Taliban militants have threatened more attacks like the one last week in Afghanistan that killed two Canadian humanitarian workers, unless Canada pulls its troops out of Afghanistan, Canadian media said Sunday. In an online letter, the Taliban also called on Canadians to pressure their government into withdrawing its soldiers from the NATO-led contingent in Afghanistan, "and follow a neutral policy regarding Afghanistan," CBC public television said.
Otherwise, the militants warned, "the Afghans will be obliged to kill your nationals." CBC said it had confirmed the letter's authenticity after talking to Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid in Kandahar Province. "Events such as Logar will happen again," the letter warned, referring to the August 13 ambush in Afghanistan that killed Canadian aid workers Jacqueline Kirk and Shirley Case, Trinidadian-American aid worker Nicole Dial and the group's Afghan driver. Kirk was a dual British-Canadian citizen.
"The Afghans did not go to Canada to kill Canadians. Rather it is the Canadians who came to Afghanistan to kill and torture the Afghans to please the fascist regime of America," the Taliban said in their message.
After Wednesday's murders, Canadian Premier Stephen Harper said Canada "remains steadfast in our commitment to the people of Afghanistan and will continue to work with the Afghan government and the international community to improve the lives of Afghans."
Canada has a contingent of 2,500 soldiers in the Kandahar region of Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, and has seen 90 of them killed since its mission started in 2002.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/19/2008 00:00 ||
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Killing humanitarian aid workers on purpose is clearly a war crime and the Taliban is bragging about it at the same time they are complaining about non war crimes (killing combatants in battle and collateral damage) and about entirely unproven allegations of torture.
Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir arrived in Turkey on Monday for a summit of African leaders this week in his first trip abroad since an international court moved to indict him for genocide. Herblock did a cartoon in the very early 50s about a European summit that General Franco showed up at. Herb draw him reeking and stinking, with flies buzzing around him. I always think of that cartoon when things like this happen.
International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo last month asked the court to issue an arrest warrant for Bashir on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, saying his state apparatus had killed 35,000 people and indirectly at least another 100,000.
Asked about the possibility of an ICC warrant being issued while Bashir was in Istanbul, a Turkish Foreign Ministry official declined to speculate on what Turkey would do. "Bashir was invited to the summit as an African country leader and there is no arrest warrant against him at this moment. If there are any requests, we will evaluate them then," the official said.
NATO member Turkey has not ratified the treaty forming the ICC but is under pressure to become a member as part of negotiations to join the European Union.
ICC judges could take weeks or months to issue a warrant, but have never failed to issue one after it was requested by the prosecutor. The court returned from recess on Monday.
International experts estimate some 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million were driven from their homes since mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms in early 2003 accusing central government in Khartoum of neglect. Sudan blames the Western media for exaggerating the conflict and puts the death toll at 10,000.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/19/2008 00:00 ||
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ICC judges could take weeks or months to issue a warrant...
Remember this guy?
DEARBORN - Houssein Ali Zorkot — a once-promising medical student at Wayne State University — was sentenced on July 29 to two years probation after pleading guilty to charges stemming from a Sept. 8, 2007, incident in Dearborn's Hemlock Park.
The controversial case gained national attention in late 2007 when Zorkot, then 26 years old, was observed carrying a loaded AK-47 semi-automatic assault rifle near the west side of the park, which is located north of Ford Road near Schaefer. Following his arrest, Zorkot's status as a Lebanese American and his open support of Hezbollah, which has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, led some to classify the Dearborn resident as a terrorist.
While Zorkot openly supports Hezbollah on his Web site — www.zorkot.org — he has not been identified as a terrorist or linked to any terrorist group, according to law enforcement officials. Just another mixed up Muslim kid I'm sure...
The Dearborn resident pled guilty last month to the charges of possessing a weapon in a vehicle, possessing a weapon with unlawful intent and felony firearm.
According to Dearborn police, Zorkot was dressed in dark clothing and had his face painted black when officers located him on Sept. 8, 2007, inside his 2007 Ford Escape, which was parked on the park's west side. The engine was still running. Officers approached the vehicle, which proceeded to pull out of the parking space and head northbound toward the park's entrance. Dearborn police were able to block the vehicle in before it was able to leave the park. When approached by officers, Zorkot opened the driver's side door, but remained inside the vehicle. He then asked officers why they had stopped him, and said, "You guys are always harassing me."
During the confrontation, officers observed Zorkot lower his right hand toward the center console, which was out of view. According to police reports, officers feared Zorkot may have been reaching for a weapon and grabbed his left wrist while ordering him to exit the vehicle. An officer at the scene observed the AK-47 in the vehicle's backseat, and alerted her fellow officers that the Dearborn resident was armed. Zorkot was then forcibly removed from the vehicle through the driver's side door — although he initially refused to let go of the door. When he refused to release the door, officers struck Zorkot's arm once with a plastic flashlight, however, the Dearborn resident refused to let go.
A Taser was then deployed, which struck Zorkot between his shoulder blades. The electrical jolt caused Zorkot to fall to the ground, where he began rolling back-and-forth. When Zorkot refused to comply with the officers' commands, he was stunned again and taken into custody. Well at least they got to zap him twice.
Evidence technicians then searched Zorkot's vehicle and found two pairs of cloth gloves, a military combat belt with a canteen and two knives, boots with socks, a receipt for the AK-47 rifle and ammo, a gunlock and keys, a list of Metro Detroit shooting ranges, numerous photographs of Zorkot standing in front of billboard depicting "various Muslim extremists," a briefcase containing a laptop and a cell phone. Two cameras, a portable AM/FM radio, a pair of binoculars, four computer CDs, an Army surplus bag, a camouflage face paint kit, a Lebanon flag, a VCR cassette of "The Never Ending Story," and eight prepaid international phone cards were also found inside the vehicle. Based on the statements he made at time of his arrest, and the materials found inside his vehicle, a search warrant was issued for Zorkot's home. Police have not disclosed the results of that search. Got a feeling we'll be hearing from him again.
Let's not. Deport his jihad-loving ass back to Leb and let them deal with this worthless POS. Running these bastards in a hurry is the best way to make sure the others get the message NOW, and that message should be "start pulling your jihad crap here and your feet won't touch ground again before you're back in the old country with NO HOPE OF EVER COMING BACK TO THE US. BTW, send their families with them.
India has almost completed a key road linking Afghanistan to Iranian sea ports despite Taliban attacks that claimed more than 100 lives in two years, the deputy public works minister said. The 217-kilometre (134-mile) route connects a nearly completed ring road around Afghanistan to the Iranian port cities of Bandar-i-Abas and Chabahar, the official told AFP.
Eight Indian engineers and more than 100 Afghan workers were killed in Taliban attacks since the construction of the road began more than two years ago, said Minister Wali Mohammad Rasouli. There were a few sections of route that had to be touched up before a handing over ceremony was held in a few weeks, he said.
Landlocked Afghanistan relies mostly on Pakistan's port of Karachi for goods arriving by sea, including supplies for the nearly 70,000 international soldiers helping to fight a Taliban-led insurgency. The road was initially budgeted at 80 million dollars but is reported to have cost 185 million dollars, in part because of the high security risks of operating in southern Afghanistan.
The route, already open to traffic, is a welcome alternative, since goods can sometimes be held up on alternate routes from Pakistan, where they are also often subjected to high taxes, Rasouli said. "The new road is very important for us," he said. "Now we have an alternative road to use when Pakistan creates problems and obstacles for our traders on their ports."
Islamabad also does not allow goods from India -- its enemy -- to transit through Pakistan into Afghanistan. Kabul has a good relationship with New Delhi, one of the main financers of its efforts to rebuild from decades of war although it has not sent troops to join the international military effort against the resurgent Taliban. However its ties with Islamabad are strained, notably over the unrest.
Kabul alleges that elements in Pakistan, including its government, are supporting the Taliban. Islamabad was one of only three countries that recognised the 1996-2001 Taliban regime.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/19/2008 17:29 ||
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Another nail in the coffin of Pakistani hopes for control of Afghanistan.
In the warren of offices in South Block from where Indian foreign policy is spun out, three bureaucrats sat in a room this morning listening intently to Pervez MusharrafÂ’s 75-minute speech that was telecast live.
“He has not really talked about Kashmir,” said one of the officers in an immediate response after Musharraf announced his resignation. “In fact, I don’t think he even mentioned it, it has been mostly about what is happening in Pakistan.”
India’s official position — as stated by foreign affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee in Calcutta — is that it will not comment on developments inside Pakistan. But South Block has been agonising with a post-Musharraf Pakistan policy for nearly a month now.
National security adviser M.K. Narayanan voiced the quandary in the Indian establishment only last week.
Musharraf’s possible departure did not concern India so much, he told The Straits Times of Singapore, “but it leaves a big vacuum and we are deeply concerned about this vacuum because it leaves the radical extremist outfits with freedom to do what they like, not merely on the Pak-Afghan border but clearly (on) our side of the border too”.
The biggest positive in the turn of the wheel in Pakistan today, Indian diplomats, bureaucrats and military officials quickly note, is that India has figured only in the margins.
Neither in the February elections that threw up a fractious mandate and led to the tenuous coalition between Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif, nor in the run-up to MusharrafÂ’s departure in the past month has India figured in the mainstream of Pakistan public discourse.
Only since August, after the unrest in Jammu and the wave of protests in Kashmir, has the Pakistan National Assembly passed resolutions condemning alleged Indian high-handedness — a position every Pakistani ruler, civilian or military, has taken during comparable events in the past.
There was little evidence of a competition on who shouts loudest on Kashmir between the presidency of Musharraf and the prime ministership of Yusaf Raza Gilani.
“Zardari had said that the Kashmir problem could be left for future generations and we could make progress on issues that are confronting us right now,” said Captain Alok Bansal, naval fellow at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis. “But with Musharraf’s exit, the army and the ISI are going to be more autonomous in their actions.”
This view was reflected in the defence headquarters here, too. “For nearly a year now, Musharraf has relinquished control of the army but the anti-Indian instruments of the Pakistani state have been active,” said a general-rank officer in a military analysis cell.
“I would say that the Zardari-Nawaz arrangement will last for anything between six to 18 months,” said G. Parthasarathi, former Indian high commissioner to Islamabad and Pakistan-watcher. “The moment either of them gets adequate support from the PML(Q) to form a government in Punjab, things could come apart.”
In February, Pakistan army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani said the military would support a civilian government. In March, he directed senior military officers to hand over charge to civilian counterparts in more than 20 government departments, apparently to help in the transition to a democratic administration.
But that in itself may present a problem which will tell on relations with India. “Two things will remain constant. The ISI will continue to support the Taliban on the western border (with Afghanistan) in a war the Pakistan army does not want to fight but on the eastern border (with India), the army will call the shots. In effect, the army will have the power and the civilian government the responsibility,” said Parthasarathi.
A dangerous trend now taking shape, he warned, is that the army is once again getting close to the Jamaat-e-Islami in Pakistan that was dead opposed to Musharraf after he allied with the US.
The closer this relationship gets, the greater the chances that Syed Ali Shah Geelani, KashmirÂ’s most strident pro-Pakistan leader, will gain in prominence.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/19/2008 16:36 ||
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Pak army not have enough say when running the country?
Posted by: ed ||
08/19/2008 23:56 Comments ||
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ISLAMABAD- Ahead of a crucial meeting of the top leadership of Pakistan's ruling coalition to decide the fate of former President Pervez Musharraf, parliamentarians on Tuesday demanded that the ex-military ruler should face trial for his actions.
Participating in a debate in the National Assembly on the resignation of Musharraf, some lawmakers of the treasury benches even said that Musharraf deserved to be awarded capital punishment for the actions he had taken during his rule of nearly nine years.
Feeling their oats, aren't they ...
The parliamentarians of the ruling PPP and its ally PML-N also said that Musharraf, who resigned yesterday to avert his impeachment by the government, must not be allowed to leave the country. They said he should face a "fair and transparent trial" in court.
Members of the opposition PML-Q and MQM, on the other hand, put up a defence for Musharraf, saying parties should not indulge in politics of vengeance since the President had already resigned. They also called for national reconciliation.
The National Assembly began the debate shortly after Musharraf announced his resignation during a televised address on Monday afternoon. Participating in the debate, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said his move to step down had made the country's parliament supreme.
The meeting of the top leadership of the ruling coalition, to be held this afternoon at the residence of PPP chief Asif Ali Zardari, will take "some important decisions", Information Minister Sherry Rehman told reporters at Parliament House. Among other matters, the leaders are expected to discuss the issue of giving Musharraf a safe exit and the selection of a candidate for the presidential election to be held within a month.
Meanwhile, Law Minister Farooq Naek today brushed aside reports that Musharraf had resigned following a deal with the government. "No, there is no deal and the former President resigned on his own," he told reporters outside parliament, adding the issue of making Musharraf accountable for his actions would be decided by leaders of the coalition. "The leaders of the coalition parties are meeting to discuss important issues including the restoration of deposed judges, election of the next President and the accountability of the former President," he said.
Asked whether the government would make public the chargesheet it had drawn up against Musharraf as part of its plans to impeach him, Naek said the document was now meaningless since the President had resigned.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/19/2008 12:41 ||
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DUBAI: Saudi Arabia has dismissed as "fabricated" reports that it has an aircraft waiting to take former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf to the kingdom where he could be offered asylum following his ouster.
"This news is totally lacking in truth and is fabricated," Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Ali Awad Esseiri was quoted as saying by Okaz newspaper on Tuesday.
He was reacting to media reports that a Saudi plane was in Islamabad to transport Musharraf to Saudi Arabia amid speculation that he could be granted asylum in the kingdom after stepping down as President on Monday.
The envoy said the kingdom was interested in "security, stability and sovereignty of Pakistan and will not interfere in internal political affairs" of its close ally, the Saudi newspaper reported.
Saudi Arabia had earlier given asylum to former Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharif after his government was toppled in a bloodless military coup by Musharraf in October 1999. Sharif and his family were sent into exile to Jeddah in 2000 before their return home last November.
Media reports in Pakistan also said that Musharraf was expected to travel to Saudi Arabia with his family for a pilgrimage to Mecca in the near future following which he would decide whether to live outside Pakistan.
The reports said Musharraf would remain in Pakistan for some time before travelling to Saudi Arabia.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/19/2008 11:25 ||
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WaPo discovers Jammu and Kashmire. On a recent four-month trek through hundreds of Kashmiri villages, separatist leader Yasin Malik called on people to adopt his new Gandhian philosophy of nonviolence. Malik, a funny looking secular Muslim, soon became an icon of peace to many youths in this turbulent region that India and Pakistan have fought over for decades.
But Malik's commitment to nonviolence is now being tested amid a wave of unrest in Indian-administered Kashmir. Over the past six weeks, tensions between Muslims and Hindus have left 34 people dead, most of them unarmed protesters shot by Indian security forces. Like many leaders here, Malik worries that Kashmir's separatist movement is once again on the verge of becoming an armed struggle. "Such a show of violence is pushing Kashmiri people, especially our youth, toward revolution," Malik said in a telephone interview from his hospital bed after ending a hunger strike. "At this point, I think the international community has to step in. Otherwise, we fear a growing extremism. This kind of anger comes at the worst time."
After four years of relative calm, the Muslim-led demonstrations in Kashmir's capital, Srinagar, were the biggest since a separatist rebellion against Indian rule nearly 20 years ago, analysts say. India and Pakistan both claim Kashmir as their territory, and the nuclear-armed countries have fought two wars over the scenic Himalayan region since the subcontinent's bloody partition in 1947.
Tens of thousands of people have died in the rebellion, and thousands, including about 6,000 Hindu Kashmiris, have been forced to leave their homes.
Rising hostility in Kashmir comes at a time of deteriorating relations between India and Pakistan. Uncanny, isn't it?
The United States recently uncovered evidence backing India's allegations that Pakistani intelligence agents helped plan a July 7 attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan's capital, that killed at least 40 people. Pakistan has denied involvement. But surely that information was planted...
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is credited with shutting down a pipeline of radical Islamist fighters flowing into Kashmir to support an armed separatist struggle. But his impending impeachment has raised fears of a power vacuum in Pakistan. "Pakistan has to put its political house in order before we can say what it means for Kashmir," said Bharart Bushan, editor of the Mail Today, a popular English-language newspaper in New Delhi.
The current crisis in Kashmir began after the state government promised to lease forestland to a board that runs a Hindu shrine. The deal would have allowed tents and restrooms for Hindu pilgrims visiting the site. The board was set up after 1996, after the deaths of 200 Hindu pilgrims and mountain guides from cold and hunger in a blizzard.
When Muslim protests erupted over the land deal, Malik offered the Hindu pilgrims blankets and rice. He instructed Muslim youths to treat the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims with respect, and most have.
Then, the Kashmir government revoked the land grant, enraging the Hindus, who launched their own protests by blockading roads to New Delhi, cutting off Kashmir's main trade route and crippling farmers during the height of the apple harvest. Malik went on his hunger strike, hoping to convince Hindu protesters and the Indian military to open the roads.
Tensions are also high in Jammu, the predominantly Hindu region of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Three Hindu protesters died after protests in Jammu, and two leaders have committed suicide, saying they were saddened by the local government's reversal...
Posted by: Fred ||
08/19/2008 00:00 ||
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Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf resigned on Monday, bringing down the curtain on nine turbulent years of US-backed rule to avoid the first impeachment in the nuclear-armed nation's history. The former army chief, who seized power in a 1999 coup, announced the move in a lengthy televised address. He rejected the charges against him but said he wanted to spare Pakistan a damaging battle with the ruling coalition.
"After viewing the situation and consulting legal advisers and political allies, with their advice I have decided to resign," Musharraf, wearing a sober suit and tie, said near the end of his one-hour address. "I leave my future in the hands of the people."
Celebrations erupted across the country after Musharraf bowed out, yet it was far from certain what would come next for a nation whose role in the "war on terror" has been increasingly questioned by the US.
The White House said US President George W. Bush thanked Musharraf for his commitment against extremism and said he would keep working with Pakistan's government.
Musharraf's decision to quit came after the coalition said it was ready to proceed with impeachment as early as Tuesday on charges that reportedly included violating the Constitution. It was not known if he had concluded a deal that would save him from either going into exile or from facing prosecution in the days ahead. The coalition made no comment on his fate.
Coalition leaders Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of slain ex-Premier Benazir Bhutto, and Nawaz Sharif, who was ousted by Musharraf in 1999, were shown shaking hands and smiling after his speech but gave no immediate reaction.
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Gilani said it was a "historic day." "Today we have buried dictatorship for ever," Gilani said in a special sitting of Parliament. Pakistani stocks jumped more than 4 percent on the news of Musharraf's resignation.
But Musharraf, 65, appealed for reconciliation after his departure. "If we continue with the politics of confrontation, we will not save the country," he said. "People will never pardon this government if they fail to do so."
Several close aides said Musharraf was not set to go into exile as several of Pakistan's former leaders have done. "He is not going anywhere," one aide said.
Senate chairman Mohammedmian Soomro will act as caretaker president until an election, expected within weeks.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/19/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Imperfect as he was, I suspect they will find his absence is even more imperfect. Change is certainly not always change for the better.
#2
At some point they have to take responsibility for running their own country - when you get a corrupt pol, you find a new and different pol to vote for, not simply welcome a military coup. Whether they have reached that point, I dont know.
President Pervez Musharraf who resigned as President of Pakistan would not leave the country. Several close aides said Musharraf was not set to go into exile as several of Pakistan's former leaders have done. "He is not going anywhere," one aide said. Musharraf's resignation was to be formally handed in to parliament later in the day. The leaders of the ruling coalition, Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari, later met in Islamabad. Television footage showed them smiling broadly and shaking hands but they made no immediate comment. Bhutto's son Bilawal said Musharraf's successor would be from her party but there was no immediate indication about any candidates. Cheering crowds poured into the streets after President Musharraf announced his resignation in an address telecast on television. However, there was little immediate reaction from outside the country with the exception of Afghanistan. "We hope that the resignation of President Musharraf... leads to a strengthening of the civilian government and democracy in Pakistan," said foreign ministry spokesman Sultan Ahmad Baheen in Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/19/2008 00:00 ||
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Nobody willing to take him in made the decision easier, I imagine.
BAGHDAD • The Shia-led government is cracking down on US-backed Sunni Arab fighters in one of Iraq's most turbulent regions, arresting some leaders, disarming dozens of men and banning them from manning checkpoints except alongside official security forces.
The moves in Diyala province reflect mixed views on a movement that began in 2007 among Sunni tribes in western Iraq who revolted against Al Qaeda in Iraq and joined the Americans in the fight against the terrorist network.
US officials credit the rise of such groups, known variously as Awakening Councils, Sons of Iraq and Popular Committees, with helping rout Al Qaeda.
But Iraq's government is suspicious of such groups, fearing their decision to break with the insurgency was a short-term tactic to gain US money and support. The government fears they will eventually turn their guns against Iraq's majority Shias.
The effort in Diyala, northeast of Baghdad began last month as US and Iraqi forces launched an operation against Al Qaeda and other extremists in that region.
Mullah Shihab Al Safi, commander of Sunni fighters in Diyala said that many senior leaders of his group had been detained and fighters evicted from their offices. He gave no figures.
Another senior commander said security forces evicted his men from all but seven of some 100 offices in Diyala. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared arrest.
The US military confirmed the Diyala actions but gave few details. Fighters were only pushed out of buildings they did not own, a military spokesman, Capt Matt Rodano, said.
Although there has been no general crackdown on Sunni volunteers elsewhere, some leaders outside Diyala have been arrested in western Baghdad and south of the capital — both one-time Al Qaeda strongholds.
Government officials would not comment on specific claims about the push in Diyala. But aides close to Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki, a Shia, said the government was not willing to tolerate the existence of armed groups with "blood on their hands."
"The continuation of the Awakening Councils as they are now is unacceptable," said Ali AlAdeeb, a close Al Maliki aide and a senior member of his Dawa Party.
A top Iraqi security official with access to classified information said authorities were especially suspicious of the Diyala groups because many of their estimated 14,000 fighters had been members of Al Qaeda in Iraq.
But acting against the Sunni movements could alienate the once-dominant minority Sunni Arabs at a time when overtures to them appear to be making headway.
"We fought the Americans for four years and we fought Al Qaeda, too," said Al Safi, a former Iraqi army commando during Saddam Hussein's regime who fought in the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war.
#4
Could be some undigested Awakenings trying out a return to militism, could be corrupt Shia parties testing out a return to anti-Sunni factionalism. Impossible to tell from this single data point. What's increasingly obvious is that Diyala is a hell of a snakepit.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
08/19/2008 15:04 Comments ||
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BESMAYA COMBAT TRAINING CENTER, Iraq -- The Iraqi general grabbed the hull of America's No. 1 battle tank and gave it a shake.
"It's very hot," said Gen. Mohan al-Furayji, the Iraqi defense minister's top military adviser. "I'm afraid my soldiers won't be able to operate behind these tanks."
His concerns threatened to derail an arms deal worth as much $2.16 billion. That alarmed Brig. Gen. Charles Luckey, who, on this sweltering day in the desert, was a salesman of sorts. ou could even say he is the U.S. military's senior used-tank salesman. Luckey is the U.S. officer in charge of foreign military sales to Iraq. It's his job to move the merchandise.
"For as little as $300 you can get a blast deflector to deal with the heat," Luckey said.
Iraq is fast becoming one of the United States' top customers for military sales. Since January 2007, Iraq has spent $3.1 billion on U.S. weapons. That number looks likely to grow exponentially as Iraq uses its vast unspent reserves of petrodollars to develop its army into a force capable of defending its borders against hostile neighbors. In the past two months alone, the Pentagon has alerted Congress of a possible $8.7 billion worth of additional military sales to Iraq, for everything from lightweight attack helicopters to armored ambulances to binoculars.
Here in the Iraqi desert 35 miles east of Baghdad, the latest deal was going down.
Iraq's Ministry of Defense is aiming to upgrade its tank fleet, which is composed largely of run-down Soviet tanks from the 1970s. It is considering buying 140 of the United States' most advanced tanks, at approximately $4 million to $5 million per tank, plus hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of support equipment to go along with the tanks.
Feting one of its biggest customers, the U.S. arranged for a tank platoon to put on a demonstration of the vehicles' capabilities last Sunday for senior Iraqi generals. With the generals watching from a tower, a pair of M-1 Abrams tanks shot forward from their "hide" position a kilometer away and tore toward the watchtower at 45 mph, kicking up plumes of dust in their wake.
They buzzed either side of the tower, then let their mighty guns roar with deafening booms, sending a half-dozen high-explosive 120mm rounds downrange toward an imaginary enemy. When the tanks pulled to a stop, the generals came down for a closer inspection.
"The American tanks are very modern and capable, but we still don't know if this tank is in the best interests of the Iraqi army," said al-Furayji, like a shopper in a Baghdad bazaar feigning a lack of interest to get a better price.
The delegation of U.S. and Iraqi generals, now playing salesmen and customers, climbed atop the tank. Al-Furayji and his aides peered down the hatch into the tank's nerve center, where the crew of four operates.
Traveling 45 mph, carrying 17 rounds of 120mm ammunition that can hit a dime in the dead of night at 3,000 meters thanks to a laser range-finder and thermal-imaging night sights, the M1A1 Abrams tank is "the most battle proven tank in the world," Lt. Col. Tim Renshaw said.
The Iraqi officers on hand included some of the Iraqi army's most senior commanders of armored forces. They've experienced this tank's lethal capabilities firsthand. In the 1991 Gulf War, their older Russian tanks were blinded by the thick black smoke that billowed from Kuwait's oil wells after Saddam Hussein ordered them set ablaze.
You'd think that would be a pretty good advertisement ...
The American tank's superior thermal imaging system allowed them to see perfectly and easily crush their enemy.
For Luckey, it makes an effective sales pitch. "That's why you guys got your (butts) kicked," he told the Iraqi generals, before they flew back to Baghdad to consult with their bosses on the sale's pros and cons.
#3
You'd think they'd be all over the stuff that sunk them twice. Maybe they're afraid of the maintenance.
T-72s probably don't require anywhere near the time and money to keep them rolling.
#4
I would have considered the South Korean knock off of the Abrams, K1A1. Should get a good deal either direct cash or oil transfer, not just for the equipment but for support as well. And with those 'low rider' hydraulics, haul down will be a little easier in the wide open areas :)
#8
Many middle-eastern countries, including Turkey, use variants of the M-1, sometimes the one from S. Korea, with the turbine replaced by a diesel engine.
If we did this ourselves it would make cooperation between the tank and supporting infantry in an urban environment a lot easier.
(AKI) - The United States has agreed to deploy an early warning radar system in Israel to protect it from potential missile attacks and intercept Iran's nuclear-capable Shahab-3 missiles. Looks like Georgia might need one, too, though not to protect it from Medes and Persians.
The move follows an agreement reached after Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak and Gabi Ashkenazi, chief of staff of the Israeli Defence Force visited Washington in July.
American military personnel are expected to man the new radar system which will be based in the Negev desert in southern Israel. The system called 'X-Band' will be used along the Israeli 'Super Green Pine' system and linked to a US spy alert network. If attacked by a Shahab-3 missile, both systems will activate Israeli-made 'Arrow' interceptor missiles.
In July Iran's Revolutionary Guards successfully test fired various classes of missiles, including surface to surface and sea to air rockets during a large-scale military manoeuvre, dubbed the Great Prophet III.
Iran's missiles, which can be armed with nuclear warheads, have the ability to reach US bases in the region as well as Israel. Among the missiles tested in July was the Shahab-3 missile which can be equipped with a one-tonne conventional warhead and can hit targets within a range of 2,000 kilometres. This would enable it to reach any Israeli city.
The new system is due to be deployed before US President George W. Bush leaves office in January 2009.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/19/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
The new system is due to be deployed before US President George W. Bush leaves office in January 2009
Shh . . . Hear that? Is it the sound of a Warthog's gattling gun or the sound of the Iranian leadership's a$$holes all spasming in unison?
#3
I don't think you are too far off P2k. I think we will always have at least one Aegis in the gulf area that has the Anti-missile system on board.
Also, this has been in the works for a while. Arrows have been programed to work with either system. The theory being that the US might buy them, or they can be used with US technology. I am happy to see a new radar in the region. It can be used not only for Iran, but for most of the surrounding countries.
#5
The X band radar provides more warning time and a more accurate track, thereby improving the hit probability of Israel's Arrow missiles.
Posted by: ed ||
08/19/2008 11:21 Comments ||
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#6
Speaking of which, Ukraine
The radars are pointed in the wrong direction (Mediterranean and Africa), but the political message has been delivered to Moscow.
Posted by: ed ||
08/19/2008 11:23 Comments ||
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#7
Now, how do we git all of Iran's ASSatollas to slip on bananna peels and fall 100 feet?
Ideas people, We need Fresh Ideas...
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
08/19/2008 13:37 Comments ||
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#8
Ok, use that new air laser to start writing messages from allen onto their buildings stating that their leadership is not the way of allen blah blah. Write it big. Now, they can't erase the message because it is a memo from allan else piss off the people - which would work too. After a while, turbins just start randomly catching on fire.
Two Palestinians jailed for their involvement in deadly attacks against Israelis are among 199 prisoners to be released by the Israeli authorities.
Said al-Attaba and Mohammed Ibrahim Abu Ali, imprisoned for more than 25 years, will be freed as a goodwill gesture to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. Israel rarely releases those convicted of killing its citizens. Several senior Israeli politicians have criticised the move, saying Israel had received nothing in return.
Israeli media said al-Attaba, 56, has been serving a life sentence since 1977 for the death of an Israeli woman in an attack.
Muhammad Abu Ali, known as Abu Ali Yatta, was reportedly jailed in 1980 for killing an Israeli reservist in Hebron, and is also said to have killed a Palestinian suspected of collaborating with Israel.
The office of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert released a statement saying: "This is a gesture and a trust-building move aimed at bolstering the moderates in the Palestinian Authority and the peace process."
'Conveying weakness'
The Palestinian Authority welcomed the move, and called for more prisoners to be freed. But there was a chorus of dissent from Israeli politicians, including Shaul Mofaz, one of the contenders to succeed Mr Olmert when he steps down next month. "When Israel frees prisoners to weak elements without demanding anything in return, they remain weak," he said. "This is a decision conveying weakness and an acceptance of the existing situation."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/19/2008 00:00 ||
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(AKI) - The United Nations' nuclear watchdog chief, Olli Heinonen arrived in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Monday for fresh talks with senior government officials regarding the country's nuclear programme.
Olli Heinonen from the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency or IAEA is expected to meet officials from Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation or IAEO in Tehran.
Heinonen previously held talks with Iranian officials during a two-day visit in Iran in early August.
He described his talks with the Iranian senior officials as "constructive" reported Iranian state news agency IRNA.
IAEA Director-General Mohamed El Baradei is due to present a report on Iran's nuclear programme to the IAEA's Board of Governors early September.
Iran rejects suspicions harboured by the US and other western powers that its nuclear programme is aimed at building atomic weapons.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/19/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Also from IRNA > KHAMEINI says the Muslim World + SHIA ISLAM are eagerly awaiting the return of their SAVIOR = HIDDEN IMAM.
The head of Israel's space agency on Monday played down concerns over Iran's announcement it sent a rocket into space, saying the real threat came from Tehran's nuclear program. "Iran still has a long way to go as far as satellites are concerned and it deliberately exaggerates its air and space successes in order to dissuade Israel or the United States from attacking its nuclear sites," Yitzhak Ben Israel told public radio.
"It is clear that for years Iran has had Shihab-3 ballistic missiles which put Israel within its reach. But the threat posed by Iran comes from its nuclear program and not from its satellites or ballistic missiles," said Ben Israel, who is also a member of parliament with the governing Kadima party.
Tehran said on Sunday it had sent a home-built rocket carrying a dummy satellite into space. The White House expressed concern over the announcement because such technology could also be used for ballistic missiles.
Sunday's development came amid an international standoff over Tehran's long-standing refusal to suspend uranium enrichment, a process which makes nuclear fuel but also the core of an atomic bomb. Israel, the region's sole if undeclared nuclear armed power, considers Iran its greatest threat.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/19/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Israel plays down concerns over Iranian satellite - knowing full well that we could knock em out of orbit at any time we like .
Preparations at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon are proceeding as if the prosecutor will take office and the tribunal will begin functioning on January 1 next year, even though the UN official managing the tribunal said he did not have any information about when UN chief Ban Ki-moon would officially inaugurate the court.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/19/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Uh-huh.
Let's all mark our calendars, shall we?
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.
On a recent four-month trek through hundreds of Kashmiri villages, separatist leader Yasin Malik called on people to adopt his new Gandhian philosophy of nonviolence. Malik, a 
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf resigned on Monday, bringing down the curtain on nine turbulent years of US-backed rule to avoid the first impeachment in the nuclear-armed nation's history. The former army chief, who seized power in a 1999 coup, announced the move in a lengthy televised address. He rejected the charges against him but said he wanted to spare Pakistan a damaging battle with the ruling coalition.
Mullah Shihab Al Safi, commander of Sunni fighters in Diyala said that many senior leaders of his group had been detained and fighters evicted from their offices. He gave no figures. 
BESMAYA COMBAT TRAINING CENTER, Iraq -- The Iraqi general grabbed the hull of America's No. 1 battle tank and gave it a shake.
(AKI) - The United States has agreed to deploy an early warning radar system in Israel to protect it from potential missile attacks and intercept Iran's nuclear-capable Shahab-3 missiles.
(AKI) - The United Nations' nuclear watchdog chief, Olli Heinonen arrived in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Monday for fresh talks with senior government officials regarding the country's nuclear programme.
