LONDON - One of Britain's top military commanders said Sunday that Israel was instrumental in forming the British forces' doctrine on suicide bombings in Afghanistan. It used to be Jewish doctors.
TEHRAN -- The murder in Dubai of top Hamas militant Mahmud al-Mabhuh last month was an act of Israeli "state terrorism," the Jewish state's arch-foe Iran said on Tuesday. They're working our side of the street!
"The Dubai assassination is an act of state terrorism on the part of Israel," foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said in a report by state-run Press TV.
"Israel's existence is itself based on terrorist activities," Mehmanparast said at his weekly news conference, according to the channel which translated his comments into English. Unlike, say, IRAN?
The spokesman described the assassination of the Palestinian militant as an "embarrassment for Europe." It's Iran and Dubai that are acting embarrassed.
Dubai has accused Israel of sending agents of its Mossad secret service to the Gulf state to carry out the murder. Mossad certainly did deliver a message, didn't they. If it was them, I mean ...
#2
With all of the host nation CCTV coverage and instant replay commentary, ima wondering if it could have possibly have been a Dubai intelligence service tradecraft training film.... gone terribly wrong. Wrong place - wrong time syndrone?
#9
Mossad probably wouldn't have been so 'overt' with all the CCTV camera viewings, nice hotels to change clothes in, funky disguises, no fake wives/babies, etc.
Unless they were thumbing their noses at Dubai/Hamas security and/or looking for You-tube fame.
Operatives are kind out 'outed' now, whoever they are working for. Of course they DID do their job.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
02/23/2010 17:52 Comments ||
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#10
"Dubai murder an 'Israeli act of terror': Iran"
1. Who gives a sh*t what Iran has to say spew?
2. Everyone keeps blaming the Joooooos Israelis, and yet, AFAIK, the only clowns arrested by moslem Dubai are with Ham-ass.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
02/23/2010 19:07 Comments ||
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#11
Apoloties, [snark off] addendum added #2.
Thank you, Besoeker. I need that additional bit of stage direction.
How do you know the film is what it purports to be, TW?
I believe with perfect faith, g(r)omgoru, as I believe so many others. Perhaps this is not the best approach...
[Al Arabiya Latest] One hundred and eighty-seven children have been killed since August in the conflict in north Yemen, a report by the local SEYAJ children's rights organization and the U.N. Children's Fund said on Monday.
The report also accused both north Yemen Shiite rebels and a pro-government militia of using child soldiers.
Seventy-one percent of the 187 were killed in the fighting, while the remainder died from lack of food or medical services, the report said.
The most recent round of a six-year conflict between the rebels, also known as Houthis, and government forces began on August 11, when the government launched an all-out offensive aiming to crush the uprising.
Saudi Arabia joined the fray on Nov. 4, after accusing the rebels of killing a border guard and occupying two villages inside its territory.
The fighting has centered on the northern Saada and Amran provinces.
The report said there were child soldiers on both sides of the conflict -- 402 who fought for the Houthis, and 282 who fought for a pro-government militia.
However, it also noted that the actual number of child soldiers was probably much higher.
It cited information from witnesses as indicating that about half of the fighters in the government militia were under 18, while more than half of all Houthi forces were under that age.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2010 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] At least 24 leaders of Islami Chhatra Shibir including its secretary general Abdullah Al Mamun Chowdhury "quit" from the students' body last night apparently due to internal conflict over the Rajshahi University violence on February 9.
The office secretary and finance secretary of Shibir and the president of its Dhaka University unit were among those who resigned, party sources said.
Shibir insiders said a section of Shibir leaders brought allegations including that of the failure to handle the Rajshahi University incident properly against Shibir President Rezaul Karim and top-level Jamaat-e-Islami leaders.
The Jamaat leaders had held a series of meetings with Shibir leaders at the Al-Falah auditorium in the city yesterday and the day before to resolve the dispute.
Shibir general secretary Mamun in the wee hours today told The Daily Star that he had actually resigned two days ago due to personal reasons.
Asked about the rest of the Shibir leaders' resignation, Mamun refused to comment.
Many Shibir leaders who resigned could not be reached for their comments last night as they kept their mobile phones switched off.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2010 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Criminal Investigation Department is all set to submit a charge sheet in the BDR carnage case, accusing around 800 border guards of murder, looting, arson and hiding bodies in mass graves.
Investigators are now busy re-examining their findings, relevant documents and evidence on February 25-26 bloodbath that left 74 people including 57 army officers killed at the BDR Pilkhana headquarters last year.
They are looking to press charges by Thursday, the first anniversary of the killings, said a CID official who would not go on record talking about internal matters.
"We are working to turn in the investigation report, if possible, on February 25," he told The Daily Star yesterday.
Contacted last night, Home Secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikder said, "The investigation is almost complete. The charge sheet will be submitted very soon."
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Rifles today begins trying those accused of mutiny at Pilkhana. This would be the first in a series of mutiny trials to be held in the capital.
Special Court-5, a three-member tribunal headed by BDR chief Major General Md Mainul Islam, will sit at noon in Pilkhana Darbar Hall, where the 33-hour mayhem had set in.
Trials of the mutiny that spread to battalions elsewhere in the country are being held under two different laws.
BDR has been conducting trials of the accused mutineers under its own act.
The trial of the killing case filed with the New Market Police Station will be held in a civil court under the penal code.
The charge sheet in the carnage case will be of around 7,000 pages. It will have lists of some 75 places of occurrence and around 8,000 witnesses, said sources close to the investigation led by CID's Abdul Kahar Akand, a special superintendent of police.
The number of accused will be the highest in the history of the country's criminal cases. There is no instance of several hundred people being charged in one single case, they added.
An investigator said 700 to 800 BDR troops would be charged on several offences that include "murder, attempt to murder, wilfully causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means, holding officers and their families hostage, looting the armoury and using firearms without authority, theft, extortion, robbery, destroying evidence of murders by hiding bodies and staging explosions".
Moreover, intimidation, conspiracy and abetment in murder and other offences, terrorising people by indiscriminate shooting, and destruction of public properties had been considered in the investigation.
Some sources say the probe could not piece together the conspiracy and motives behind the mutiny.
Around 8,000 BDR men were present at Pilkhana on February 25-26. So far, 2,163 of them have been arrested in connection with the carnage.
The CID has also arrested 32 civilians including former BNP lawmaker Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu, ward Awami League leader Torab Ali and ward BNP leader Suraiya Begum.
Of those detained, 2,168 were placed on remand of various lengths, and 522 of them gave confessional statements under section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Nine others gave deposition to magistrates as witnesses.
Later, 225 BDR soldiers appealed to courts for retraction of their confessional statements.
Besides Nasiruddin Pintu, Jamaat leader Abdur Razzak and ruling AL lawmaker Fazle Noor Taposh were interrogated during the course of the investigation.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Anything to say before sentence is carried out?
Yes I (BLAM)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/23/2010 12:33 Comments ||
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Yeah, that'll work well ... North Korean leader Kim Jong-il could be hauled before the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity if South Korea and Japan can prove that North Korea abducted their citizens during a bizarre campaign in the 1970s and 80s to find trainers for spies. At some point, probably far in the future, the world's going to drop this stoopid "International Criminal Court" nonsense.
Kwon O-gon, the vice president of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, made the remarks at the first human rights and environment convention under the sponsorship of the Korean Bar Association in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province on Monday.
"Under ICC rules of procedure and evidence, it's impossible for the court to investigate or indict North Korea on its own, because North Korea is not a signatory to the Rome Statute," Kwon said. "But South Korea and Japan can ask the ICC to place Kim on trial if they are determined, because crimes like abuse of South Korean POWs and abduction of South Korean and Japanese citizens took place within the territories of the two countries, which are signatories to the Rome Statue and are within ICC jurisdiction."
"Under the rules, the ICC can handle only crimes that have taken place since 2002, but it could be argued that the crimes are still in progress because the North has refused requests from South Korea and Japan to repatriate the abduction victims."
"Basically, the ICC handles individual criminal responsibility, so a mere allegation that a leader is feeding and clothing only himself while his people are starving doesn't necessarily incriminate him. In this case, there would have to be careful investigation of facts," Kwon said. "It's essential to present evidence that Kim Jong-il was aware of the criminal activities, and planned and gave orders himself to carry them out."
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/23/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
"Labou! Go and arrest zee vile dictator, Kim Jong Il!"
North Korea's population has grown larger but average life expectancy has become shorter, according to a recent census. The Wall Street Journal reported that North Korean authorities conducted the census in 2008 under the aegis of monitors from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).
The North currently has a population of 24 million, up 2.8 million from 21.2 million in 1993. But average life expectancy has dwindled from 72.7 years in 1993 to 69.3, a good 10 years shorter than South Korea's.
The infant mortality rate also rose from 14.1 per 1,000 children in 1993 to 19.3 in 2008, though it is still lower than the world average, which was 46 according to a 2009 UNFPA report. Given a total of 5.9 million households, the average family of 3.9 live in a 50 to 75 sq.m house. Some 85 percent of homes have running water, though only 55 percent have a flush toilet.
Farming, the most common occupation, provides employment for 3.4 million people, followed by the military, which employs 699,000. There is a striking gap between the number of soldiers in the census and what outside analysts and the media often call a force of 1 million people, the daily added.
The third-largest employment sector is education, followed by manufacturing and textiles.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/23/2010 00:00 ||
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a pregnant woman lacking food delivers smaller babies.
Once they were untouchable. Some were members of Turkey's elite military class known as "pashas," a title of respect harking back to Ottoman times. For decades, Turkey's senior officers, self-appointed guardians of the country's secular tradition, called the shots.
But Monday, the balance of power in this EU candidate appeared to have undergone a major shift. Turkish police detained 52 military commanders for allegedly planning to blow up mosques in order to trigger a military takeover and overthrow the Islamic-oriented government.
The detentions showed that the elected government is trying to take the upper hand against the military, which has ousted four governments since 1960 and held influence since Mustafa Kemal Ataturk created the secular republic from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire.
With strong electoral backing and support from the European Union, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has curtailed military power and signaled further tough steps to rein in the generals. But Monday's detentions, following the gathering of wiretap evidence and the discovery of secret weapons caches, marks the highest-profile crackdown to date.
Police in simultaneous operations in eight cities detained 21 generals and admirals, including ex-deputy chief Gen. Ergin Saygun, former Air Force chief Gen. Ibrahim Firtina and Navy Chief Adm. Ozden Ornek. The rest were mostly colonels.
They are also accused of conspiring to plan shooting down a Turkish warplane to trigger armed conflict with Greece in a bid to destabilize the Turkish government. The military strongly denies the allegations.
Erdogan declined to comment Monday on the raids, saying they had been carried out on prosecutors' orders. However on Sunday, Erdogan said his government had not given "a chance to those who tried to fly a course for Turkey outside the law."
A spokesman for the main opposition Republican People's Party, expressed concern over the detentions.
"These are grave incidents, severe incidents for society, for the Turkish armed forces," Mustafa Ozyurek said. "Legally, and from a human rights perspective, there must be a speedy trial."
Erdogan denies the ongoing crackdown is politically motivated or designed to silence government critics, as is claimed by opposition parties.
Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc on Monday denounced the 1961 hanging by coup leaders of a prime minister and two of his ministers. But he said that those days are over and that Turkey now was going through a normalization process.
"Things will get better when those who were never accountable for their deeds begin to account for them," Arinc told CNN-Turk television Monday.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
All this conspiracy to blow stuff up sounds just a little too pat. Erdogan making a pre-emptive move against the military?
His extreme views possibly overlooked in favor of diversity
Army superiors were warned about the radicalization of Major Nidal Malik Hasan years before he allegedly massacred 13 soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, but did not act in part because they valued the rare diversity of having a Muslim psychiatrist, military investigators wrote in previously undisclosed reports.
An obvious "problem child'' spouting extremist views, Hasan made numerous statements that were not protected by the First Amendment and were grounds for discharge by violating his military oath, investigators found. Examples of Hasan's radical behavior have previously been disclosed in press accounts based on interviews with unnamed Army officials, including his defense of suicide bombings and assertions that Islamic law took priority over his allegiance to the United States. But the Pentagon's careful documentation of individual episodes dating back to 2005 and the subsequent inaction of his superiors have not been made public before.
Continued on Page 49
#1
Take every Army "Superior" who passed him and strip them of one rank.
In the Military losing a stripe means the end of your career, and good riddance.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/23/2010 12:31 Comments ||
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#2
My money says they wont you can quote me on it 2/23/2010. I hope I am wrong.
Ive seen Officers give military secrets to noncomabatants (which I reported to higher ups)and Officers in my unit almost murder 2 people (by accident) and they got nothing in the way of punishing that stuck.
But again, my offensive diatribe that called for the complete overhaul of the Officer Corps met with little support here on Rantburg by Officers past and present, so its conceivable that reforming the Officer Corp's will go over equally poorly in the macrocosm that is the actual Army. Just a guess backed up by experience. Nothing More. Take it for whats its worth.
#3
But again, my offensive diatribe that called for the complete overhaul of the Officer Corps met with little support here on Rantburg by Officers past and present
Yes, it was offensive. Especially when you insist on tarring every other service with the 'Army brush'.
Navy CO's get relieved of command - a lot. Twelve or so within within the last 14 months, if my count is right. And it's equal opportunity*.
Something you might want to keep in the back of your mind.
*Sad part is, she was one of my career-mentors when I was an ensign.
#4
This isn't about me. What I am referring to here is THE ARMY though not explicitly spelled out, its implied, and its linking up with the article about THE ARMY and I am speaking about my experiences in THE ARMY. And my diatribe may have left out that out, but that too, was referring to THE ARMY. I call it like I see it. If people don't like it, and I've apologized at a certain point I say to them, you haven't walked in my mocassins And people who are Officers in THE ARMY might try to develop thick skins if they haven't already (and why wouldn't one have a thick skin as an OFFICER IN THE ARMY)? That is why this psycho shrink killed all those innocents IN THE ARMY, because some (not all) OFFICERS IN THE ARMY have NOT ENOUGH BRAIN....NOT ENOUGH SPINE....LACKING ENOUGH GOOD JUDGEMENT.... TOO PAMPERED....TOO WORRIED ABOUT BIG PAYCHECKS...TOO PROTECTED FROM PUNISHMENT....MR N.HASAN is SYMPTOMATIC of A LARGE PROBLEM IN THE ARMY.
A BRITISH woman has been killed in a suicide bombing in Pakistan -- after reportedly converting to Islam just a month ago. Worked well, didn't it ...
The woman was among eight people who died in the huge blast in a bustling market in Pakistan's war-torn Swat Valley region yesterday. Dozens of others -- including the woman's Pakistani husband -- were injured in the attack in Mingora, the area's main city.
It is believed the attack was aimed at Pakistan's security forces who were on patrol in the market. A military spokesman confirmed two soldiers were among the 37 people injured in the attack.
The Foreign Office has confirmed that a Briton was one of the victims. A spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that a British national was killed in the attack in Swat Valley on February 22. Next of kin have been informed and we are providing consular assistance."
The woman had converted to Islam a month ago, Pakistan's Daily Times newspaper reported.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Islamabad has criticized the US over the ongoing military offensive in neighboring Afghanistan, saying the anti-Taliban offensive could threaten the stability of Pakistan.
"The US administration has been informed formally of [the] spillover effect of Helmand operation and also the danger that could pose threats to Pakistan's stability", a senior government official, requesting anonymity, told Press TV on Monday.
The official said that the message was passed on by Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir to US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke during his recent visit to Islamabad.
The influx of militants Pakistan, as a result of the Operation Moshtarak in Afghanistan, is a matter of grave concern and could lead to the destabilization of the country, he said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has established more military checkpoints on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in the wake of the US-led Afghan and foreign forces' offensive against the Taliban in Helmand province.
"We have increased our security posts along the Afghan border in Baluchistan as well as in North West Frontier [Province]'s tribal regions to stop the border crossing of the militants," a security official told Press TV.
The official said that at least twenty six new posts have been set-up by Pakistani security forces, raising the total number to 286.
Pakistan will hand over militants to NATO forces, should they cross into Pakistani areas from Afghanistan, he said.
The US-led forces and Afghan troops launched a major offensive against the Taliban last week in the Marjah district of southern Helmand.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Pakiwakiland is currently stable?
You could have fooled me!
A senior member of the Iraqiya List led by former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi informed Asharq Al-Awsat that Allawi's visit to Saudi Arabia was aimed at "returning Iraq to the Arab system." Ayad Allawi's visit to Saudi Arabia and his meeting with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz caused controversy in Iraq due to its timing, coming only a few days prior to the elections, opening the door to speculation over the possibility that the Iraqiya List is receiving material support from Saudi Arabia.
However Hassan al-Alawi, a senior member of the Iraqiya List who accompanied Ayad Allawi during his visit to Saudi Arabia denied that this visit had anything to do with the elections. In a telephone interview with Asharq Al-Awsat yesterday, al-Alawi said "if the intention [of this visit] was to obtain financing, it [the visit] would have taken place 6 months ago. It is not in the logic of the elections or the logic of accounting for a movement to be financed two weeks prior to the elections, there are regional countries that have financed their movements for two years, and built financing and assistance institutions and you will find they have more adverts and more election propaganda."
Al-Alawi also clarified that Allawi's visit to Saudi Arabia as the head of an Iraqiya List delegation was equivalent to "a message [to the Arab world with regards to the near future, and this has nothing to do with the issue of financing or support for the elections, and these are things that need months to prepare."
The senior member of the Iraqiya List also told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Iraqiya delegation fully understood the viewpoints that were presented to them with regards to the current reality in Iraq and the prospects for its future. He pointed out that the Iraqiya List "aims to obtain an Arab share in the situation in Iraq, and put a stop to any negative possibilities that may be generated as a result of the ambiguities that have appeared in Iraq in recent days, particularly as we approach the legislative elections."A senior member of the Iraqiya List led by former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi informed Asharq Al-Awsat that Allawi's visit to Saudi Arabia was aimed at "returning Iraq to the Arab system." Ayad Allawi's visit to Saudi Arabia and his meeting with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz caused controversy in Iraq due to its timing, coming only a few days prior to the elections, opening the door to speculation over the possibility that the Iraqiya List is receiving material support from Saudi Arabia.
However Hassan al-Alawi, a senior member of the Iraqiya List who accompanied Ayad Allawi during his visit to Saudi Arabia denied that this visit had anything to do with the elections. In a telephone interview with Asharq Al-Awsat yesterday, al-Alawi said "if the intention [of this visit] was to obtain financing, it [the visit] would have taken place 6 months ago. It is not in the logic of the elections or the logic of accounting for a movement to be financed two weeks prior to the elections, there are regional countries that have financed their movements for two years, and built financing and assistance institutions and you will find they have more adverts and more election propaganda."
Al-Alawi also clarified that Allawi's visit to Saudi Arabia as the head of an Iraqiya List delegation was equivalent to "a message [to the Arab world with regards to the near future, and this has nothing to do with the issue of financing or support for the elections, and these are things that need months to prepare."
The senior member of the Iraqiya List also told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Iraqiya delegation fully understood the viewpoints that were presented to them with regards to the current reality in Iraq and the prospects for its future. He pointed out that the Iraqiya List "aims to obtain an Arab share in the situation in Iraq, and put a stop to any negative possibilities that may be generated as a result of the ambiguities that have appeared in Iraq in recent days, particularly as we approach the legislative elections."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2010 00:00 ||
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Israel's air force has introduced a fleet of large surveillance UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles), claiming they can fly as far as Iran and the Persian Gulf.
The Israeli military says the Heron TP drones, with a wingspan of 86 feet (26 meters), will primarily be used for surveillance, implying that they also can be used for other applications.
The jet-sized drones, which are said to be built by the Israel Aerospace Industries, were first used by the Israeli military during the 23 days of deadly aerial and ground incursion into Gaza in late 2008 and early 2009.
At an inauguration ceremony on Sunday, Israeli officials refused to announce the number of aircraft that were included in the fleet.
They also declined to comment on whether the planes were designed for use against Iran. They did, however, say that the planes could reach the Persian Gulf.
This is the second time this month that Israel has unveiled surveillance UAVs.
Last week, the Israeli army said that it has added the world's largest unmanned surveillance plane to its collection of drones. Officials said the aircraft, called Eitan, could reach Iran by flying over 20 hours.
The United States and Israel accuse the Islamic Republic of pursuing military applications under the guise of a civilian nuclear program, a claim that IAEA inspectors stationed in Iranian nuclear facilities have so far been unable to substantiate.
The two have repeatedly threatened to carry out a military strike against Iran.The Islamic Republic has warned the US and Israel of a crushing response if they commit the mistake of attacking the country.
Iran says, like all other signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), it is entitled to pursue an independent nuclear program for civilian purposes.
Despite the Western accusations, Tehran has always called for a stop to the production and storage of conventional and newly-developed nuclear weapons.
Although Israel does not formally acknowledge or deny possessing such an arsenal, it is widely believed that Tel Aviv possesses over 200 ready-to-launch nuclear warheads. Israel has so far refused to sign the NPT.
Middle Eastern nations view Tel Aviv's nuclear weapons arsenal as a major threat against their national security.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
This Iranian bunker, it has to have entrances a swarm of UAV's could close, all at once hopefully permanently.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/23/2010 12:42 Comments ||
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#2
Eitan is another name for the Heron TP. http://www.defense-update.com/products/e/eitan-UAV.htm
This is much ado about nothing, an unarmed IAI imitation of the MQ-9 Reaper that has been flying combat since 2005.
#3
UAV's(w/86 foot wingspans,20hrs to iran), non-signatory to NPT, 200 ready to launch(read fly) nuclear warheads, what's the problem? Sounds good to me. All good. ;~)
[Straits Times] THE Philippine military said on Monday its killing of a 'ruthless' Abu Sayyaf commander had inflicted a major blow on the Al-Qaeda-linked group, as it pursued his fellow militants on a remote island.
The military reported it shot dead six members of the Muslim militant network in the jungles of lawless Jolo island on Sunday, with high-profile leader Albader Parad among the victims.
'It is a big blow in the sense that he (Parad) is a very notorious and ruthless leader,' Lieutenant General Benjamin Dolorfino, head of military forces in the south, told AFP by telephone. 'He always played a big role as far as the effectiveness and capability of the group is concerned.'
Parad, who was believed to be in his late 20s, made world headlines last year when he led an Abu Sayyaf cell that kidnapped and threatened to behead three Red Cross workers on Jolo. The trio - a Filipino, a Swiss and an Italian - were released after many months.
Lt Gen Dolorfino said Sunday's killings, which occurred after the military acted on tips from informants, gave hope the Abu Sayyaf could finally be crushed. 'Without the leaders, the members will be directionless and, if no new leader emerges, they may crumble,' he said.
Lt Gen Dolorfino said the Abu Sayyaf was now believed to have only 330 fighters on Jolo, with another 61 on nearby Basilan island. This is down from a peak of about 1,200 fighters in 2002. He said the military was pursuing Abu Sayyaf members in the jungles of Jolo on Monday in a bid to capitalise on the previous day's success, with Umbra Jumdail, one of the group's top two leaders, on its radar.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > PHILIPPINES AL QAEDA DEALT SERIOUS BLOW | FILIPINO MILITANT'S KILLING [Abader Parad] CRIPPLES ABU SAYYAF GROUP.
"No young Leaders" are emerging to replace the steadily dying, disappeared, reformed or being imprisoned, etc. Abu Sayyaf Old Guard.
Iran's vice president says the country plans to begin construction on two new uranium enrichment facilities in the next Iranian calendar year, which begins March 21.
Ali Akbar Salehi, who is also the head of Iran's nuclear program, said Monday that Teheran intended to use its more advanced centrifuges at the new sites.
Iran approved plans in November to build 10 industrial scale uranium enrichment facilities, a dramatic expansion of the program in defiance of UN demands it halt enrichment.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
To be built inside a mountain by a nation that cannot afford them. For peaceful purposes, of course.
[Al Arabiya Latest] A powerful Iranian legislative body is drafting a new vote law in an attempt to avoid violence in future elections, but conservative hardliners warned the legislation would likely usher in a new era of political unrest, Al Arabiya TV reported late on Sunday.
The Expediency Council, presided by former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, aims to annul the condition on all presidential candidates to be committed to the absolute power of the supreme leader.
Rafsanjani prepares the draft legislation in coordination with Hassan Rowhani, the representative of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei at the Supreme National Security Council, and Mohsen Rezaee, Secretary of the Expediency Council and former Chief Commander of the Revolutionary Guard.
Reformists hope that the law, if passed, would somehow open the political environment by cutting down the powers of the Guardian Council, which exercises full control on both presidential and legislative elections in the country.
The Guardian Council is in charge of approving presidential nominees and candidates to the Assembly of Experts and the parliament. It is also the body that interprets the constitution as well as Islamic laws.
But conservative hardliners h have warned the legislation could pave the way for renewed political crisis and social unrest.
Hossein Shariatmadari, editor-in-chief of the daily Kayhan, one of the most influential newspapers in Iran, lashed out at the draft law and said the supreme leader would likely reject it, especially since it diminishes the influence of the Experts Council and gives more power to the Expediency Council in upcoming elections.
Reformists, including Rafsanjani and Rezaee, blamed the Assembly of Experts for the political unrest that swept the country in the aftermath of the 2009 presidential elections, in which Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won a second term in office.
Last June, the Assembly of Experts expressed its support for the Supreme Leader without conducting an evaluation of his performance as the rules of the assembly stipulate. The reading of the support statement was reportedly interrupted by Rafsanjani.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2010 00:00 ||
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A member of Lebanon's parliament has called on the country's military to expand its defensive capability through extensive cooperation with Iran and Syria.
"Iran and Syria are the only states willing to assist our country in building a powerful military," Nawaf al Mousawi told lawmakers at the Lebanese Majlis.
Speaking a week after the movement's Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah indicated a new approach toward Israeli aggression against Lebanon, al Mousawi added that "neither the United States nor Europe will provide Lebanon with what it needs to defend itself from Israel."
Nasrallah on Tuesday warned that the movement will strike Israel's infrastructure, including its airports and refineries, in the event of any Israeli attack on Lebanon.
"If you hit Dahiyeh, we will hit Tel Aviv. If you strike Martyr Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, we'll strike your Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. If you hit our ports, we will hit your ports," said the leader known for delivering on his promises.
"If you attack our refineries, we'll attack your refineries. If you bomb our factories, we'll bomb your factories. If you strike our power stations we will strike your power stations," Nasrallah continued.
Tel Aviv's military doctrine requires Israel to maintain absolute military superiority over its neighbors, a belief supported by the occupants of the White House since Harry S. Truman.
"The maintenance of Israel's 'qualitative military edge' over any combination of its potential adversaries has been a cornerstone of US Middle East policy for more than a decade," Shawn L. Twing, editor of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs says.
According to a 1979 Memorandum of Understanding, the United States has agreed to "endeavor to be responsive to military and economic assistance requirements of Israel."
Washington will "continue to impose restrictions on weapons supplied by it to any country which prohibit their unauthorized transfer to any third party... and will take steps to prevent such unauthorized transfer."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2010 00:00 ||
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ION PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > MALDIVES SAYS ITS YOUTHS ARE WAGING JIHAD IN PAKISTAN, ASKS INDIA FOR HELP.
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.
[Bangla Daily Star] Criminal Investigation Department is all set to submit a charge sheet in the BDR carnage case, accusing around 800 border guards of murder, looting, arson and hiding bodies in mass graves.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il could be hauled before the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity if South Korea and Japan can prove that North Korea abducted their citizens during a bizarre campaign in the 1970s and 80s to find trainers for spies.
A member of Lebanon's parliament has called on the country's military to expand its defensive capability through extensive cooperation with Iran and Syria. 
