The head of the Army has issued a dire warning that Britain has almost run out of troops to defend the country or fight abroad, a secret document obtained by the Daily Telegraph has revealed. Gen Sir Richard Dannatt has told senior commanders that reinforcements for emergencies or for operations in Iraq or Afghanistan are "now almost non-existent".
Hint: If you had allowed Prince Harry go Afghanistan with his unit like he wanted to, you'd have more recruits than you knew what to do with.
In the memorandum to fellow defence leaders, the Chief of the General Staff (CGS) confessed that "we now have almost no capability to react to the unexpected". The "undermanned" Army now has all its units committed to either training for war in Iraq and Afghanistan, on leave or on operations. There is just one battalion of 500 troops, called the Spearhead Lead Element, available to be used in an emergency, such as a major domestic terrorist attack or a rapid deployment overseas.
Gen Dannatt's comments will come as the first serious test of Gordon Brown's policy on defence. The new Prime Minister has already faced anger over the decision to give Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, the additional part-time role of Scottish Secretary with Tories labelling the move "an insult to our Armed Forces."
Military leaders have privately suggested that a defence review is essential to examine if more money, equipment and troops are needed. With Britain's military reserve locker virtually empty, further pressure will mount on President George W Bush to review US troop levels in Iraq after fellow Republicans suggesting significant withdrawals.
It also comes at a time when more forces are needed to combat the Taliban in Afghanistan. Liam Fox, the shadow defence secretary, said the lack of reserves was "an appalling situation and damning indictment" of the way the Government handled the Services. "They are being asked to carry out tasks for which they are neither funded or equipped for. There is an urgent need to review our strategic approach because we cannot continue over-stretching our Forces."
The document said that Britain's second back-up unit, called the Airborne Task Force formed around the Parachute Regiment, was unavailable. It was unable to fully deploy "due to shortages in manpower, equipment and stocks".
Most of the Paras' vehicles and weapons have stayed in Afghanistan with other units using them in intense battles against the Taliban. Parachute Regiment officers are deeply concerned that with nearly all their equipment abroad they are unable to train properly for future operations. The Paras also no longer have the ability to parachute as a 600-strong battalion because no RAF planes were available to drop then en-masse, the document said. The situation was unlikely to be resolved until late August.
With the Army significantly under-strength by 3,500 troops many disillusioned with being constantly on dangerous operations and away from their families it is now struggling to plug the gaps on the frontline. "The enduring nature and scale of current operations continues to stretch people," Gen Dannatt wrote. The Army now needed to "augment" 2,500 troops from other units onto operations in Iraq and Afghanistan to bring up the total force to 13,000 required. This remained "far higher than we ever assumed," the CGS said. "When this is combined with the effects of under-manning (principally in the infantry and Royal Artillery) and the pace of training support needed to prepare units for operations, the tempo of life in the Field Army is intense."
The Army has also been forced to call up almost 1,000 Territorial Army soldiers for overseas operations. The general's concerns came after three RAF personnel were killed in a mortar or rocket attack on the main British headquarters five miles outside Basra bringing the total dead in Iraq to 162.
With the main force pulling out of Basra city to the air station in the coming months there is concern of increased attacks on the large base where some troops are forced to live in tented accommodation. A lack of vehicles meant that "training is significantly constrained".
Gen Dannatt was also "concerned" that some equipment, particularly Scimitar light tanks that are vital to fighting in Afghanistan but are 40 years old, "may be at the edge of their sustainability". More needed to be done on housing and pay in order to retained troops because "people are more likely to stay if we look after them properly".
Brit soldiers are also having trouble at home...landlords won't rent to them, they get hassled or ignored in the streets. Glenn Reynolds said he sent a round of drinks to some UK soldiers at an airport bar and they said they liked visiting America 'cos they were treated better here.
The pressure on numbers was partially being alleviated by bringing in civilian firms to train soldiers and guard bases and by "adopting a pragmatic approach to risk where possible".
While the current situation was "manageable" Gen Dannatt was "very concerned about the longer term implications of the impact of this level of operations on our people, equipment and future operational capability". It is not the first time Gen Dannatt has raised concerns on Britain's fighting ability. A few weeks into his job last year, Sir Richard said the military was "running hot" and urged for a national debate on defence. The plain-speaking officer later suggested that the British presence in Iraq was "exacerbating the security problems" and warned that the Army would "break" if it was kept there too long.
Gen Dannatt, who said manning was "critical" in the Army, called for extra infantry units earlier this month following the devastating cuts inflicted by his predecessor Gen Sir Mike Jackson which saw four battalions axed. "General Dannatt's appraisal means that we are unable to intervene if there is an emergency in Britain or elsewhere, that's self-evident," a senior officer said.
"But this is a direct result of the decision to go into Afghanistan on the assumption that Iraq would diminish simultaneously. We are now reaping the reward of that assumption."
Posted by: mrp ||
07/21/2007 11:17 ||
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#1
The US has the same problem - a drastic reduction in armed forces after the collapse of the Berlin Wall, and a constant increase in the demand for troops to engage in overseas operations. The key is to restore the Armed Forces to 1990 levels. There may even be an increased requirement, if Russia continues to try to stir up trouble everywhere and anywhere she can. We might also look at "helping" Eastern Europe reconstruct their armed forces, and at kicking western European nations into doing what's necessary to reconstitute their militaries.
It's really strange that the Brits can't deploy a 600-man parachute regiment. It would take a total of 12 C-130 Hercules to do the task. Certainly, Britain still has that many from its former squadron of 30. Maybe too many of them are "deployed elsewhere". I'd also expect Argentina to begin causing trouble in the Falklands, with this kind of stupid statement from the Army.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/21/2007 15:29 Comments ||
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A man serving 30 years in jail for planning "dirty bomb" attacks in Britain and plotting to blow up U.S. financial institutions has been scarred for life after an attack in prison, his lawyer said on Monday.
Dhiren Barot, 35, considered by British and U.S. officials to be one of al Qaeda's most senior operatives in Europe after admitting conspiracy to murder last year, suffered a "horrific assault" last Friday, according to his lawyer Muddassar Arani.
She said a prisoner at the maximum security Frankland Prison in Durham had thrown boiling water on Barot's back which had led to a "physical punch up". Later while attending to his burns, another inmate poured boiling oil over his head. "Eesa (Dhiren) Barot has suffered various burns to his hands, forehead, head, neck and back. Eesa Barot as a result of the boiling oil having been poured over him has lost all of his hair," Arani said in a statement. "Barot is suffering from extensive pain and has been scarred for the rest of his life." Sympathy meter reading "off-scale low."
This article starring:
DHIREN BAROT
al-Qaeda
his lawyer Muddassar Arani
Posted by: Mike ||
07/21/2007 06:37 ||
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#7
looks like Omar Khyam, the Bluewater bomber, is next cab off the ranks. The gutless wonder is trying to get transferred out of Frankland prison before they get him.
Arani said the attack on Barot raised fears that Muslim prisoners would be targeted in jail and accused the prison authorities of not doing enough to protect them.
Fears? Who's "fears"?
"We are not asking for preferential treatment for Muslim prisoners -- what we are requesting is that Muslim prisoners should be afforded the same protection as other prisoners," she said.
We'd like to help you out, but us infidels gotta spend so much to protect ourselves from folks like your client, that there ain't a lot to go around...
This story might actually rate TWO Sympathy Meters.
#14
Among the crooks and criminals are people with an identity to a 'sovereign' nation. That's what the Anti-American lawyers working on behalf of the terrorists don't care about. Move them from Gitmo for processing like non-war criminals, they'll be in the general prison population and of short life. In the end the anti-American lawyers don't give a crap about the terrorists. It's all about undermining [with the aid of judges who have no concept of 'consent of the governed'] America. The terrorists are exploited and expendable just as any pawn for the 'Movement'[TM]. Abdul meet Cindy.
#15
Khyam was secretly transferred from Belmarsh jail in South East London for radicalising other prisoners. A source said: "He and his followers were turning dozens of other inmates to radical Islamist ideas. He was moved before things got worse." The Crawley-born terrorist is now in a segregation wing at Frankland
Remove the threat. Hard to preach without a tongue
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/21/2007 11:28 Comments ||
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#16
"We are not asking for preferential treatment for Muslim prisoners -- what we are requesting is that Muslim prisoners should be afforded the same protection as other prisoners," she said.
Barot is being afforded the same protection as other prisoners: none.
#20
Perhaps Barot should have spent more time considering how his apprehension might expose him to the displeasure of those whose wives, children and relatives he was trying to kill. These terrorist maggots act with total impunity and then squeal like stuck pigs whenever they suddenly discover that there really are consequences for their heinous acts.
#22
I didn't know my sympathy meter HAD a negative number that low...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/21/2007 15:31 Comments ||
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#23
OT but related... the pix of the Paleos as they were released from Jooojail showed them to be in glowing health. Fit, sleek, good teeth, well-tended beards.
of course, you can't see the GPS/listening devices inserted by Joooo proctologists. They can only be retrieved surgically - or with a steak knife. Good luck, Paleos!
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/21/2007 16:24 Comments ||
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Posted by: 3dc ||
07/21/2007 15:00 ||
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#1
In truth, everything in religion can be redefined and used in all sorts of ways. Jihad is just a word. What matters is how that word is applied, and by who. Someone can talk all sweetness and light, but if they and their peers and followers engage in violence, they have forked tongues.
Conversely, they might have a very strict definition of what Jihad means, but if they never DO anything about it, it is no problem.
A Jack Chick tract can be seen as an ultraviolent manifesto against all other religions, but those who believe what he writes don't go around blowing up buildings and killing people. A few kooks might blow up an abortion clinic, but they need little stimulation to do that anyway: the words just preach to the choir.
IN a massive blow to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, the Supreme Court last night declared his efforts to sack the country's Chief Justice illegal.
In a 10-3 vote, the full bench effectively reinstated Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and ruled that General Musharraf's attempts to remove him from office were unconstitutional. By the same margin, the judges quashed a case of alleged misconduct by Justice Chaudhry that General Musharraf had referred to a separate judicial panel.
The historic judgment, coming after months of deliberation, is likely to have far-reaching implications for General Musharraf as he confronts his gravest crisis since seizing power in a bloodless coup eight years ago.
Presiding judge Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday said General Musharraf's order suspending Justice Chaudhry was "set aside as being illegal".
The suspension of the nation's top judicial officer on March 9 had sparked protests by lawyers and opposition parties that have grown into a powerful pro-democracy movement just as General Musharraf faces a rising tide of Islamic militancy.
The verdict is a major blow to General Musharraf's standing and could further complicate his bid to win a new five-year presidential term this year.
As lawyers celebrated outside the court in Islamabad, Justice Chaudhry's senior counsel Aitzaz Ahsan told reporters the case alleging misconduct by his client had been quashed. "He has been restored and it is a victory for the entire nation," he said.
Throngs of lawyers converged on the attorney, enthusiastically chanting "Go Musharraf, go!" The verdict also prompted celebrations among gatherings of lawyers in major cities, including Lahore and Rawalpindi.
General Musharraf suspended Justice Chaudhry for allegedly pulling rank to secure a police job for his son and enjoying unwarranted privileges such as the use of government aircraft. The Government insists the case has no political motive and that General Musharraf had little choice under the constitution but to suspend Justice Chaudhry.
However, opponents accuse General Musharraf of plotting to remove an independent-minded judge to forestall legal challenges to his plan to ask parliamentarians to approve him for another term later this year.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz last night accepted the ruling and appealed for national unity as Pakistan moved toward elections. "I would like to emphasise that we must all accept the verdict with grace and dignity reflective of a mature nation," he told the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan. "This is not the time to claim victory or defeat. The constitution and the law have prevailed and must prevail at all times."
A top Pakistani human rights activist said the verdict demonstrated the independence of the judiciary and was a victory for civil society. "It's very clear guns and intimidation will not bow down civil society or civil institutions of Pakistan," said the chairman of the non-governmental Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Asma Jehangir.
#1
ithought the hub-bub at red mosque was about the suspension of this guy, and the radicals were crying for his re-instatement or they would continue violence...
am i wrong, or did the paks just give in to the thereats and intrimidation here?
Posted by: Abu do you love ||
07/21/2007 13:37 Comments ||
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#2
Posted by: John Frum ||
07/21/2007 13:54 Comments ||
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#4
Guess Perv will have to go to Plan B, and eliminate this "threat" by extra-judicial means. A bullet or six in the brain usually does the trick. I've got a nasty feeling that this "justice" is neck-deep in the jihadi movement.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/21/2007 15:35 Comments ||
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#5
No, Abu, it's the moderates, political parties, and constitutionalists that are fighting Musharraf on the Chief Justice issue. The Red Temple people were typical Jihadis who want a theocratic state and consider the above groups enemies. They even set off a bomb killing a number of people during one of the demonstrations in favor of the Chief Justice.
Four people including a Frontier Corps (FC) soldier and two civilians were killed when a suicide bomber attacked a security checkpost in North Waziristan on Friday hours after a 45-member jirga began talks with pro-Taliban militant leaders to resurrect a peace deal and stem spiraling violence.
The security checkpost at Boya, 25 kilometres west of Miranshah, was attacked at 11am. The jirga members are holding talks with the local elders and clerics and then they will negotiate with the Taliban commanders, a jirga member told Daily Times about the developments taking place in Miranshah. The jirga is likely to return to Peshawar on Saturday.
Agencies add: A spokesman for pro-Taliban militants, Abdul Hayee Ghazi, told Reuters: One of our comrades carried out this suicide bombing as others did in the last few days. We will not stop such attacks. As the tribal elders were meeting with militant leaders, security forces backed by a helicopter raided an alleged militant hideout, a security official told AP.
Meanwhile, suspected militants destroyed three checkposts of the Khasadar Force in two areas Ghulam Khan and Miranshah Bazaar, NNI reported. Meanwhile, suspected Taliban militants set ablaze seven music shops in the Razmak Adda area in Miranshah late on Thursday night, destroying the whole market.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/21/2007 00:00 ||
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President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Friday condemned the recent terrorist attacks and suicide bombings in the country and expressed their resolve to take Pakistan forward on the path of progress and prosperity.
In a meeting held at the president camp office to review the law and order situation in the country, particularly the situation in the NWFP and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, the two leaders said they would take Pakistan ahead undeterred by those who wish to create chaos and fear in the country through wanton and indiscriminate acts of terrorism.
Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani, Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, NWFP Governor Lt Gen (r) Ali Muhammad Jan Orakzai, NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani and Vice Chief of Army Staff General Ahsan Saleem Hyat were also present at the meeting.
The NWFP chief minister briefed the participants about the measures being taken by the provincial government to contain terrorism. The measures include convening of jirgas and peace committees to preempt and discourage militancy and extremism.
The president and the prime minister assured full support to the provincial government in the efforts to achieve peace in the area and appealed to the religious parties, clerics and the Wafaqul Madaris to assist the government in this regard.
In another meeting attended by Federal Petroleum and Natural Resources Minister Amanullah Jadoon, Sindh Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim, State Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Naseer Mengal and Sindh Minister for Mines and Minerals Irfanullah Marwat, President Musharraf urged the importance of developing the Thar coalfields for the benefit of the country, especially Sindh.
He said that Thar coal would not only be a major contributor to power generation, energy security and import substitution for Pakistan, but would also contribute towards economic development of the rural and under-developed areas of Sindh.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/21/2007 00:00 ||
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The Habib Bank Limited froze the accounts of Al-Rashid Trust before the abduction of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, and the account of Al-Akhtar Trust several years ago soon after these organisations were designated by the State Bank of Pakistan and instructions to freeze such accounts were issued to all banks, a press release said on Friday.
Clarifying the banks position on a lawsuit filed against the bank and many other defendants in the United States, the press release said Habib Bank provides services to more than 5 million customers in Pakistan and abroad. It is the largest private sector bank in Pakistan with a history of 65 years, network of over 1,400 branches and a global presence in 23 countries. The bank conducts its operations in a professional manner and complies with the laws of each country in which it operates. The bank has a strong compliance programme under which customer due diligence is strictly carried out including verification of customer credentials. It fully complies with the account monitoring and reporting requirements of the regulators in Pakistan and abroad.
The statement said that Habib Banks New York Branch is upgrading its systems and procedures and is complying fully with a written agreement with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the New York State Banking Department. Those agencies did not impose a fine on the Bank. The bank will vigorously contest the lawsuit, the statement added.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/21/2007 00:00 ||
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Have Pakistans Talibanised Islamist movements taken on the Pakistani state, casting it in the same pit as the pro-American governments of Iraq, Afghanistan and Mahmoud Abbass Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, is the question an article in the current issue of The Nation raises.
Graham Usher writes, Rarely has Pakistan felt so much like Iraq and Afghanistan. Is it heading the same way? If the military-mullah alliance has imploded, there could be no more fitting epitaph than Lal Masjid. Lal Masjid, he notes, enjoyed solid ties with the Taliban. Seventy percent of its 10,000 students were from FATA and NWFP, including fighters schooled in several Afghan wars. The Taliban offered a political strategy that transformed it from an instrument of state policy to an autonomous and armed redoubt ranged against the Musharraf government. Like the Taliban, it changed from ally to rival.
According to the writer, What is evident is that Lal Masjid was not the fixed idea of two crazed clerics. In policy, practice and aspiration it is part of a wider Talibanisation campaign radiating from the tribal areas and threatening not just the state but all those forces committed to electoral politics, including Pakistans mainstream Islamist parties. He believes there are three options that General Musharraf now has in his attempt to deal with the Taliban stronghold in FATA. The first is to declare a state of emergency. It is unclear how Washington would react to this, pleased though the Bush Administration is that their ally has apparently abandoned the policy of peace with the Taliban. But most Pakistanis would see martial law as a ruse for Musharraf to evade elections scheduled for later this year. And Musharraf has very little credit left.
The second is to proceed with elections and rig them in his favour, as he did in 2002. But that was a long time ago. The third option is for him to forge a coalition with national, secular and other parties based on a shared political consensus. This would need to define Talibanisation as an existential threat to the Pakistani state, whether civilian or military. But it would also have to agree that the way to isolate the Taliban cannot be through force alone but by a programme of social justice throughout Pakistan, with free, comprehensive and adequate public education being the priority. Otherwise, the Taliban will continue to recruit, indoctrinate and arm the poor and the powerless through mosques and madrassas, precisely as happened at Lal Masjid.
Usher writes, Yet it is clear that consensus will not be achieved unless Musharraf and the army at least begin a transition from military rule to democratic governance. A good place to start would be free and fair elections later this year and the unfettered return of authentic leaders like former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, head of the Pakistan Peoples Party, according to polls the most popular party in the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/21/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Here's a clue: Pakistan has been nearly identical to Afghanistan for some time now. Only collusion with the state has prevented it from being quite so apparent. Perhaps they did not have the Taliban's rampant morals police, but the jihad pipeline has always been crammed just as full if not more so. Pakistan is an enemy of the world.
#2
I have to say Pakistan does seem to be sliding toward Afghan style disintegration. The end game may be an independent Baluchistan, Pashtun areas ceded to Afghanistan (or a new Pashtun state) and a rump Pakistan in the Indus valley.
#4
But it would also have to agree that the way to isolate the Taliban cannot be through force alone but by a programme of social justice throughout Pakistan, with free, comprehensive and adequate public education being the priority.
I think he has it backwards. There can be no social justice until military victory.
#6
5 Islamists are threatening to turn Pakistan into a country occupied by Western troops?
Posted by: Mad Eye Sponge 2007-07-21 15:11
We'd need about six more divisions to do that, plus a cooperative agreement with India to take over the eastern half. I'd also be willing to give India permission (if any were needed) to conquer Bangladesh and reabsorb it, before it, too, can become a failed muzlimb state. It WOULD solve the epidemic of fake passports, the J&K problem, the mad madrassa problem, and eliminate a large number of useless "imams". Make all the remaining muslims convert to a "peaceful" type of islamic faith, if there is one. I'm all for this.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/21/2007 16:39 Comments ||
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Pakistan has been described as a nuclear-armed crucible of jihadi culture, exporting terrorists and destabilising its neighbours.
According to Professor Vali Nasr of the Naval Postgraduate School, writing on Friday in the Christian Science Monitor, For too long, Washington has coddled the Pakistani general, turned a blind eye to his crushing of democracy, and read too much into his pro-West rhetoric. The US must change course. And there are signs its about to. After almost a decade under Musharrafs rule, Pakistan hasnt changed much. He has initiated reforms and revamped the economy. But where he was expected to do most, fighting Islamic extremism, Pakistans record is most disappointing.
Nasr maintains that Al Qaeda and the Taliban use Pakistani soil as a haven and training ground. Recent deals between the government and Pashtun tribes have in effect ceded the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan to the Taliban and their Al Qaeda allies. Musharraf speaks of enlightened moderation, but he has done more to pulverise secular democratic parties than contain Islamist ones, he argues. He believes that Pakistan only catches foreign jihadis when pressured by the West. It bans extremist groups that get out of hand, but it has been reluctant to uproot the infrastructure of extremism. Extremist groups proliferate and operate in the open because General Musharraf finds them useful in convincing Washington and Pakistans middle classes that the military is all that protects the country from a Taliban-like Islamic state.
Nasr is of the view that the Pakistani government was fully aware of what went on in Lal Masjid, yet chose to ignore the extremists between January and June, even as they sought to impose Islamic law on the capital. It was not until General Musharraf sensed public anger at his dithering and confronted a diplomatic crisis when the extremists abducted Chinese nationals, that he stormed the mosque. Frustrated with developments in Pakistan, many in Washington look to elections and a civilian government for solutions. Democracy should be welcomed, but it will change little. The last time there was a transfer of power to a civilian government, in 1988, the military still chose the foreign minister and informed the prime minister that it would control the nuclear programme, intelligence, security, and policies toward Afghanistan and India. This time, too, the military will continue to call the shots - especially when it comes to Afghanistan.
According to Nasr, In dealing with Pakistan, Washington has preferred to see the logic of the war on terror as self-evident, not recognising that even close allies will not cooperate if it does not serve their interests. It is only by addressing Pakistans interests that Washington can secure greater cooperation from Islamabad. Washington cannot give Pakistan the sphere of influence in southern Afghanistan that it desires to make sure it will not be encircled by India.
However, Washington can give Pakistan greater interest in Afghanistans stability than it has now by encouraging Kabul to include Pakistans allies and clients in government; and more important, to finally recognise its international border with Pakistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/21/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Pakistan called a 'crucible of jihadi culture'
Even a crucible made from the most refractory sort of material will shatter when exposed to extreme thermal excursions. If you know what I mean.
#5
pakistan is oprations central but you need to look at saudi re funding and ideology!!!!
Posted by: Paul ||
07/21/2007 8:23 Comments ||
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#6
The US must change course. And there are signs its about to.
What signs?
Afghanistan won't be quieted unless Pakistan is quieted. What's the best way to do this? It is one of those "knots" (or turbans if you will) that has to be somehow undone. Saudis will have to quit funding via charities and the madras's. How does the West get a handle on that?
It would help if we become more oil independent and did not have to rely on the mideast to the extent we do. Saudis and others cannot eat or drink oil. Maybe we need an "OPEC" of the West that "fiddles" with the price of food and water to the Muslim mideast.
Either Musharraf has to clean out the Paki border areas or we need to; otherwise these jihadist problems will continue to spawn, fester, and cause the rest of the world continued problems.
#8
Washington cannot give Pakistan the sphere of influence in southern Afghanistan that it desires to make sure it will not be encircled by India
cannot and won't if they keep acting up. Perhaps we need to invite India in to help? How would you like that, ISI? What're you gonna do, Pak Army, lose AGAIN?
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/21/2007 11:25 Comments ||
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#9
All true, but now is not the time for this.
With Iraq hanging in the balance and the U.S. military already stretched, we will have to continue to rely on the pseudo-cooperation of the Pakistani government for the time being.
#11
Maybe we need an "OPEC" of the West that "fiddles" with the price of food and water to the Maybe we need an "OPEC" of the West that "fiddles" with the price of food and water to the Muslim mideast.Muslim mideast.
Now that's just plain brilliant, the added beauty is that government doesn't need to get involved, there are plenty of CEO's like Scrushy loose out there, surely there are a few in food import-export that want to be billionaires.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/21/2007 14:01 Comments ||
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#12
sherman anti-trust act prevents any us-based companies from participationg in a price setting cartel.
besides, opec doesnt directly set prices, they manipulate supply and that drives price.
Posted by: Abu do you love ||
07/21/2007 14:07 Comments ||
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Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) President Qazi Hussain Ahmad said on Friday that he would offer the next Friday prayers at Lal Masjid, which has been sealed off since July 11 after the operation against militants holed up in the mosque and the adjacent Jamia Hafsa. Qazi told a protest rally at Karachi Company that the armed forces would never leave the mosque if his party could not free it now. He said that President Pervez Musharraf was a friend of the US and terrorists. MMA and Wafaqul Madaris Al-Arabia (WMA) arranged the rally. Participants shouted slogans against the operation. Qazi said the Lal Masjid killings would change society.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/21/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Freedom = freedom from the parasitic mullah elite. Qazi can eat dirt.
What would you do when faced with a cash flow problem? You might try to curb expenditure, work harder to earn more, borrow money, or, when all else fails, put up the family jewels for sale. The latter is precisely what President Mahmoud Ahmadinejads administration is trying to do as it faces a cash shortage.
Signs that the government may be running out of money have multiplied in recent months. Tens of thousands of civil servants, including school teachers, have not been paid since January. Bills from private contractors working for the government are piling up, threatening the survival of many businesses.
The key oil industry, which accounts for more than 75 per cent of the governments income, is being starved of cash. Efforts to attract some $15 billion in foreign investments in the oil and gas industries have borne no fruit. Foreign investors are wary of violating United Nations sanctions or running afoul of the US Treasurys plans to put the financial squeeze on the Islamic Republic.
All this may seem surprising if only because Iran has earned almost $150 billion from oil exports since Ahmadinejad won the presidency in 2005. So, were did the money go?
Part of the answer lies in the hike in inflation rates. According to the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), monthly inflation rates since January 2006 have varied between 2.8 and 3.2 percentage points, making for an annual rate that could reach the 30 per cent mark next year. Theoretically, in an oil-based economy the government has a built-in interest in inflation. The problem, however, is that Ahmadinejad has presided over a massive increase in public expenditure. Part of this is due to an estimated 21 per cent rise in the budgets of military and security services in preparation for a war with the United States.
Another big expenditure item is the ever-lengthening list of handouts by Ahmadinejad during his tours of the provinces - mockingly known as The Ruin the Economy Road Show.
According to estimates, some $10 billion has been pumped into pork-barrel projects that often fuel inflation further. Ahmadinejad has also increased expenditure on his so-called exporting the revolution programme. Syria has received almost $3 billion in cash and cut-price oil. The Lebanese branch of Hezbollah has been rewarded with $1.8 billion while the Palestinian Hamas movement has collected almost $1 billion. A further $3 billion has been spent on financing anti-US political and armed groups in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The government has also made provisions worth $4 billion to cope with emergencies in its quest to dominate Iraq in case the Americans run away.
The biggest rise in public expenditure, however, has come from increases in imports, as the government tries to stockpile strategic goods in anticipation of war with the US. Iran buys more than half of its food and some 42 per cent of its gasoline from abroad, and is now busy importing as much as it can to beat future sanctions. Irans industries also depend on imports of foreign raw material, parts and technology. Iranian imports from Germany, for example, have risen by some 17 per cent since 2005. Because of rising political tension many of Irans trading partners are exacting higher prices and demanding cash on delivery.
Fears that the nations economy may be heading for the rocks prompted 57 of Irans best-known economists to publish an open letter to Ahmadinejad, warning that his policies were making for disaster. The letter, circulated and widely discussed throughout the country, forced Ahamdinejad to invite the signatories to a debate.
In the event, some 40 economists turned up but there was no debate. Instead, Ahmadinejad treated them to a gallimaufry in which obscurantist religious beliefs were mixed with half-understood economic concepts. He told the critics that his administration feared no economic meltdown for two reasons. The first was that the Hidden Imam would not abandon the worlds only truly Islamic regime, at a time it faced a war with the American Great Satan. The second was that the government was launching a massive privatisation programme to raise billions of cash.
The economists had no comment about the role that the Hidden Imam might play in the Iranian economy. But they were critical of Ahmadinejads privatisation programme that they described as a cover for bestowing free gifts on a few hundred individuals. The privatisation programme has been debated for a decade.
Until recently, however, it was assumed that the government would privatise only loss-making public businesses. This was partly because Article 44 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic imposes almost insurmountable hurdles on selling public businesses.
The virtual abolition of Article 44 is a major political victory for Ahmadinejad, something that his two immediate predecessors as presidents failed to achieve. His hands are no longer tied by the Constitution; Ahmadinejad is now putting up public businesses for sale that could be regarded as family jewels.
Among these are 17 of the 32 companies that together make up the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), the nations single biggest holding corporation.
At a time that the government is imposing gasoline rationing, the privatisation programme is offering key refineries, including those of Isfahan and Tabriz, for sale. This marks the start of a process at the end of which the NIOC could become an empty shell. Also for sale are four of Irans most profitable petrochemical businesses. Five major gas companies and the nations biggest gas refinery at Bidbolabd, which has been plagued by strikes, are also to be sold.
A start has also been made to privatise the metallurgical industries, regarded both by the late Shah and the late Ayatollah Khomeini as strategic. The Khuzestan Iron and Steel Corporation is to be completely sold while an unknown portion of the giant Mubarakeh Steel Complex in Isfahan is also on offer. The programme further envisages the privations of the banking and insurance sectors, first nationalised in 1979. This will be achieved through public selling of shares in tranches of five per cent.
The problem with all this is a total lack of transparency. No one knows how the businesses have been evaluated or who would be allowed to buy them. The suspicion is that highly profitable units would be transferred to elements from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and their bazaari partners organised in the so-called Islamic Coalition. The governments own banks will then provide the cash needed to buy the businesses.
Ahmadinejads garage sale may make a few thousand military men, mullahs and hajis of the bazaar immensely wealthier than they are today. But it is unlikely to help solve his cash flow problem for any appreciable length of time. It might also anger the so-called mustazafeen (the dispossessed) whom he has tried to court.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
07/21/2007 18:59 ||
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Iran will reportedly fund, at a price of $1 billion, new Syrian fighter jets, tanks, missiles against naval craft and will aid in Syria's nuclear and chemical weapons research programs. In return, Syrian President Bashar Assad has reportedly promised Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to cease the pursuit of peace talks with Israel in exchange for Iranian support of Syrian interests in Lebanon.
Who says where's no G*d who looks out for his Chosen People
Posted by: gromgoru ||
07/21/2007 09:04 ||
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#2
There will never be peace until that midget is taken care of-FACT!!!!!
Posted by: Paul ||
07/21/2007 12:08 Comments ||
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#3
Where is Iran going to get a billion dollars to give away, when they have to raise gasoline prices at home? Have they yet paid Russia what is owed on the nuclear power plant?
#4
Crude oil futures are close to breaking out to a new high. This is putting enough money in the pockets of the mad mullahs to fund the exportation of their Islamic Revolution.
That one commodity drives the ambitions of virtually every enemy of America. Everything that we can do to reduce our dependence upon it must be considered.
#5
Nuke about ten sites in Soddy aRabida, and permanently take over the oilfields. Solves several (dozen?) of our and our allies' problems while we work on building nuke power plants, develop what "alternative" power supplies we can, and keep us from suffering a huge economic hit. It will also teach the entire world (listening, Vlad?) that we are NOT ruled by the idiots on the far left - at least, not yet. It will also give us somewhere to export our illegal immigrants where they won't just immediately hop back across the border. We can teach them all about working at every level of the oil industry, so they can go home eventually, take over PeMex, and run it efficiently. I don't see a downside.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/21/2007 17:18 Comments ||
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#6
Soddy aRabida? I'm so gonna steal that (copying/stealing a comment as well!)
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/21/2007 17:27 Comments ||
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Lebanon's former president Amin Gemayel on Friday announced he will run in disputed August 5 parliamentary by-elections to replace his son, Pierre Gemayel, who was assassinated in Beirut last November. "I am a candidate for the deputy's seat in the Metn (mountains northeast of Beirut). Isn't it strange that the father is succeeding his son?" a visibly moved Gemayel asked a televised press conference.
Pierre Gemayel, an anti-Syrian MP and supporter of the Western-backed government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, was gunned down on November 21 in a suburb north of the Lebanese capital. The parliamentary majority blamed Syria for the killing, despite repeated denials from Damascus of any involvement in a string of attacks on anti-Syrian figures in Lebanon since the February 2005 assassination of five-time former premier Rafik Hariri.
Siniora's government has decided to hold partial elections in the Metn and in Beirut for the two seats vacated by the murders of Gemayel and of Walid Eido, another MP who was killed in a Beirut car bombing on June 13. Lebanon's Syrian-backed President Emile Lahoud has refused to counter-sign the government's decree on holding the by-elections, on the grounds the cabinet has been "illegitimate" since the resignation in November of six pro-Syrian ministers.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/21/2007 00:00 ||
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Serge Brammertz, the head of the Independent International Investigation Commission dealing with Lebanon, briefed the Security Council in an open meeting Wednesday about the Commissions consolidation of its work, which has resulted in a series of detailed reports totaling more than 2,400 pages. Brammertz said that a number of people of interest have been identified who may have been involved in some aspects of the assassination of Rafik Hariri, and common links have been found across a number of cases. He also warned the Council that the security situation in Lebanon has deteriorated, and stressed that the security of witnesses and people who cooperate with the Commission needs to be guaranteed.
He then continued to talk with Council members in closed consultations. After that, Brammertz spoke to reporters, telling them that the Commission is ready to hand over its work to a tribunal when it begins to function. He added that more work needs to be done to complete the investigation, before indictments can be made. "The Commission stands ready to cooperate with the secretary general and with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon to ensure a smooth handover to the Tribunal at the time when the Tribunal shall begin functioning," Brammertz told the Council.
The UN spokesperson said Brammertz told reporters after the briefing that the Commission "is not ready" at this time to go to the court. "Mr. Brammertz said that the Commission needed more time, without specifying a timeline," said UN spokesperson Farhan Haq.
During the briefing, Brammertz said Syria and other states continued to provide mostly positive responses to requests for assistance. "Cooperation with Syria remain generally satisfactory, Syria provided timely responses to the Commission's 11 requests for assistance during this reporting period." Brammertz also said investigators had narrowed down possible motives for the slaying Hariri and some of the aspects "include, among others, the role of the Bank Al-Madina affair."
"The Commission is currently working on new information regarding the sale of the van to individuals who could be involved in its final preparation for the attack on Hariri," he said.
In the report the Commission said it uncovered new information about the buyers of the Mitsubishi Canter van "most likely used to carry the explosives" that killed Hariri and 22 others on February 14, 2005. The report said the van was stolen from Japan in October 2004, then shipped to the UAE and later shipped to Lebanon, ending up in a showroom in Tripoli in December 2004.
The Brammertz report said attempts to block President Emile Lahoud's term extension via constitutional amendment "played an important role in shaping the environment in which the motives to assassinate Rafik Hariri emerged," specifically UN Resolution 1559.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/21/2007 00:00 ||
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Lebanon's state court rejected a motion contesting the call by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's government for the August 5 by-elections. The ruling by magistrate Ghaleb Ghanem and five member judges was made public on Wednesday. This means the By- Elections will take place in Lebanon as planned.
Interior Minister Hassan Sabaa had asked the government to issue a decree calling for the election of successors to assassinated lawmakers Pierre Gemayel and Walid Eido. Both crimes have been blamed on Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime. Damascus has denied the charges.
"No, no! Certainly not!"
Gemayel, a Maronite, represented the Phalange Party in the 128-seat House. Eido, a Sunni, represented al-Moustaqbal Movement in Parliament. Both Gemayel and Eido were very outspoken against the Syrian regime and its continued efforts to destabilize the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/21/2007 00:00 ||
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Our Iranian and intelligence sources reveal that the Iranian president flew out of Damascus Thursday with this group saying: I prefer cooler places but this region faces a torrid summer of victories.
Aboard his plane were four HIzballlah leaders, Secy-Gen. Hassan Nasrallah, defense chief Imad Mughniyeh, chief of staff Ibrahim Aqil and chief of special operations Unit 1800 Hajj Khalil Harb; and Jihad Islamis Abdallah Ramadan Shalah and operations chief Zaid Nahle.
Head of Hamas Damascus HQ Khaled Meshaal did not join the party flying to Tehran to avoid giving his Saudi and Egyptian friends the impression he was in Irans pocket. Either he flew there earlier, or else assigned a Hamas representative based in the Gulf to represent his moement at the council of war in Tehran.
As for Syrias role, DEBKAfiles military sources reveal that 20 high-ranking Iranian officers were on the Iran presidents flight to Damascus, headed by defense minister Mustafa Najar. They did not join Ahmadinejads talks with Syrian president Bashar Assad. Instead, they were driven to Syrian General Staff headquarters, where they were awaited by Syrian defense minister Gen. Hassan Turkmani, chief of staff Gen. Ali Habib and corps commanders.
Our intelligence sources believe this conference was in fact round one of the council of war which continued in Tehran Friday with Hizballah and Palestinian terrorist chiefs.
The most urgent decision facing the Iran-Syrian alliance concerns Lebanon and how far they can go to get rid of the pro-Western Siniora government in Beirut. Both Iran and Syria understand the United States and France will not stand for its ouster by military or terrorist means. But time is running out. The international tribunal is about to be installed to start hearing the Hariri assassination case and must be stopped before Assad and aides are prosecuted. Tehran and Damascus must decide quickly whether to focus on subversive action inside Lebanon or resort to diversionary tactics such as fomenting trouble against Israel on the Golan, from the Lebanese border or from Gaza.
Before Ahmadinejad and party departed Damascus Thursday night, they visited two important Shiite shrines and prayed for victory in the near future. Witnesses heard the Iranian president sobbing loudly.
DEBKAfile sources refute the Shawq al-Awsat claim Saturday, July 21,that the Iranian president rewarded Assad for abandoning its quest for a peace track with Israel by one billion dollars for arms purchases from Russia and North Korea - plus Iranian backing on Lebanon issues. The arms Iranian-funded arms deals have been in progress since the beginning of this year, long before Ahmadinejads Damascus visit.
Posted by: 3dc ||
07/21/2007 14:48 ||
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#1
damn - that plane should've been SAM'd out of the sky
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/21/2007 16:22 Comments ||
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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 head of the Army has issued a dire warning that Britain has almost run out of troops to defend the country or fight abroad, a secret document obtained by the Daily Telegraph has revealed. Gen Sir Richard Dannatt has told senior commanders that reinforcements for emergencies or for operations in Iraq or Afghanistan are "now almost non-existent".
IN a massive blow to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, the Supreme Court last night declared his efforts to sack the country's Chief Justice illegal.
Four people including a Frontier Corps (FC) soldier and two civilians were killed when a suicide bomber attacked a security checkpost in North Waziristan on Friday hours after a 45-member jirga began talks with pro-Taliban militant leaders to resurrect a peace deal and stem spiraling violence.
President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Friday condemned the recent terrorist attacks and suicide bombings in the country and expressed their resolve to take Pakistan forward on the path of progress and prosperity. 
The Habib Bank Limited froze the accounts of Al-Rashid Trust before the abduction of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, and the account of Al-Akhtar Trust several years ago soon after these organisations were designated by the State Bank of Pakistan and instructions to freeze such accounts were issued to all banks, a press release said on Friday.
Serge Brammertz, the head of the Independent International Investigation Commission dealing with Lebanon, briefed the Security Council in an open meeting Wednesday about the Commissions consolidation of its work, which has resulted in a series of detailed reports totaling more than 2,400 pages. Brammertz said that a number of people of interest have been identified who may have been involved in some aspects of the assassination of Rafik Hariri, and common links have been found across a number of cases. He also warned the Council that the security situation in Lebanon has deteriorated, and stressed that the security of witnesses and people who cooperate with the Commission needs to be guaranteed. 
