The Pentagon said Monday that newly obtained imagery prompted a review of a US investigation into an air strike in Afghanistan that found that only five to seven civilians were killed, not 90 as the Afghan government found.
General David McKiernan, the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, said in a statement Sunday that he had asked the US Central Command to appoint a general to review the investigation in response to "emerging evidence."
"There is some evidence to suggest that the evidence the United States military used in the conduct of its investigation may not have been complete," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said on Monday. Whitman said the evidence was "imagery," but would give no details. A spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Kabul said it was cellphone imagery taken by a villager.
The military investigated the incident after the Afghan government and UN investigators charged that some 90 civilians were killed by an air strike called in by US and Afghan forces in the village of Azizabad in western Afghanistan.
A US military investigation concluded that five to seven civilians were killed along with 30 to 35 Taliban fighters, a conclusion that the military has emphatically stood by until now.
"In this particular incident we put out the best information we had on that particular incident, and we conducted an investigation," Whitman said. "While we attempt to do very thorough and comprehensive investigations, we also try to do them in an expeditious fashion, particularly in this case because it had a lot of interest and there were some conflicting reports," he said. Rest at link
Posted by: ed ||
09/08/2008 12:31 ||
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The U.S. military said Sunday it has "new information" about an American attack that Afghanistan says killed 90 civilians and it is sending a senior military officer to the country to review its initial investigation that concluded no more than seven civilians died.
The military did not say what new information had emerged. But Afghan and Western officials say Afghanistan's intelligence agency and the U.N. both have video of the aftermath of the airstrikes on Azizabad village showing dozens of dead women and children.
An Afghan government commission has said 90 civilians, including 60 children and 15 women, died in the Aug. 22 bombings, a finding that the U.N. backed in its own initial report. But a U.S. investigation released Tuesday said only up to seven civilians and 35 militants were killed in the operation in the western province of Herat.
A U.N. official who has seen one video of Azizabad told The Associated Press it shows maimed children. The official became highly emotional describing rows of bodies.
A second Western official has said one video shows bodies of "tens of children" lined up and he called the video "gruesome." The two officials spoke on condition they not be identified because the videos had not been publicly released.
Although the U.S. said Tuesday its investigation was complete, the military at that time appeared to leave open the possibility that photographs or video of the scene could emerge. American officials said privately last week that they were aware photographic evidence apparently existed, but that they did not have access to it. "No other evidence that may have been collected by other organizations was provided to the U.S. investigating officer and therefore could not be considered in the findings," the initial U.S. report said.
On Sunday, Gen. David McKiernan -- the senior U.S. officer in Afghanistan and the commander of the 40-nation NATO-led mission -- had requested that an American general travel from U.S. Central Command in Florida to Afghanistan to review the U.S. investigation.
That announcement followed by one day a statement attributed to McKiernan on Azizabad that said: "We realize there is a large discrepancy between the number of civilians casualties reported" and McKiernan would continue to "try to account for this disparity."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/08/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
An Afghan government commission has said 90 civilians, including 60 children and 15 women, died in the Aug. 22 bombings
Thus justifying the jihadi's objective -If you surround yourselves with women and children nobody should be able to (legitimately) take you out i.e."human shields work".
#3
I saw CNN acting like this story of 90 civilians killed was true aiders and abetters that they are. They can't or unwilling to distinguish between truth and propaganda. CNN reporters are either part of the hate America crowd or just too lazy to engage in honest reporting.
The United Nations on Sunday threatened to suspend emergency food deliveries to parts of war-torn Darfur in western Sundan if the security situation does not improve. The warning comes after a surge of hijackings and bandit attacks.
The UN's World Food Program (WFP) said "relentless" attacks on its food convoys, workers and drivers were pushing staff to the limit. More than 100 vehicles carrying WFP food aid have been hijacked in Darfur this year, with 43 drivers and 63 trucks still missing. Many more have been shot at and robbed, the UN agency said.
"Should these attacks continue, the situation will become intolerable -- to the point that we will have to suspend operations in some areas of Darfur," the WFP's Deputy Representative in Sudan, Monika Midel, said.
WFP spokesman Rachid Jaafar told reporters the agency had not decided which delivery routes would be cut. "But large numbers will be affected," he said. The WFP currently delivers food to more than 3 million people in Darfur, he added.
The agency put out its statement after three trucks and four staff members were hijacked in south Darfur last Wednesday. The vehicles were recovered on Saturday and the workers rescued.
Aid groups working in the world's largest humanitarian operation say they are also regularly plagued by small armed gangs and bandits, targeting their vehicles, staff and compounds.
The WFP cut its Darfur food rations in May, blaming a rise in attacks. The agency said almost 50,000 people received no food aid at all in July because of security problems. Sunday's announcement came days after German Agro Action, suspended food deliveries to 450,000 people in North Darfur after threats against its staff.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/08/2008 00:00 ||
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The Sudanese government on Sunday denied claims by rebels of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) that the army has launched a massive attack in north Darfur, resulting in heavy casualties. "Nope. Nope. Never happened."
Sudanese military spokesman Brigadier Mohamed Osman Al Aghbash said there were no military operations in that area recently other than routine security work, in remarks carried early Sunday by the government-linked Sudan Media Center. "They're just saying that stuff because they don't like us!"
Rebels claimed government and militia forces attacked their positions on Saturday around the north Dafur towns of Disa, Birmaza and Tawila, causing heavy casualties. "They are attacking our positions now as I speak," Salah Bob, a field commander from the SLA faction headed by exiled leader Abdel Wahid Mohammed Nur, told Reuters, speaking from Kejadam in eastern Jebel Marra. "They are government soldiers, and we are fighting back," he added.
"We have seen 63 bodies, they are both SLA and government (soldiers)" said Ibrahim al-Hillo, a commander from the same SLA faction, speaking from Darfur. "It is heavy, there are more than 20 civilians killed -- but relatives who are trying to contact their family can't reach them, so it may be more," he added. "The government (forces) are still in the area, we cannot check that yet."
Fighting was continuing Sunday in the eastern Jebel Marra region of west Darfur following government attacks the previous day backed by four helicopters and two Antonov aircraft, a rebel commander said. A spokesman for the joint African Union-UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) said they had no reports of fresh attacks but were investigating the claims.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/08/2008 00:00 ||
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Wrapping her multi-leg tour in North Africa, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice held talks in Morocco Sunday on issues including terrorism, where an Al-Qaeda-linked group has claimed attacks.
Rice met her Moroccan counterpart Taieb Fassi-Fihri as part of the last leg of her tour of the region, which has included a landmark meeting with Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi.
"It is quite clear that there are problems of terrorism and need for counter-terrorism cooperation among the partners here, among the states here, and we, the US," Rice told reporters later in the day.
Western Sahara conflict
Besides terrorism, Washington's top diplomat discussed the conflict involving Western Sahara, where the Polisario Front has been seeking independence.
Rabat has objected to independence and has proposed autonomy for the territory on the North West African coast. Before the visit, Morocco had expressed hope Rice could help break the impasse over Western Sahara.
"The US looks forward to supporting the UN effort there to find a mutually agreed agreement," Rice said.
Morocco and Polisario have been engaged in UN-sponsored negotiations over the former Spanish colony's future since June last year.
During a visit the previous day to Algeria, Rice had also discussed that country's cooperation in the fight against terrorism in talks with President Abedelaziz Bouteflika.
She reiterated that Washington needed close counter-terror cooperation in the region, which is periodically hit by violence blamed on al Qaeda. An estimated 125 people were killed in a surge of violence in Algeria in August in attacks by al Qaeda's North Africa wing and clashes between the army and militants.
Rice's route within Algeria was the subject of heightened security precautions, after a jihadist on an Islamist website urged the North African branch of Al-Qaeda to assassinate Rice during her regional tour.
In July, Morocco's MAP news agency reported that 35 alleged recruiters for Al-Qaeda operations in Algeria and Iraq were arrested by police in Morocco.
Upon arrival in Morocco on Saturday, Rice met Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi, Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa and Yassine Mansouri, the head of military intelligence during a dinner.
Rice, due to leave for home later on Sunday, also lauded close ties between Morocco and the United States and said: "I can think of no better way to end my trip."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/08/2008 00:00 ||
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The Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) yesterday asked the Election Commission (EC) not to register Jamaat-e-Islami as the party is not eligible for registration. "Jamaat-e-Islami is not eligible for registration because the party's constitution is in conflict with the criteria laid down in the Representation of the People Ordinance (RPO)," Mujahidul Islam Selim, general secretary of CPB, said.
He was talking to reporters after holding talks with the EC. The new RPO provision on registration of political parties says a political party shall not be qualified for registration if any discrimination regarding religion, race, caste, language or sex is apparent in its constitution.
Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Inu) also asked the EC not to register those political parties, which opposed the birth of Bangladesh. JSD also asked the EC to bar war criminals -- who were tried under a special tribunal after the independence -- from contesting the polls.
On the second day of the talks between the EC and different political parties yesterday, CPB, JSD (Inu) and Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh (BDB) leaders discussed different issues including registration of their parties with the EC. During the talks, CPB and JSD asked the EC to hold the general election first without wasting time on upazila polls. Both parties demanded that the state of emergency be withdrawn to hold a free and fair election.
The EC meanwhile talked about relaxing the state of emergency for the polls to which BDB Secretary General Maj (retd) Abdul Mannan said they don't have any objection. Mannan also said that his party would be able to apply for registration within the timeframe given by the commission. But JSD chief Hasanul Haq Inu said it is not possible for JSD to apply within this timeframe. He suggested that some criteria for registration be suspended for the time being. CPB Secretary General Selim said his party is ready to apply for registration but would wait to see how EC accommodates the opinions of the different parties at talks.
Liberal Democratic Party, Islami Oikyo Jote (IOJ), Jatiya Party (JP) and Jamaat-e-Islami are scheduled for talks with EC today. However Jamaat and IOJ have decided to boycott the talks like BNP, which boycotted the talks yesterday.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/08/2008 00:00 ||
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LONDON (Reuters) - A British woman has paid 1.5 million pounds in a charity auction to fly with the Royal Air Force's aerobatic Red Arrows display jets, the Help for Heroes charity said on Monday.
Julie Heselden's winning bid gives her and eight family members or friends the opportunity to fly in the nine famous display Hawk jets after the Royal Air Force put the Red Arrows up for auction for the first time.
Heselden is married to Jimi Heselden. He owns HESCO Bastion, a company that makes temporary blast walls used widely by British and U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"We are speechless," the RAF said in a statement after Heselden's bid at the Heroes' Ball on Friday, a fundraiser for the HFH charity which provides support for servicemen and women injured in the line of duty.
"We know it is a special prize -- a once in a lifetime opportunity -- but we are all astounded that someone could be so generous," the RAF said.
"The RAF is genuinely delighted to have helped in raising such a fantastic amount of money for such a worthwhile charity."
Just under a year after being set up the HFH charity has raised more than 10 million pounds.
"The charity has grasped the imagination of the public as they become increasingly aware of the price some of our servicemen and women are paying in serving their country," said a spokesman for the charity.
#1
Ten million pounds? Tommy is better loved than the Prime Minister knew. What a generous lady Mrs. Heselden is, and what fun she and her friends will have!
On the eve of a European Union shuttle mission to convince Russia to pull its troops back to prewar positions, Georgia's president vowed Sunday to regain control of two breakaway provinces with the help of "the rest of the world."
A month after the Aug. 7 outbreak of war in the region and weeks after a cease-fire was approved, Russian troops remain entrenched deep inside Georgian territory.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is due in Moscow on Monday at the head of an EU delegation charged with reducing tensions and ensuring Russian compliance with the cease-fire terms, which include withdrawing its troops to positions held before the fighting broke out. Russia says those troops are peacekeepers and that they are allowed under the accord.
Despite the presence of Russian troops on Georgian soil, President Mikhail Saakashvili said the West would help his country regain control of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the separatist regions of Georgia recognized as independent nations by Moscow last month.
"Our territorial integrity will be restored, I am more convinced of this than ever," Saakashvili said in a televised appearance. "This will not be an easy process, but now this is a process between an irate Russia and the rest of the world."
"Our goal is the return of our territory and the peaceful unification of Georgia," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/08/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Despite the presence of Russian troops on Georgian soil, President Mikhail Saakashvili said the West would help his country regain control of South Ossetia and Abkhazia
#5
ION TOPIX > NEW EAST-WEST PROXY WARS. THE DEVELOPING WORLD [Third World] IS NOW AT RUSSIA'S BORDERS. Instead of being fought Milyuhns and Zilyuhns of miles from Russ borders, in faraway regions and continents, FORMER THIRD WORLD = NOW DEVELOPING WORLD PLACES OF US-USSR/SOVIET, COLD WAR MILPOL CONFRONTATIONISM IS OCCURRING JUST O'ER THE NEXT RUSS BORDER STATION AND HILLTOP(S).
* KOMMERSANT > TURKEY DEALS WITH RUSSIA IN THE CAUCASUS; + TOPIX > THE GEORGIAN CONFLICT, AND IRAN AND TURKEY.
Also from TOPIX > DUBAI PLANS NEW OIL-GAS PIPELINE NETWORK TO BYPASS THE IRAN "HORMUZ" THREAT [Iran-led Gulf Shutdown]???; + ISLAMIST INSURGENCIES MAY USE CBRN "DIRTY BOMBS", ADVANCED CHEAP/COPY WEAPONS IN FUTURE.
Is Kim Jong-il for real? The question has baffled foreign intelligence agencies for years but now a veteran Japanese expert on North Korea says the "dear leader" is actually dead -- and his role is played by a double. I think that's my candidate for "Most Unlikely Story of the Year."
The expert says Kim died of diabetes in 2003 and world leaders including Vladimir Putin of Russia and Hu Jintao of China have been negotiating with an impostor.
No substantive policy decisions have been taken since North Korea joined nuclear disarmament talks in 2003
He believes that Kim, fearing assassination, had groomed up to four lookalikes to act as substitutes at public events. One underwent plastic surgery to make his appearance more convincing. Now, the expert claims, the actors are brought on stage whenever required to persuade the masses that Kim is alive.
The author has been derided by rival analysts of the hermetic communist state.
"Cheez!"
"Not that goofy nonsense!"
"Not even worthy of the Times!"
Yet so few facts are known about North Korea's ruling dynasty that some of the strange things reported in Professor Toshimitsu Shigemura's bestselling book cannot be readily explained. "Scholars don't trust my reasoning but intelligence people see the possibility that it will turn out to be accurate," he said. "I have identified and pinned down every source."
The book, The True Character of Kim Jong-il, cites sources from inside North Korea and from the intelligence services of Japan and South Korea. One of its principal claims is that a voiceprint analysis of Kim's speech at a 2004 meeting with Junichiro Koizumi, then the Japanese prime minister, did not match an authenticated earlier recording.
His book traces Kim's supposed demise to autumn 2003 when he vanished for about 42 days. Most analysts put this down to mourning for one of his wives, a power struggle inside the Kim dynasty or fear of an American strike.
Kim's poor health has been the subject of speculation for decades. The professor's contribution is to cite Russian and Chinese sources saying he had diabetes and illnesses of the heart, liver and lungs, with depression thrown in. There have been persistent reports that a stand-in appears for Kim at military parades and he is notoriously reclusive. He did not appear in public to receive the Olympic torch in Pyongyang on April 28.
The professor argues that no substantive policy decisions have been taken since North Korea joined nuclear disarmament talks in 2003.
South Korean analysts who attended two summits with Kim (before and after his supposed death) reported that he had indeed changed appearance. But that was because he had lost weight, quit smoking, given up cognac in favour of red bordeaux and coaxed the rest of the politburo onto a health kick.
#5
I'm thinking Diamonds are Forever, in which Bond had to kill Ernst Stavro Blofeld's impersonator, because having more than one Charles Gray doing the Time Warp would have been intolerable.
Now imagine KJI dressed up as Dr. Frankfurter and doing the Time Warp again.
#7
The two comparative photos do appear to be different people, with the latest one looking younger, but then cosmetic surgery can do wonders. Kim's vanity makes surgery a real probability, though.
On a flight to Kalispell, Mont., Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., was asked by a reporter, "Do you still believe in a tripartite solution to Iraq?"
His answer lasted 13 minutes, 20 seconds.
Before we reprint it, in full, it's only fair to ponder how long Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's answer to such a question would be.
Mr. Biden's response:
"The Bush administration's policy in the beginning -- and John's -- continues to be a strong, central government, democracy, that will gain the confidence of all the Iraqi people that would be a democratic institution that would make the dominoes of the oligarchies fall in the Middle East. That was success, that's what they talked about. Now what's happened? Where there's relative peace, where is it? It's up in the Kurdish area. Where? Where they don't allow Shia troops to come up. Where they don't allow the Iraqi army to come up without their permission. There is now relative calm in Anbar. Why? They did exactly what I proposed two years ago. They turned over authority and trained homegrown local Sh-- Sunnis. And said we promise you, those Shia aren't coming and patrolling your streets. That's called the awakening. That's what got all of the sheikhs to come together and say OK. I predicted if you ask the sheikhs to have their sons join the army or join the police force, the security forces and you told them they'd protect their own area, they'd join in droves. The first day Petraeus wisely made that offer, a thousand Sunnis showed up for the police force. . . . ."
Click through if you really want to read it all. According to MS Word, it's 1,317 words long.
Posted by: Mike ||
09/08/2008 09:22 ||
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#2
Let's imagine what happens if, after Obama misses a heratbeat, Mr Bidden is asked that simple question:
"Missiles are heading to the United States what are your irders" and takes 13 minutes and 20 seconds to answer.
Let's imagine what happens if Putin begins to think that it will take President Bidden 13 minutes and twenty seconds to answer that question.
#4
Y'know, I think I found a perfect Dem for McCain's cabinet, if McCain should win.
Biden would make a wonderful Secretary of State.
Seriously.....he could bloviate for hours. He could tie up the entire afternoon for Putin, Imanutjob and Lil' Kimmie over the topic of how he likes his tea.
(Ok, maybe UN Rep, but you get the idea.....)
Posted by: Swamp Blondie in the Cornfields ||
09/08/2008 10:44 Comments ||
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#9
"On a flight to Kalispell, Mont., Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del..."spoke about Iraq for "13 minutes, 20 seconds," being cut short only due to the fact that the flight's duration was 13 minutes, 20 seconds.
#10
Joe Biden The Delaware State Bird,
Or "The Fightin Blue Hen."
Skooled in the Tripartite Hen House!
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
09/08/2008 13:49 Comments ||
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#11
Biden is going to take a beating during the debates.
After seeing her performance in the Alaska gubernatorial debate I have one and only one concern about her performance. She tends to give very short direct answers and often doesn't utilize even the full time allotted for her answer. Even if she wipes the floor with Biden the media will seize on this point as evidence that she's vapid and has little to add to the national discussion.
#18
Only to the extent that their mindless blathering can still swing a few of the more uninformed voters in the crowd. And these days that might be enough to turn a national election. Like it or not they're always going to have that sort of influence.
By DEXTER FILKINS
Late in the afternoon of June 10, during a firefight with Taliban militants along the Afghan-Pakistani border, American soldiers called in airstrikes to beat back the attack. The firefight was taking place right on the border itself, known in military jargon as the “zero line.” Afghanistan was on one side, and the remote Pakistani region known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, or FATA, was on the other. The stretch of border was guarded by three Pakistani military posts.
The American bombers did the job, and then some. By the time the fighting ended, the Taliban militants had slipped away, the American unit was safe and 11 Pakistani border guards lay dead. The airstrikes on the Pakistani positions sparked a diplomatic row between the two allies: Pakistan called the incident “unprovoked and cowardly”; American officials regretted what they called a tragic mistake. But even after a joint inquiry by the United States, Pakistan and Afghanistan, it remained unclear why American soldiers had reached the point of calling in airstrikes on soldiers from Pakistan, a critical ally in the war in Afghanistan and the campaign against terrorism.
The mystery, at least part of it, was solved in July by four residents of Suran Dara, a Pakistani village a few hundred yards from the site of the fight. According to two of these villagers, whom I interviewed together with a local reporter, the Americans started calling in airstrikes on the Pakistanis after the latter started shooting at the Americans.
“When the Americans started bombing the Taliban, the Frontier Corps started shooting at the Americans,” we were told by one of Suran Dara’s villagers, who, like the others, spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being persecuted or killed by the Pakistani government or the Taliban. “They were trying to help the Taliban. And then the American planes bombed the Pakistani post.”
For years, the villagers said, Suran Dara served as a safe haven for jihadist fighters — whether from Afghanistan or Pakistan or other countries — giving them aid and shelter and a place to stash their weapons. With the firefight under way, one of Suran Dara’s villagers dashed across the border into Afghanistan carrying a field radio with a long antenna (the villager called it “a Motorola”) to deliver to the Taliban fighters. He never made it. The man with the Motorola was hit by an American bomb. After the fight, wounded Taliban members were carried into Suran Dara for treatment. “Everyone supports the Taliban on both sides of the border,” one of the villagers we spoke with said.
Later, an American analyst briefed by officials in Washington confirmed the villagers’ account. “There have been dozens of incidents where there have been exchanges of fire,” he said.
That American and Pakistani soldiers are fighting one another along what was meant to be a border between allies highlights the extraordinarily chaotic situation unfolding inside the Pakistani tribal areas, where hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Taliban, along with Al Qaeda and other foreign fighters, enjoy freedom from American attacks.
But the incident also raises one of the more fundamental questions of the long war against Islamic militancy, and one that looms larger as the American position inside Afghanistan deteriorates: Whose side is Pakistan really on? Rest of long article and pics at link.
Posted by: ed ||
09/08/2008 12:24 ||
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#1
Whose side is Pakistan really on?
But we know the answer to that. We just have to pretend because the best route to supply the forces in Afghanistan runs through Pakistan.
Tense relations between the Mehsood and Wazir tribes in South Waziristan ended on Sunday as the tribes agreed to resolve their issues through dialogue.
The tribes reached an agreement in a jirga organised by political authorities, attended by elders from both sides.
The tribes agreed to hand over vehicles seized from each other to the political authorities.
Elders from both sides said they would consult the political authorities during any future crisis, and that there would be no restrictions on the flow of transport in the agency. Another jirga is scheduled between the tribes for September 12.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/08/2008 00:00 ||
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Ammar Al Balochi, who, all accounts suggest, is Dr Aafia Siddiqui's second and current husband, is in Guantanamo, facing trial by a military tribunal on terrorism-related charges.
There were six Pakistanis left at the United Sataes detention facility, one of whom, Qari Muhammad Saeed Iqbal, was repatriated to Pakistan recently and is now undergoing debriefing by the authorities at home. The other four still have to get their fate decided. Their names are, Majid Khan, a taxi driver from Baltimore, Abdul Rabbani, Ahmed Ghulam Rabbani and Saifullah Paracha.
An eight-member delegation of Pakistani senators led by Mushahid Hussain is expected to arrive here at the end of this month for a short visit to Guantanamo.
US authorities do not permit anyone to meet or even see the detainees. All the visitors are shown are some of the prisons where these men are being kept, as well as kitchens and medical facilities. However, they are briefed by officials in charge of the vast prison built from scratch after the first prisoners were brought here from Afghanistan and elsewhere following the invasion of Afghanistan in the aftermath of 9/11.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/08/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Not at PENN STATE is he - well, D *** IT, we'll see about that!?
US General David Petraeus, the man credited with curbing sectarian violence in Iraq, will hand the command of US-led forces in Iraq to General Raymond Odierno on September 16, his spokesman said Sunday. Petraeus will take over as the new chief of Central Command in late October, with responsibility for US troops from the Horn of Africa to Central Asia, including live conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, Colonel Steven Boylan said.
The expected shift will come at a time when pressure is growing to beef up the US troop presence in Afghanistan, where the level of violence is now higher than in Iraq.
In July, Petraeus was approved by the US Senate to head Central Command after Admiral William Fallon abruptly stepped down from the post in March, saying that reports describing him as at odds with the White House over how to deal with Iran had become "a distraction."
Before leaving Iraq, Petraeus will offer to US President George W. Bush his recommendations on troop cuts in Iraq amid a drop in violence which is currently at a four-year low. The gains made since late last year have already allowed Washington to withdraw five combat brigades that were deployed as part of the surge.
In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Petraeus said US combat troops could be out of Baghdad by July 2009. He told the London-based business daily that Iraq was a "dramatically changed country" since he took over in February 2007, pointing to a "degree of hope that was not present 19 months ago."
Petraeus insisted, however, that "innumerable challenges" still remain, particularly the unresolved status of the northern oil city of Kirkuk, persistent sectarian tensions, and the continuing if diminished capabilities of Al-Qaeda.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/08/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Congratulations to Generals Petraeus and Odierno. I wish you all success in your new responsibilities.
The Nation's honor is secure in your very capable keeping. Thank you, sirs.
Posted by: Chris W. ||
09/08/2008 11:32 Comments ||
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#4
Thank you Generals. You skillfully dealt with our enemies and the donk Congress. There were times it was difficult to tell the difference between the donk Congress and our enemies I am sure. Thanks.
#5
I just hope that the next generation MBT isn't a tank, but rather a swarm of semi-autonomous unmanned killbots. A Abrams or, preferably, a Stryker can suffice for the mobile pillboxes for the operators.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
09/08/2008 12:59 Comments ||
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#6
I think more likely a compact 2 man tank where the jobs of loader and gunner are taken over by machines.
Posted by: ed ||
09/08/2008 13:17 Comments ||
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Israeli President Shimon Peres said Sunday he opposes a military strike on Iran and prefers the use of international economic sanctions to persuade Tehran to halt its nuclear enrichment program.
"A military operation is not necessary. I do not think the Americans think in these terms because they have many other cards to play," Peres told Israeli public radio after a meeting with U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney in Italy. "If the Americans manage to form a coalition to unify their positions with those of Europeans, they have sufficient means to exert pressure on the Iranians," Peres added.
Peres had met Cheney on the sidelines of the Ambrosetti forum on Italy's Lake Como, an international gathering of leaders and experts focused mostly on economic issues.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said last month after a meeting with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that Israel would not rule out any options to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/08/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Fortunately, the president of Israel is a figurehead with no power whatsoever. Much like the King of Belgium, I think.
Just over a month ago, prospects for peace in the troubled southern Philippines looked brighter than in a long time. A Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain had been drawn up, extending the land area to be administered by autonomous Muslim leaders. Mediators had helped maintain a ceasefire; a compromise definition of the eternally sticky concept of Ancestral Domain appeared possible. Now, the MoA is dead, the negotiating panel abolished, the ceasefire abandoned and hopes for peace dashed.
"It was in 1996 that then President (Fidel) Ramos reached a peace deal with the MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front). Negotiations resumed under President (Gloria) Arroyo in 2001. So now we've lost 12 years, we've lost ground, we've lost goodwill," said Marites Vitug, author of several books about Mindanao and editor of Newsbreak, a Philippines news magazine.
In the past few months, negotiations between the Arroyo government and the MILF appeared to be making progress - until the Philippine Supreme Court blocked ratification. On 5 August, government officials and foreign diplomats flocked to Malaysia - which mediated the process - for the planned signing of the MoA , only to retreat red-faced. The court was responding to virulent protests by Christian communities in areas of Mindanao that the agreement would convert into Muslim-controlled lands.
Conflict immediately broke out on the ground, with Philippine military claims that Muslim rebels were occupying villages being countered by MILF complaints that the government could not be trusted. With perhaps half a million people displaced and some hundreds killed, observers now concur that two MILF commanders - Kato and Bravo - did launch attacks in Lanao del Norte and North Cotabato. The MILF leadership has blamed the attacks on what it calls these two "renegade" commanders, but refuses to hand them over.
"We were informed that long before 5 August, the military had been moving troops into an area in Lanao del Norte that was close to an MILF camp and so the MILF shored up their forces - this could explain why hostilities were so quick to break out," said Amina Rasul, director of the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy, a Manila-based think tank. What she cannot understand is why long-standing mechanisms of ceasefire enforcement were not activated, mediators brought in and the violence stopped. "Instead, both sides went at each other. Instead of cool heads prevailing, military action immediately took place," Ms Rasul said.
#2
I'm telling Guam locals that the ISLAMIST STRIFES/TROUBLES in the Philipines andor Indonesia is just over the horizon from GUAM + CNMI + MICRONESIA/CENTPAC, and is separate or exclusive from any CHINESE-SPECIFIC DESIGNS ON GUAM-WESTPAC = PACRIM ALA "STRING-OF-PEARLS" , ETC. ANTI-US GEOPOL STRATEGEMS.
I've argued to same that once emplaced here on Guam, the Islamists per se WILL WORK TO [quickly]COMPLETELY CHANGE AND ALTER THE LOCAL ESTABLISHMENT = STATUS QUO [Govt-Politics, Econ, Culture, Faith, Identity]AS GUAM-WESTPAC, ETC. = PACRIM KNOWS THINGS TO BE, IN FAVOR OF ISLAM + ANTI-AMERICANISM/WESTERNISM + ANTI-DEMOCRACY.
The Islamist Threat is already causing a Local- Regional RIPPLE/DOMINO EFFECT, as I'm seeing more and more INDIAN + MALAY-INDONES INDIVIDUALS around Guam, AND EXCLUSIVE OF ANY CHINESE OR KOREANS TRYING TO SNEAK IN [crashing boats on reefs]. I hope the INDIANS + MALAYS-INDONES are here LEGALLY???
#3
GUAM > is not facing only MILYUHNS AND ZILYUHNS OF NEW GENERATIONS OF FILIPINOS PER SE, LEGAL ANDOR ILLEGAL ALA THE PROPOSED USMC RELOC FROM OKINAWA NOR FROM THE RADICAL ISLAMIST THREAT IN THE PI.
#4
OOPSIES, forgot to remind NET [last week] > JAPAN + SOKOR + PHILIPPINE NEWS > Iff there is NO FINAL AGREEMENT, etc. BWTN THE US-JAPAN OVER THE REPLACEMENT OF MCAS FUTENMA TO NEW US-DESIRED, BUT JAPANESE-RESISTED, ALTERNATE MILFACS AROUND OKINAWA-JAPAN, THERE WILL BE NO RELOC OF US MARINES FROM OKINAWA TO GUAM???
#6
TOPIX > MUSLIM UNREST MAY SPREAD + OVER HALF-MILLION DISPLACED IN SOUTH PHILIPPINES FIGHTING + PHILIPPINE GOVT, ARMED FORCES BRACE FOR RENEWED FIGHTING AGZ SEPARATISTS + MILF REBELS: PHILIPPINE GOVT USING MILITARY, NOT DIPLOMATIC APPROACH + SULTAN SAYS NINE HEIRS MUST UNITED UNDER SABAH [Claimants to Muslim Sulu + North Borneo Sultanate].
ALso from TOPIX > DEMOCRATS [Democrats ABroad-Philippines]SAY OBAMA VICTORY WILL BE GOOD FOR RP [Republic of the Philippines]. More US $$$ econ aid + Legal Status in US for ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS [37.0Milyuhn in USA, mostly Hispanic] + FILIPINO MIL VETERANS.
A joint research satellite of China, Iran and Thailand was launched on a Chinese rocket on Sunday aimed at boosting cooperation on natural disasters such as earthquakes, an Iranian minister said on Sunday.
The announcement came just a few weeks after Iran said on Aug. 17 it had put a dummy satellite into orbit on a domestically made rocket for the first time. U.S. officials said the attempted launch was a failure.
Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Soleimani said the three countries had worked together on the satellite which he said was equipped with cameras.
Successful launch
"This morning it was launched successfully and it was placed into orbit," Soleimani told state television, without giving details. "Iran and China and regional countries are countries which have a lot of natural disasters," he said. "God willing, we can have good activities in the direction of aerospace research."
China is among six world powers seeking to convince Iran to halt nuclear work the West fears is aimed at making bombs, but it has been reluctant to consider steps that might hurt its energy ties with the world's fourth-largest oil exporter.
Iran caused international concern in February by testing a domestically made rocket as part of its satellite program, the Explorer 1. It said it needed two more similar tests before putting a satellite made domestically into orbit.
Dual-use technology
The long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into space can also be used for launching weapons.
The West believes Tehran is seeking to develop more advanced missile technology so it can launch atomic warheads. Iran denies any such intention and says its nuclear program is peaceful.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who visited Beijing on Saturday, last month said Iran planned to launch a telecommunications satellite.
The head of Iran's aerospace organization, Reza Taghipour, has said Iran was working with Russia and other Asian states to launch a satellite and also that it would cooperate with Islamic states in building one.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/08/2008 00:00 ||
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A new report in the Middle East confirms Hezbollah has begun using the online social network Facebook to learn more about Israel's military bases and soldiers, who are potential kidnapping targets.
According to Israeli Yeshiva World News, leaders in Israel's Defense Forces have launched a new awareness program to warn soldiers about what information they reveal on the Internet. The soldiers are cautioned about including their branch of service, any unit details or virtually any information about some of the more classified units in the air force and intelligence.
The report also said that according to Israeli intelligence officials " Facebook is a major resource for terrorists, seeking to gather information on soldiers and IDF units and the fear is soldiers might even unknowingly arrange to meet an Internet companion who in reality is a terrorist."
The report said one soldier who serves in an intelligence unit was sentenced for 19 days in a military brig because he posted on Facebook a photograph of the base at which he is assigned.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/08/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
So i can only hope thay have taken this information and turned it into a sting to take some Hezbo's out of action..
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt warned that breaking out of a Sunni-Shiite conflict would provide Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime with a "pretext to intervene in Lebanon." Picked right up on that, didn't you, Wally?
Jumblatt, in an interview with the Saudi newspaper Okaz, criticized Damascus for refusing to provide Lebanon with a document recognizing Lebanese sovereignty over the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms region. Does that raise maybe the tiniest suspicion that they don't?
He also rejected proposals for Lebanese-Israeli peace talks saying the "relations between the state of Lebanon and the state of Israel are governed by the 1949 armistice accord." He said Lebanon should not go into talks with Israel before the creation of a "viable" Palestinian state and "until Israel accepts the right of the Palestinian refugees to return" to their pre-Israel Palestine in line with U.N. General Assembly resolution 194 of 1948.
Jumblatt voiced "concern" because of the delay in launching the international tribunal that would try suspects in the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri and related crimes. He called for "reconciliation in the north," emphasizing on "importance of assigning the army to crack down on all troublemakers."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/08/2008 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Just over a month ago, prospects for peace in the troubled southern Philippines looked brighter than in a long time. A Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain had been drawn up, extending the land area to be administered by autonomous Muslim leaders. Mediators had helped maintain a ceasefire; a compromise definition of the eternally sticky concept of Ancestral Domain appeared possible. Now, the MoA is dead, the negotiating panel abolished, the ceasefire abandoned and hopes for peace dashed. 
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt warned that breaking out of a Sunni-Shiite conflict would provide Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime with a "pretext to intervene in Lebanon."
