A.D. to provide the answer to poverty. In that time, it's managed to produce a swath of poverty, ignorance, and brutality instead. The effects have in fact been uniform everywhere Islam has taken root, the only offset being those regions where the Islamic talent for sitting on pools of oil has manifested itself. Rather than providing seed money to jump start stagnant societies, the money's in most cases gone to building mosques and educating little jihadis. At some indeterminate point in the future the oil will be gone, but the poverty, ignorance and brutality will remain.
As I talked to these women I realised that what they were saying echoed in certain ways what young people in the 1930s would have said about why they had turned to communism.
Oh, that's comforting. Another idea that worked ever so well. Except that Islamism actually has it over communism in the horrors it's capable of producing.
These women were impatient about the powerlessness of their people; although those people were not the international working class but the international Muslim community. They believed that human society was perfectible, even if it was to be perfected not by following the precepts of Marx but those of Muhammad, and even if the endpoint - the Caliphate - was the dictatorship not of the proletariat but of the faithful.
Actually, that'd be the dictatorship of the Caliph, the supreme holy man, with the big jewelled turban, supported by his highly trained staff of less supreme holy men, with their own big jewelled turbans, only not quite as big. The Faithful™ would remain what they've always been, cannon fodder, recruits for the holy man class, and producers of zakat. Women, of course, would remain veiled figures of mystery and allurement, suitable only for breeding and training up as dancing girls.
Absurd as such idealism might seem to many people in Britain, it is surely not beyond the bounds of our imagination to see why it has become attractive even to some educated and articulate people.
Apparently in some parts of Britain it doesn't seem ludicrous, but I think that's mostly around mosques and the offices of al-Guardian.
Many young people in 1930s Britain and America found themselves observing the inertia of an unjust society and decided that the only way forward was through fidelity to a utopian dream.
Except for the ones who were born into privilege, they're mostly not the ones who made great successes of their lives or contributed much to the rest of the world. The gauloise and turtleneck set will, like the poor, always be with us.
By joining an international movement they found a sense of solidarity and purpose that many held on to even when the ideals were tarnished beyond repair.
By joining an international movement they found a like-minded community of similar losers. The holy men can do the thinking and The Masses™ can do the following. It's the same idea that made the Commies a success for awhile, the same idea that had 'em tromping in unison in Germany to the Horst Wessel song. It's the same idea that had them lopping people's heads off in the French Revolution and it's the same idea that has 'em lopping people's heads off in Iraq today. It's the same idea that gave birth to the auto da fe. All I can say is, God save us all from Idealism™. Cynicism and hypocrisy are tame and socially productive by comparison.
John Gray, in Al-Qaeda and What it Means to be Modern, argues that political Islamism is similar to the communist movement as it provides this idealistic belief that people can put aside their human imperfections and produce a final utopia - that they can stop history.
I just said that, and he misses the part about the autos da fe...
Of course, it would be silly to overstate the parallels between Islamism now and communism then.
Maybe silly to overstate it, but not to point out the first cousin relationship between the two...
There is a gulf between religious and secular utopianism; although communism looked forward to a new society and so communists felt free to support other progressive tendencies in society, Islamism looks backwards to idealised Muslim societies of the past. And one of the striking characteristics of Islamism today is that there is no single authoritative party in the Islamist movement.
Like I always say, any idiot can issue a fatwah, and many do...
But Hizb ut-Tahrir, a formal party with stated goals, is more comprehensible than other bits of the Islamist movement. Since its goals are clearly political and - alongside the nasty hysteria about Zionism - have included the espousal of decent things such as women's rights, it is also a lot more sympathetic than most manifestations of radical Islam.
"Women's rights" in the Islamist context falls under the heading of being kind to one's pets...
Hizb ut-Tahrir does not espouse violence even against dictatorial Arab governments, much less against western states.
But if you're so inclined — and you will be, after a few sermons down at the mosque — they'll be happy to kick in for a bus ticket to Chechnya or Iraq or Mindanao, and maybe even arrange for someone to meet you when you get there...
If Britain bans such an organisation even though it is not supporting terrorism, it will be an echo of what the US government did from the late 1940s amid McCarthyist paranoia.
The writer's somehow managed to convince him/her/itself that the Hizbies aren't supporting terrorism just because they say so.
Then Communist party members were named and blacklisted, foreign-born members deported, leaders put on trial for plotting the overthrow of the government - though the US government never banned the Communist party outright.
Free Alger Hiss!... Oh. Wait. It turned out he was a commie...
During the cold war the British government did not emulate this paranoia, allowing communists to come to their own conclusion that they had indulged, as Doris Lessing put it, in a "sort of mass psychosis". Let's hope that in these equally psychotic times our government realises that a witch-hunt can rebound on the hunters as well as on the hunted.
I seem to remember that the British gummint during those enlightened times was working hard to keep the commies from fifth columning the country. Anybody remember Christine Keeler? Kim Philby? Rudolph Abel?
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/21/2005 00:20 ||
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I like the quote: "The Islamic economic system would provide an answer to poverty" Would if it could and to date surely has not. But, watch me pull a rabbit out of the hat! It works, sorta for some. That is of course if there are huge oil reserves located under the particular islamic types in question. As to Hizb being non-violent, on it's face, yes, it's that but it is more too. Problem is that the slipspeak and slightly subtle meaning behind the words of much of what they place for public consumption is anything but nonviolent. Read Hitler's earlier "nonviolent" political rants. Hindsight allows little to the imagination with Hitler but leave it to AL-GUARDIAN to throw "McCarthyism" into the peace love and understanding Hizb article. Scum. Both. Hizb actively promotes hate and violence albeit not in a crude blunt and completely explicit manner.
Posted by: Guardianista X ||
09/21/2005 0:59 Comments ||
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As I talked to these women I realised that what they were saying echoed in certain ways what young people in the 1930s would have said about why they had turned to communism.
In other words, since the boom-boyz make communist noises when talking to avowed communists, the avowed communists don't want to do anything about the boom-boyz.
Many young people in 1930s Britain and America found themselves observing the inertia of an unjust society and decided that the only way forward was through fidelity to a utopian dream. By joining an international movement they found a sense of solidarity and purpose that many held on to even when the ideals were tarnished beyond repair.
Well, yes, but thankfully we were able to defeat Naziism before it rooted itself too deeply into the world.
Oh. Wait. They were talking about that other utopian dream. The one that killed 100,000,000 and is still killing.
I almost said this is "unbelievable", but it's not. This is the leftist world-view in a nutshell: "BUT THEY MEAN WELL!" Never mind that they're
wanna-be totalitarians; their goals are noble. You can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, right?
("And besides," the Guardianista thinks, "their hatred's directed at the Jews, who deserve it.")
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
09/21/2005 7:28 Comments ||
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from http://www.heritage.org/Research/RussiaandEurasia/BG1656.cfm
Sheikh Taqiuddin an-Nabhani al Falastini, the founder of Hizb, has written that every Muslim should strive to establish a Caliphate and that this religious imperative (fard) upon the Muslim nation (Umma) is so strong that Mohammad's close allies delayed burying his body until a new Caliph was appointed and the Caliphate established.4 The Caliphate would be led by a Caliph: a supreme, pious leader who would combine religious and political power.5
A Caliph, an-Nabhani believes, is a substitute for Mohammad as both political and religious leader. The Caliph would appoint an Amir, or military leader, who would declare jihad and wage war against all non-believers, including the United States. According to Hizb's political vision, such an entity, if established, would not recognize existing national, regional, tribal, or clan differences and would include all Muslims.
#9
Fred---I recomember Christine Keeler, all rightie. She wrote a best cellar seller book, entitled, My Life Under the British Government, with a foreward by Eugene Ivanov and an afterword by John Profumo. Heh.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/21/2005 21:54 Comments ||
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Less than two weeks before they attacked London on July 7, three of the four suicide bombers traveled to the city for what appears to have been a practice run, the police said Tuesday.
The new information came a day after Osama bin Laden's chief lieutenant, Ayman al-Zawahiri, appeared in a videotaped message claiming that Al Qaeda was responsible for the attacks. Three weeks ago, Mr. Zawahiri was shown in a different tape praising the bombings. British and European antiterrorism officials said that they were investigating the claims but had reached no conclusions about who was responsible.
American intelligence and counterterrorism officials said Tuesday that they had no reason to doubt the authenticity of the latest tape, which was broadcast on Al Jazeera, the Arab satellite network. But they said it remained unclear what role Al Qaeda played in the London attack.
"Al Qaeda is quite content to take responsibility for any number of terrorist attacks, regardless of the nature or extent of their role, including whether they had an inspirational role or a more significant one," said an American counterterrorism official, who requested anonymity because he was discussing sensitive intelligence assessments.
An American intelligence official noted that the tape of Mr. Zawahiri had been released by the Sahab media office, the usual outlet for such statements. Some recent tapes have included English-language subtitles, a departure from past practice, in what American officials said was an indication that they were aimed at American and British audiences.
Whatever group was the mastermind, officials are coming to understand more clearly the events leading to the attacks, which killed 56 people, including the four bombers, and injured 700. On Tuesday, they released closed-circuit television images showing that three of the bombers - Mohammad Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer and Germaine Lindsay - met at Luton station at 8:10 a.m. on June 28 before traveling to King's Cross station in London.
They arrived at King's Cross at 8:55 a.m., were captured again on camera at the Baker Street station at noon and were seen on yet more cameras leaving King's Cross at 12:50 p.m. and arriving back in Luton at 1:40 p.m. "The implication is that they were possibly conducting reconnaissance on that day," Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, head of Scotland Yard's antiterrorism unit, told reporters. "We know that is part of a terrorist's methodology: to check timings, layout and security precautions."
Mr. Clarke said the police, who have seized some 80,000 closed-circuit tapes since July 7, still do not know what the men did between 8:55 a.m. and noon. He appealed to the public for help in reconstructing their movements. "What we want to know is where else they went, and did they meet anybody else while they were in London?"
The police have also disclosed further details about what the bombers - the three who made the earlier trip to London, as well as a fourth man, Hasib Hussain - did on July 7. Mr. Lindsay arrived at Luton station at 5 a.m.; the other three drove from Leeds in a silver Nissan Micra, arriving at Luton at 6:51 a.m. The four then traveled to King's Cross station, where they split up and set off their bombs, three on the London Underground and one on a bus.
The police found a trove of bombing materials in the Nissan Micra, which the men left parked at Luton. Two more "viable devices" - bombs that contained peroxide-based explosives, were surrounded by nails and were ready to go off - were found under the front passenger seat, Mr. Clarke said. There were also coolers in the back of the car, which may have been used to carry the bombs used in the attacks, he said. Peroxide-based bombs need to be kept cool when transported.
Asked whether the presence of the two bombs in the front seat implied that two other suicide bombers were meant to join the four on July 7, Mr. Clarke said the question was "interesting but unhelpful." But, he said, "it is of real concern that there were more explosives in the possession of these people on that day."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/21/2005 00:18 ||
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A top secret map of extremism in the UK has been compiled by police and the British domestic security service known as MI5, it was revealed Tuesday. Inspector of Constabulary Denis O'Connor refused to divulge details, but the map was understood to show evidence of domestic extremism in virtually every British county. O'Connor told the Police Superintendents Association conference in Warwickshire, central England, the map was one of the key factors in his decision to propose a radical shake-up of policing in England and Wales.
The intelligence services and police are thought to have uncovered extremism not just in predictable areas such as London, northern England and Northern Ireland, but also in smaller cities, towns and even rural areas. The map is believed to bring together evidence of Muslim radicalism, Irish terrorism and animal rights extremists, by depicting hotspots in brighter colours than areas where extremism is at lower levels. Only one or two Scottish police forces were believed to be devoid of extremism.
The map was thought to have been shown to a special meeting between Police Chief Constables and British Home Secretary Charles Clarke yesterday. In his report published last Friday which recommended reducing the number of police forces in England and Wales, O'Connor said "There is good reason to believe that ... risk posed by civil contingencies, domestic extremists, terrorists and dangerous offenders are widespread rather than narrowly based."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/21/2005 00:00 ||
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Got a top secret targeting map, ya say? Can't post it on RB, ya say? Well, gee, how 'bout a few Lat Long fixes, for a teaser? Hey I'll buy ya a beer, c'mon, what ya say?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/21/2005 1:43 Comments ||
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"Muslim radicalism, Irish terrorism and animal rights extremists"
Saw a claim at work recently, for a torched vehicle, Chelsea tractor, torched by animal activists, (ALF)?. Police said they're no terrorists. Prosecution , phwar!! Pay out the claim.......
Sums it up short, I would say. My words would have been, here's the map, this is the bit we dont want to see yous in, and this is the bit you can go back to. Too much favour for the perp, or potential perp here, uk-side.
EFL: The number of detainees on hunger strike at the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay is said to have fallen by almost two-thirds since last week. Spokeswoman Angela King-Sweigart was quoted by the AP news agency as saying that 45 detainees were currently on hunger strike, down from 131 last week. Wimps Prisoners must miss nine meals in a row for the US military to classify them as being on a hunger strike.
The protest began on 8 August, the latest in a series of hunger strikes since 2002. No explanation was given for the sharp decrease in the number of hunger strikers over the past week, AP says. Maybe they got hungry?
Fifteen of the 45 detainees on hunger strike had been taken to hospital, Ms King-Sweigart said, but could not confirm if any were being tube-fed. Several detainees have been tube-fed during the hunger strike. The US military says nearly 250 prisoners have been sent to their home countries from Guantanamo since the prison opened. As most inmates are held as "unlawful combatants", they are not protected by the Geneva Convention and can be held indefinitely, the US government says.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/21/2005 09:04 ||
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If they all were sticking to it we'd see fewer of them quite soon methinks.
[Melbourne]A roomful of protesters wearing Mahatma Gandhi masks demanded an explanation for the deportation of US peace activist Scott Parkin from Australian Attorney-General Philip Ruddock at a speaking engagement in Melbourne tonight. Supporters of Mr Parkin donned the Gandhi masks and confronted Mr. Ruddock in a bid to find out why ASIO, the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation, considers the 36 year old history teacher a threat to Australia's national security. Several held placards which asked "Would you deport Gandhi, Mr Ruddock?" Mr Parkin, who was deported from Australia on Friday, has spoken of his committment to nonviolent methods of protest and remains "baffled" as to the reasons for his negative security assessment and deportation. In a statement made while still in detentation last week, Mr Parkin said: "I am a student of mass social movements in the tradition of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr and I think that these movements have shown us the way to achieve positive social change." The protestors are demanding to know if Australian citizens who have associated with Scott are also considered threats to national security by ASIO.
#1
He is an Anarchist. There are very few "peaceful" Anarchists. He claims to be a history teacher. Why is he not teaching school it's back in everywhere in the US?
The government of Australia has the right to deport any non citizen it wants too without giving cause. These children need to grow up and understand how the real world works.
Not a big fan of the Evil Halliburton so I hope they can get him back to Houston in time for Rita and he can see what Halliburton's capable of when they really, really get pissed off.
The al-Qaeda terrorist network laundered at least 900 million dollars through two Zagreb banks in the early 1990s to finance Bosnian Muslims in the 1992-1995 civil war, but also various terrorist activities, Zagreb weekly Nacional alleged in a report Tuesday. The paper sources its story to the secret testimony of an unnamed Croatian citizen, who testified as a protected witness in New York trial of Yemen Sheik Mohammed Ali Hassan al-Moyad, recently sentenced to 75 years for financing al-Qaeda, Hamas and other Islamic terrorist organisations. Nacional said that Moyad had set up the High Saudi Committee (HSC) in Zagreb in the early 1990s as a humanitarian organization, but it was actually financing the Bosnian Muslim war effort and Islamic terrorist activities.
Until 1993 between 800 and 900 million dollars were deposited in cash in HSC accounts in Zagrebacka and Ljubljanska banka, and were later transferred to Bosnia, the paper said. Only ten per cent of the money was used for humanitarian activities and to help refugees, it claimed, while the rest was spent on financing Bosnian Muslim army and for terrorist activities. The paper said that Croatian intelligence sources had confirmed the story, but decided to keep it secret so as not to hamper Croatiaâs efforts to join the European Union. However, the Croatian authorities cooperated with the US judiciary and provided a protected witness in the trial of Al-Moyad, Nacional said.
HSC was practically expelled from Croatia in the mid-1990s when its true activities were discovered, but NATO investigators later discovered in its computers in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo maps and details of the targets hit by al-Qaeda on September 11, 2001, âNacionalâ said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/21/2005 00:16 ||
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This is giving Bosian dry cleaners a bad name.
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/21/2005 3:56 Comments ||
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Originally the title related to Saudi insurgents being in the minority. DC Examiner, page forward to page 13. Reprinted in full.
CAIRO, Egypt â Saudi fighters make up only about 1 percent of Iraqâs insurgency, but each contributes thousands of dollars to the cause â and they make sure their roles as âmartyrsâ are known when they carry out suicide attacks, and even if they do not - see below helping draw more recruits, a new report said. About 30,000 fighters are believed to be involved in the insurgency, approximately 90 percent of them Sunni Arab Iraqis motivated by fear of Shiite domination or anger over lost power, said the report by the Washington based Center for Strategic and International Studies. Or anger about Abu Ghraib and Gitmo - read on.
Of the estimated 3,000 foreign fighters, the largest number â about 20 percent â comes from Algeria, followed by Syria and Yemen with about 18 percent and 17 percent, respectively, said the report issued Monday. About 15 percent come from Sudan, 5 percent from Egypt and 5 percent from other countries. Of about 350 Saudis who entered Iraq by August 2005, about 130 are believed to have been killed or captured, it said. The report, written by Nawaf Obaid and Anthony Cordesman, was a contrast to accounts contending that Saudis make up a large proportion of foreign fighters as opposed to a large proportion of the financial support in the insurgency that has persisted since the fall of Saddam Husseinâs regime in March 2003. The study by the CSIS, an independent think tank, said its information was compiled from estimates provided by Saudi intelligence services based on interrogations of captured militants and other sources, and by intelligence agencies of other, unidentified governments in the region.
The âmain pillarâ of the insurgency is not former Saddam loyalists, though they do contribute expertise, the report said. Instead the bulk of fighters are members of Sunni Arab Iraqi tribes. âAlthough they do not support a return to Saddam Husseinâs regime, most are Sunnis wary of a Shiite-led government,â it said. Most of the Saudis what about the rest of the hard boyz? who join the insurgency âwere motivated by revulsion at the idea of an Arab land being occupied by a non-Arab countryâ and anger over allegations allegations. They said it. AP's word was allegations, but also fueled by over-reporting and false Koran-flushing articles, et cetera. of U.S. abuses at the Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo Bay prisons, it said. They average in age between 17-25. Notably, most of those caught by Saudi authorities trying to enter Iraq âwere not militants before the Iraq war,â it said. Thank you, MSM, for your significant contribution to the deaths of American troops!
Eighty-five percent were not on any government watch list or known to be al-Qaida members. Instead, they were âradicalized almost exclusively by the coalition invasion,â and the reporting thereof. It wasn't the invasion that made them mad, it was what they read or saw in the media! the report said. The Saudis provide money and propaganda for the insurgents, it said. Unlike fighters from poor Arab nations, Saudis sometimes bring in âpersonal funds between $10,000 and $15,000â to contribute, the report said. There also is a system for spreading the news of suicide bombings carried out by Saudis, unlike suicide bombers from Algeria or Egypt, whose families may never be notified, the report said. Saudi bombers leave their colleagues a contact number to notify next of kin. âThe media attention their deaths as âmartyrsâ bring to the cause ... is a powerful recruiting tool,â the report said.
And Saudi exploits are exaggerated in Internet statements issued by insurgent groups. It noted that analysis of some lists of âmartyrsâ posted on Islamic militant Web sites found that some said to have carried out suicide attacks were living in Saudi Arabia. Why be a martyr if you can't have any of the fame? Many of the Saudi fighters were inspired to go to Iraq by militant clerics, who also helped the young men get there, often through Syria.
#1
Seems to me we discussed the CSIS report a couple of days ago. I recommended then, and I reiterate now, that anything coming from them should be carefully examined for ingrained, virtually unrecognized bias on the part of many members. This group should be given the same scrutiny as DEBKA, IMHO.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/21/2005 16:47 Comments ||
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Cindy Sheehan, the rising star of the anti-war movement, remembers when people used to think of her as one of those crazy activists, speaking out for a cause, inconveniencing all who stumbled onto her path. She remembers, from her days camped outside President Bushâs ranch in Texas, how some drivers would shout out at her, âGet a job!â Her response was always the same. âIâd say to them, âI have a job,â â Sheehan explained Monday night at the last of her New York events, at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. âIâd say, âItâs a full-time job, and itâs to hold George Bush accountable.â â With that, the 1200-strong crowd of peace activists, war veterans, ministers, and high-school students went wild.
Sheehan, the mother of an American soldier killed in Iraq, has become the persistent thorn in George Bushâs side and, in the process, an icon for Americans angry with the way the president and his administration is handling the war. Monday night, she drew out the anti-war sentiment in New York, making her last stop in well-publicized three-bus Bring Them Home Now Tour launched from Crawford, Texas, on August 31. The tour has traveled to 51 cities in 28 states.
Audience members packed into the cavernous hall wearing T-shirts with block letters, that read: I SUPPORT CINDY SHEEHAN. BRING OUR TROOPS HOME. Others donned baseball hats, VETERANS FOR PEACE, or carried makeshift signs, CINDY, YES. BUSH, NO. They waited to hear the celebrity guest for an hour, listening to emotional stories of other military families. The message? Donât keep our troops fighting a war based on lies. Instead, get on the bus and protest in Washington, D.C., the site of a three-day anti-war rally this weekend.
When Sheehan assumed center stage, she kept her focus on Bush, calling him âa liarâ whose âreckless, callous, and moronic policies have made our country vulnerable.â Bush, she said, had proven himself a coward who cares little about the troops in Iraq. âI hate to be harsh,â she said, âbut weâre not accepting any excuses for not bringing our troops home.â
But Sheehan isnât stopping her critique with Bush. On the contrary, she has begun to set her sights on Congress and the Democratic Party as well. When she spoke in Brooklyn on the night before, she took note of the fact that Senator Hillary Clinton voted to authorize Bush to use force in Iraq andâ like most Senate Democratsâhas done little to bring the troops home. Clinton, in fact, has filed legislation calling for more troops.
In an interview after her speech, Sheehan told the Voice she was âso frustratedâ by leading Democrats like Clinton âwho should be leaders on this issue, but are not.â Already, she has set up a future meeting with New Yorkâs junior senator this weekend. And she plans to sit down with the stateâs senior senator, Chuck Schumer, too. âItâs time for them to step up and be the opposition party,â she said. âThis war is not going to end unless the Democrats are on board with us.â
Local anti-war activists agree, and are busy strategizing on how to kick up the pressure. âThere is a real push to put members of Congress on the hot seat,â says Bill Dobbs, of the New York City chapter of United for Peace and Justice. âItâs one thing to put the blame on Bush for this whole mess, but itâs Congress who has the power to stop it. Weâve got to make them pay a price for keeping this war going.â
Posted by: Steve ||
09/21/2005 10:13 ||
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#1
"Itâs one thing to put the blame on Bush for this whole mess, but itâs Congress who has the power to stop it."
Reminds me of the LGBT crowd that "out" gays in goverment when they don't vote in favor of thier cause. When the 'Progressive' feel margainalized they will eat their own. I say turn on the spotlight and turn up the microphone.
#12
This is going to make life hell for Hillary. Does she cater to the most vocal, nuttiest, Cindyesque part of her support base? Or does she attempt to assure the majority of American voters she might actually be entrusted with the security of the country. Poor Hil!
#13
mmurray821 is spot on: Hillary is a socialist. We saw her true stripes with trying national health care in Willie's first term. She wants big government, she is vindictive.
In her political maneuvering for '08, she sees the Dems cratering because of the uncontrolled graveyard spiral of the LLL. They have taken over the party. So she looks at the polls and sees that the public does not buy that crap. So she positions herself more towards the center to have the public look at her in a more favorable light.
She has shown that she uses others to achieve her ends. She put up with Slick Willie because he was a vehicle for her ambitions. Hey, it's just business, nothing personal.
Sheehan got all the free press she deserves, and then some. The MSM used her and she will soon go into the media dumpster. Hillary knows that she is a loon, so Hillary will ignore her, as the Hildabeast has bigger fish to fry.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/21/2005 16:37 Comments ||
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This is a Sister Souljah moment all set up for Hillary whenever she's ready.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
09/21/2005 16:41 Comments ||
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#5 Cindy Sheehan....remembers when people used to think of her as one of those crazy activists
Ummmmmmmmmmmmm...used to?
Yep, today everybody knows she's a stark raving lunatic moron, totally devoid of any hold on reality.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/21/2005 16:53 Comments ||
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"This is a Sister Souljah moment all set up for Hillary whenever she's ready."
When the time is right, sometime in late '07 through early/mid '08, Hillary is going to be compelled to have that Sister Souljah Moment-- not just with Mother Sheehan, but with all the moonbats: the Michael Moore-ons, the MoveOn.orcs, the Kossacks, Babs, and the drooling foamers at the New York Times as well. Unless the public mood has changed radically by then, she's simply got to do that if her campaign is to be anything other than a collosal waste of time and energy.
But something tells me she can't have that SSM quite yet; I think it would set off a feeding frenzy on the Left that would trash not only Hillary's 2008 chances but the chances for the 2006 congressional candidates as well.
It'll be interesting to see how she handles this.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
09/21/2005 17:08 Comments ||
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Handle it? Odds are good that the American Avita set the whole thing up.
#18
Hillary won't have a "Sister Souljah" momment till after she gets the nomination. She can't get the nomination w/o the support of the moonbats. She can't win the general election with them. So once she's got the nomination, it'll be time to cut them loose.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/21/2005 19:51 Comments ||
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This smells like a set-up, a Dick Morris-style triangulation stunt in which Hillary's poised as a moderate voice of reason attacked by the Democratic Party's lunatic fringe majority.
My prediction's that Hillary will either go hard left on economic issues as a way of sucking up to the Cindy/Mikey/Galloway groupies or else do a Sindy Souljah sometime next year. Of course, these two maneuvers aren't mutually exclusive....
#21
#11 hit the mark. Opportunistic lying piece of staggersheepie shite prepared to do whatever it takes to prove herself equal and then better than her Billy whom she loathes and facies herself far above both morally and intellectually. The pair are a good reminder why disingenous, lying, corrupt state politicians need to be cut down at the knees early, especially the somewhat charming ones. Let them flourish and your state's little ugly weed problem becomes the whole nation's burden well beyond two terms.
More PC run amok. Will Switzerland be asked to change its flag? Nice info about the persian and others symbols, wasn't aware of that. The Red Thingy Cross and its Islamic cousin, the Red Moon-Shaped Thingy Crescent, could soon be joined by a Red Crystal. The move is an attempt to create a neutral emblem in an age of growing religious strife, in which aid workers have been attacked and the Red Thingy Cross headquarters in Baghdad bombed.
The symbol also seeks to resolve disputes that have kept some humanitarian organisations, mainly Israel's Magen David Adom, which uses the red Shield of David, outside the International Red Thingy Cross and Red Moon-Shaped Thingy Crescent Movement. Switzerland plans to convene a conference by the end of the year at which the 192 countries party to the Geneva conventions will be asked to approve the red crystal, a red square tilted on its edge against a white background.
National symbols such as the Dastardly Disapproved Thingy Shield of David could be incorporated into the red crystal.
Moreover, the International Committee of the Red Thingy Cross would use the red crystal instead of the red cross in areas of religious conflict where its emblem might be taken as a Christian symbol. The red cross was adopted to identify medics and ambulances in war zones in 1863. The emblem was the reverse of the Swiss flag, a long-standing symbol of neutrality.
But it was soon apparent that the red cross would not be universally accepted. The Ottoman empire unilaterally declared that it would use the red crescent during the Russo-Turkish war of 1876. Soon Persia secured the use of the red lion and sun, while Siam made an attempt to use a red flame.
Diplomats negotiating international humanitarian law later became alarmed that the proliferation of symbols would create confusion and increase the risk of harm to medical workers. For decades they drew the line at the red cross, the red crescent and the red lion and sun, but the latter was abandoned by Iran after the Islamic revolution in 1979.
Israel, however, insisted on using the Dastardly Disapproved Thingy Shield of David and has been kept out of the international movement for the past 56 years.
The last attempt to adopt a neutral symbol fell apart in 2000 after the outbreak of the Palestinian armed uprising. Since then, in protest at the exclusion of Israel, the American Red Thingy Cross has held back its payments to the International Red Thingy Cross Movement.
Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip may now have changed the political mood.
#1
Wait I know, a red spot on white. Err, no that's too Japanese. How about a red circle, no some one will convert it to the international traffic symbol. How about a red MD symbol, you know the doctors intertwined serpents. Err, no some one will confuse aid workers with odctors and sue.
Jesus Christ of all the stupid things to be argueing about
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
09/21/2005 10:57 Comments ||
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whatever the symbol, honor the intent. In other words, Paleo smuggling of fighters and weapons in Red Crescent ambulances has put them beyond the pale.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/21/2005 11:11 Comments ||
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#9
Now, Frank, that's just crazy talk. Nothing good can come from holding Palestinians to the same standards as the rest of humanity. Haven't you learned that yet?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
09/21/2005 11:21 Comments ||
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Start with a cross, extend each arm by an equal measure on a perpendicular to the right Oh wait...that's the UN flag.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
09/21/2005 12:39 Comments ||
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Here is an idea for a flag. How about a white background...with me so far? Good.
Then in the upper left, paint a moderately small red crescent. That's right.
Next paint a red archimedes spiral on the white background. Start it just to the right of the red crescent. Leave some space in the center.
At the center paint a sizeable but not too large black dot. And there you have it.
Start with the Crescent, spiral in on a trail of blood to a black hole, which represents oblivion. If you want to, put a little flow arrow on the start of the spiral near the crescent. That way people will not get confused and think that that the crescent and all it stands for comes out of the black hole.
If the flag will be flown in the Northern Hemisphere, make the spiral counterclockwise. If it is flown in the southern hemisphere, make it clockwise. If you print it on both sides, make images mirror images and it is useable worldwide.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/21/2005 22:14 Comments ||
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I propose an international Ouija board project to create a uniquely acceptable symbol to all represented religions/nations, which could all hold on to the "indicator". Obviously the proper symbol is a large dot.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/21/2005 22:27 Comments ||
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More than 650 soldiers with the Idaho Army National Guard serving in Iraq have signed up to stay on duty, setting a record for combat-zone re-enlistments, the 116th Brigade Combat Team's public affairs staff said. Sgt. 1st Class Jim Blake, the officer in charge of retention for the brigade, said the Idaho Guard members aimed to surpass the high of 400 re-enlistments achieved by the 256th Brigade Combat Team from Louisiana in July. The 116th eclipsed that, with 654 soldiers re-upping by Sept. 11. The Idaho Guard has about 1,800 soldiers in the 4,300-member brigade, which has been in northern Iraq since December. OORAH!
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
09/21/2005 15:04 ||
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I look forward to hearing more details on this evening's newscast
Posted by: Kelly ||
09/21/2005 16:59 Comments ||
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First-time enlistments are down slightly, but re-enlistments are up across the board. Even the Navy is reporting a higher rate of retention than at any time in the last 20 years. The military understands what's going on, and understands it's their job to protect both our nation and its people. They also understand that the islamofascinutcakes are a menace that MUST be dealt with, NOW.
Maybe we do need to bring back the draft, and draft every journalism student and wannabe lawyer into the Marines for five years. THEN let them practice their "trade".
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/21/2005 17:00 Comments ||
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OldPat - as the saying goes....
Would you want to share a foxhole (or Stryker) with a journalist or lawyer wannabe?
#8
OP -- just reinstate the draft for journalism majors.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
09/21/2005 17:45 Comments ||
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I know what the article really meant, but I can't help but think upon just reading the headline that they must be trying to avoid being transferred to New Orleans...
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
09/21/2005 17:53 Comments ||
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Re: journalism students and wannabe lawyers
I think this might be a good application for the don't ask, don't tell policy
Posted by: Kelly ||
09/21/2005 17:59 Comments ||
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#11
Good to hear the old home state still has it! It's nice now that the guys that enlisted for college or the "benefits" are gone and only the soldiers that understand what defending a nation means are left in the ranks. It is no real surprise reenlistment rates are up. Troops are doing what they enlisted for--defending our nation.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
09/21/2005 20:17 Comments ||
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#12
and of course the Idaho National Guard is made up of 90% minorities, another reason to have the draft, right, Charlie Rangel (D-Asshole)?
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/21/2005 20:19 Comments ||
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Great guys, and we love to play with our guns here in Idaho. Besides, getting ready to get pretty dang cold around here ... go gents and ladies!
AMMAN, Jordan - Saddam Hussein's lawyers won't recognize the Oct. 19 start of the former leader's trial because they claim they have not been notified of the date by the Iraqi Special Tribunal, the attorneys said Wednesday.
The lawyers "will not recognize any date for the trial if it comes within weeks or months," said Khalil Dulaimi, Saddam's Iraqi lawyer, in a statement issued from Baghdad.
Dulaimi did not specify what the defense lawyers will do if no notification has been served by the time the trial opens.
Another Saddam lawyer, Britain-based Abdel Haq Alani, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that the legal team "must be served notice stating a trial date, and that hasn't happened."
Saddam and seven other members of his toppled regime are due to stand trial in the tribunal on Oct. 19. They are charged with ordering a massacre of 143 people in Dujail, a town north of Baghdad, in 1982 after a failed assassination attempt against the ousted leader. If convicted, Saddam could be sentenced to death.
Hmmmm too bad. Hang him
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/21/2005 14:51 ||
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I just got a jury duty summons for October 19. You don't suppose...
September 21, 2005: Rumors in Iraq are that al Qaeda has been trying to put together a spectacular, and bloody, "Ramadan Offensive." Every year, al Qaeda tries to increase their number of attacks during the Moslem holy month of Ramadan (October 4-November 2). Al Qaeda is believed to have tried to assemble 150-200 suicide bombing volunteers inside Iraq. Building car bombs, and explosive belts, for this many "martyrs" is a formidable task. The big question is, has American and Iraqi intelligence and counter-terror efforts been sufficient to derail this terror spectacular? No one is saying. However, in the last two weeks, many car bomb workshops, and stockpiles of bomb making materials have been captured, or bombed. You can always tell when your bomb has hit a car bomb factory, because all the explosives stored their go up in a spectacular "secondary explosion." Analysis teams usually go over these targets later, collecting debris for analysis on what was being built their and, perhaps, who was doing the building.
The government is desperate to avoid a Ramadan Offensive. Not just because of the loss of life, but because political careers are at stake. Iraqi leaders have quickly adapted to democracy, and the way in which angry voters push big-shots who fail, out of office. As a result, many of the negotiations with Sunni Arab leaders have included horse trading for tidbits of information about where terrorists are building their bombs. Particularly worrisome is the growing use of bomb belts by al Qaeda. Increased security measures by Iraqi police has led to more car bombers being captured, or forced to detonate their bombs before they reach their intended targets. This often results in many Sunni Arab casualties, which makes it difficult for al Qaeda to find hideouts. Explosive belts contain less explosives, but its easier to sneak a pedestrian into a well guarded area. For the moment, anyway. Thus the increased use of explosive belts.
By the end of October, it will be obvious who is winning the terrorism war. So far this month, terrorist attacks are down, compared to the last few months. But this is believed to be the result of al Qaeda striving to stockpile bombs, and people to deliver them, for their Ramadan Offensive.
Why does democratic Iraq have worse relations with the Arab world than did Saddam Hussein's Iraq. First, there is a growing dispute between the new Iraqi government and the rest of the Arab world over whether or not Iraq is an "Arab" nation. As a result, Arab nations are not supporting the new Iraqi government, and are tolerating al Qaeda and Sunni Arab terrorists operating in their countries. What is causing this? For example, Iraq's Kurdish president Jalal Talabani was interviewed by Israeli journalists in the United States, and said, "there is no hostility between Iraq and Israel." This caused an uproar in the Arab world, because it's become an article of faith that Israel is evil, and no true Arab state can have contact with Israel (despite Israeli peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan).
Naturally, Arabs believe that "Kurdish influence" is widespread and real in Iraq. This is partly driven by the fact that another Kurd, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, points out that Iraq has Kurds, Assyrians, and Turkomans, and cannot be considered an "Arab" state. Arabs won't say it, but they are also upset with the fact that Shia Arabs, who make up a majority of the population, practice the same version of Islam as the non-Arab Shia Iranians.
But perhaps the most important, unspoken, reason for this lack of support is democracy. This is considered an alien influence and "un-Arabic." Sunni clerics openly call democracy "un-Islamic." Arab dictators see democracy as a threat to their rule. Finally, Arabs with European allies, are made to understand that the current Iraqi government is illegitimate because it is supported by the United States and George Bush, both of whom are considered a threat to world peace by many Europeans. This is more a matter of faith (and political wishful thinking), than logic, but it is real. Add all these influences together, and you have Iraq as something of an outcast in the Arab world. Strange, but true.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/21/2005 10:06 ||
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September 21, 2005: Hurricane Katrina has reduced production of armored vehicles used by troops in Iraq. The plant assembling the ASV (armored security vehicle) is in southern Louisiana, and was flooded by Katrina. About 85 percent of the 1,200 workers are still missing, having been displaced when their homes were destroyed by the hurricane. The Textron plant itself was damaged, but not destroyed. The workers who have returned are cleaning things up and getting ready to resume production by the end of October. The plant has orders for some 900 ASVs.
The ASVs, costing about $690,000 each, were originally developed in the 1990s for use by MPs in combat zones. But only a few were bought. It was found that for 1990s style peacekeeping, existing armored vehicles were adequate. In the narrow streets of Balkan towns, the vehicle was too wide to be very maneuverable. Then came Iraq, where the ASV turned out to be very useful, particularly for convoy protection. There are currently nearly 200 ASVs in Iraq, and the army wants lots more because military police like these vehicles a lot. The MPs originally wanted 2,000 ASVs, but before Iraq, were told they would be lucky to get a hundred. Now the MPs may end up with over a thousand.
The ASV is a 13 ton armored car that is built to handle the kind of crap terrorists are dealing out in Iraq. The ASVs are, unlike armored hummers, built from the ground up as an armored trucks. ASVs are 20 feet long and 8.5 feet wide, making them a bit larger than hummers. Usually, each ASV carries a .50 caliber machine-gun and a 40mm automatic grenade launcher. The ASV is heavy enough to survive most roadside bombs and keep going. The ASV is bullet, and RPG proof. The turret is the same one used on the U.S. Marine Corps LAV.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/21/2005 09:57 ||
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September 21, 2005: With the retirement of Arthur Chrenkoff from blogging, his regular "Good News" reports concerning Afghanistan and Iraq might be missed. However, this gap is being filled by a new site, GoodNewsFromTheFront.com, which will carry on Chrenkoff's work. This site is being supported by a variety of blogs (including Iraq the Model) and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
The site is covering the "good news" in both Iraq and Afghanistan, as a means of partially countering the "police blotter" style of reporting that usually dominates coverage of the war in both countries. This is comprehensive, covering the society, the economy, reconstruction, humanitarian aid, security, and the coalition forces. This has included, among other projects, a radio network in Afghanistan, updates on opinion polls from Iraq, and the start of construction work for eight new bridges in Iraq. This is a site that will receive some wide play on the internet, often from people who will want to know the rest of the story - a side of the story that is obscured. Other bloggers, like Michael Yon, have been providing coverage not seen in the media. Some of the military commands are also reaching out to the blogosphere as well, bypassing the legacy media.
The silent majority these days not only is willing to speak out, it is gaining the means to do so via talk radio and the internet. And the vocal minority - particularly the legacy media - is finding out that their volume is not drowning out things that were ignored in past wars. This lack of reticence by the supporters of the war is having an effect. The anti-war protests have often been greeted by small numbers of counter-protestors. There is a new media battlefield, one whose dimensions and rules are still unknown.
Chrenkoff's blog: http://chrenkoff.blogspot.com/
Goodnewsfromthefront.com: http://goodnewsfromthefront.com/
Michael Yon's blog: http://www.michaelyon.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Steve ||
09/21/2005 09:52 ||
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Israel declared its frontier with the Gaza Strip an international border on Wednesday, formally setting part of a boundary for the first time with an eventual Palestinian state. Israeli Interior Minister Ofer Pines-Paz called the measure, which he signed, "a first step to civilianise the passages and to turn them into borders" between Israel and Gaza after Israel completed a military pullout from the territory on Sept. 12.
Sabine Haddad, a ministry spokeswoman, said Pines had turned four crossing points between Gaza and Israel into official border crossings. "For Israel this is now an international border," he said. Israelis and foreign nationals will now need a passport to move between Israel and all parts of Gaza, and will fill out border entry forms rather than military documents as they had before, Haddad said. But she said the few Palestinians allowed into Israel for jobs or medical care would not need a passport to do so, and would still require security permits.
Palestinians, who dispute Israel's efforts to retain control over Gaza's key border crossings for now after declaring an end to 38 years of military rule there, dismissed the Israeli measure to set a border as premature. "I don't think we can classify it legally as an international border now because Gaza is not free of occupation," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said. "I think international borders will be agreed once we finish permanent status negotiations on borders," he said.
Palestinians are also unhappy that Israel, citing security needs, is keeping control over Gaza's sea lanes and air space. ...
Posted by: ed ||
09/21/2005 09:31 ||
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"Control over sea lanes and airspace" is very mild and no real burden if you wish to conduct ordinary commerce. It is intolerable only if you wish to import weapons and people with outstanding warrants and ill intent.
#2
The real issue is retaliation for attacks. If Gaza is another country, then Israel has the right to defend itself and attacks constitute (arguably) a declaration of war.
OTOH, if Israel is an occupier, it has international / treaty obligations that restrict it's actions.
#3
Under the Oslo agreement, IIRC, Israel is obligated to provide an amount of electric power and water for the Paleos in Gaza. So if the Paleos become a belligerant state, when could Israel say that, due to the PA falling into anarchy, that there is no authority in Gaza no' mo', and that Oslo does not apply and the electricity and water are being shut off. THAT will get someone's attention.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/21/2005 16:42 Comments ||
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Gosh! You don't think that the Palestinians are planning on doing anything that might provoke a war, do you? I thought they were going to "nation build" for a while....
I found Article II, Section B.24 deals with electricity. Basically, the PA buys it from Israel, and other details, yada^3.
Article II, Section B.31 concerns water and sewage. The PA is responsible for their water sources. Of course they over pumped and the wells went saline. They buy water from Israel.
It seems to me that if there is no Palestinian Authority, then there is nobody to have an agreement with, and Oslo is null and void.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/21/2005 17:09 Comments ||
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International peace brokers have urged the Palestinian Authority to start dismantling armed resistance factions before a parliamentary election in January. But the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations stopped short of backing Israeli demands the group Hamas be barred from the poll unless it disarms and amends a charter calling for Israel's destruction.
Ministers of the so-called Quartet said in a statement after talks at UN headquarters that the Palestinians should maintain law and order following Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, a pullout completed on 12 September after 38 years of occupation. The Quartet, borrowing terminology from a Middle East peace "road map" it has sponsored, also urged the Palestinian Authority to "dismantle terrorist capabilities and infrastructure".
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said forcibly disarming powerful resistance groups would lead to civil war and that he prefers to co-opt them into the security services and mainstream politics. At a news conference on behalf of the group, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said: "Ultimately, those who want to be part of the political process should not engage in armed group or militia activities, for there is a fundamental contradiction between such activities and the building of a democratic state."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/21/2005 00:00 ||
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Just shoot me-I agree with Annan. Ew-that taste in my mouth.
#2
jules 2: Just shoot me-I agree with Annan.
Look up the enclosed.
Quartet impatient for more withdrawals
The world's leaders may have praised Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for disengagement when he attended the opening session of the UN General Assembly last week, but by Tuesday some were already calling for him to take additional steps.
"What happens in the West Bank is very much on our mind," UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said. "For us, the Quartet, it's Gaza first and then the next stage will be the West Bank, not Gaza first and Gaza last."
#5
Secretary-General Kofi Annan said. "For us, the Quartet, it's Gaza first and then the next stage will be the West Bank, not Gaza first and Gaza last."
In the meantime genocide in Sudan continues without Uncle Tom Annan giving a f... about it.
#8
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said forcibly disarming powerful resistance groups would lead to civil war and that he prefers to co-opt them into the security services and mainstream politics.
"I am unwilling/unable to do anything about armed terrorist groups on my soil because I am afraid of a civil war. Therefore, I choose instead to make members of those armed terrorist groups mainstream politicians and employees of our 'security services'."
RAMALLAH, West Bank - Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qorei said on Tuesday he accepted full responsibility for rampant insecurity in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Fall guy enters, stage left.
His comments come less than a week before MPs are to debate and vote on a no-confidence motion blaming him and his administration for failing to adequately counter the chaos gripping parts of the Palestinian territories.
âThe security situation is very serious. Chaos, murders, crime and gun-carrying continue,â Qorei told reporters after a weekly cabinet meeting in the West Bank town of Ramallah. âAs long as I am prime minister I assume full responsibility although my job does not give me direct security control,â he said.
"In fact, I can't do nuttin!"
âThe presidency (of the Palestinian Authority), the government and security services, as well as the nationalist and Islamist factions must shoulder collective responsibility,â he said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/21/2005 00:00 ||
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I assume full responsibility although my job does not give me direct security control
Via JihadWatch
PATTANI, Thailand â The open-air market in this southern Thai city falls eerily quiet on Fridays. Most vendors stay home, terrorized by leaflets threatening to kill or cut off the ears of anyone who works on the Muslim holy day.
After 20 months of insurgent violence, the no-work threat has driven another nail into what is becoming an economic coffin in Thailand's terrorized southern provinces. "My business has been bad as customers are afraid to come out," said Thanchanok Putroy, 39, chopping up a catfish in the market where most stores were shut and buses aren't running.
Among the hundreds killed in the predominantly Muslim provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat are police and soldiers, but police records show that 80 percent are civilians â rubber tappers, shopkeepers, civil servants, construction workers and ice cream vendors.
Bombs have exploded at a department store, a cinema complex, the international airport at Hat Yai and a department store owned by the French Carrefour chain. Now investors and tourists have been driven off and some workers are leaving. "Trade has dropped 70 to 80 percent. Shopkeepers complain loudly. It is very quiet at night and people from outside dare not to come to the area," said Panya Ongsakul, chairman of the three provinces' chamber of commerce.
Always among the country's poorest regions, per capita monthly income in Narathiwat is 2,120 baht ($51), less than half the national average. Many Muslim villagers are angry at the government, but also want them to quell the violence so they can continue what have traditionally been peaceful lives in this rural region of 1.8 million people.
Fruit rots on trees and farmers in remote areas tap rubber by day rather than at night when trees yield their best sap. Soaring demand, driven by the booming Chinese economy, has doubled rubber's price on the global market, but production in Pattani province has plummeted to a tenth of its volume in just a year, according to official statistics.
The 117-room Royal Princess, the largest hotel in Narathiwat, closed in January after occupancy dropped by half. Killings at building sites have chased away Buddhist workers and some contractors from outside the area have stopped bidding on new projects.
Prices of quarried rock have doubled, because the government severely limited the use of explosives that were reportedly being stolen for bomb attacks. The government eased the curbs as part of efforts to revive the economy, but Defense Minister Thammarak Isarangura Na Ayutthaya, while warily approving the measure, said he expected coffins would have to be stockpiled for bomb victims.
Posted by: ed ||
09/21/2005 11:03 ||
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Article: Always among the country's poorest regions, per capita monthly income in Narathiwat is 2,120 baht ($51), less than half the national average.
This is not too different from China. And this has never been a communist state. What a disaster.
Hundreds of people in West Java vandalized on Monday night houses, mosques and cars belonging to members of the Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation (JAI), a Muslim group whose teachings differ from the central tenets of Islam.
No casualties nor injuries were reported in the attack.
West Java Police said on Tuesday the vandalism had been localized to Campaka district in Cianjur regency, some 100 kilometers southeast of Jakarta, which is home to hundreds of Ahmadiyah followers.
The attackers, mostly from the neighborhood and the nearby Darul Rahman Islamic boarding school, destroyed or damaged four mosques, 33 houses and four Islamic schools, and set fire to three cars.
The mob of Muslims dispersed after the 90 minute attack at around 9 p.m.
West Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Edi Darnadi said the Cianjur Police had arrested 48 people in relation to the attack.
Five of them, he said, had been declared suspects. They have been identified as Deni Hidayat, 35, Yopi Suhendar, 32, M. Yohadi, 35, Dani Hamdani, 27 and Nurdin, 22.
Darul Rahman boarding school head Muhammad Hardian Nawawi, who is believed to have led the attack, is being questioned by the Cianjur Police.
The attack was the latest against Ahmadiyah, which has been branded a heretical group by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) through its fatwa issued recently.
In 1984, the Ministry of Religious Affairs issued a circular to provincial offices across the country, declaring that Ahmadiyah was misleading and against Islam.
The group believes that another prophet, its founder Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, came after Muhammad, the last prophet of God in Islam.
In July, thousands of people attacked the Ahmadiyah compound in Parung, Bogor, West Java, in a protest against the group's teachings.
The attack was condemned by Muslim organizations and leaders, who said that faith differences must not be resolved with violence.
However, nobody was arrested for the Parung violence.
Ahmadiyah has existed as an organization since 1953 and now has about 200,000 members.
The West Java Police chief said the Cianjur authorities had been slow to settle the conflict between Ahmadiyah and local residents, which he said had caused accumulated rage and destruction.
West Java Police chief of detectives Sr. Comr. Ahmad Abdi said the Cianjur administration had met on Sept. 5 with local residents and Ahmadiyah leaders.
During the talks, the Ahmadis had been told to halt their activities but had ignored the demand.
"Despite the MUI's fatwa against Ahmadiyah, the attack was a punishable crime -- and punishment was needed to avoid similar attacks in the future," Abdi said.
Meanwhile, West Java Governor Danny Setiawan appealed for tolerance and restraint for the course of the police's investigation.
As of Tuesday evening, Ahmadiyah's West Java leader, Abdul Wahab, could not be reached for comment.
Posted by: DanNY ||
09/21/2005 01:38 ||
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#6
Readers should know the the Ahmadi are the exception in Islam and are actually peaceful. They reject jihad by the sword. Jihad is only meant to be applied by the pen.
Mainstream Islam has gone pogromming against the Ahmadi in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia.
#3
Just curious, since actual teeth are such a rare commodity in international circles, but either way, whether it passes or not, then what?
Sanctions? No M&Ms for the MMs? Does anyone truly believe that sanctions, which will be circumvented by many, including hypocritical UNSC members, will mean dick? Honestly? And when they don't, then what? Duh.
Diplo-Dancing is akin to kissing your sister. The smuggling money will be good, however - they'll have to pay more for everything they decide they do want - and that's about the only reason I can see for China & Russia going along with, or abstaining. Just greed or a future IOU, not some sudden notion of noblesse oblige. I doubt they could even define it, much less point to a single vote that demonstrates such responsible behavior.
So then what? When sanctions don't work? Then what? And how will you know if they are or aren't "working"? No one will be there to verify, as if that was a guarantee any of us would trust with the lives of our families. If they let any of ElEnabler's boyz in, the game will just shift to what they can and can't see. Then they'll toss 'em out - knowing the Int'l Dinks will reset the clock - for their good faith, lol. I do believe we've seen this game, before. And it works on the fools and tools and greedies. Joke. Good times, bad times - the MM rhetoric never changes, does it? Lol, I'll bet they're belligerent with the Good Humor man. This is just the ultimate rope-a-dope phase.
There's adequategoodexcellent overwhelming reason to ridicule the UN, the EU, the entire lot of International BS. Only a very few write checks that clear at the bank. The MMs are not playing Kimmie's bluff game - they actually have an ideology - and oil money. Insane though both may be, and notwithstanding that they're cynical pricks, the MMs actually seem to believe their own BS. And they can afford to. This UNSC thingy, and the new phase of pointless / endless Diplo-Dancing it will launch is merely black comedy, a joke with one hell of a punchline. So, taking that next step on the logic train, how long does it last? Who sez when the gig is up? Will there be any teeth in the thing when the inevitable Failure to Comply occurs?
Lol.
I'm thinking I can guess... but I'd love to hear from the Tranzi True Believers. I figure the rest of us can use a good laugh.
#4
I forgot to mention China's vote will be deeply intertwined with the Beijing Peking Olympics - the machinations and calculus of "face" and leverage and image and yadda³ are truly byzantine when the ChiCom twits are involved. But the dangers of the MMs having deliverable nukes? Lol - that won't play a part unless these assholes calculate they're the target.
#6
Your spot on, .com. The MMs KNOW that the UNSC route has at least a decade after sanctions are slapped on. They are playing the West like fish, like bullheads in a barrel. Dumb, all mouth, heh heh.
The only people that will stop the madness of the MMs will be Americans and/or Israelis. Maybe some help from dissident people in Iran, but there is nothing I see that will tip the scales against them at this time.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/21/2005 22:31 Comments ||
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#7
Once, just once, I wish someone who is well respected and frequently visible in the media would point something out.
What happens if Iran obtains nuclear devices before the period of negotiations runs out? (If they haven't already obtained them which no person can say with 100% certainty they haven't).
Just what kind of negotiating power do our European friends imagine they will have once Iran has them?
I just scratch my head trying to figure out how a continent of humans who suffered so horrifically in two world wars can be such sleepwalkers. with other humans lives.
DARPA's HELLADS (High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System) will be light enough to fit on a fighter jet or drone aircraft, and yet powerful enough to fire a 150 kilowatt beam of energy. Star Wars laser cannon may be closer than you think.
High energy laser weapons already in development are powerful enough to bring down missiles (see MTHEL - Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser). However, their very large size has precluded placement on any but the largest planes. The main weight problem comes from the cooling systems needed.
HELLADS makes use of a unique cooling technique to save weight. The high-energy laser uses a liquid that has the same angle of refraction as the mirrors inside the blaster. That way, the "ray gun" can fire away, even while it's being cooled. Currently in the third of five phases of development, a 15 kilowatt subscale prototype is being tested in the laboratory. In the next phase, the demonstrator device will be scaled up to 150 kW, and will specifically be targeted to achieve the low specific weight (5 kg/kW) and compact size need to be mounted in a smaller airborne vehicle. The final phase is engineering, fabricating, integrating and demonstrating the complete HELLADS weapon system on a tactical platform. The device will be built by General Atomics and the tracking system will be built by Lockheed. article has the bad habit of showing Star Wars science fiction still and over-referencing other sci-fi.
#1
When all you have is a hammer, everything in the world looks like a nail.
Whan all you know about war is Vietnam, everything in the world looks like a quagmire.
When all you know about high tech can be defined by a 70s movie, then everything is Star Wars.
Too many in MSM live in far too small worlds. Must be the mirror they keep preening in.
#2
I just wonder why the military is publicizing this system so much? On the surface it would seem to be magnificant against other aircraft, A2A and S2A missiles, and god knows what all else. So why tell everybody?
It would explain why combat aircraft production is becoming more oriented towards high speed/high performance drones, with just a few manned aircraft. But something is missing here. I would think that this should be classified to the point of insanity until needed.
#3
Moose, you're right on many levels. These are important, but not for the stated reasons and uses. Laws of physics are unclassified and unusually resistant to change no matter how many words are written.
You tell folks what you're getting ready to field and then field it because you're covering for something better that's in the backfield.
Reference Nature from a couple months or so ago. Berkeley scientists have developed tabletop high energy particle beams using laser wakefield technology. Particle beams are shorter-ranged, but still highly effective devices although they're also energy hogs.
Now, if you can build a tabletop model...and Berkeley doesn't power theirs using a nuclear reactor. Their power comes right off the grid...
You oughtta' see some of the laser and x-ray devices they've got up there. There's some stuff that'll kill you with lethal radiation so fast you won;t even know you're dead.
The Internet has proven to be a vast resource of information and knowledge, but it only takes one hyperlink to get from the profound to the profane. When reading an Egyptian blog a few weeks ago, I stumbled onto a bulletin board site called NowThatsFuckedUp.com (NTFU), which started out as a place for people to trade amateur pornography of wives and girlfriends.
According to the site's owner, Chris Wilson, who lives in Lakeland, Fla., but hosts the site out of Amsterdam, the site was launched in August 2004 and soon became popular with soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. When female soldiers started to appear in the nude on the site, the Pentagon blocked access to the site from military computers in the field, according to the New York Post.
But the story gets more twisted. Wilson said that soldiers were having trouble using their credit cards in Iraq to access the paid pornographic content on the site, so he offered them free access if they could show that they were actually soldiers. As proof, some sent in G-rated photos of traffic signs in Baghdad or of a day in the life of a soldier abroad. Others sent in what appear to be Iraqi civilians and insurgents who were killed by suicide bombs or soldiers' fire.
Now there's an entire forum on the site titled "Pictures from Iraq and Afghanistan - Gory," where these bloody photos show body parts, exploded heads and guts falling out of people. Along with the photos is a running commentary of people celebrating the kills, cracking jokes and arguing over what kind of weaponry was used to kill them. But the moderators will also step in when the talk gets too heated, and sometimes a more serious discussion about the Iraq war and its aims will break out.
Wilson told me in a phone interview that he is "not very" political and considers NTFU as a community site.
"People say, 'This is a porn site so why are you talking politics?' " Wilson said. "But it's actually a porn community, and any time you have a community with shared interests there's going to be other interests. Just because somebody looks at porn doesn't mean that they have a below-60 IQ and don't know anything. I have doctors and lawyers and police officers and teachers, and it doesn't surprise me that there are educated people who want to discuss things. It's interesting, and I love reading it."
Wilson has no qualms about running the gory photos of war in open forums that don't require registration or payment.
"I enjoy seeing the photos from the soldiers themselves," Wilson said. "I see pictures taken by CNN and the mainstream media, and they all put their own slant on what they report and what they show. To me, this is from the soldier's slant. This is directly from them. They can take the digital cameras and take a picture and send it to me, and that's the most raw you can get it. I like to see it from their point of view, and I think it's newsworthy."
Wilson says it's a judgment call on whether the photos he gets are really from soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan. After months of sifting through photos, Wilson has an idea of the quality of the digital cameras soldiers use and what the terrain is like in those areas of the world.
I couldn't verify whether these gory photos were taken recently in Iraq by soldiers. But the U.S. military is currently looking into the site and trying to authenticate the photos -- and take appropriate action if soldiers are involved. "We do have people who are specifically looking at that website, and I will talk to my colleagues and my bosses here and get back to you," said Staff Sgt. Don Dees, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command (CentCom) in Baghdad...
#5
The porn site is offering free access in exchange for pictures from Irag, not specifically dead Iraqis.
This business of media articles with misleading headlines is really turning into a pet peeve of mine. This one comes from the USC Annenenberg Online Journalism Review, no less. Sheesh.
As for the site itself, I agree with Cyber Sarge; further investigation is called for!
#6
What this really say is the MSM is not delivering the real story. Once again the Internet fills the void left by the Bush hating, anti-war, anti-US MSM.
PrOn is a business just like any other business and will fill a void when it sees one to bring in customers.
#8
Well soilders should know better than to appear "neked" on such sites and their superiors should lay the law down if any do. They are pretty much property of the US Government so orders against that kind of activity is lawful, not a free speech issue.
I think it's fine if they do anyway. Most of these young people have a good grip on this stuff. Better than us old farts to thank goodness. Prudishness has no place in this world.
#9
What concerns me is the morale issue. A situation like this indicates to me that these troops are bored. And that, in turn, leads to all sorts of mischief.
And that, in turn, means some chain of command needs a fire lit under its tail.
As vote counting continues after landmark parliamentary elections, Afghani power broker, Younus Qanooni, has warned that the country's future cannot be modelled on a Western liberal democracy. "Afghans will never agree on any secular or liberal system. Islam is the modern system and Afghanistanâs future is tied with Islam,â he said, in an exclusive interview with Adnkronos International (AKI) on Tuesday. Qanooni, who was a key figure in the Northern Alliance which helped the US overthrow the Taliban in 2001, heads the 12-party National Understanding Front. âThe Taliban distorted the image and teachings of Islam, otherwise Islam is a very tolerant and progressive religion which co-exists with the international community very well,â he asserted.
Qanooni maintained that the Mujahadeen cannot be ignored in the democratic process, arguing that they are the real leaders of Afghanistan who sacrificed their lives during the resistance against the former Soviet Union and liberated Afghanistan. Younus Qanooni, was a lieutenant to the slain Mujahadeen leader, Ahmed Shah Massoud, assassinated on 9 September 2001, and considered by some his heir. He ran a poor second to Hamid Karzai in last year's presidential race, and was dropped from the cabinet in a subsequent reshuffle.
He told AKI that the Taliban are still getting support from Afghanistan, which is "neither in the long term interests of Pakistan nor of Afghanistan" and argued that president Karzaiâs policy for dialogue with the Taliban is responsible for the violence - he says this has allowed them to establish safe havens in the south and south eastern Afghanistan."
Qanooni also took a swipe at the incumbent Afghan government for the spread of the narcotics trade - Afghanistan remains the world's biggest opium producer. âWhen I was interior minister in Afghanistan I devised a comprehensive plan to stop the narcotics trade. It is the international cartel which should be blocked with the cooperation of Interpol-like agencies,â he argued.
Posted by: ed ||
09/21/2005 09:23 ||
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#1
This warlord sounds like he doesn't quite grasp the concept of democracy yet. He is still in the "might makes right" frame of mind, and will either have to shape up or ship out.
His personal distortion of Islam is that it makes him Emir. He only objects to versions of Islam that say otherwise.
The president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, has made surprise signals of openness towards Israel. The Italian newspaper Il Giornale reports that he expressed his willingness to recognise Israel at the end of a news conference following the parliamentary and provincial elections, "taking cue from the recent diplomatic developments between Pakistan and Israel."
"Other Muslim states have relations with Israel," the Afghan president said. "We are open to contact and we appreciate the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip: as soon as the Palestinian State is recognised, we will have no problem in resuming relations with Israel."
Pakistan has already responded to the Gaza pullout by signalling a move towards normalising relations with Israel, which it does not currently recognise. Last week Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf and Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon met and exchanged pleasantries in New York at the UN summit. Karzai's comments also follow calls from Qatar's foreign minister last week for his other fellow Arab countries to respond to the Gaza withdrawal by starting talks with Israel.
Posted by: ed ||
09/21/2005 09:22 ||
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#2
as soon as the Palestinian State is recognised, we will have no problem in resuming relations with Israel."
That kind of thing is diplomatic tea party chatter, not a useful commitment. Kharzai has said this before. Truth to tell, he's got too many critical items on his plate just seeing to the unification of Afghanistan to spend any time on such diplomatic adventures. Perhaps in a decade or so the Afghan government will be ready to look farther than the countries on their immediate borders. That's why Kharzai likes appearing at the U.N. so much -- he can do all his meaningless diplomatic shmoozing at once, then go home and get to work on reality.
Separatists in Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta region have threatened to sabotage oil installations as they call for the release of their leader. Mujahid Dokubu-Asari, head of the Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force, was arrested in Port Harcourt on Tuesday. Mr Asari's group seeks more control of oil resources for the Ijaws, the biggest group in the Niger Delta. Last year the group contributed to a sharp rise in world oil prices when it threatened war against oil companies.
A statement issued by the Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force on Wednesday warned of "grave mayhem" if Mr Asari were not released within a specified deadline. "If word has not been received from our leader, all state agencies, oil companies and their agents should cease functioning in their Niger Delta flowstations and related facilities must be shut down," the statement read. The group warned all oil company staff to leave the Delta region.
Mr Asari's supporters demonstrated in Port Harcourt overnight, demanding his release. Police told the BBC that Mr Asari was being taken to the Nigerian capital, Abuja. The Niger Delta remains one of Nigeria's poorest and least developed regions, despite being a major oil exporter.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/21/2005 08:52 ||
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President Hamid Karzai questioned Tuesday the need for major military operations in Afghanistan, saying that airstrikes were no longer effective and that the United States-led coalition should focus more on shutting off the flow of militants.
In what seemed to be a reference to Pakistan, Mr. Karzai said the fight against terrorism should "concentrate on where terrorists are trained, on their bases, on the supply to them, on the money coming to them." Afghan officials have complained in recent months that Taliban insurgents are using Pakistan as a sanctuary where they recruit and train militants and obtain financing.
He added that the United States should refrain from raiding houses without authorization from the Afghan government. Both the airstrikes, which can lead to civilian casualties, and the house searches have grown increasingly unpopular.
It was not the first time the president has complained about the American military presence. In May his request for more authority over military operations by the 20,000-member force was rebuffed by President Bush.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, asked at a Washington news conference about Mr. Karzai's remarks, conceded that airstrikes were less effective "when you don't have a massed army on the ground or large puddles of enemies." But he said the United States was already coordinating closely with the Afghan government on counterterrorism activities.
In his first comments to journalists since Afghanistan's parliamentary elections on Sunday, Mr. Karzai expressed "relief and satisfaction" that they had come off without any major incidents. He said the fact that Afghans had voted in spite of all the threats against them and the killings in the weeks before the elections was proof that Al Qaeda had been defeated in Afghanistan.
The holding of parliamentary and provincial elections completes the international program for Afghanistan's transition laid down in the Bonn accords of 2001, but Mr. Karzai warned that it did not mean Afghanistan was now capable of standing on its own.
"We have just begun the foundations," he said. "Institutionally we are very weak." The country lacks the resources and human capital to run an effective civil service, is struggling to raise $350 million in revenues annually and cannot yet pay for its own army, police service and administration, he said.
Mr. Karzai said he was appealing to foreign governments to direct assistance away from reflief organizations and toward investment in trade and industry. He said he had specifically requested help from international backers, including the United States, in building reservoirs and electric power plants.
"I would like to concentrate on that," he said. "Roads and electricity are what the Afghan people ask for."
He also said Pakistan had formally proposed to build a fence to stem the flow of insurgents but said he had rejected the idea.
The 1,500-mile border between Pakistan and Afghanistan has never been officially determined, and both countries continue to use the administrative division, known as the Durrand Line, that was drawn by the British more than 100 years ago.
Mr. Karzai said building a wall would be extremely difficult because the Durrand Line divides tribes and families, adding "It is separating people, not preventing terrorism."
Pakistan's idea for a fence, first suggested by President Pervez Musharraf last week, was formally proposed in a letter to the Afghan government. But Afghan officials, who asked not to be identified because they did not want to be seen as criticizing Pakistan, have suggested that the proposal is an effort to divert international pressure on Islamabad to crack down on insurgents' networks.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/21/2005 00:19 ||
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#1
Article: But Afghan officials, who asked not to be identified because they did not want to be seen as criticizing Pakistan, have suggested that the proposal is an effort to divert international pressure on Islamabad to crack down on insurgents' networks.
It wouldn't do to shut down the flow of heroin to Pakistani ports, would it?
#2
OTOH, Leaving aside the question of how long a 2400 Km fence would take to build, such a fence wouldn't do much good if the Taliban infiltration is being facilated by the ISI and the provincial government.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
09/21/2005 0:57 Comments ||
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Mr. Karzai said building a wall would be extremely difficult because the Durrand Line divides tribes and families, adding "It is separating people, not preventing terrorism."
In an ideal world, security and keeping families/tribes together wouldn't be a problem there.
Sudan's unity government has been partially announced, after weeks of bitter wrangling and eight months following the January peace agreement that ended 21 years of civil war in Africa's largest country. The formation of Sudan's first national unity government is a major step in implementing the peace deal signed by the regime in Khartoum and the former southern rebels of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM). "This government is a good omen and represents the will of the Sudanese people to establish peace and consolidate national unity," President Omar al-Bashir said on national television on Tuesday.
A senior member of Beshir's National Congress Party (NCP) read the names of his movement's ministers during a press conference and said that the full cabinet line-up would be announced by the president himself later on Tuesday. The interim government will remain in place until legislative elections are held in around four years. A six-year post-war interim rule started in July, after which the south will hold a referendum on self-determination.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/21/2005 00:00 ||
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Militiamen backed by the Sudanese government have killed 30 people in fresh attacks in Darfur, threatening new peace talks under way in Nigeria, rebel groups said yesterday. The Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) said 17 people were killed in Korbia in northern Darfur on Saturday and 13 died in attacks on Jabamara in the west on Sunday. An SLA spokesman, Abdulrahman Musa, said fighting was continuing in Jabamara yesterday, adding that the rebel groups had lodged a complaint with the African Union (AU), the mediator in the talks which has 3,000 troops in Darfur.
"Yeah. All these gummint troops keeps gettin' in the way of our militatin'. I tell you what, this rebel bidness is hard enough 'thout gettin' shot at..."
"In the final analysis, we believe these [ceasefire] violations would not create a conducive environment to reach a settlement during this round of talks," Mr Musa said at a joint news conference with the JEM.
Thank you, Governor Blanco. Over to you, Mayor Nagin...
A spokesman for the Sudanese government delegation at the talks said the two towns allegedly attacked were under AU control and it was up to the AU to confirm or deny violence. "If they're talking about bandits, then we don't control bandits," he added.
Thank you, Mayor Nagin. Over to you, Secretary Chertoff...
The AU said preliminary investigations found no proof of fresh fighting in Darfur, a vast desert region in western Sudan. "We have asked the SLA to give us the co-ordinate of the position where these attacks have taken place. As soon as they do that, we shall send our team to investigate and establish whether indeed such attacks took place or not," said the AU's chief mediator, Baba Gana Kingibe. He said that the rebels had considered boycotting the talks but were persuaded to await the outcome of the AU investigation.
KHAR: Tribal elders rejected proposed reforms to the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) on Tuesday and demanded the enforcement of Islamic law in Bajaur Agency. They also warned a âcivil warâ would engulf the region if the Political Parties Act was extended to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). âWe will not accept any alternative to FCR other than Sharia,â former Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Bismillah Khan told reporters after a meeting of tribal elders. âWe believe that if political activities are allowed in the tribal areas, it will lead to civil war and anarchy.â
The meeting unanimously rejected reforms to the FCR, saying it would only support Islamic law to replace the old system. On Monday, the major political parties of the country, including Pakistan Muslim League (Q and N), Awami National Party, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazlur Rehman), had welcomed reforms proposed by the FATA Reforms Committee, and asked committee head Justice (r) Mian Ajmal to speed up the process. The Tuesday meeting of key tribal elders was seen as a strong reaction to the committeeâs meeting, where political activists had outnumbered FATA reform opponents.
Khan accused the JI of âtrying to create disturbancesâ in Bajaur Agency, as its MNA Haroon Rashid was only developing areas where Jamaat activists lived. âThe Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal MNAs - Haroon Rashid and Maulana Sadiq - have given us nothing but disappointment for the last three years,â Khan told tribal elders.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/21/2005 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.
The number of Saudi citizens fighting in Iraq was diminishing as cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Syria increased in an attempt to track down and arrest those crossing the border illegally to join the insurgency; a Saudi source told Asharq al Awsat. As the security situation in Iraq has progressively deteriorated, the source indicated that drug smuggling, especially cannabis, from Iraq into Saudi Arabia has increased. He said, "We have reason to believe the profit from smuggling drugs is financing militants fighting the Iraqi and multinational armies and facilitating the illegal entry of men into the country. It also supports al Qaedaâs terrorist activities inside the Kingdom.â 
Since Tony Blair's announcement last month that the Islamist organisation 
A top secret map of extremism in the UK has been compiled by police and the British domestic security service known as MI5, it was revealed Tuesday. Inspector of Constabulary Denis O'Connor refused to divulge details, but the map was understood to show evidence of domestic extremism in virtually every British county. O'Connor told the Police Superintendents Association conference in Warwickshire, central England, the map was one of the key factors in his decision to propose a radical shake-up of policing in England and Wales.
The al-Qaeda terrorist network laundered at least 900 million dollars through two Zagreb banks in the early 1990s to finance Bosnian Muslims in the 1992-1995 civil war, but also various terrorist activities, Zagreb weekly Nacional alleged in a report Tuesday. The paper sources its story to the secret testimony of an unnamed Croatian citizen, who testified as a protected witness in New York trial of Yemen Sheik 
The Red 
Sudan's unity government has been partially announced, after weeks of bitter wrangling and eight months following the January peace agreement that ended 21 years of civil war in Africa's largest country. The formation of Sudan's first national unity government is a major step in implementing the peace deal signed by the regime in Khartoum and the former southern rebels of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM). "This government is a good omen and represents the will of the Sudanese people to establish peace and consolidate national unity," President Omar al-Bashir said on national television on Tuesday.
An SLA spokesman, Abdulrahman Musa, said fighting was continuing in Jabamara yesterday, adding that the rebel groups had lodged a complaint with the African Union (AU), the mediator in the talks which has 3,000 troops in Darfur. 
KHAR: Tribal elders rejected proposed reforms to the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) on Tuesday and demanded the enforcement of Islamic law in 
