(SomaliNet) Security forces in Mogadishu, Somalia have on Monday night foiled an attempt to explode a roadside bomb near the main citys airport blocking all roads in and out of that area.
Residents informed the nearby government forces about an explosive device on Afisyone road leading to the airport in south of the capital. Heavily armed troops rushed to the area and removed a remote controlled landmine which was buried at the roadside.
The plotters escaped and sneaked through the village after they planted the bomb. However, the government soldiers reached the area quickly and defused the bomb. They also closed all roads, said one resident who declined to be named.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/29/2007 00:43 ||
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(SomaliNet) Fearing that its neighbours may see these foreign troops as a threat, Chad's government does not want a United Nations(UN) military peacekeeping force deployed in its violent east, the prime minister said on Monday.
Must have heard about their reputation for little girls.
Chads Prime Minister Nouradine Delwa Kassire Coumakoye while speaking on French radio, also ruled out opening peace talks with eastern Chadian rebels unless they first accepted the authority of President Idriss Deby's government.
Meanwhile, a UN mission is in Chad to try to persuade Deby to accept UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's recommendation for a robust UN military force to be sent to the eastern border to halt violence spilling over from Sudan's conflict-torn Darfur region. According to humanitarian groups, such a force is essential to protect around 234 000 Sudanese refugees and 120 000 Chadian civilians who have fled successive attacks by armed groups on both sides of the long, desolate and porous frontier.
However, Chad's government, which is battling an eastern rebellion by insurgents it says are supported by Sudan, has said it will only accept a UN police force, not a fully fledged military force of "blue helmet" peacekeepers. "We don't want green helmets or blue helmets. We don't want war," Coumakoye told Radio France Internationale (RFI). "We don't want to create an opportunity for our neighbours to think that we've brought in the forces of the international community to fight our adversaries," he added.
And they don't want to create a santuary for rebels fighting them.
According to diplomats and analysts, Chadian President Deby is being influenced by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, whom they say strongly objects to any Western-controlled multinational force being deployed in a country on his southern frontier.
Coumakoye said the Chadian government wanted the United Nations to support a police force, not troops, to protect the refugees, displaced civilians and humanitarian workers in eastern Chad. "The UN should help us with resources," he said.
The Chadian premier said the eastern rebels fighting a guerrilla war to topple Deby must first accept his rule for any political dialogue to be possible. "If they agree to stop challenging our institutions, then of course we can dialogue with them," he said.
Rebel leaders, who call Deby's rule corrupt, inept and illegitimate, have demanded a national political dialogue to organise early elections to appoint a successor to him. Deby, a former army commander who seized power through a 1990 revolt from the east, won re-election last year in polls which were boycotted as unfair by main opposition parties.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/29/2007 00:27 ||
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An Islamic sect has delayed plans to build a huge mosque in London opponents say would be an "unwanted landmark." The orthodox Tablighi Jamaat sect had planned to submit plans for a mosque with a capacity for 12,000 people, making it England's largest place of worship. More than 48,000 people have signed petitions against the proposed mosque, which would be next to the 2012 Olympic park, the Times of London reported.
A spokesman for Tablighi Jamaat said plans were still being drawn for the site. "There's no expectation of any planning application before the end of the year, because of the size of the application," the spokesman told the Times.
A statement from the British government over the proposed mosque said: "All involved should ensure that discussions are conducted in a manner that respects the views of all sections of our communities and in a way that does not raise tensions in local areas."
Opponents have said they fear the mosque could become an extremist recruiting spot.
Prince Harry could still fulfil his dream of serving in a war zone after Army chiefs drew up plans for him to serve with UK forces in Afghanistan this summer.
Desperate to salvage some credibility from the debacle of his cancelled mission to Iraq, top brass are considering sending him with fellow officers to help train the Afghan army. The young prince was due to deploy as a troop commander with his Blues and Royals Regiment to southern Iraq this month, until the head of the Army General Sir Richard Dannatt decided it was too dangerous both for him and his fellow-soldiers.
The 22-year-old prince has been trained to lead a 12-strong armoured reconnaissance unit, but he would instead join a small group of fellow officers - including some from his own regiment - in Afghanistan. Senior defence officials hope commanders would be able to keep Harry away from the public gaze, allowing him to carry out a meaningful role without facing excessive risks. It is hoped he could travel to Afghanistan unannounced, spend a few weeks there and return without attracting publicity.
The plan would ease his bitter disappointment at not being allowed to serve with his unit - which is now in Iraq being led by a stand-in junior commander - and could even keep alive Harry's dream of a long-term Army career. One Army insider told the Mail: "I'm sure Harry will jump at the chance. It may not be the same as going to Iraq with his own guys, but it's better than sitting at home 'on his a***', as he put it.
Clarence House declined to comment, saying: "Operational deployments are a matter for the Ministry of Defence." The MoD declined to comment on security grounds. But senior commanders are all too aware of how sensitive the plans are, say insiders, and a final decision from Sir Richard is not expected for some weeks.
It was three weeks ago that Sir Richard announced an 11th hour U-turn over Harry's planned deployment to Iraq. He said "specific intelligence" meant the risk to the prince and to his fellow soldiers would be too high. Commanders had learned of plots to seize Harry and smuggle him across the border to Iran -raising the nightmare prospect of a royal hostage crisis. An insurgent sniper had also been ordered to assassinate him as a "priority".
The decision was a crushing blow for Harry, who had said publicly there was no way he wanted to "haul his sorry a***" through Sandhurst only to be left behind while his men went off to war. Publicly he accepted the decision and Clarence House played down talk of him quitting the Army, but in private he told friends he still hoped to be able to serve in a combat zone.
#2
I think they ought to try to figure out a way to put out a few crash test dummies , announce that he has arrived, and blast every Talib that comes to ambush him! :)
#3
There are credible reports coming out of the UK that Harry could either resign his commission or simply fritter away his remaining commitment (and pointedly, NOT re-enlist) in some staff position, if he is not allowed into a combat zone. The British Royals have always served in the military; hell, Queen Elizabeth did during WWII. What surprises me is that she is trying to castrate the present generation of princes, just like she did to Charles.
#6
Could any of our Commonwealth contributors comment on the ability of Harry getting a commission in their forces [Australia or Canada] and shipped to Iraq or Afghanistan?
#7
It's an interesting situation because the oath the Tommies swear is
I swear by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, her heirs and successors and that I will as in duty bound honestly and faithfully defend Her Majesty, her heirs and successors in person, crown and dignity against all enemies and will observe and obey all orders of Her Majesty, her heirs and successors and of the generals and officers set over me.
It would be interesting to see what happened if Grandma put her foot down and told the brass to send him to Iraq when they clearly don't want to. On the other hand, if Grandma doesn't want him to go, though she is only further eviscerating the monarchy yet the other Commonwealth countries would still be unlikely to cross her. So it looks like Harry gets a raw deal all round. They better hope Wills has a long life.
#8
Any publicity on the issue sucks. The Brits need to keep Harry's whereabouts secret, and go from there. If he was now in iraq, nobody would know and the world would be chasing a paper Harry to all the corners of the world. Harry look-alikes with blackened faces could be getting on buses and planes for all points so the enemy will never know where he is.
A VISIT to Sydney by a controversial Somali writer who calls the prophet Mohammed a pedophile and says Islam is inferior to Western culture has outraged Muslims, who accuse her of inciting hatred. Ayaan Hirsi Ali will arrive in Sydney today amid tight security normally reserved for foreign dignitaries or royalty. Her writings and talks focus on what she calls the backwardness of Islamic culture and the persecution of Muslim women.
The Somali-born Muslim - who fled to The Netherlands, became a Dutch citizen and renounced her religion - has been under 24-hour guard since the murder of film-maker Theo van Gogh in November 2004 by a Muslim extremist in Amsterdam. Van Gogh's film Submission, which examined the oppression of Muslim women, was written by Hirsi Ali. His killer, Mohammed Bouyeri, left a five-page death threat addressed to her, pinned to the filmmaker's chest.
However, University of Technology Sydney Islamic law lecturer Jamila Hussain said Hirsi Ali's ideas were extreme and stigmatised Muslims. "I think she'd be better staying where she came from," Ms Hussain said. "I've read enough of her thoughts. It's a narrow and radical opinion, and I don't agree with it. She's obviously had some dreadful experiences, but they're not typical."
No, not typical at all, not shared by more than 300, 400 million Muslim wimmins.
Nada Roude, of the NSW Islamic Council, said Hirsi Ali's comments on the prophet Mohammed were a "no-go zone". "They (prophets) are not just like you and me, they have special status - you're supposed to show respect," Ms Roude said.
Even if the Profit (PTUI) thinks you're breeding stock and cattle, you're supposed to be respectful.
"There have to be boundaries in how far you go in respecting other's beliefs. The reaction from the community is likely to be quite worrying."
Translation: they want her dead. Figures.
Hirsi Ali has written that under Dutch law, Mohammed's marriage to six-year-old A'ishah (whose age is disputed by Muslim scholars) and his subsequent consummation of the marriage when she was nine would make him a pedophile.
Ms Roude said there seemed to be a double standard about who was allowed to visit Australia, particularly as Hirsi Ali's visit appeared to have the potential to incite hatred. "Muslims are not treated the same," she said. "There are a set of rules for one community and another for the rest of the community. Anyone who causes harm to our society because they have the right to express their opinion is not welcome."
Oh the whining, the eye-rolling, the face-making! Never have Muslims been so oppressed -- except in Egypt, Somalia, Libya, Iran, Pakistan, Saoodi-controlled Arabia, Yemen, Mauritania ...
Hirsi Ali has two public functions at the Sydney Writers Festival: a discussion on Saturday and the festival's closing address on Sunday. Both are sell-outs.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/29/2007 00:00 ||
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A shadowy group of wine activists has issued a one-month ultimatum to Nicolas Sarkozy threatening action if the new French President fails to help the industry. The Regional Committee for Viticultural Action (CRAV) has been known to hijack tankers of foreign wine and dynamite government buildings or supermarkets. In a pre-recorded message delivered to France 3, a regional television channel, from somewhere in the Languedoc hinterland, five balaclava-clad men read out a statement addressed to Sarkozy.
Looking more like Corsican nationalists or masked Islamic fundamentalists than winemakers, the wine terrorists vowed that if nothing changed and the price they received for their wine had not gone up, they would go into action. In a reference to the French resistance in World War II, the CRAV said it would come out of the maquis (scrub) and go into action. Calling on fellow winemakers to unite, the activists referred to the 1907 winemakers uprising in Montpellier, when thousands took to the streets and the army opened fire, killing six. The intimation was that once again lives could be lost.
While nobody will own up to being a member, it is an open secret that the CRAV is the militant armed wing of winemakers unions of the Languedoc and Roussillon, the highest producing wine region in the world. In France, and the Languedoc-Roussillon in particular, production far outweighs demand. Just like Hamas, with political and "militant" wings.
Emilien Jubineau, the France 3 journalist who filmed the message, said the CRAV members wanted the European Commission to drop its plan to grub up 200,000 hectares of vines. They also want Europe to maintain a subsidy for distilling surplus wine into alcohol spirit. However, Michel-Laurent Pinat, the general manager of the French wine bottlers and distributors association, said the militants refused to face the realities of the open market. Mon Dieu, non! Anything but compete fairly on quality and price.
#4
It seems like Sarkozy will have to confront these guys, or he will go the same way as his predecessors. They have gotten their way before, so by using the process of inductive reasoning, they can again achieve success. I wish Sarkozy well, and hope that he does not back down. They have thrown down the gauntlet.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
05/29/2007 10:29 Comments ||
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#8
To the best of my very fuzzy recollections, the corsican separatist movement - initially the Flnc, which eventually splintered into various antagonist movements all to happy to gun each others down, all very militarized (see this, scroll down for effect) and active (up to 600 bombings a years in the mid 90's, no, you read that right) - started that way.
IIRC, the movement was launched after a bloody stand off at the home of a corsican winemaker, caused by resentment of native corsicans about the (relative, Corsica is only 250 000) massive arrival of pieds-noirs (french algerian refugees).
This is most probably just boast and huffing, but agricultors are a very powerful lobby in France, and their "demonstrations" tend to be very violent when they go berserk, fishers, vinemakers and all, their riots are noteworthy (and usually unpunished, see the "powerful lobby" note above).
Presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton outlined a broad economic vision Tuesday, saying it's time to replace an "on your own" society with one based on shared responsibility and prosperity... "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need." -- Karl Marx, from 'Critique of the Gotha Program', 1875.
#3
As far as I'm concerned, Hillary and her kind are merely jihadists of a slightly different sort. And they deserve the same fate, in my opinion, as the Muslim kind.
I'm no more willing to have my grandchildren grow up in the suffocating, depressive, coercive egalitarian embrace of Hillary's totalitarian nanny state, than I am to have them grow up banging their heads on the ground toward Mecca five times a day.
Each is something I will die, if I have to-- or kill-- to prevent.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
05/29/2007 14:14 Comments ||
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#4
No thanks, Hillary. I got enough people riding on my back, thank you very much...
#6
...saying it's time to replace an "on your own" society with one based on shared responsibility and prosperity...
Jeez, wonder if she read the Post yesterday?
For the past four years, the Clintons have jetted around on Vinod Gupta's corporate plane, to Switzerland, Hawaii, Jamaica, Mexico -- $900,000 worth of travel. The former president secured a $3.3 million consulting deal with Gupta's technology firm. His presidential library got a six-figure gift, too...
Gupta is a well-known figure in the high-tech world in India who met Bill Clinton in the mid-1990s and quickly became a generous patron. He and his company donated at least $1 million to help underwrite a lavish millennium New Year's Eve celebration at the White House and on the Mall, and he paid the former president $200,000 to deliver a speech to InfoUSA executives in Papillion, Neb.
Gupta also gave a six-figure gift to the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, $250,000 to the former president's global charity, and more than $220,000 to the Democratic Party during Hillary Clinton's 2000 Senate campaign. In December, Gupta gave the maximum $5,000 to the senator's political action committee, which was helping to lay the groundwork for her 2008 presidential bid.
Boy, I can't wait for my ride on Vinod Gupta's private jet in our new "shared society"...
Hello, my name is Cindy Sheehan and my son Casey Sheehan was killed on April 04, 2004 in Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq. He was killed when the Republicans still were in control of Congress. Naively, I set off on my tireless campaign calling on Congress to rescind George's authority towage his war of terror while asking him "for what noble cause" did Casey and thousands of other have to die. Now, with Democrats in control of Congress, I have lost my optimistic naiveté and have become cynically pessimistic as I see you all caving into as one Daily Kos poster called: "Mr. 28%"
There is absolutely no sane or defensible reason for you to hand Bloody King George more money to condemn more of our brave, tired, and damaged soldiers and the people of Iraq to more death and carnage. You think giving him more money is politically expedient, but it is a moral abomination and every second the occupation of Iraq endures, you all have more blood on your hands.
Ms. Pelosi, Speaker of the House, said after George signed the new weak as a newborn baby funding authorization bill: "Now, I think the president's policy will begin to unravel." Begin to unravel? How many more of our children will have to be killed and how much more of Iraq will have to be demolished before you all think enough unraveling has occurred? How many more crimes will BushCo be allowed to commit while their poll numbers are crumbling before you all gain the political "courage" to hold them accountable. If Iraq hasn't unraveled in Ms.Pelosi's mind, what will it take? With almost 700,000 Iraqis dead and four million refugees (which the US refuses to admit) how could it get worse? Well, it is getting worse and it can get much worse thanks to your complicity.
Being cynically pessimistic, it seems to me that this new vote to extend the war until the end of September, (and let's face it, on October 1st, you will give him more money after some more theatrics, which you think are fooling the anti-war faction of your party) will feed right into the presidential primary season and you believe that if you just hang on until then, the Democrats will be able to re-take the White House. Didn't you see how "well" that worked for John Kerry in 2004 when he played the politics of careful fence sitting and pandering? The American electorate are getting disgusted with weaklings who blow where the wind takes them while frittering away our precious lifeblood and borrowing money from our new owners, the Chinese. I knew having a Democratic Congress would make no difference in grassroots action. That's why we went to DC when you all were sworn in to tell you that we wanted the troops back from Iraq and BushCo held accountable while you pushed for ethics reform which is quite a hoot don't' you think? We all know that it is affordable for you all to play this game of political mayhem because you have no children in harm's way. Let me tell you what it is like:
You watch your reluctant soldier march off to a war that neither you nor he agrees with. Once your soldier leaves the country all you can do I worry. You lie awake at night staring at the moon wondering if today will be the day that you get that dreaded knock on your door. You can't concentrate, you can't eat, and your entire life becomes consumed with apprehension while you are waiting for the other shoe to drop. Then, when your worst fears are realized, you begin a life of constant pain, regret, and longing. Everyday is hard, but then you come up on "special" days.like upcoming Memorial Day. Memorial Day holds double pain for me because, not only are we supposed to honor our fallen troops, but Casey was born on Memorial Day in 1979. It used to be a day of celebration for us and now it is a day of despair. Our needlessly killed soldiers of this war and the past conflict in Vietnam have all left an unnecessary trail of sorrow and deep holes of absence that will never be filled.
So, Democratic Congress, with the current daily death toll of 3.72 troops per day, you have condemned 473 more to these early graves. 473 more lives wasted for your political greed: Thousands of broken hearts because of your cowardice and avarice. How can you even go to sleep at night or look at yourselves in a mirror? How do you put behind you the screaming mothers on both sides of the conflict? How does the agony you have created escape you? It will never escape me. I can't run far enough or hide well enough to get away from it.
By the end of September, we will be about 80 troops short of another bloody milestone: 4000, and MoveOn.org will hold nationwide candlelight vigils and you all will be busy passing legislation that will snuff the lights out of thousands more human beings. Congratulations Congress, you have bought yourself a few more months of an illegal and immoral bloodbath. And you know you mean to continue it indefinitely so "other presidents" can solve the horrid problem BushCo forced our world into.
It used to be George Bush's war. You could have ended it honorably. Now it is yours and you all will descend into calumnious history with BushCo.
The Camp Casey Peace Institute is calling all citizens who are as disgusted as we are with you all to join us in Philadelphia on July 4th to try and figure a way out of this "two" party system that is bought and paid for by the war machine which has a stranglehold on every aspect of our lives. As for myself, I am leaving the Democratic Party. You have completely failed those who put you in power to change the direction our country is heading. We did not elect you to help sink our ship of state but to guide it to safe harbor. We do not condone our government's violent meddling in sovereign countries and we condemn the continued murderous occupation of Iraq.
We gave you a chance, you betrayed us.
Sincerely,
Cindy Sheehan
Founder and President of
Gold Star Families for Peace.
Founder and Director of
The Camp Casey Peace Institute
Eternally grieving mother of Casey Sheehan
Posted by: Steve ||
05/29/2007 08:14 ||
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Cindy, the Attention Whore, Shitcan would rather live in a dictatorship than a country where there is a real, living two-party system that actually functions.
Trying to figure a way out of our two-party system, Cindy? Go back to your socialist boyfriend Hugo in Venzuela. We won't miss you.
Oh, and leave your passport and citizenship here when you get the f&$k out.
It's clear that they were, in fact, not crazy enough for Cindy.
She put out another statement (I think it was on the 'Burg the other day) saying that the anti-war movement wasn't crazy enough for her either. I expected her to announce that she's moving to Venezuela, and was a little surprised when she didn't. That may yet come.
#16
Interesting that she says the Republicans libeled her for calling her a tool of the Democrats and now that she's suddenly figured out that's all she was she still thinks she was libeled. Only by both parties.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
05/29/2007 12:14 Comments ||
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#18
We are a two party system because the other parties are too small or looney to be mainstream and all they can hope for is influencing the majority parties. If their ideas ever catch on one of the mains will be replaced. Asked the Whigs.
It's not rocket science but many lefties just do not understand why their beliefs aren't catching on. They are so heartfelt after all. Must be the media working against them, there is no other choice. Maybe a protest/riot will change some minds.
#19
Is it merely a coincidence that this action has taken place now and only that there is a vacancy at 'The View?" Need some way to pay the bills, huh, Sweetness??
Maybe not, but the Democratic Party is now fully in thrall to a bunch of people who believe the same evil crap that Cindy Sheehan believes-- they're just a tad better at packaging it for public consumption.
When you vote Democrat, no matter who or what you think you are voting for, you are empowering people like Cindy Sheehan. And John Murtha. And Kos. It's that simple.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
05/29/2007 17:45 Comments ||
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#21
Ahhh...buck up Cindy...your not the first usefull fool to wake up with a chapped ass and a pocket full of bottle tops.
Bwahahaha! Just when you think you've heard 'em all. Good 'un, DepotGuy!
#3
JHC, this damned Chertoff has pissed me off on the immigration BS, but this is beyond the pale. This exhibits all the Bush BS exposed. He rants to Americans about the Muslim menace in Iraq and expects ongoing support despite his tactical follies, yet hands taxpayer bucks to the scumbags camped out amongst us. It won't wash. Bush may think all us peasants are even dumber than he is, but that's where he f**ks up every time. Damn, this fool has twisted the Republican Party into more knots than a Coney Island pretzel.
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) - President Bush paid tribute Monday to America's fighting men and women"a new generation of fallen leaders" - in a solemn Memorial Day visit to the national burial ground for war heroes. Speaking under overcast skies after meeting privately at the White House with the families of some fallen servicemen and women, Bush called the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan a part of the nation's destiny. He said they follow a rich tradition of similar American sacrifices throughout this country's history.
Speaking of the more than 368,000 buried through history at Arlington National Cemetery, Bush said, "Nothing said today will ease your pain. But each of you needs to know our country thanks you and we embrace you and we will never forget the terrible loss you have suffered."
"The greatest memorial to our fallen troops cannot be found in the words we say or the places we gather," he added. "The more lasting tribute is all around us."
Troops with rifles fitted with bayonets stood at attention as his motorcade drove through rows of white tombstones, each marked with a tiny American flag. Smoke from canon fire rose over the cemetery.
Bush laid a wreath of red, white and blue flowers at the Tomb of the Unknowns and stood, his hand covering his heart, during a drum roll and Taps. First Lady Laura Bush stood nearby with relatives of fallen troops.
In his speech, Bush said the freedoms that people enjoy in this country today "came at a great cost and they will surive only so long as there are those who are willing to protect them."
The president said that even after four years, many young men and women still volunteer for the U.S. armed forces.
"We've heard of 174 Marines recently, almost a quarter of battalion, who asked to have their enlistments extended," Bush said. "They want to serve their nation." "Those who serve are not fatalists or cynics," he added. "They know that one day this war will end, as all wars do. Our duty is to make sure this war was worth the sacrifice" and that the fighting men and women succeededand "where tyrants and terrorists are frustrated and foiled ... where our nation is more secure from attack."
"This is our country's calling," Bush said. "It's our country's destiny."
"On this day of memory, we mourn brave citizens who laid their lives down for our freedom," he said. "May we always honor them, may we always embrace them and may we always be faithful to who they were and what they fought for."
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/29/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Number of Congressional grandstanding bottom feeders who waxed and waned about the conditions at Walter Reed who attended ceremonies at Arlington or even in their home districts/states? /sarcasm off
Amid ongoing domestic debates focusing on the likelihood of a military incursion by Turkey into northern Iraq to stop infiltrations by PKK terrorists, a senior Iraqi Kurdish official says the world will not allow such an action, claiming Turkish tanks and panzers cannot cross into the north. Safin Dizai, a senior official from the Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and a close aide to Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani, underlined that Turkish tanks would not be allowed to cross into northern Iraq, Turkish news reports said yesterday.
Dizai pointed to the ongoing domestic debates in Turkey about a possible cross-border operation to crack down on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) camps based in northern Iraq in the face of ongoing attacks inside the country. Dizai admitted that Turkey and the Iraqi Kurdish administration in the north were not currently on friendly terms and underlined Turkey would be unable to get its soldiers past the Habur border gate and to the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. The Turkish military says a cross-border operation into northern Iraq is needed to clamp down on PKK bases and to stop the infiltration of the PKK terrorists armed with weapons and explosives intending to carry out attacks in Turkey.
Over the weekend, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül held a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Gül told Rice that the Turkish public was running out of patience due to the ongoing attacks in eastern Turkey, urging Washington to take urgent and effective measures to stop terrorist infiltrations from northern Iraq, reported the Anatolia news agency. During the conversation, Rice expressed the U.S. administration's dismay stemming from the killings of many civilians and soldiers in clashes with the PKK. But she did not touch upon the likelihood of a military incursion into northern Iraq by the Turkish army. She only said the United States was siding with Turkey in the fight against terrorism and assured that Washington would increase cooperation with Turkey in that respect, Anatolia news agency reported.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Gül said many political leaders from different countries called him and condemned last week's terrorist attack in the center of the Turkish capital, adding that his telephone conversation with Rice was in that regard. Public pressure on the government to step up the fight against the PKK mounted after a suicide bomber, who authorities believe was a PKK member, blew himself up at a busy shopping center in downtown Ankara on Tuesday, killing six people and wounding 121.
Asked whether a cross-border operation was discussed during their conversation, Gül said, "We make decisions about these issues by ourselves; we don't talk about it with others," Anatolia news agency reported.In a televised interview last week, Gül said Turkey has run out of patience over the safe haven the PKK enjoys in northern Iraq but added there were no immediate plans for a cross-border military operation into the region. He also dismissed suggestions of any disagreement between the government and the army on the issue, saying that Parliament and the government would certainly support any action, any operation that would yield results. Gül added, however, that there was no preparation at the moment for the government to seek parliamentary authorization to send soldiers into northern Iraq.
Washington has warned Ankara against a cross-border operation in northern Iraq, wary that such a move may destabilize a relatively peaceful region in the conflict-torn country and fuel tensions between Turkey and the Iraqi Kurds, a staunch U.S. ally.
#2
Dipshits. They would be in a much better position if they had let us use Turkey to insert the 4th.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
05/29/2007 0:54 Comments ||
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#3
Actually, because of the terrain and geopolitics, A-10s would not be used. However, RPG-7s, Javelins, TOWs, HOTs, and Milans would grind up any Turkish armor penetration after the first 5 miles or so. As well, the Kurds have large supplies of anti-tank mines, courtesy of Saddam; and with mortar airbursts, hasty minefields would take a heavy toll on any armor, since the tank commanders could not spot the mines being buttoned up.
#6
I know the Turks have a reputation as being hell on wheels in a fight, but just how earned is that rep? If it dates from Korea or earlier they may find themselves on the sharp end of a US/Kurd spearpoint.
#7
FOTSGreg, as I recall, the Turks pretty much had their way against the Greeks on Cypress. But then, that was the Greeks. OTOH, it seems only right to me that if PKK can cross into Turkey that Turkey can cross over into Kurdistan. It's kind of a reap what you sow sort of thing.
#8
it seems only right to me that if PKK can cross into Turkey that Turkey can cross over into Kurdistan.
Where is their threats to go inti Iran, where even more Kurds live, and who are just as capable, willing, and prepared to attack Turkish troops wherever they meet them? Where is their threat to attack Syria, who also has Kurds, and who would LOVE to stir up some trouble? Turkey seeks to take on only the "weak sister" of Iraqi Kurdistan, not the heavily-armed and equally capable Kurds of Iran and Syria. I think the Turks are more interested in trying to keep the Kurds from claiming the oil around Kirkuk, and perhaps to take it for Turkey, instead. Turkey has been playing both sides of just about every situation in Iraq, since Gulf War I. I think they need to be told to STFU. By all concerned.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
05/29/2007 15:41 Comments ||
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#9
Tanks need to operate on roads. Roads can be mined with anti-tank maines that are of no danger to regular vehicles and other light traffic. No need to use up jet fuel or bullets worrying about this.
More good news. We expected this, and it could have happened before now, but it's good news all the same.
Iraqi Kurdistan's autonomous government will take charge of security in its mountainous northern region this week in a transfer of command from the US-led coalition, officials said. At a ceremony Wednesday in the regional capital Arbil the commanders of the peshmerga - former anti-Baghdad guerrillas and now staunch US allies - will be handed responsibility for three northern provinces.
"This week, the responsibility for security in the Kurdistan region will be officially transferred from multinational forces to the peshmerga affiliated with the regional government," said Jabar Yawar, a Kurdish military spokesman. Yawar said the decision was made during a meeting held in Baghdad between Kurdish regional president Massud Barzani, Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki, and senior US military leaders.
The US military confirmed the handover in an invitation to the event sent out to local media. "The Kurdish Regional Government will hold a transfer of security ceremony, to highlight the return of the entire region from the coalition force to the government of Iraq," the invitation says. The US statement said "the Kurdistan Regional Government was deemed ready to assume security responsibility in the region."
While turning regional security responsibility over to mainly Kurdish forces, the agreement requires them to coordinate with Iraqi state and US-led forces, according to Kurdish officials.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/29/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
I strongly suspect that the Kurds have only been given a fraction of the equipment, organization and training given to the Iraqi army. Success and peace may in the long run leave them weaker than Iraq, which has been tempered in violence.
Were I an adviser to the Kurd leadership, I would strongly suggest settling differences with Turkey, forming a deep relationship with Israel, being armed to the teeth, and finally to be ready to quickly occupy and defend Iranian Kurdistan, if the opportunity presents itself.
#2
The Kurdish zone is the most economically, socially, and politically stable section of Iraq; so much so, that Iraqi Sunnis and Shiites have been migrating north to look for jobs. The Peshmerga was not disarmed after the defeat of Saddam, and they had received a good deal of training from Special Forces in the lead up to the 3 week war against Saddam.
Because of the money flow in Kurdistan, the Kurds have been able to buy literal tons of heavy weapons from the arms black market in Iraq : about the only items they have problems getting are spares for the tanks and APCs that they have taken over. However, the Peshmerga that have been integrated into the Iraqi Army have taken equipment south to Baghdad for the surge, and that equipment is being rebuilt by the Coalition so that the IA units will have mechanized infantry with armor support. So now the Peshmerga have the equivalent of 1 armored brigade and 1 mechanized brigade - both of which are to be returned to Kurdistan at the end of the surge.
Also, from what I have read, the Peshmerga have been buying large quantities of anti-tank weapondry from the black market, and have RPGs down to the fire team level, along with dedicated anti-units having been trained.
. . . According to Israeli security officials and Palestinian sources in Ramallah speaking to WND, the terrorist was arrested while having car sex just a few hundred feet from late PLO leader Yasser Arafat's gravesite. . . .
According to Israeli security officials and Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades sources in Ramallah, Shawish was arrested after the Israeli police stormed his jeep, which was parked in a lot outside the Muqata, about 200 feet from Arafat's grave. The sources said at the time of his arrest, Shawish was having intercourse in the back seat of his jeep with a Palestinian woman . . . . "Oh, yes! Yes! Yes!"
"Freeze, IDF! Yer busted!"
"Oh, no! No! No!"
The woman was not his wife.
The Brigades, founded by Arafat, largely considers the late PLO leader's resting place to be a sacred site. "It is said that you can see Paradise by the dashboard light from there."
Posted by: Mike ||
05/29/2007 06:49 ||
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#1
that woman is gonna become a shaheed "voluntarily"
#3
Cars don't run so well with a potato up the tailpipe - I wonder if the same thing applies for certain potato 'substitutes'? Probably not, at least in Paleoland, unless the car is one of those European micro-cars, and it has a correspondingly micro-tailpipe. So how did Shawish get the car to stay still for long enough to have car sex?
{After the long weekend my brain is generating really strange pictures from this story.}
Heavily armed foreign jihadists have been entering Lebanon from Syria from around the time Western authorities noticed a drop in the infiltration of foreign fighters from Syria to Iraq, Lebanese officials say. U.N. officials running the Nahr el-Bared camp told The Washington Times that a large band of foreigners carrying mortars, rockets, explosive belts and other heavy weapons entered the camp in a group several months ago.
Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi, commander of Lebanon's Internal Security Forces, said about half of the militants who have been battling Lebanese forces in the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp outside Tripoli for nine days had fought previously in Iraq. Gen. Rifi said the foreigners began arriving in Lebanon during the war between Hezbollah and Israel last summer, when between 60 and 70 jihadists were integrated into Fatah al-Intifada, a group set up by Syrian intelligence in the 1980s. The original group had about 30 to 40 Lebanese members and 20 Palestinians in the leadership positions, Gen. Rifi said. The rest were made up of fighters from Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Yemen, Algeria and even from as far as Bangladesh.
In November last year, a Palestinian with Jordanian citizenship named Shaker Youssef al-Absi broke with Fatah al-Intifada and set up a new group, Fatah Islam, based in the Nahr el-Bared camp. Gen. Rifi said Fatah Islam has about 250 fighters, of which about 50 have been killed so far.
Palestinian leaders tried yesterday to negotiate an end to the standoff, in which Lebanese army forces are ringed around the camp, but Prime Minister Fuad Siniora insisted that the militants surrender and face justice.
Gen. Rifi said there are several more cells of foreign jihadists scattered around Lebanon. Some are in the Palestinian camps, some are in Tripoli and some are in Beirut. Another government official said some were based in the Bekaa Valley.
"Some [Gulf] Arabs, originally from al Qaeda, joined the group," Gen. Rifi said. "But they are false al Qaeda. Our al Qaeda is made in Syria."
Money for the fighters comes from local criminal activities, such as bank robberies -- one of which sparked the current standoff -- and support from Gulf countries and "local politicians," said a senior regional military source. "They're part of the global jihad," he said.
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Iran's decision to raise gasoline prices has thrown new light on one of its most entrenched problems - the danger a vulnerable, subsidized economy poses for a country under international pressure over its nuclear program.
Experts warn of the popular backlash that other countries have faced when dealing with the same need to raise long-subsidized staple prices, including in Indonesia which saw a wave of protests in 2005. At the same time, they doubt the 25 percent price hike imposed last week on Iran's gasoline will do much, on its own, to solve the country's underlying economic problems.
Even after Tuesday's decision to raise gasoline prices from the equivalent of 30 cents a gallon to 38 cents a gallon, Iran has some of the lowest gas prices in the world, and fuel remains cheaper than drinking water. Those prices have led to unnaturally high demand and have saddled the government with fuel subsidies that cost billions of dollars a year.
The demand also forces Iran to import more than half the gasoline it consumes because it lacks enough refinery capacity up - a glaring vulnerability as the U.S. and its allies look for pressure-points in negotiations over Iran's nuclear program. "The gasoline import issue is the Achilles heel for Iran," said Amy Jaffe, an energy expert at Rice University's U.S.-based James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy. "It shows the vulnerability of their economy."
I confess I'm amazed: don't we have a CIA? Can't we arrange for the Iranian gasoline refineries to have a couple of accidents? Isn't there anyone there that remembers Bill Casey?
Consistently high oil prices over the past few years have helped the economy grow more than 4 percent annually and left Iran awash in petroleum money, masking the economy's underlying weakness. But the country lacks the investment it needs to reverse its falling oil production because billions of dollars are spent instead on subsidies for fuel, food, paper, fertilizer, pharmaceuticals and other products.
Outside experts estimate that Iranian energy subsidies alone, including gasoline and natural gas, amount to $30 billion, or 15 percent of the country's entire economy, and total subsidies are close to twice that figure.
Conservatives in Iran's parliament, especially those aligned with the country's national oil company, have long pushed for higher gasoline prices.
There has been sharp criticism of the government for withdrawing billions of dollars to pay for domestic expenditures, like the subsidies, from a fund it set up in 2000 to hedge against a future downturn in oil prices and invest in the energy sector.
"They have so much more revenue than they ever thought they would have," said Jaffe. "Yet at $70 per barrel, they were taking money out of the oil stabilization fund, not putting it in it. That's unsustainable."
Siphoning off this money in the current climate leaves the country vulnerable if oil prices fall and robs the oil sector of productive investment. Investment from outside Iran is also increasingly rare, as the U.S. pressures foreign oil companies not to do business in Iran.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has promised to share Iran's oil wealth with the nation's poor, has opposed past attempts to increase gasoline prices and cut demand.
"He doesn't want to be the man who has to drink this poison," said Saeed Laylaz, a prominent Iranian analyst.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/29/2007 00:21 ||
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#1
cheaper than drinking water. Those prices have led to unnaturally high demand
#2
Haven't bought a bottle of drinking water lately have you? at a buck a pint that's four bucks a gallon.
Gas is currently around three bucks a gallon.
Solution, stop being ripped off, drink from water fountains. or fill your own bottles from your own faucet.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
05/29/2007 6:17 Comments ||
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#3
My Protestant trick knee is reminding me that if you don't work for something you don't value it.
#6
So this would suggest that turning up the economic pressure on Iran will show instant results.
This front may become active sooner rather than later.
#7
Good economics is bad politics in Iran as well as in the USA.
The value of the stocks on the Tehran Exchange has been moving downward since 2003 or so. There seems to have been a big sell off (about 4%) in the past month or so.
#8
Good economics is bad politics in Iran as well as in the USA.
The value of the stocks on the Tehran Exchange has been moving downward since 2003 or so. There seems to have been a big sell off (about 4%) in the past month or so.
#9
Good economics is bad politics in Iran as well as in the USA.
The value of the stocks on the Tehran Exchange has been moving downward since 2003 or so. There seems to have been a big sell off (about 4%) in the past month or so.
More on a story we've discussed from time to time.
TEHRAN/DUBAI (Reuters) - The United States is piling pressure on European banks and energy firms to avoid doing business with Iran, sending a blunt message that reputations are at stake if they do so, officials and analysts said on Monday. Washington, leading efforts to isolate the Islamic Republic over its atomic program, has slapped sanctions on two Iranian banks. United Nations sanctions have targeted one.
But U.S. arm-twisting may be having a stronger impact, with one bank withdrawing finance for a major gas deal and oil majors rethinking investment. A U.S. official warned multinationals in March to steer clear of OPEC's second biggest producer. "The world's top financial institutions and corporations are re-evaluating their business with Iran because they are worried about the risk and their reputations," said Stuart Levey, the U.S. Treasury's top anti-terrorism official. "You should worry too and be especially cautious when it comes to doing business with Iran."
French bank Societe General got the message and has pulled the plug on financing for a $5 billion project to develop part of Iran's massive South Pars gas field. "SocGen has stopped their financial support because of pressure from the U.S.," Akbar Torkan, head of Iran's Pars Oil and Gas Company, said. "No European bank is ready to prepare new financing for us. The U.S. is putting pressure on all European banks."
How interesting that the French got the message right after Sarko was elected.
Iran is fighting back with plans to set up an overseas investment fund in Bahrain or Dubai to help finance South Pars.
Washington is working hard behind the scenes to ensure that Iran cannot raise the cash it needs. "The U.S. government is sending out letters to banks on plain white paper with a clear message -- side with us or we'll make it difficult for you to operate," said an Iranian executive who wished to remain anonymous.
Iranian officials have brushed off the impact, but Torkan -- a former defense minister -- said major oil companies such as Statoil and Total were also being leaned on. "They have to follow American policy, otherwise the U.S. will find tools to pressure them," he said. "It's punishment for their activities in Iran."
Industry sources said Statoil may have second thoughts about developing the Azar oilfield because it is keen to protect its U.S. interests. Norsk Hydro was planning the Azar development, but Statoil bought Norsk's oil and gas assets in December and will own the concession when that takeover is complete. Royal Dutch Shell, Eni and Total have all invested billions of dollars in Iran and also own U.S. assets. Top brass have indicated that political concerns could impact new investment plans.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/29/2007 00:07 ||
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#1
Make it really, REALLY clear. You do business with the black hats, you lose.
#3
Why doesn't the US govt put pressure on US Multinational Corps (We know who you are) to divest from the Mullahcracy? We should truly put our money where are mouths are.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Monday that his country, under the supervision of the United Nations nuclear watchdog, is ready to transfer its nuclear expertise to its neighboring countries. Mottaki, making the remarks at the 17th International Gulf Conference, stressed that such cooperation would be under full supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He added that Iran hopes the leaders of the neighboring countries would pay necessary attention to Iran's right to take advantage of the nuclear energy.
A demand for peaceful nuclear technology by the oil-rich Arab Gulf countries would help dispel U.S. allegations that Iran is secretly aiming to develop nuclear weapons, Mottaki said. The United States and some other Western countries have accused Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of its civilian nuclear programs. Iran denies the claim, saying its program is for peaceful purpose only.
The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, which groups Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman, has announced that it is interested in developing peaceful nuclear programs.
#1
A demand for peaceful nuclear technology by the oil-rich Arab Gulf countries would help dispel U.S. allegations that Iran is secretly aiming to develop nuclear weapons, Mottaki said.
#2
Did anyone NOT see this coming? Iran must not be allowed the opportunity to proliferate its nuclear intellectual property. This is a total catastrophe in the making. We need to disarm Pakistan and proscribe all atomic weapons research in Muslim majority nations. Letting Iran continue unfettered is a recipe for disaster.
#4
It looks like there is no line they cannot cross before we finally stop them. At this point I could see "Iran" publicly offering nukes to al-Qaeda for "peaceful purposes" and we would still have mouth-breathing orc-sympathizers demonstrating in the streets with hands off Iran banners.
A UN team arrived in Lebanon yesterday to check on reports of arms smuggling from across the border with Syria in violation of UN resolutions, an official said. The team was due to meet security officials controlling border during the two-week mission requested by the UN, and then draw up a report for UN chief Ban Ki-moon, the source said. Ban said last week the team "will review the roles of relevant agencies, with particular attention to current national customs and border monitoring capacities."
Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told the leader of Lebanon's Christian opposition yesterday that France supports the independence and stability of Lebanon. Kouchner, who travelled to Lebanon last week, held talks with retired general Michel Aoun in Paris as part of regular meetings with Lebanese political leaders, said foreign ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei. The foreign minister also asserted France's support for the creation of an international tribunal to try the murderers of former prime minister Rafik Hariri.
#1
So kids if they are not SMUGGLING them accross the border in violation of un resolutions then they are MANUFACTURING them in violation of un resolutions. Or maybe Allan is providing weapons?
Iran and the United States on Monday held their first formal talks in almost three decades, with a four-hour meeting in Baghdad that focused on security issues in Iraq termed as positive but failing to provide any concrete breakthrough. Washingtons ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, who headed the US delegation, said following the discussions that the Iranian side did not respond to some of the raised issues, chief among them the US call that Teheran halt its alleged support to armed militias in Iraq.
Crocker described the discussions as generally positive but added that the US diplomats told the Iranians they were highly concerned about findings of Iranian-marked weapons that reached Iraq lately, and about the Iranian activities in Iraq - chief among them, Teherans alleged support of armed militias. He said that all sides agreed that the stability of Iraq was a priority. However, he noted that some of Irans suggestions did not possess the qualities or the conditions insisted by the US side as prerequisites to their discussions. He also added that there were arguments regarding some of the security issues, and regarding Iranian policies in Iraq. The dialogue between the two parties did not side-track to other issues. Crocker said. Neither the Iranian nuclear programme or the cases of seven Iranian detainees held by the US military were discussed.
Iranian officials said their side was concerned about increasing pressure from the US and accusations that the Shia Islamic state was responsible for sectarian-driven violence in Iraq. Before the meeting, Iranian officials had said that Iran believed the US forces were responsible for breeding violence. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki earlier told the press that his countrys representatives would explain to the US the mistakes they had made in Iraq. However Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki had prior to the meeting rejected any expectation by Iran that a timetable for US withdrawal would be implemented. Crocker, following the meeting, commented only by saying that no calendar was set for US withdrawal.
The discussions took place in Al Malikis residence in Baghdads heavily-fortified Green Zone. The US and Iranian delegations were headed by the two countrys ambassadors to Iraq, Crocker and Hassan Kazemi Qumi. Senior Iraqi diplomats and Foreign Affairs Ministry officials were also in attendance. Qumi, who represented Iran at the meeting, is reportedly a Quds Force officer. The Quds Force is a special unit of Irans Revolutionary Guards that have recently been accused by the US of supporting Shia death squads in Iraq.
The discussions were earlier in the day welcomed by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki as a result of positive conditions. Crocker, following the meeting, confirmed that the Iraqi participatns contributed effectively, and that generally the Iraqi side moderated the dialogue. Despite the enthusiasm that preceded the meeting, observers said that there was little that Mondays dialogue will pave the way for more direct Washington-Teheran discussions, especially as unresolved issues had reportedly remained as such.
The US and Iran traded accusations over the bloodshed in Iraq Monday during the first high-level direct official talks between the arch-foes in 27 years. US ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker accused Iran of fomenting unrest in the country by funneling weapons and training to extremist militias, and called on Tehran to live up to its promises to support stability.
His Iranian counterpart, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, however, accused the US military of not doing enough to arm Iraqi government forces and said the Islamic republic was prepared to step in and do this itself.
The first such encounter since the two countries severed diplomatic ties in 1980 lasted four hours, and afterwards Iran's envoy sounded keener on holding further talks than his US counterpart.
Crocker said he had insisted that Iran must back up its stated support for Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki's beleaguered government by halting its backing for armed factions fighting in Iraq. The Iranians proposed creating a trilateral security commission involving Iraqis and US representatives - a suggestion Crocker dismissed. Crocker said the Iranians did not address specific US complaints, but instead criticized the American occupation as a whole and complained that US efforts to train Iraqi security forces were inadequate.
Kazemi Qomi described the meeting as positive but blamed the violence in Iraq on the US military presence. He also offered to arm the Iraqi government.
There had been little expectation that the envoys would see eye-to-eye over the Iraq crisis, with the foreign ministry in Tehran on the eve of the talks accusing US agents of sponsoring subversion in its border provinces. Washington has dismissed similar accusations in the past, but mutual distrust continues to chill Iranian-American relations a quarter-of-a-century after US embassy diplomats in Tehran were held hostage for 444 days.
Maliki, who hosted the talks, emphasized that Iraq did not want to be an arena for foreign powers to settle their differences through violence.
"Iraq will not be a springboard for threats against any of the neighboring countries," he vowed. "In return we look for a similar stance from the other states, especially our neighbors."
Persian pegs the Chutzpah meter
BAGHDAD - Iran ambassador to Iraq, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, offered weapons and training to the Iraqi army on Monday after accusing Washington of not supplying Baghdad with the equipment needed to defend itself. The Iraqi government is in need of strong military and security structure to confront its security problems and we have offered all forms of assistance such as weapons, training and equipment, he said following a landmark meeting with his US counterpart.
While describing the meeting, the first of its kind in nearly three decades, as positive, Kazemi Qomi told US ambassador Ryan Crocker that the Iraqi army was not receiving the weapons it needed. Crocker, for his part, after laughing his ass off reiterated US accusations that the Iranians were funneling weapons and sophisticated explosives to Iraqs militias.
Kazemi Qomi also said there was a proposal to form a trilateral security commission with the United States and Iraq to help address the countrys security problems. The negotiations today were an important first step between the two sides, he told reporters. The Iraqi government said it will invite the two sides to resume negotiations and we received this proposal positively.
Kazemi Qomi, however, added that he would have to consult with Teheran first, and one of his assistants said no date had been set for the follow-up meeting. If it is possible, it will happen, the assistant said.
Crocker earlier dismissed the idea of a tripartite US-Iran-Iraq commission and pointed out that further meetings were not necessarily the solution to Iraqs continuing crisis. I couldn't find a Josef Goebbels or a Big Lie image in the archives.
We have a Goebbels image but the one you chose is fine.
#1
I guess take it as proof a "sign" of how much credence we should give to whatever they say. Me, I'm looking at where the shadows point, and all of point in exactly the opposite direction of whatever protestations come out of Iran.
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.
Prince Harry could still fulfil his dream of serving in a war zone after Army chiefs drew up plans for him to serve with UK forces in Afghanistan this summer.
A VISIT to Sydney by a controversial Somali writer who calls the prophet Mohammed a pedophile and says Islam is inferior to Western culture has outraged Muslims, who accuse her of inciting hatred. Ayaan Hirsi Ali will arrive in Sydney today amid tight security normally reserved for foreign dignitaries or royalty. Her writings and talks focus on what she calls the backwardness of Islamic culture and the persecution of Muslim women.
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) - President Bush paid tribute Monday to America's fighting men and women"a new generation of fallen leaders" - in a solemn Memorial Day visit to the national burial ground for war heroes. Speaking under overcast skies after meeting privately at the White House with the families of some fallen servicemen and women, Bush called the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan a part of the nation's destiny. He said they follow a rich tradition of similar American sacrifices throughout this country's history.
The US and Iran traded accusations over the bloodshed in Iraq Monday during the first high-level direct official talks between the arch-foes in 27 years. US ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker accused Iran of fomenting unrest in the country by funneling weapons and training to extremist militias, and called on Tehran to live up to its promises to support stability.
