It wasn't long ago that Afghan president Hamid Karzai was seen as a dependable U.S. ally on par with Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf. But as Afghanistan has fallen into violent chaosalong with Pakistantensions have erupted between Karzai and the United States and Britain. One of the most worried U.S. officials is Zalmay Khalilzad, the Afghan-born ambassador to the United Nations, who is seriously considering running for Karzai's seat himself when the next elections are held in 2009, according to several U.N. and U.S. government officials.
Last Friday, Karzai blocked the appointment of British politician Paddy Ashdown, the former U.N. High Representative for Bosnia, as envoy to Afghanistan. During a meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Karzai said that he and many Afghan parliamentarians did not want Ashdown in the post, according to a Western official briefed on the discussions who would only speak about them anonymously.
Ashdown's formal role would have been to coordinate international relief programs. But American and British officials were hoping that Ashdown might also act as a kind of viceroy, bringing order to an Afghan government that finds itself besieged by a resurgent Taliban. Karzai's opposition grew as Ashdown sought to establish what his powers as "superenvoy" might be, one official said. "Karzai has been under a lot of pressure and criticism, and he might feel that he was being marginalized," says Jim Dobbins, the former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan.
U.S. and British officials have grown increasingly disenchanted with Karzai, who is now viewed as isolated in Kabul and surrounded by corrupt or incompetent ministers. Things are not much better next door in Pakistan, where militant Islamist groups have grown bolder and the embattled Musharraf is under pressure to step down. Like Karzai, Musharraf has begun lashing out publicly against what he sees as Western interference.
Khalilzad had a successful stint as U.S. ambassador to Kabul after the Taliban fell, helping to form the Karzai government and working with then Maj. Gen. David Barno, commander of U.S. forces, to pacify the country. He also served as U.S. ambassador to Iraq and was one of the principal drafters of a 1992 "grand strategy" for U.S. global dominance that became known as the "Pentagon paper." Even so, in a 2005 interview with NEWSWEEK, Khalilzad said that one thing he had learned during his term in Afghanistan was that its people "don't want to be ruled by a foreigner."
Khalilzad has not directly denied that he is considering a run. His spokeswoman, Carolyn Vadino, told NEWSWEEK that "he intends to serve out his post as long as [President Bush] wants him in office. And then after that, he hopes to find a job here in the private sector in the U.S." But a senior Bush administration official who knows Khalilzad (and who asked for anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss Khalilzad's plans) said the U.N. ambassador was actively exploring a run. Kenneth Katzman, Afghanistan expert at Washington's Congressional Research Service, said that "most observers think he would stand only if Karzai decides not to run." During an interview this week with NEWSWEEK's Lally Weymouth (page 47), though, Karzai seemed to leave the door open for a re-election bid.
#1
Afghanistan is slipping backward. Almost impossible that it would not happen given the weak effort on the part of most Euro nations combined with the weak effort on the part of the Paki government to deal with Talibs in the provinces. This is the nexus of operational terror (they aren't just talking about it like some in Saudi do). This is where the foot soldiers will come from. I am not hopeful this morning.
#2
We're going to have to use Iraq, Israel, India, and to the limited extent possible, Turkey, to fashion a vise to squeeze AfghaniPakiStan in.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
01/29/2008 14:27 Comments ||
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#3
"But as Afghanistan has fallen into violent chaos"
See the thing is, I see no evidence that it has fallen into violent chaos. Last I heard the Taliban were basically silent in Afghanistan right now because they are A: busy fighting in Pakistan and B: losing the support of the Afghan people.
The only place they seem to have "fallen into violent chaos" is in the Western liberal medai.
Karzai lived in Fremont CA about 15 miles from my house. He still has relatives there. I've been to his cousin's restuarant. Very authentic, including dirty windows and floors.
He, and I believe his brother, infiltrated back into Afghanistan during the runup to the overthrow of the Talibunnies. His brother was caught and killed and Karzai replaced him.
#7
Thank you, GolfBravoUSMC. I remember the story now -- 'twas you that told us way back when. I've had occasion to mention it in conversation, over the years, and very useful it's proved, too. :-)
#8
Last Friday, Karzai blocked the appointment of British politician Paddy Ashdown, the former U.N. High Representative for Bosnia
Maybe Karzai has better judgement than he's given credit for. I'm not sure I'd trust a former UN official to Bosnia when a lot of the problems with white AQ seems to have started there!
#3
No doubt most NATO members do not care. For our part, it's way past time to draw the line and withdraw troops, protection and market access from those who don't pull their weight. Then refuse to set foot on their soil for any reason.
Posted by: ed ||
01/29/2008 17:55 Comments ||
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The Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA) Monday said that investment in the war-torn country had dropped by more than half during the previous year.
A statement released from AISA's main office here said the reason behind the sharp fall was the worsening security situation in 2007. The year was reckoned as the bloodiest as the emboldened Taliban captured or attacked many districts in the south and came close to the central capital by carrying out several fatal suicide bombings on local and foreign troops.
According to figures by AISA, the private investment, both local and foreign, had dropped to USD 500 million during 2007. In 2006, the trend was rising and the investment was recorded at USD one billion.
However, the sole reason responsible for the plunge is the worsening security situation, which kept investors from injecting money into the markets of the war-shattered country. Besides suicide bombings and attacks on private and government installations, several foreigners were also kidnapped by the militants during the previous year.
Other small factors responsible for the drop in investment are the criminal gangs and the bureaucratic hurdles, said the statement. Criminal gangs abducted businessmen for ransom, which shattered the confidence of the investors, it added.
However, the picture is not as gloomy as the agency said, where investment would again rise in the next year as several foreign and local entrepreneurs have shown interest in using their money in Afghanistan.
#1
Afghanistan should take this as a barometer on whether they are emerging from the dark ages or plunging back into disaster. Formally embracing Islam in the constitution can not have helped.
#2
And this in the age of stupid money. When the greedheads don't see a chance to make a buck in bassackwardsistan, you know things are going down hill...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
01/29/2008 14:48 Comments ||
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A suspect in the 2004 Madrid train bombings that killed 191 people has been arrested in Morocco and will be tried there, judiciary officials said Monday.
Abdelilah Hriz was detained Sunday by Moroccan authorities.
Spain and Morocco do not have an extradition treaty, but a new legal agreement allows Moroccan courts to try suspects on charges drawn up by Spanish courts.
Spain and Morocco do not have an extradition treaty, but a new legal agreement allows Moroccan courts to try suspects on charges drawn up by Spanish courts, a National Court spokeswoman told The Associated Press. "Morocco does not normally hand over its nationals and in order to be able to try him, a judge here has transferred the legal process there," National Court Judge Baltasar Garzon said Monday in an interview broadcast by Spanish language news channel CNN+.
Bombs exploded in four trains in Madrid on March 11, 2004, killing 191 people and injuring more than 1,800 others. Last year, 21 people were convicted of terrorism and other charges in connection with the bombings.
Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
ABDELILAH HRIZ
al-Qaeda in Europe
Baltasar Garzon
Juan del Olmo
MOHAMED AFALAH
al-Qaeda in Europe
Posted by: Fred ||
01/29/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11128 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Europe
#1
And you expect ANY European country to defend you? Good luck with that. England is having difficulty paying for a bunch of illegals to have health care and keep two divisions supplied at the same time. France ain't doin' much better last time I checked. What is it now, 200 cars a night being torched by "youths"?
A. It makes clear this is an anti-Iranian move. Its anti-US only in the sense that sending the Marines into Afghanistan, say, is anti-Army, rather than anti-taliban
B. the UAE themselves dont say its to break the US monopoly, some pundits do.
Al-Kitbi said Arab Gulf countries were no longer tying their foreign policies to other powers and were not basing their relationships on selling and buying oil.
Arab Gulf leaders will seek to enhance economic ties with Asia and Europe with the objective of strengthening political relations that might develop into defense partnerships like the opening of the French base in the UAE, she said. The U.S. must notice this change, and subsequently improve its foreign policy and reconsider its actions in order not to miss the major strategic shift that seems to be happening.
A professor of political science at UAE speaking out on geopolitical issues affecting her homeland is probably reflecting significant opinion among leaders in the emirates.
When the Yemeni authorities released a convicted terrorist of Al Qaeda named Jamal al-Badawi from prison last October, American officials were furious. Mr. Badawi helped plan the attack on the American destroyer Cole in 2000, in which 17 American sailors were killed.
But the Yemenis saw things differently. Mr. Badawi had agreed to help track down five other members of Al Qaeda who had escaped from prison, and was more useful to the government on the street than off, said a high-level Yemeni government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Mr. Badawi had also pledged his loyalty to Yemens president before being released, the official said.
The dispute over Mr. Badawi whom the Yemenis quickly returned to prison after being threatened with a loss of aid underscored a much broader disagreement over how to fight terrorism in Yemen, a particularly valuable recruiting ground and refuge for Islamist militants in the past two decades.
Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
JAMAL AL BADAWI
al-Qaeda in Yemen
Murad Abdul Wahed Zafir
Posted by: Fred ||
01/29/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11126 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Yemen
#1
same dentist as Sadr, huh?
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/29/2008 10:45 Comments ||
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#2
What Dentist?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/29/2008 12:59 Comments ||
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#4
The alleged plot followed an appeal by extreme Muslim cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed in 2006 for fanatics to kidnap a British soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan - branding all Muslims who serve with the coalition troops as "non-believers".
It'll be a good day when we get the news that that piece of pig shit has gone to meet Allah.
A Colombian rebel leader has been jailed for 60 years by a US court, in connection with the kidnapping of three US intelligence operatives in 2003. Ricardo Palmera, 57, is the most senior member of the Farc guerrilla movement to be captured in 40 years of conflict. He was seized in Ecuador and extradited to the US in December 2004.
The Farc has several times called for his release in exchange for the high-profile hostages it holds, who include the three Americans.
Palmera is awaiting a second trial on drug trafficking charges.
US District Judge Royce Lamberth, who passed sentence, said the hostage-taking was "an act of terrorism" that was heinous, barbaric and "against the law of all civilised nations". And it is too.
Palmera was unrepentant as far as his membership of the guerrilla movement was concerned. "I may lose my physical liberty but all my ideas remain intact," he said, adding that he had received a "political trial" and that neither he nor the Farc supported terrorism.
Palmera, also known by his nom de guerre Simon Trinidad, had admitted working as a negotiator for Farc, but denies meeting the Americans or holding them hostage.
The US government contractors - Thomas Howes, Keith Stansell and Marc Gonsalves - were taken by Farc after their aircraft crashed in the jungle during a mission to find illegal drug crops in 2003. They are still thought to be held by Farc in a jungle camp in south-eastern Colombia.
The left-wing rebel group has been fighting the Colombian government for more than four decades.
From Pajamas Media h/t from Instapundit
Once an oasis of tolerance, Europe is slowly but surely succumbing to Islamization. Sharia law may still be an alien concept to some Westerners, writes Bruce Bawer. But its staring gay Europeans right in the face and pointing toward a chilling future for all free people......
The reason for the rise in gay bashings in Europe is clear and its the same reason for the rise in rape. As the number of Muslims in Europe grows, and as the proportion of those Muslims who were born and bred in Europe also grows, many Muslim men are more inclined to see Europe as a part of the umma (or Muslim world), to believe that they have the right and duty to enforce sharia law in the cities where they live, and to recognize that any aggression on their part will likely go unpunished. Such men need not be actively religious in order to feel that they have carte blanche to assault openly gay men and non-submissive women, whose freedom to live their lives as they wish is among the most conspicuous symbols of the Wests defiance of holy law.
Multiculturalists cant face all this. So it is that even when there are brutal gay-bashings, few journalists write about them; of those who do, few mention that the perpetrators are Muslims; and those who do mention it take the line that these perpetrators are lashing out in desperate response to their own oppression. Another good point to ask the Presidential candidates (both parties) is what they plan on doing when Sharia comes to American neighborhoods.
#2
..and IN SPITE of the Ultimate Consequences comming down in Europe, here in America the gays fags are still pushing for Multiculturalism, liberal immigration, and the usual extremist DemoCrap and Leftist corruptions.
#4
it is true that the gay community by and large is still in denial on this (as far as I know none of the gay newspapers that publish weekly or monthly in most large American cities have had any significant article on this)
however, the gay community is also very well connected, once a meme gets seriously started and picked up by the 'A' list (no I don't mean that...), the meme gets to everybody pretty fast
#5
Let's all remember that the 'leadership' of the gay community killed far more of its own than any group of homophobic killers here in the past couple decades. This country had the capability to blood check all its citizenry in the early 80s and isolate carriers, a known historical method of containing a transmittable disease. Had that not been obstructed by the 'leadership' of the community hundreds of thousands of their own would still be alive today. Do not count on those within the community to 'get a clue'. Just look at Andrew Sullivan and his approach to this war. It says a lot about the community's priorities. The community has been and will continue to be sold out, just like any other client/victim community in this country, for power by the few.
#6
..and IN SPITE of the Ultimate Consequences comming down in Europe, here in America the gays fags are still pushing for Multiculturalism...
Yep! Just proves that Leftism/Liberalism is a mental disease. We need to work to the point where we can classify them (Liberals) as ill, and then ensure they receive treatment.
At some point something is going to have to give, and I know that I will not submit. I predict that we will have a minimum of 4 years with a Democrap WH, House and Senate...possibly eight. At which point the US will be devastated and the people demoralized, then you will see a huge backlash against the Dimms. We will have to reach absolute bottom and be in dire straights before we will be able to do the things necessary to fix this country.
Of course, that doesn't even begin to allow for any other insult upon the nation...say, like a massive terrorist attack. We are WAY over due for a massive purge of the body politic.
RD, no need for that kind of hostile term.
Sure there is! Forced open tolerance of that which should be kept behind closed doors has led to the rapid decline of our society. It is like an open wound that has been infected and the host weakened, once weakened you become susceptible to other pathogens.
Homosexuality is not normal behavior, period. Tolerating people openly displaying their deviancy and having it rammed down our throats and lionized in schools is a high crime...political correctness notwithstanding. It has also opened the door to a lot of other forced tolerance. It is time, or near time to clean house in this country...as fascist as that may sound, it's coming.
So, do you want the Left to be the cleaning agent, or the right? Put another way, do you want to be a cleaner, or the cleansed? Choose.
Posted by: Grease Dark Lord of the Algonquins9226 ||
01/29/2008 22:54 Comments ||
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#7
A small percentage of homosexuals is common to all mammals, so in that sense it is normal. The experimental veterinarians recently discovered that when the brain chemistry of homosexual rams is altered, they turn their interest to female sheep instead of other rams, which certainly suggests a biological basis -- whether genetic, environmental, or a combination of the two -- for that behaviour. Equally certainly, some male humans will use any opening available when feeling lustful, without questioning what it is attached to at the other end.
That's not the point, though. Certain things should be kept private between the individuals involved, even if one of them is a camel. Parading such things in public to demand public approbation does indeed weaken the common wheal.
#8
See the little faggot with the earring and the makeup
Yeah buddy thats his own hair
That little faggot got his own jet airplane
That little faggot he's a millionaire
Dire Straits, "Money for nothing"
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/29/2008 23:43 Comments ||
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European Union justice and interior ministers gathered in Slovenia on Friday to discuss plans to share out airline passengers' data in a bid to prevent terrorists from entering the 27-member bloc.
What a progressive idea! A find example of Euro soft power at work
The so-called European Passenger Name Record (PNR) would be modelled according to a similar system introduced by the United States in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.
Oh.
"Terrorism remains the number one threat," said European Commission vice-president Franco Frattini upon his arrival in Brdo, an estate near the Slovenian capital Ljubljana.
And aren't we relieved to hear that.
Frattini, who holds the justice and security portfolio and first floated the idea over the summer, said a European PNR was "absolutely necessary" and should therefore be adopted "as soon as possible." But his plans have been met with resistance from civil liberties' advocates, who fear that collecting details about a person's travel arrangements in and out of the EU would violate their privacy.
No word about how a terrorist attack disrupts privacy ...
Details about a traveller's airline ticket, including how it was paid for, would be shared among all EU member states, as well as with third countries such as the US. The EU insists it will not divulge sensitive information about a traveller's ethnic origins or political and religious beliefs. But concerns remain nevertheless.
And some member states are even questioning whether there is a real need for a European PNR. "We should first evaluate whether such a system is necessary. Maybe it isn't that good to collect so much information," said Luxembourg's minister of justice, Luc Frieden.
After all, nobody wants to attack Luxembourg. We ain't got much worth attacking, truth be told.
Slovenian Interior Minister Dragutin Mate, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU, said ministers would be discussing the European PNR over lunch.
But of course!
Mate said ministers would be informed about similar PNR systems already in place in Britain, France and Denmark.
"We will see what the willingness of the member states is, and we will prepare plans for further discussions according to their responses," Mate said.
THAT ought to deal a devastating blow to the terror networks!
Ministers attending the two-day informal meeting in Brdo also planned to review the outcome of the recent enlargement of Europe's borderless area.
of Palestinains, Arab and European human rights' activists held a demonstration before the European Union headquarters Monday, denouncing the Israeli blockade on Gaza. "Stop Gaza blockade, Free Palestine," shouted the demonstrators waving Palestinian flags.
"Free Mumia! Get U.S. troops out of Milpetas!"
They called on EU Foreign Ministers, who are meeting here Monday, to impose sanctions on Israel. Demonstrators had come from several European countries, including France, Holland and the UK to participate in the protest organzied by the Belgo-Palestinian Association with the support of other human rights' groups.
#3
Been watching it on the TV have they? Think they'll be heading back anytime soon to do their part in the trenches? Or can we assume that this is gonna be their only contribution to The Cause?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/29/2008 13:04 Comments ||
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#6
The problem with teh world is that not everyone went senile but the nuts get all the cameratime and the sane ones generally enjoy the show as harmless. They enjoy it while Rome burns unfortunately.
#7
I just had a thought, blood first flows to the head and brain, the head loses a lot of body heat before circulating to the body, wrapping the head is a really good way to conserve heat such as wearing hats in winter, but their climate is very hot.
Simply put, they're frying their brains.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/29/2008 17:15 Comments ||
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If I did this right, you should be able to click the link to see a video of how the TSA evaluates its procedures for effectiveness. But just in case I screwed up, here it is again.
For true sci-fi fans, any mention of a real-world rail gun will draw an instant, slightly audible gasp. Instead of relying on chemical propellants -- such as gunpowder -- a rail gun uses magnetic "rails" to launch a solid, nonexplosive projectile at incredible speed. Theoretically, rail guns would be able to precisely strike targets at extreme ranges, and would negate the risks associated with carrying around tons of explosive ammo. More to the point, they're cool-sounding, just like lasers.
Systems has delivered a functional, 32-megajoule Electro-Magnetic Laboratory Rail Gun (32-MJ LRG) to the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center
Which is why the news that BAE Systems has delivered a functional, 32-megajoule Electro-Magnetic Laboratory Rail Gun (32-MJ LRG) to the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Va., is exciting. Installation of the laboratory launcher is currently under way, and according to BAE, this is the first step toward the Navy's goal of developing a tactical 64-megajoule ship-mounted weapon.
The lab version doesn't look particularly menacing -- more like a long, belt-fed airport screening device than like a futuristic cannon -- but the system will fire rounds at up to Mach 8, drawing on tremendous amounts of electricity to generate the current for each test shot. That, of course, is the problem with rail guns: Like lasers, they're out of step with modern-day generators and capacitors. Eight and 9-megajoule rail guns have been fired before, but providing 3 million amps of power per shot has been a limitation. At 32 megajoules, this new system appears to be the most powerful rail gun ever built, and the Office of Naval Research is installing additional capacitors at the Dahlgren facility to support it. The planned 64-megajoule weapon, if it's ever built, could require even more power -- a staggering 6 million amps.
#1
It seems to me that rail guns may well create huge problems for even an aircraft carrier if they are very accurate. Also, It seems to lil ol' me that munitions delivered by this thing might someday be guided. Even if guided munitions were delivered at a mere twice the speed of today's munitions, that would force a rethinking of how to defend ships (and all sorts of other things) against these things.
#3
Cool! What a neat, techie way to take out Columbian coke subs, but where else do we need such exotic firepower against today's low tech enemies? Russia and China's demographics are fast sinking them into senility. You need serious excesses of youth to wage war and those are mostly in Africa and the Islamic world. Neither of these areas are likely to have any kind of effective governments any time soon.
#5
More info here. 2 years old but stil informative. And a couple of cool pictures.
Posted by: Thomas Woof ||
01/29/2008 6:36 Comments ||
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#6
Time to calm down. At the end of the day, this is just another large, high velocity cannon. All the same results and capabilities, just slightly different physics to punt the projectile down range.
This particular example is for lab use. It just uses electons instead of gunpowder.
It is kinda cool, though.
Posted by: N guard ||
01/29/2008 8:01 Comments ||
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#7
We need to get this thing designed so the Chinese can steal it and use it against truly high value targets, such as CVNs, while we build smaller and smaller bombs to do less damage more precisely so we don't generate scare headlines.
#8
A rail gun does change things. For example, if a ship can fire hundreds of rounds, each of which has the destructive force of a conventional cruise missile. That is, a 200 mile range with a 3 foot long, 40 pound projectile.
This means you can nail a LOT of targets within 200 miles, which negates shore batteries and anti-ship missiles, then use Tomahawk cruise missiles for targets from 200-1500 miles.
This means a return to "gunboat diplomacy", without fear that the enemy has purchased some Chinese anti-ship missiles to make you stand off.
#10
An airplane out ranges them all. In the naval arena it a cost and space reduction measure. Instead of expending a $500K missile, a $50K guided projectile could be used (if the engineers can make it withstand the enormous G-shock and E-M fields)
Posted by: ed ||
01/29/2008 11:21 Comments ||
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#11
We are still years away from deploying these things on ships. There are major problems to solve: they require an ENORMOUS amount of power - a ship would have to slow down in order to divert power to the rail gun. To make these practical, they may have to design the ship around the gun.
Also, the projectile comes out so fast that it wears out the "barrel" very quickly. It doesn't do any good to have a gun that can fire a lot of projectiles if you have to return to the yard to replace the barrel after a single battle. Not to mention the wear and tear on the ship itself from firing projectiles at such high speed.
On the other hand, it does have a lot of advantages over conventional ammunition: since the projectiles will be inert, rather than explosive, and they don't need explosives to send them on their way, they will be a lot safer - no worry of a fire blowing up the entire ship. Also, you can store a lot more projectiles in the same amount of space than with traditional shells.
#12
Nice for making holes in ships but when what you want is, say, soften enemy infantry then it is completely ineffective. Give me a good old WWII battleship instead.
Aslo in soft skinned vehicles and similar that kind of high velocity projectiles tends to go through them without making much damage while good old HE destroys them.
#14
Ummm, Rambler you don't understand the concept, Railguns have no "Barrel" it's a copper lattice electromagnet (Copper to handle the current required)
think of it like this, you have an electromagnet that repels from the butt, and attracts to the outer end, then you get the "Projectile" moving and turn off the magnet, so it flies away, the projectile touches nothing at all, only air.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/29/2008 13:17 Comments ||
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#15
If Taiwan had a few of these, they could erect a giant finger on top of their tallest mountain facing China.
#16
Redneck Jim, yes I do understand the concept. That is why I put barrel in quotes - I realize there is no actual barrel the way there is in a conventional gun. However, according to one article I read that one of the unsolved problems is wear and tear on the assembly - perhaps I misspoke when I said "barrel". There has to be a heck of a recoil from firing the thing. If it's not on the rail, it will be on the entire rail gun.
#20
there's not a recoil in the conventional sense, but there is a consierable "Flexing" due to the very strong magnetic fields involved.
I'm sure there's some "Recoil" from thrusting the projectile, but it's far overshadowed by the "Flex".
(Don't wear any electronics when firing, they may melt, I personaly have blown two watches by putting my hand near an operating car alternator, fried the electronics.)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/29/2008 16:42 Comments ||
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#21
NS, this Wikipedia article might be helpful in understanding the recoil issues. That there is recoil is pretty widely agreed. It's nature and how to model it is a hot topic, i.e. which of several principles at work are dominant in actual systems.
#24
I guess the way to look at it is the magnet is pulling itself as much toward the projectile as it is pulling the projectile toward the magnet. But it's still hard to imagine the force on a 40 lb. object having much effect on a 5,000+ ton object. But that shows how fast it's going and how much the force is focused on the connections of the rails to the ship.
#28
See also KOMMERSANT > FOREIGN POLICY [long]. Summarizes Russ foreign policy decisions under Putin and as per Gorbachevism + end of Cold War. *PUTIN - after 2004 and YUKOS controversy, Putin interpreted events such as BESLAN + CHECHNYA as deliberate US/US-led attempts to weaken and dismember post-USSR RUSSIA.
*UKRAINE versus RUSSIA - Putin sees ongoing Russo-Ukraine controversy as a US SPECIAL OPERATIONS PLAN/PLOY TO SEPARATE UKRAINE FROM RUSSIA AND IMPLEMENT AN "ORANGE REVOLUTION" SCENARIO IN MOSCOW.
* Putin also sees Russia's role vv USA as REDUCING THE US SOLE POSITION TO THAT OF "FIRST AMONG EQUALS", AND CREATING A MULTIPOLAR WORLD. World will see a [regional-global?] gener decline in traditional Western = West-centric influence in favor of increase of influence by China, India, Brazil, SOuth Africa, Iran, Indonesia, etc.
*Putin = Russia also seeks greater econ cooper and "real integration" wid CIS Member States [former SOviet SSR's] via Russ companies = Russ-led investments/cooper in CIS.
ION, RIAN > RUSSIAN ARMY PREPARES FOR NUCLEAR ONSLAUGHT, espec by Nuke-WMD capable TERRORISTS. Russ believes vv NATO Report that Radicalists-Terrorists will become nuclearized and have nuke weapons in very near-term/future. ALL RUSS ARMED SERVICES MUST BE READY FOR BOTH STRATEGIC AND CONVENTIONAL TERROR CONTNGENCIES, TO INCLUDE NUKE-WMD-POSSIBLE SCENARIOS, ERGO NEED AND MUST HAVE PERMANENT, READY-ALERT/STANDBY, NUKE WEAPONS AND NUCLEAR RAPID-REACTION RESPONSE MIL UNITS, espec at TACTICAL NUC LEVELS. Russ will need to station pre-mobilized, fully equipped and manned, OFFENSIVE RR mil units from the Baltic to the Pacific. SIAD UNITS WILL REQUIRE MEDIUM- TO SHORT-RANGE TAC MISSLE ASSETS + OTHER SUPPORT, BOTH STRIKE AND COUNTERBATTERY/ARTY, ETC.
IOW, 'Tis Putin's = Russ version of REAGAN-ERA FLEXIBLE RESPONSE DOCTRINE [Pershing II's, TLCMS]but for ANTI-TERROR. Read -ANTI-US???
Sub-IOW, iff a catastrophic Islamist Nuke = non Nuke WMD terror event agz RUSSIA was found to had originated somewhere in CONUS-ALCAN/AMCAN from CONUS- or AMCAN -based Terror group or cell, RUSS IS RESERVING ITS RIGHT TO BLAST SAID TERROR AREA IN CONUS-AMCAN WID RUSS NUKE MISSLES, ANDOR ATTACK SAME WID SPECIAL/ELITE UNITS, AND POTENS WITHOUT US GOVT OR CANUCK GOVT PERMISSION???
What a bullshite excuse for a "religion"....
1/28/08 Pakistan - In an all-too rare occurrence, Tahira Salamat, 20, a Christian woman, was released from her Muslim kidnapper on January 23, 2008. Tahira had been abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and forcibly married to a Muslim man four months ago in Vehari district, Punjab.
Two Muslim men, Abdul Sattar and Muhammad Khalid, reportedly abducted Tahira while she was on her way to the workplace in Chak 136/10 - R, Tehsil Jahaniyan, Khanewal district on September 14, 2007. After kidnapping her, these two men forced her to marry Muhammad Ramazan, a Muslim. In order to be a suitable wife for a Muslim, the two men also made her convert to Islam against her will.
Meanwhile, her father, Salamat Masih, and her mother gathered their relatives and searched frantically for her in shelter houses, morgue rooms, and hospitals for over a month, but failed to turn up any leads. Tahira was finally found at Muhammad Ramazans house on January 23, 2008, and from there police handed her over to her parents. However, the kidnappers have so far escaped any reprimand. At the time this story was written, none of them had been arrested.
The court still has to make a decision regarding the status of Tahira and Ramazans marriage. Hat tip Bulldog
#1
If the court directs Tahira to stay with her Muslim husband, Ramazan, they would be officially endorsing a forced conversion and forced marriage as well. On the other hand, if Tahira is allowed to go back to her Christian parents, there is a threat that she would be killed by radical Muslims. Islam does not allow an individual to leave the Islamic faith, regardless of whether their conversion to Islam was legitimate.
There is no compulsion in Islam....
There is no compulsion in Islam...
There is no compulsion in Islam...
#4
Sounds like good grounds for nuking somewhere from orbit - repeatedly.
Islam is an excuse for behavior that would not be tolerated in any other form of society. It has no legitimate right to continue to exist. The sooner it's extinguished, the better.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/29/2008 13:38 Comments ||
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#5
Every non Muslim in a heavily Muslim area must learn to carry a short knife for their own protection. Even a 3" blade is a great way of saying "hands off".
Especially girls and women have to be not just trained, but conditioned, so that if they are approached by a Muslim man, they immediately palm their knife and are ready to cut. Cut without hesitation and to keep cutting until the Muslim withdraws, and not to be easily disarmed.
The first women who do this are in for a rough time, but theirs is a sacrifice to break the confidence of Muslim men. Once that confidence in aggression is broken, it is pretty much the end of their racket. They can't just attack a woman, without being afraid themselves.
The Bharatiya Janata Party will strongly oppose the minority appeasement and communal budgeting of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). Party president Rajnath Singh made it clear at the National Council meeting on Monday that if and when the BJP came to power, it would roll back any attempt to earmark funds, especially for districts dominated by the minorities.
Both Mr. Singh and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi lashed out at the UPA for minority appeasement. Mr. Modi said that if Dalit Christians were included in scheduled caste reservation, they would get dual benefits from SC reservation and minority reservation and this would lead to increased religious conversions.
He said that any special benefits or reservation for minorities would lead to Hindus embracing Islam resulting in widespread disaffection and conflict. He added that the present government led by the Congress was going beyond what the founders of the Constitution had forbidden religion-based reservation.
Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
Narendra Modi
Rajnath Singh
Posted by: Fred ||
01/29/2008 00:00 ||
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Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah said on Monday that the government had credible evidence that hostile foreign intelligence agencies were fanning terrorism in Pakistan.
I knew it all along! That Baitullah Mehsud just reeks with the smell of Samoan secret agentry!
He was addressing the Senates Standing Committee on Interior Affairs. Shah did not identify the agencies.
"I can say no more!"
Investigation into Benazirs killing is going on positively, he said, without giving details of the probe.
Senator Talha Mahmood, the committee chairman, said they did not press Shah for details. We asked officials to give a timeframe for the investigation, but they said it would be difficult, Mahmood told reporters. Sources said he told the meeting that 22 of the 23 people killed in the Liaqat Bagh bombing had been identified, and the fingerprints of the alleged suicide bomber would be verified by NADRA.
Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
AITZAZ SHAH
Taliban
BAITULLAH MEHSUD
Taliban
Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi
Kamil Ali Agha
Kamran Murtaza
SHER ZAMAN
Taliban
Syed Kamal Shah
Tahira Latif
Talha Mahmood
Posted by: Fred ||
01/29/2008 00:00 ||
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The Interior Ministry on Monday rejected claims by the lawyer for British terror suspect Rashid Rauf that his client, who had disappeared from police custody, was being secretly held by authorities.
"No, no! Certainly not!"
Rauf disappeared on December 14 while being escorted by two police officers along with his uncle to a fast-food restaurant and a mosque. The two officers have since been formally charged. Raufs lawyer Hashmat Ali Habib told Britains Guardian newspaper that his vanishing act last month wasnt an escape from custody . . . You could call it a mysterious disappearance if you like, but not an escape.
Arrested in Pakistan in 2006, Rauf is suspected in an alleged plot to blow up trans-Atlantic airliners with liquid explosives. Reports of the plot led airlines to limit the amount of liquids passengers may carry on board. This is not a case of escape. Rashid Rauf in fact disappeared and the government later came out with different stories every time, Hashmat said. Look, many people, thousands of people, disappear in Pakistan, the lawyer told The Guardian. The government knows what it means, and the people know what it means.
Militant commander Maulvi Faqir Muhammad was named on Monday the political face of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan for the purpose of holding talks with the government and negotiate a truce, a spokesman said. Ameer Baitullah Mehsud has authorised Maulvi Faqir Muhammad to hold talks with the government on behalf of the new organisation (formed last year), purported Taliban spokesman Maulvi Umar told Daily Times from an undisclosed location.
Maulvi Faqir leads Taliban militants in Bajaur district, overlooking Afghanistans Kunar province. Umar did not say what prompted Baitullah to name Faqir as top negotiator with the government at a time when the new army chief seems decided to go all-out against the militants be they in Swat, Waziristan or Darra Adamkhel. The spokesman said the Taliban were ready for talks with the government. He, however, did not give details. Security sources were taken by surprise by the announcement saying Baitullah named a wrong choice for the job as Faqir never budges an inch from his position, and, in the given situation, how can he be a successful negotiator?
This article starring:
BAITULLAH MEHSUD
Taliban
MAULVI FAQIR MUHAMAD
Taliban
MAULVI OMAR
Taliban
TEHRIK E TALIBAN PAKISTAN
Taliban
Posted by: Fred ||
01/29/2008 00:00 ||
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The Mehsud tribes grand jirga on Monday demanded the government stop targeting the houses of innocent tribesmen during its ongoing war against local Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud.
The jirga said the government should stop damaging the property of peaceful tribesmen. The PML-N leader sympathised with the Mehsud tribesmen, and said his party supported the Meshuds during the prevailing crisis. He said President Pervez Musharraf had imposed a war on loyal tribesmen to appease the United States in the war on terror. He also offered his houses in Karak and Dera Ismail Khan to the people who had been displaced by the South Waziristan operation.
This article starring:
BAITULLAH MEHSUD
Taliban
Malik Masood Ahmad
Maulana Mirajuddin
Maulana Saleh Shah
SHEIKH MOHAMAD SHAFI
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami
Sardar Hizbullah Gandapur
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami
Posted by: Fred ||
01/29/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Generally, when they start squawking like that, it means you've got them by something sensitive. Wasn't there something about the last uprising in the NWFP being put down by the army coming in & blowing up empty houses and compounds when the menfolk were off playing Injuns in the hills?
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
01/29/2008 16:55 Comments ||
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#2
Yeah sure, one set of rules for the Dhimi, and one for the "Masters", we get to destroy anything we damn well please, but you don't (Signed Jirga)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/29/2008 17:06 Comments ||
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#3
good points, both. Something's hurting, keep it up.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/29/2008 18:22 Comments ||
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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the execution of the death sentence awarded to Yakub Abdul Razak Memon, brother of the underworld don Tiger Memon, for his role in the 1993 Mumbai blasts.
A Bench consisting of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justices Tarun Chatterjee and R.V. Raveendran passed the order on Yakubs appeal challenging a TADA court judgment holding him guilty of arranging for finance for the conspiracy and distributing weapons.
The Bench also granted bail to Anjum Abdul Razak Memon, another brother of Tiger Memon, taking into consideration senior counsel Harish Salves submission that the petitioner, who was awarded life imprisonment, had already spent more than 12 years in jail.
It posted to February 5 hearing on the bail applications of six appellants, including two belonging to the Memon family who were awarded life imprisonment for conspiracy and other serious charges and one convict, who was awarded 10-year imprisonment.
Appearing for the Central Bureau of Investigation, Additional Solicitor-General Gopal Subramaniam submitted a chart indicating the nature of the offences of the eight appellants, the role they played, the period of sentence and the duration already undergone by each of them in prison.
While not opposing bail to Anjum Memon, counsel opposed bail to others.
Posted by: john frum ||
01/29/2008 00:00 ||
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The former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, accused Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice of giving in to French and Lebanese demands over the terms of the cease-fire that halted the 2006 Second Lebanon War, according to a document recently obtained by Haaretz. The claims were made in a letter sent by Israel's deputy ambassador to the UN, Daniel Carmon, to the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem on August 11, 2006. The content of the letter strengthens Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's claims justifying the last major ground operation of the war, which began that day and claimed the lives of 33 Israel Defense Forces soldiers.
Olmert maintains that on Thursday, August 10, negotiations in New York over UN Resolution 1701, which ended the war, took a turn that adversely affected Israel's interests for the resolution. The prime minister has argued that this negative turn of events made necessary the operation during the final 60 hours of the war. The Winograd Commission report on the management of war, set to be released tomorrow at 6 P.M., is expected to focus on the legitimacy of that operation.
The letter is entitled "Security Council discussions - the conversation between Gillerman and Bolton," detailing a discussion between Bolton and Daniel Gillerman, Israel's ambassador to the UN. In the letter, Carmon emphasized that Rice had agreed that the draft cease-fire resolution would stipulate that the international peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon would operate under Chapter VI of the UN charter, which would give it observer status only.
She also agreed that the disputed Shaba Farms, the border area claimed by Hezbollah as Lebanese territory but internationally recognized as Syrian, would be mentioned in the resolution. Israel opposed both clauses.
The letter also states that, "Bolton said tonight in a conversation with Gillerman that the secretary of state took the task of negotiations [over the resolution] upon herself, and she is personally involved in all of its details.
"The actions of the secretary of state stem from her determination to bring the decision up for a vote tomorrow, Friday. For that purpose she will arrive here tomorrow at 10 A.M., and will intensify the process... Bolton described with sorrow a situation in which the French surrendered to all of the Arab demands, and the United States isn't prepared to give up on the 'holy alliance' with the Europeans.
"[Bolton] promised to try in a meeting tomorrow with the French ambassador to take Shaba Farms out [of the draft]... but he doubts it will help. In his opinion, the French man won't make an effort in that direction. In response to Gillerman's question about what can be done, Bolton responded that only a conversation between Olmert and President Bush can, if at all, change the face of things and rescue the situation."
#2
I have to admit that Secretary Rice has become quite a disappointment. Seeing the Palestinians as analogous to the peaceful, equality of opportunity seeking Black Americans of her youth -- rather than the lynch-happy KKK thereof; pushing against the Surge in Iraq in favour of the ineffective status quo... Not to mention the damning details listed in this article. And she started off so nicely, too.
You have been right, g(r)omgoru, and I have been wrong. I apologize.
#4
You're safe, g(r)mgoru -- I'm married to someone else. ;-) However, I'm exceedingly annoyed with Secretary Dr. Condoleeza Rice for living down to your reading of her, instead of up to mine. She had so much potential, too.
#5
My speculation is that she was so buffetted (and essentially lacking in influence) as National Security Advisor that she embraced the State culture as a reaction against the Pentagon.
You can tell peace is coming to Iraq, because the U.S. combat troops are having more hostile encounters with non-combat soldiers. You can usually tell who is who. The grunts (combat types) are skinnier and less well turned out (hair too long, shave not too recent, slouching).
The plumper, sharply dressed, and higher ranking non-combat NCO will berate the grunt for his poor appearance. When there was a lot of fighting going on, the infantry guy would scare the other guy away, with a few choice words and a menacing look. Not so much, anymore.
More and more non-combat troops are coming out of their well appointed (and well defended) bases, and ragging on the grunts. The fighting troops don't like it, and are beginning to wonder out loud what all these "combat support" people actually do, if they have so much time to gain weight, and harass the men who made Iraq safe for this kind of crap.
The combat support troops do have less to do now that there is much less combat. Less fuel and ammo has to be moved. Fewer casualties have to be taken care of. A lot less equipment to repair or replace. Combat support troops are mainly concerned with bringing order to disorder, and now the grunts need to be shaped up.
The combat troops create disorder. They "break things and kill people." Now that the two species have more time to mingle, those differences are causing friction. It's bad for morale, but it's also a sign that peace is breaking out. And thus it was, from the time of the Roman legions.
#1
Some things (particularly REMFs) never change. After the bombing halt in 1973, there was a positive explosion of colonels available to "reinstill military discipline" in the B-52 crews at Anderson AFB and Utapao RTNB. We had haircut colonels, shoe shine colonels, staff officers of every shape and variety on the hunt for hapless aircrew. One particularly clueless colonel, apparently unaware that aircrew sometimes wore other than regulation nametags, rampaged around Anderson one afternoon trying to find the aircraft commander responsible for the Lt. SAM UPLINK who had told him to do something anatomically improbable with himself when chastised about the lack of shine on his boots. (For those of you too young to remember, the SAM uplink was the guidance signal for SA-2 surface to air missiles and only showed up on your receiver when you were the target of unpleasantness.
#2
It's the deference between 'military' and 'militaristic', form over substance.
Again, and again, the military men have seen themselves hurled into war by ambitions, passions, and blunders of civilian governments, almost wholly uninformed as to the limits of their military potentials and almost recklessly indifferent to the military requirements of the wars they let loose. Aware that they may again be thrown by civilians into an unforeseen conflict, perhaps with a foe they have not envisaged, these realistic military men find themselves unable to do anything save demand all the men, guns, and supplies they can possibly wring from the civilians, in the hope that they may be prepared or half prepared for whatever may befall them. In so doing they inevitably find themselves associated with militaristic military men who demand all they can get merely for the sake of having it without reference to ends.
Vagts, Alfred, History of Militarism, rev. 1959, Free Press, NY, pp 33-34.
Or as they used to say when I shared time with the legion - an Army which can parade can't fight and an Army which can fight can't parade.
#3
IIRC, ANDERSEN AFB during that period of Vietnam - as did other AFB's and select Army-Marine facils - did experiment wid having TWO EXECUTIVE OFICERS UNDER ONE BASE CO, ONE XO FOR BASE OPERS WHILE ANOTHER XO FOR GENER
"DISCIPLINE". complete wid support Base Staffs + parallel Unit-specific levels. By most accounts, the latter XO, etc. was due to the chaos in military order wrought by the social revolution = so-called "counterrevolution" back on the mainland.
Also IIRC, the USAF-DOD wanted to base more B52's here in suppor of Vietnam opers, and conducted test evaluations at old NW Field [WW2 B29 base] down the road from Andersen, + the former NAS Agana [Brewer Field/Tiyan]. IT WAS A SIGHT TO SEE USAF BUFFS = "SHARKTAILS", C130's, etal. SUDDENLY APPEAR ON A US NAVAL AIRFIELD, GIANT BLACK-TAILED PLANES NEXT TO SMALLER WHITE ONES.
#5
An update. I mentioned this today, and was mildly rebuked by an old soldier, who said that "Properly speaking, this has been going on since the army of Ramses II."
#5
Thanks, Icerigger, I needed a good smile today. If that's corn, then I'll take a bushel! :-)
Your link is interesting too, TW:
"Shame on you to liken Moqtada al-Sadr to a penguin and humiliate him in front of all the world," says "Wisam" beneath the penguin clip.
"It is indeed a shame," agrees "Abdul." "He and his donkeys are far worse than penguins."
If Iraqis can maintain a functioning, non-tyrannical government with the freest speech in the Arab world, how will anyone be able to maintain that it would have been better to leave Saddam in place? That's a big "if", of course, but which of Bush's countless critics had a better solution to offer that wouldn't have been just as risky in the long run?
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration will ask the US Congress next week for $70 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and other related operations for part of the 2009 fiscal year, the Pentagon said on Monday. Well send up the fiscal year 09 budget (next Monday), Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said. It will have a request for an emergency allowance to support activities related to the global war on terror into 2009 ... in the amount of 70 billion.
The funding would be in addition to the administrations request for the regular Pentagon budget which is to be presented next week.
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, Congress has approved $691 billion to pay for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and such related activities as Iraq reconstruction, the Congressional Budget Office said last week. Of the total, the CBO estimated that $440 billion had been spent on the war in Iraq.
In past years, members of Congress have pressed the administration to submit full war funding requests together with the regular Pentagon budget so that both can be subjected to the same level of scrutiny at the same time.
The administration has requested a total of nearly $190 billion in war funding for the 2008 fiscal year. But Congress has not approved that amount.
In December, it approved a $70 billion bridge fund in partial war funding for the current fiscal year.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/29/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
George is going all the way to next January taking it to Al Qaeda. There will be two groups that will be glad when he finishes his term, Islam's Al Qaeda and the Islam's Dhimmicrats.
#3
Money better spent if $70M allocated to destroying select mosques and the rest invested in domestic energy production (and domestic good production in general). Currently 8-900 billion dollars annually goes into OPEC treasuries vs. $200 billion pre Sept 11, 2001. As long as muslims control the price of energy, we are not going to outspend them in this war. On the contrary, they will generate crises to further suck the world's wealth to advance islam.
Posted by: ed ||
01/29/2008 11:15 Comments ||
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The situation in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, rocked by blasts blamed on Al-Qaeda, is worse than imagined, the defence minister said, as troops were poised for an assault on the jihadists.
The Iraqi Red Crescent, meanwhile, said the toll from one of the blasts, in which a building was obliterated and about 100 houses destroyed, was higher than reported by the Iraqi authorities, with 60 people killed and 280 wounded.
The situation in Mosul is worse than imagined by far, Defence Minister Abdel Qader Jassim Mohammed told a news conference late Sunday after touring the flashpoint city. Speaking at the armys Nineveh province command centre in Mosul, he was highly critical of the Iraqi militarys deployment in Mosul. The forces are scattered. We are working to unify the command. The military units are distributed in Mosul in a way that means they havent studied the area, Mohammed told reporters, according to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper. The 2nd Brigade of the Iraqi army works in the day and withdraws at night, leaving the insurgents free to move.
This article starring:
Abdel Qader Jassim Mohammed
Posted by: Fred ||
01/29/2008 00:00 ||
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#6
I read it was an ammo dump. Probably destroyed it because they would have lost it anyway! Is this the area that Gaddafi's son is running? He probably also wanted to make himself a name real quick, too. "See, I can make big booms!"
#7
Yeah, I think that was the one where they were detonating an IED and the concussion set off an ammo dump in a nearby building. "Holy shit!" was probably the chorus on the site! The next day the police chief was inspecting the hole and a boomer took him out. Great town.
Aw, geez, funny how that always seems to happen. Gypos must have overdosed on all the sweetness and light the Palis bring along with them wherever they roam...
RAFAH, Egypt - Egyptian shopkeeper Safwat Hammad's shelves are empty and he is frustrated over the influx of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who crossed the breached border with Gaza in the past week. Hammad and many other residents of Egyptian towns along the Gaza border are increasingly disgruntled, not only with the Gazans and their Hamas rulers but with their own government. They are warning that chaos is brewing and demanding the crisis be resolved quickly. Tune in again next week for "Where Gazans Go, Chaos Folllows"...
Hamas militants blew the border open Jan. 23 to release the pressure of a six-month Israeli blockade of Gaza. Egypt has since been struggling to regain control of it. For seven days, Palestinians have flooded unchecked into Egypt, buying food, fuel and supplies made scarce in Gaza by the long closures.
On the Egyptian side of Rafah, a town that the border had divided, many gas stations have run out of fuel and grocery stores are short on food. Hammad, 26, said he restocked his store twice this week but ran out of items to sell Tuesday. "They are buying everything," he said of the Palestinians. "God forbid, they will also buy the air and we will not be able to breathe." Ya mean ya don't wanna be responsible for them? I'm not feeling the Arab brotherly love here, Hammad...
Gazans spent hundreds of millions of dollars over the past week, cleaning out the stores in Egyptian Rafah and the nearby town of El-Arish. Geez, I thought they were...broke? Maybe UNRWA can hit them up for a loan...
They scooped up just about anything they could get their hands on diesel fuel, cement, cigarettes, washing powder, electrical appliances, car batteries, medicines and even exotic birds for pets. The Jooooos keep exotic birds from us! dearth to them!!
The Egyptians were eager at first to make a buck from the Palestinians but now they want the crisis wrapped up. Some Egyptians complained the Palestinians drove prices up sharply and bought their goods, at times turning around and reselling them down the street at much higher prices. They outArabed us, godammit!!!
Others even claimed they had been robbed.Standing in the middle of a Rafah street in mud-covered sandals, wood collector Khamis Abou-Fares complained to anyone who would listen. "After blinking for a second, I could no longer see my pile of wood," he said. The Palestinians "destroyed our town and now they are stealing from us. Is this the way to return a favor?" Ummmmmmm...yeah. It is. Enjoy em...
Nooreldin el-Goneus, 25, said some Palestinians offered to buy the sheep he was selling to get cash for his upcoming wedding. But he declined because their offer wasn't good enough. Half an hour later, his flock was gone from outside his home and he says his brother saw some Palestinians load his sheep onto their truck. "We took you (Palestinians) in and gave you everything we had, and now you are slapping us with those thefts," he lamented. Aw, c'mon, boys. They're your poor suffering Pali brothers. Have a heart why doncha...
Not all Egyptians were complaining. "God bless Egypt for keeping this open," Mamdouh al-Teeh, a resident of the Sinai desert, said as he emptied his trucks of diesel and tobacco for water pipes. He said he hoped the border would never shut because he had done "great business" in the past week. Cha-ching! Inshallah!!
#1
Ima knowing a TU post from the first inline. Honestly, Rafah has made a bastardized economy supllying Gaza at unreasonable prices via teh smuggling tunnels. The wall breach has screwed up teh status quo. I love it. Welcome to your new "occupiers, Gaza beetches! They might not be so forthcoming when teh 'demands' hit".
Enjoy! Shut off ALL Israeli water and power NOW
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/29/2008 19:08 Comments ||
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#2
Mmmm, Palestinians. Is there any place in the Middle East they haven't worn out their welcome?
#2
won't happen, and everybody knows it. Egypt's trying to save face and get out of "adopting" the Gazooks
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/29/2008 11:02 Comments ||
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#3
The Gazooks are in league with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. You can bet that Egypt wants to keep Gaza well and truly shut, but it ain't likely to happen and could cause a major issue in Egypt in the coming years.
Tony Blair has suffered a setback in his role as Middle East peace envoy after Israel blocked progress on a key project.
Work on a Palestinian water treatment plant, championed by the former prime minister, has been halted after Israel refused to allow construction materials into Gaza to finish the job. Further delay risks what Mr Blair has called "a humanitarian catastrophe" as winter rains threaten to cause the existing facility to overflow, flooding the homes of more than 10,000 people who live nearby.
Mr Blair won public assurances from Israel last November that it would allow the final items needed to complete the £8?million project. But subsequent refusals by Israel to allow in enough cement means that all work has stopped.
I thought the Paleos were pretty good at making cement. What happened, the Israelis buy it all up for the separation wall?
Mr Blair, who has been criticised recently by Palestinian businessman for failing to stand up to the Israelis, declined to comment on Israel's actions. His spokesman said that in Mr Blair's view the project was proceeding without problems even though the project manager in Gaza told The Daily Telegraph work had been halted.
Neither Mr Blair nor any of his full-time staff have been to Gaza since he began his role as Middle East mediator last June.
The reason for refusing the cement to pass was given by Israel as "security concerns". However, the contractors insisted that they had provided full details, photographs and plans of where the cement would be stored and for what it would be used. A spokesman for the Israeli co-ordination office responsible for items entering Gaza declined to comment.
The refusal meant work had now stopped on the project to drain the 60-acre Umm al Nasser lake. This has increased the risk of a disaster as the lake's level, swollen by winter rains, inches towards the point where it could overflow its banks. A much smaller sewage lake, five per cent of the size of Umm al Nasser, broke through its retaining walls after the last winter rains, drowning five locals.
The European Commission (EC) announced Monday that it will launch on Friday, 1 February, a new instrument to channel European Union and international assistance as a contribution to the building of a Palestinian state.
Called PEGASE (Palestinian-European Mechanism for Management of Socio-Economic Aid) it is a follow-up to the current Temporary International Mechanism (TIM).
PEGASE will channel support for the 3-year Palestinian Reform and Development Plan which had been presented by Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayad at the Paris Donor Conference in December. According to EC sources, assistance under PEGASE will be channeled to the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.
The European Commission had pledged 440 million euro at the Paris conference for the year 2008 out of which 325 mn euro will go to PEGASE, according to EC sources. The remaining sum of 115 mn euro will be given to UNRWA and other NGOs. "The European Union is strongly committed to support the Palestinian Authoritys reform and development priorities," said EU Commissioner for external relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner in a statement.
The M26 Modular Accessory Shotgun System is a 12-gauge that can be used alone or attached to an M4 carbine with a clamp. The clip holds five lethal or nonlethal rounds. The barrel is 7-3/4-in.-long alloy steel, threaded to receive a device that ensures a 3-in. gap from the muzzle when using breaching rounds to blast open doors.
Troops tested the weapons experimental predecessor in combat for a year, and reported trouble reaching the pump to reload. Designers switched to a straight-pull bolt action. Nearly 40,000 of the 4-pound, 3-ounce (stand-alone) shotguns will be delivered to the Army early next year.
Speaker Nabih Berri and Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman agreed Monday on the need to investigate the deaths of seven people during clashes in Beirut's southern suburbs, the National News Agency reported.
It said the two sides agreed in Ain el Tineh on a "serious, effective and swift" probe to look into Sunday's incidents which occurred after angry protesters began burning tires and blocking some major roads. The protests against electricity rationing quickly degenerated into street violence and the army deployed to prevent the unrest from spreading into other areas. It was unclear how the deaths occurred and if an unidentified party opened fire. One of the people killed was an official with Berri's Amal movement who was coordinating with the army to reduce tensions.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/29/2008 00:00 ||
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Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel called for a thorough investigation into Sunday's acts of rioting, Hoping it could help "expose" culprits in the serial crimes in Lebanon.
Gemayel blamed the rioting on "political agitation that has enabled the various intelligence agencies to carry out their plots."
Commenting on a statement released by Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo, Gemayel said: "What has happened provides evidence that what goes on in Lebanon is much bigger than just a question of shares in a government."
The issue, according to Gemayel, is tantamount to "plots to topple the regime." He stressed: "Credibility of Arabs is at stake." Gemayel said a thorough investigation into the riots "could shed light on who planned and carried out other crimes including crimes committed in daylight, like the killing of dear Pierre," who was gunned down by unidentified assailants on Nov. 21, 2006.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/29/2008 00:00 ||
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To the crackle of automatic rifle fire and chants of "Saniora is the enemy of Allah," the AMAL movement on Monday buried two of its members who were killed in riots the day before. Mourners attacking Premier Fouad Saniora and shooting automatic rifles in the air, to express anger, buried the two, Ahmed Hamza and Ahmed Ajouz, in the Shahidein grave yard in south Beirut amidst chants.
AMAL politburo member Jamil Hayek accused the March 14 majority alliance, without mentioning it by name, of seeking to use the army against the opposition. "You want to use the army as a stick .. to continue with your dominance," Hayek said in his speech eulogizing the two victims. "You know that security in Lebanon is a political issue that you keep blocking by usurping powers," Hayek added.
He called for a "swift, but not hasty, investigation by security administrations" into the Sunday riots that resulted in the killing of seven people and wounding more than 20. "We want the whole truth about who attacked them Only the truth can provide the rights for all," he added.
Other than the gun sex shooting-in-the air practice and anti-Saniora chants, the mood was somber but peaceful as hundreds of people took part in the funerals. Women threw rice, and Koranic verses blared from loudspeakers as three other funeral processions got under way.
Traffic was thinner than usual throughout Beirut. In the troubled neighborhoods, troops were on the streets, shops were closed and some residents were clearing broken glass and inspecting their property. "Why did I have to bear the brunt of their anger?" Samir Adada said Monday as he stood next to his gutted Cherokee Jeep that was damaged in Sunday's riots.
Saniora had declared a day of national mourning, and calm returned to the Mar Mikhael district, where riots initially broke out. Sunday's death toll was the highest for a street disturbance since the country plunged into a crisis three years ago with the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a turning point in Lebanese politics that sparked local and international outrage and forced the Syrian army to withdraw after 30 years of control.
What started as an angry protest by anti-government protestors against electricity rationing quickly degenerated into street violence and clashes with troops. The fighting ignited memories of the 1975-90 civil war and came as Lebanon is in the middle of a political fight over who will become its next president.
The clashes erupted along the war's former demarcation line between Christian and Muslim areas and near a district where the bloody conflict, which killed 150,000, began. A hand grenade tossed by rioters into that district, Ein el-Rummaneh, injured seven people.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/29/2008 00:00 ||
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Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat said Monday it is "impossible for democratic Lebanon to coexist with Syria's dictatorship." Jumblat, in a statement to the Russian Novosti news service, renewed charges to Syria with responsibility for differences between the majority and opposition over distribution of power in Lebanon's forthcoming cabinet.
Russia "being a superpower that has clear interests in the region has an interest in stability in Lebanon, with which it has deeply-rooted cordial relations," he noted.
Jumblat said electing Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman president would be a "major accomplishment."
Jumblat, on a visit to Russia, said he would discuss with officials "the help and support" Moscow could provide to help settle the issue of electing a president for Lebanon. Electing a president, Jumblat said, is the "base for overcoming internal disputes and regaining national unity."
He explained that there are no calls for changing Syria's regime, but the discussion focuses on the ability by Russia and the west to "convince the Syrian leadership halt its intervention in Lebanon's internal affairs and focus on its own problems."
He said the opposition performance "indicates that it aims at making partnership impossible. They often use partnership as a slogan to hide their aims."
"They want to change the whole democratic regime of Lebanon," Jumblat said. "How can we go into partnership with forces that control areas that are off limits for state security?" Jumblat asked in his weekly article to be published Tuesday by the Progressive Socialist Party mouthpiece, al-Anbaa.
"How can partnership be achieved with a side that has an arsenal of missiles and a side that lacks such weapons? How can partnership be achieved with forces that adopt a culture of death and preach death?"
Posted by: Fred ||
01/29/2008 00:00 ||
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(Xinhua) -- Lebanon's Hezbollah blamed the government for Sunday's unrest which left seven people killed and called on the Lebanese army to expose the "criminal side," local Naharnet news website reported on Monday. "At a time we hold the status-quo government responsible for every drop of blood, we call on the army command to clearly announce... the criminal side that killed innocent citizens," a statement issued by Hezbollah Monday was quoted as saying.
The shooting coincided with the arrival of Lebanese troops to disperse the protestors, said the statement, adding that gunfire came as committee members of Hezbollah and Amal movement tried to facilitate the withdrawal of the demonstrators. "What happened was a big crime," said the statement. It asked whether the victims "fell by army fire, and in that case we demand to know who gave orders to soldiers to open fire."
Sunday's clash broke out when the army tried to stop some demonstrators blocking traffic with burning tires in Mar Mikhail -Al Cheyah in the southern suburb of Beirut protesting over power cuts. The confrontation then developed into gunfire, which left at least seven people dead and more than 20 others injured. Lebanese opposition movement Amal official Ali Hassan Hamzeh, who was participating in the protest, was among the seven dead.
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01/29/2008 00:00 ||
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The Lebanese army was on high alert in the capital Beirut on Monday following weekend riots that left at least seven people dead and stoked fears of civil unrest.
Troops were out in force, setting up sandbags and checkpoints along roads leading from the mainly Shiite neighbourhoods of southern Beirut to Christian areas of the capital. The scene was a stark reminder of the beginning of the 1975-1990 civil war as the first line of demarcation at the time was in the same area.
Seven people were killed in Sundays riots, including activists from the Syrian-backed opposition parties Amal and Hezbollah, a security official told AFP. About 40 people were also injured. Black Sunday said the headline in the Arabic daily Al-Mustaqbal.
Continued on Page 49
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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
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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.
It wasn't long ago that Afghan president Hamid Karzai was seen as a dependable U.S. ally on par with Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf. But as Afghanistan has fallen into violent chaosalong with Pakistantensions have erupted between Karzai and the United States and Britain. One of the most worried U.S. officials is Zalmay Khalilzad, the Afghan-born ambassador to the United Nations, who is seriously considering running for Karzai's seat himself when the next elections are held in 2009, according to several U.N. and U.S. government officials. 
When the Yemeni authorities released a convicted terrorist of Al Qaeda named 
A Colombian rebel leader has been jailed for 60 years by a US court, in connection with the kidnapping of three US intelligence operatives in 2003. 
The Interior Ministry on Monday rejected claims by the lawyer for British terror suspect 
The Mehsud tribes grand jirga on Monday demanded the government stop targeting the houses of innocent tribesmen during its ongoing war against local Taliban commander 
The situation in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, rocked by blasts blamed on Al-Qaeda, is worse than imagined, the defence minister said, as troops were poised for an assault on the jihadists.
The European Commission (EC) announced Monday that it will launch on Friday, 1 February, a new instrument to channel European Union and international assistance as a contribution to the building of a Palestinian state.
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat said Monday it is "impossible for democratic Lebanon to coexist with Syria's dictatorship." Jumblat, in a statement to the Russian Novosti news service, renewed charges to Syria with responsibility for differences between the majority and opposition over distribution of power in Lebanon's forthcoming cabinet. 
