The presence of British forces in Afghanistan is providing oxygen for Al Qaeda, the head of United Nations' Al Qaeda Monitoring Unit has said.
According to the Observer, Richard Barrett, who reports directly to the UN Security Council, said the deployments of foreign troops in the country was acting as the 'glue' with which Al Qaeda network was bonding support in the region.
The Observer said the British government had sent its forces to Helmand province to prevent the region from becoming a safe haven for Al Qaeda. Barrett said the presence of NATO troops and coalition forces in Afghanistan was helping Al Qaeda consolidate its position on the Pak-afghan border by offering the terrorist group a target.
According to the Observer, the same case was in Iraq where military commanders had warned that British forces in Basra had fuelled support for the insurgency.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda
#1
PakiTimes Newsflash: Presence of British forces in Normandy provides oxygen for Nazis.
Posted by: ed ||
09/15/2008 0:22 Comments ||
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#2
And existence of Jews provides oxygen for Nazis. At least, according to the United Nations Al Qaeda Sponsoring Unit.
#3
What is it with working for the UN that rots peoples' brains? This POS, Michael Moloch Brown, Kofi Annan - the list is endless. I can see no valid reason for continuing to fund something that is destructive of humanity, either individually or in large masses.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/15/2008 15:19 Comments ||
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#4
Have they figured out what terriorism is over at Turtle Bay yet, or is it still in commitee?
A rival tribe provided false information for the US military in an operation that killed up to 90 Afghan civilians last month, official says. "There was total misinformation fed to the coalition forces," said Humayun Hamidzada, the spokesman for President Hamid karzai.
Afghanistan's Interior Ministry said Friday three suspects were detained for their role in the US bombardment of the village of Azizabad. The three are accused of giving the US military false information, which led to the imprecise August 22 bombing of the village of Azizabad, in Afghanistan's Herat province.
An Afghan government commission, later backed by a preliminary UN report, found that up to 90 civilians, including 60 children, were killed. Villagers of Azizabad say their homes were targeted because of false information provided by a rival tribesman named Nader Tawakil.
The bombing disaster, in which 'not a single Taliban' was killed, has caused a strain on the US-Afghan relationship, Hamidzada said. He specially regretted the 'total denials' on the part of the United States military concerning the tragedy.
The US at first claimed no civilians were killed in the operation, saying they had killed a known militant commander named Mullah Sidiq and 30 militants. Later, a formal military investigation into the incident said that up to 35 militants and seven civilians were killed in the attack.
The US findings were gravely compromised last week after video images from Azizabad showing at least 10 dead children and around 40 villagers surfaced. The U.S plans to investigate the strike again, which the Afghan government has called unnecessary as they already have the facts.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Iranian shit-stirring?
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
09/15/2008 11:11 Comments ||
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#2
Not necessarily. There's enough inter-tribal animosity to make it a valid reason.
The trial of 19 alleged Darfur rebels accused of taking part in an unprecedented attack on the Sudanese capital in May was adjourned on Sunday after six defendants said they were minors. The judge at the special court in Khartoum ordered that the six - five of whom said they were 17 and one who said he was 16 - be given medical checks to confirm their ages.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2008 00:00 ||
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Nigeria's main rebel group declares an 'oil war' in the nation in response to alleged 'unprovoked attacks' by Nigerian forces on its positions.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) issued an e-mail statement on Sunday, saying it was making good on a previous threat that any attack on its positions will be tantamount to a declaration of an oil war.
It said Nigerian forces attacked its positions in the Rivers State on Saturday. The strikes prompted MEND to deploy heavily armed fighters in hundreds of war boats with the intention of carrying out destructive and deadly attacks on the oil industry in Rivers state.
MEND is the largest rebel group in Nigeria, and has targeted foreign oil companies since 2006. It has bombed pipelines and kidnapped hundreds of foreign oil workers, typically releasing them unharmed, sometimes after receiving a ransom payment.
MEND hopes to secure a greater share of oil wealth for people in the Niger Delta, where more than 70 percent of the population lives on less than a dollar a day.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
where more than 70 percent of the population lives on less than a dollar a day.
and email scams
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/15/2008 6:05 Comments ||
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#2
This "a dollar a day" nonsense is a piece of trash. The cost of living in the Niger Delta is very low, most of the people don't have electricity or running water, food is fairly cheap, and clothing is optional. It's well nigh impossible to live in the US or Europe on a dollar a day, but it's not impossible in many African nations. I know three or four retired military that settled in Costa Rica because their retirement pay would provide them a very NICE living down there, without having to have a second job. This type of BS is a throw-away line to gain sympathy for what would otherwise be a very bloodthirsty and savage group.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/15/2008 15:25 Comments ||
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Uganda's rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) vowed on Saturday to sign a final peace deal but warned it will not disarm until International Criminal Court arrest warrants for alleged war crimes are "resolved". LRA spokesperson David Nyekorach-Matsanga said rebel chief Joseph Kony was willing to sign the much-delayed peace deal, speaking as military pressure mounts against the northern Ugandan insurgents.
"General Joseph Kony ... instructed me to inform the world and announce that the LRA will sign the FPA [final peace agreement]," Matsanga said in a statement issued in the south Sudanese capital, Juba, where peace talks have been held since 2006. "But the LRA will not disarm or demobilise until the ICC warrants of arrest and some other issues within the agreement are resolved."
These issues will be discussed by a joint committee of LRA and Ugandan government representatives, he said. "This is exactly in line with the agreement that we negotiated," he added.
The rebels are now believed to be based in jungle hideouts in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). They have also been accused of attacking villages in the Central African Republic (CAR).
However, Congolese troops last week were reported to be planning to crack down on the fugitives.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2008 00:00 ||
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#2
but if a mouse was to create a culture of hatred that encourages Palestinian children to take an active role in violent activities, it would be perfectly acceptable.
#3
The Islamic death cult outdoes themselves with this one.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
09/15/2008 8:02 Comments ||
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#4
mice were agents of Satan and that Sharia law called for the extermination of all mice
They are pro-extinction - alert PETA! Sic Pamela Anderson on 'em.
#5
I might throw in on this one considering that Isner and the Mouse are the ones who were the big push to make copyright functionally indefinite in time instead of the very limited time the Founding Fathers intended [after suffering for generations under inheritable Royal Patents].
#10
so, next time we bomb out a hovel where the tliturban or A-Q vermin live, we respond that "we had near certain information of the presence of mice in the building so we acted in accordance with sharia"...
Posted by: Abu do you love ||
09/15/2008 23:32 Comments ||
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Islamic law has been officially adopted in Britain, with shariah courts given powers to rule on Muslim civil cases, The Sunday Times reported.
According to the paper, the British government has 'quietly sanctioned' shariah judges to rule on cases ranging from divorce and financial disputes to domestic violence. Rulings issued by a network of five shariah courts are enforceable with the full power of the judicial system, the paper reported. The report said that shariah courts have been set up in London, Birmingham, Bradford and Manchester. Two more courts are being planned for Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Sheikh Faizul Aqtab Siddiqui, whose Muslim Arbitration Tribunal runs the courts, was quoted by the paper as saying he had taken advantage of a clause in the Arbitration Act 1996. Under the act, the shariah courts are classified as arbitration tribunals. The rulings of arbitration tribunals are binding in law, if both parties agree to give them authority to rule on their case. Siddiqui said to the paper, "We realised that under the Arbitration Act we can make rulings which can be enforced by county and high courts...allows disputes to be resolved using alternatives like tribunals."
Politicians and church leaders expressed concerns that this could mark the beginnings of a 'parallel legal system'. Dominic Grieve, the Shadow Home Secretary, said, "If it is true that these tribunals are passing binding decisions in the areas of family and criminal law, I would like to know which courts are enforcing them because I would consider such action unlawful. British law is absolute and must remain so."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Global Jihad
#1
According to the paper, the British government has 'quietly sanctioned' shariah judges to rule on cases ranging from divorce and financial disputes to domestic violence.
C'mon in boys, the water's fine!
Dominic Grieve, the Shadow Home Secretary, said, "If it is true that these tribunals are passing binding decisions in the areas of family and criminal law, I would like to know which courts are enforcing them because I would consider such action unlawful. British law is absolute and must remain so."
#3
GUAM PDN > PHILIPPINES > CAN THE MILF BE TRUSTED? The establishment, recognition of autonom Muslim Courts by Manila [MOA] is criticized by the author as leading to Muslim sovereignty + independent statehood, and a possib long-term breakup of the Philipines???
A jury Monday convicted a Muslim cleric and five of his followers of forming a terrorist group in Australia that allegedly considered assassinating the prime minister and attacking major sporting events. Four other men were found innocent of being members of the group and the jury was still deliberating on charges against two more, as verdicts were delivered in Australia's largest terrorist trial.
No attack took place, but prosecutors alleged that the group, based in Australia's second-largest city of Melbourne, intended to undertake "violent jihad," and identified railway stations and sports fields as possible targets. During the long-running trial, prosecutors alleged the group had talked about launching an attack at a football final that attracts close to 100,000 people each year, or the Formula One Grand Prix race held annually in the southern city. They also allegedly discussed killing former Prime Minister John Howard, who ordered Australian troops to join the U.S.-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.
All of the suspects had pleaded not guilty. Defense lawyers painted the suspects as disgruntled men whose bravado led to talk about violent attacks but who had no ability to carry out such acts.
The men found guilty are yet to be sentenced. They face life terms in prison.
#2
3 ropes would cut the rope expenses in half; why waste one perfectly good end? all you need is a tree limb to toss the rope over and let the two muzzies hang there like two cats tied together.....
A new war could begin if Pakistan does not step up its fight against terrorists, Maj Gen Jeffrey J Schloesser of the US Army said in a report published in an American weekly on Sunday.
"If militants escape into Pakistani territory and Islamabad does not step up, a new kind of war could well begin," he said.
"If militants escape into Pakistani territory and Islamabad does not step up, a new kind of war could well begin," he said.
According to the report, Gen Schloesser, who leads 19,000 US soldiers operating on the frontier, estimates that his forces are facing some 7,000-10,000 insurgents in eastern Afghanistan -- a higher number than previously disclosed by any US commander.
He said he planned to keep his troops operating deep inside Taliban territory this winter. He hoped they would be able to take advantage of the mobility to seek out any safe havens and facilitation areas and any places the terrorists can go for 'rest and recreation' in Afghanistan. He said he would give terrorists the options to flee, get killed or captured, or reconcile.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
Maybe Bush told Petraeus the same thing he told him about Iraq, "Go win this thing."
#2
Raise my taxes. Let's put about 300 predators there and blast everything when it comes across the border.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
09/15/2008 2:13 Comments ||
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#3
Sounds like they aren't willing to let another Cambodia/Vietnam type border war fester anymore. You don't clean up your act, we will clean it up for you and it won't be gentle.
#4
I still don't understand why we can't seal the border tight. I know it's long and rugged but there are only so many navigable roads and paths and they aren't hidden beneath triple canopy jungle. We should have those mostly mapped out by now.
We should declare a free-fire zone in the areas near the border and drop snipers and/or spotters around looking for those crossing to and fro.
We should mine Tora Bora and then advertise that we've abandoned that area and hope they move back in than blast the place.
We should allow a shipment of weapons, or drugs, to get stolen, only put some kind of GPS tracking device so we can follow the shipment and track the paths and roads used.
#5
RJ, we KNOW where the crossings are. Unfortunately, there are between 3000 and 5000 of them, and we don't have the manpower to watch all of them all the time. Also, this is REALLY rugged terrain - some of it Class 2 or Class 3 climbing. There are LOTS of big rocks, plenty of caves, and other difficulties. Closing the border would probably take close to ten divisions. It's NOT an easy thing to do.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/15/2008 15:33 Comments ||
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#6
The MSM-Net is already comparing the new US brouhaha wid PAKISTAN = NIXON's INVASION OF CAMBODIA.
Unfortunantely for the US-Allies, IT IS A "NEW WAR" [just not only agz Pakland] > THE US IS NOW IN A NEW BROAD WAR AGZ RADICAL ISLAM FOR CONTROL AND DOMINATION OF ASIAN MAINLAND PROPER + ANY PERIPHERAL/LITTORAL AREAS.
*WHY, YOU SAY, BECUZ RADICAL ISLAM IS THATS WHY!
*IRNA > STUDY: WESTERN ASIA IS NOT DOING ENOUGH TO FIGHT EXTREME POVERTY; + WAFF.com > RUSSIA TO INVESTIGATE CAUSES OF "MYSTERIOUS" AIR CRASH + SUN.uk > RADICAL MUSLIM LAWYER: WE NEED MORE BABIES ... THEN WE CAN TAKE OVER GREAT BRITAIN. Article - There may be aproxi SIX MILYUHN MUSLIMS IN BRITAIN, NOT 1.5MILYUHN from TEN YEARS AGO as estim by London + 500 PEOPLE IN BRIT BECOME MUSLIM EVERY DAY. Also, although it would be relatively easy for Brit's large numbers of Muslims to declare JIHAD in Brit it may NOT be needed/necessary for Islam/Islamism to do so nor to militarily conquer Great Britain as the local HIGH + ESCALATING BRIT MUSLIM BIRTH RATE will induce a 'peaceful" demographic-based domestic takeover of Brit Govt. + Culture-Society anyways.
(PTI) With the US pushing through a broad array of foreign weapons deals, a leading Democrat has slammed the Bush Administration's arms sale policy arguing that military supplies to Pakistan were doing more to stoke tension with India than combat terrorism, a media report said.
As part of its policy, the administration seeks to re-arm Iraq and Afghanistan, contain North Korea and Iran and solidify ties with onetime Russian allies, The New York Times reported today.
Howard L Berman of California, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, who sponsored a bill passed in May to overhaul the arms export process, was quoted as saying that American military sales, while often well-intended, were sometimes misguided. He cited military sales to Pakistan, which he said he feared were doing more to stoke tension with India than combat terrorism in the region.
Recently, Berman along with Nita Lowey, Chairwoman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programmes Representatives, moved to suspend the release of nearly USD 230 million in counter-terrorism funds by the Bush Administration for upgrades to Pakistan's ageing F-16 fighter-jet fleet.
They reportedly asked the Bush administration not to shift USD 226.5 million in anti-terrorism aid to the Pakistan military as they feared the plan would impede efforts to stop terrorism and that they needed more time to study it.
Berman was quoted as saying by the Times today that he supported many of the individual weapons sales, like helping Iraq build the capacity to defend itself, but he worried that the sales blitz could have some negative effects. "This could turn into a spiralling arms race that in the end could decrease stability," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
I actually agree with Berman on this.
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
09/15/2008 11:19 Comments ||
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#2
I do too, YS. Unfortunately, you and I don't have much say. Personally, I would tell Pakistan that we're suddenly out of money, and we're going to have to "delay" any further military sales until we can control the Afghanistan/Pakistan border. In the meantime, sell India anything it wants, cash on the barrelhead.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/15/2008 15:36 Comments ||
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#3
There's no F-16 subs in his district? Somebody in AF procurement is headed for Iraq.
American raids on Taliban and Al Qaeda targets in Pakistan could provoke terror attacks in London, Pakistan's high commissioner to the UK warned on Saturday, according to The Sunday Times. Wajid Shamsul Hasan said the American bombings had killed hundreds of civilians but had failed to eliminate any Al Qaeda leader, the paper reported. "This will infuriate Muslims in this country and make the streets of London less safe," he said. The high commissioner said the community's anger was growing and the "Americans' trigger-happy actions will radicalise young Muslims. They're playing into the hands of the very terrorists we're supposed to be fighting".
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda
#1
This pirate should be hanging from a lamp pole.
The Iraqi parliament lifted the immunity of Sunni MP Mithal Alusi on Sunday for visiting Israel last week to attend an international conference on terrorism.
Parliament voted to ban Alusi from travelling outside Iraq or attending its sessions, and to ask prosecutors to press charges against him for visiting the Jewish state. The action against Alusi, the sole member of his own parliamentary faction, was agreed by acclamation.
The MP's trip to Israel last week was his second since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime. He previously visited Israel in September 2004. During his latest visit, Alusi spoke at the Herzliya Institute for Policy and Strategy near Tel Aviv where, according to Shiite MP Ali al-Adeeb, he urged support for Israel.
Alusi said his visit to Israel was not an official visit. "I did not represent Iraq. It was a personal visit following an invitation," Alusi told parliament.
At the time of his 2004 visit, Alusi was a member of the Iraqi National Congress, the party led by former Pentagon favorite Ahmed Chalabi. But he was expelled from the party for making the visit and set up his own party known as Al Umma, or the Democratic Party of the Iraqi Nation, of which he is the sole representative in the 275-member parliament.
According to Iraqi press reports, in his address to the Herzliya Institute, Alusi called for greater cooperation against Iran. "Iran today is the centre for disaster in the region. The majority of Iraqi people do not support the Tehran regime," he was quoted as saying. "We should cooperate with Israel in gathering intelligence, along with Turkey, Kuwait and the United States, to guarantee an exchange of information in order to confront terrorism together."
Alusi has survived several assassination attempts in recent years. Two sons and a bodyguard were killed in one attempt on his life in February 2005.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
A brave man, and an intelligent one. If he's forced to flee Iraq, I hope we're willing to give him sanctuary here.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/15/2008 15:39 Comments ||
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he will remain in office until 2010, a decision likely to stoke tensions with Islamist Hamas rivals who oppose his peace talks with Israel. "I think that the elections for parliament and the presidency should take place together, in January 2010. We will decide, and issue a presidential order accordingly," Abbas told Israel's Haaretz newspaper, in an interview published on Sunday.
Abbas's Fatah faction says Palestinian parliamentary and presidential elections should be held together in 2010. Hamas, which defeated Fatah in parliamentary elections in 2006, says Abbas's term ends on Jan. 9, 2009.
Holding elections in 2010 would give Abbas more time to pursue peace talks with Israel. Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert launched negotiations in November with the aim of reaching a deal by early next year. Abbas said it was too early to say whether he would seek another term.
Any unilateral decree from Abbas will likely prompt a Hamas response. Hamas leaders said they will not recognize Abbas as president after January.
Abbas, who was elected in Jan. 2005, argues that Palestinian election law, approved before Hamas's rise to power, allows for the contests to be held at the same time, in 2010. Palestinian Basic Law says the president's term is four years.
A senior leader from the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad recently warned that if the factions do not reach agreement soon on a target election date, further violence would erupt.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2008 00:00 ||
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Israel's military on Sunday sentenced a soldier to 14 days in jail for stopping a Palestinian woman in labor from passing through a checkpoint, where she eventually gave birth to a stillborn baby. The soldier, a squad commander, had been in charge at the army's Huwwara checkpoint in the occupied West Bank, and prevented the woman and her husband from crossing in their car to the Palestinian city of Nablus on Sept. 4.
In its statement, the military said the woman was in labor on reaching the checkpoint but the couple did not have an entry permit for the vehicle. Army regulations say exceptions should be made in urgent, humanitarian cases. "The incident is one that could have been prevented," a military statement said.
The woman's husband called an ambulance, which arrived about 30 minutes later, and she gave birth to a premature, stillborn baby while still at the checkpoint.
In addition to the 14-day term in military prison, the soldier was relieved of his command duties, the statement said.
Human rights groups have long complained the army rarely prosecutes soldiers who abuse Palestinians and metes out lenient sentences when it does so.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Would the end result been any different? Not wanting to sound callous, but the report sounds like the baby was already dead and medical help would not have changed the outcome.
Still, it does sound like the soldier blew it.
#2
Playing devil's advocate here..... apparently pregnant moslem woman. "Hurry, hurry must let us through immediately. No you can't make sure she's really pregnant, she can't be seen or touched by the infidel."
Not the case in this instance, but it would have to have been one of the things going thru the soldier's mind....
#3
Human rights groups have long complained the army rarely prosecutes soldiers who abuse Palestinians and metes out lenient sentences when it does so.
And what do these same HR groups say when innocent Israelis are blown to bits or run over by a bulldozer?
As a father of two, and a husband of 24+ years I am not without sympathy for the three Palestinians involved. OTOH, when 99% of one people is trying to destroy another people, you can hardly blame the soldier for being suspicious.
Despite reservations in Washington regarding a possible Israeli strike on Iran, the American administration will supply Israel with sophisticated weapons for heavily fortified targets, the U.S. administration announced.
The U.S. Department of Defense announced it would sell the Israel Air Force 1,000 new smart bombs, rumored to significantly enhance the IAF's military capabilities. The deal was approved amid public and secret messages from Washington, with the Americans expressing their reservations about a possible Israeli strike against the Islamic Republic's suspected nuclear sites.
The Pentagon's announcement, which came on Friday, said the U.S. will provide Israel with 1,000 units of Guided Bomb Unit-39 (GBU-39) - a special weapon developed for penetrating fortified facilities located deep underground.
The $77 million shipment, which includes launchers and appurtenances, will allow the IAF to hit many more bunkers than currently possible. Although each bomb weighs 113 kilograms, its penetration capabilities equal those of a one ton bomb, according to professional literature.
Most U.S. Air Force aircraft are able to carry a pack of four of these bombs in place of a single one-ton bomb. The bomb's small size allows a single-strike aircraft to carry more of the munitions than is possible utilizing currently available bomb units, thus increasing firepower, or, alternatively, allowing the aircraft to fly longer distances to deliver a single bomb.
During demonstrations, the GBU-39 - labeled by the manufacturer, Boeing, as a Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) - has successfully penetrated more than 1.8 meters of thick reinforced concrete with a 23-kilogram warhead. The GPS-guided weapon is said to have a 50-percent probability of hitting its intended target within 5-8 meters, which should minimize collateral damage.
The estimated value for the bomb's GPS version, which military experts have called the latest development in the bunker-buster line, is around $70,000 to $90,000 for each individual bomb.
The U.S. has already supplied Israel with earlier versions of bunker busters. In 2005, the Pentagon authorized the sale of GBU-28 to Israel, in a move that commentators construed as a hinted threat aimed at Iran. Haaretz reported earlier this month that the U.S. was hesitant about selling Israel heavier busters.
The Pentagon's announcement also said that the U.S. would help upgrade the Israel Defense Forces' patriot anti-aircraft missiles - which Israel uses as part of its missile-interception array. Israel will also receive 28,000 LAW (Light Anti-Tank Weapon) tube launchers for land forces.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped by Gaza militants in 2006, is "living in paradise," the British newspaper Sunday Times quoted a leader of the Gaza Strip Doghmush clan as saying.
In an interview with the Sunday Times reporter Christine Toomey, who embarked on a journey in search of the captive soldier in the Gaza Strip, clan elder Abu Khatab Doghmush said that the Army of Islam, the militant group affiliated with the clan, is not currently holding Shalit, despite the fact that the group is believed to have taken part in the abduction.
"The only faction that controls his life now is the Qassam Brigades," Abu Khatab told Toomey, referring to the Hamas-affiliated militant group. "But I can tell you that Shalit is living in a paradise. Our religion of Islam demands that we look after prisoners even more than we do our own people," the newspaper quoted him as saying.
Abu Khatab added specific details regarding Shalit's treatment, saying "He's not being kept in a closed room all the time - this would not be healthy. He can go out and take fresh air," rejecting speculations that the Israeli soldier is being held underground, booby trapped with explosives.
"Every year a party is held to celebrate his birthday. Yes, there is a cake and candles, music, everything," Abu Khatab added.
Toomey also spoke with senior Hamas official and former foreign minister Mahmoud Zahar, who is quoted as saying that he doesn't know anything about how Shalit is being treated by his captors, but his conditions are certain to be better than those of the Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
"Nobody from the political or military wing of Hamas knows where Shalit is," Zahar is quoted as saying. "Only the small group who kidnapped him know. They are very secretive."
The reported interviewed the spokesman of the Palestinian group the Popular Resistance Committees, which took part in the planning of the abduction. The spokesman, Abu Mujahed, described how the prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas should transpire, saying "after the Israelis free the first 100 Palestinian prisoners, Shalit would be moved to Egypt. Once he?s in Egypt, the Israelis would have to free 1,000 more of our brothers and sisters before he is released. We were very close to agreeing a deal a year ago, then the Israelis stopped negotiations. We were amazed that they were prepared to go back to zero. It is the Israelis who are putting obstacles in the way of an agreement."
"If we do not see some results soon, we will be forced to close the file," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
after the Israelis free the first 100 Palestinian prisoners, Shalit would be moved to Egypt.
sheesh. I'd like to think they won't be that stupid but in this day and age, you just never know.
Israel's premier expressed outrage Sunday after a mob of Jewish settlers rampaged through a Palestinian village in the Occupied West Bank to avenge the stabbing of a 9-year-old boy in a nearby settlement. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert condemned Saturday's settler attack on the village, during which four Palestinians were shot and wounded.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2008 00:00 ||
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Manuchehr Mottaki who arrived in Moscow on Friday morning for a day long visit made the comment in a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. "Our relations would continue to further expand and strengthen," he said.
The Iranian top diplomat considered continuous meetings between the two countries' top officials and leaders in Tehran, Moscow, and the other countries as a good base for bilateral cooperation in the future.
The Russian foreign minister referred to business why are checks for Bushehr bouncing and commercial cooperation between Russia and Iran why isn't the work getting done as important fields of bilateral cooperation.
The meeting between the two foreign ministers was held behind closed doors in the absence of media representatives.
Croatia has recently sold advanced S-300 air defense missile systems to Iran, a newspaper in Zagreb reported this week amid conflicting opinions in Israel over whether Teheran has obtained the advanced anti-aircraft system. According to the Web magazine Necenzurirano, Libyan Naval ships were also docking in the Croatian port city of Kraljevica to transfer the system to Iran.
Israeli defense officials could not confirm the report but said that Croatia is known to have obtained a number of S-300 systems following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The system was reportedly dismantled several years ago although its exact fate was never publicized.
The S-300, a Russian system, is one of the most advanced multi-target anti-aircraft missile systems in the world today and has a reported ability to track up to 100 targets simultaneously while engaging up to 12 at the same time. It has a range of about 200 kilometers and can hit targets at altitudes of 27,000 meters.
Israeli officials have not said whether Iran has obtained S-300 systems but has called on Russia not to sell them to Teheran. A top IAF officer recently said that it was not yet clear whether Iran had the system.
Ronen Bergman's The Secret War with Iran, published Tuesday in the US, repeats the claim made in the Hebrew version of the book, published last year, that the Iranians already have S-300s. "Iran has purchased an enormous number of anti-aircraft missiles from Russia, some of which, according to Mossad sources, are S-300 missiles, considered among the most advanced in the world. These missiles have been deployed around Bushehr and other strategic targets," Bergman writes.
The author continues: "In August 2006, during the war in Lebanon, Israeli satellite photograph decipherers detected changes at several locations in Iran, suggesting strongly that Iran was stepping up its nuclear project. Moreover, many additional anti-aircraft missile batteries were deployed at nuclear sites, and existing ones were replaced with S-300 missiles... By September 2006, no fewer than 26 anti-aircraft missile batteries had been placed around the centrifuge installation at Natanz...."
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/15/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Question -- is this the same system that Syria had when, in Sept, Irasia kinda sneaked in on them?
#2
Another question : considering how friendly Croatia is towards the US (since we helped them drive the Serbs), what are the chances that the S-300 systems that they sold to Iran might have some interesting modifications, say to the targeting software?
#3
Another question : considering how friendly Croatia is towards the US (since we helped them drive the Serbs)
Considering that in the Croatian pantheon the Ustahis are at the top and considering that the Ustachis were allied to the Nazis and shared their goals it is quite logical that they provide weapons to those want to wipe away the Jews.
#6
According to the Web magazine Necenzurirano, Libyan Naval ships were also docking in the Croatian port city of Kraljevica to transfer the system to Iran.
It'd be a shame if something happened to those ships on the way to Iran. Maybe some Somalian pirates will go after them. Yeah. Somalian pirates. That's it. With torpedoes. It could happen.
Iran's former president Mohammad Khatami has criticized the government's confrontational foreign policy, saying it plays into enemy hands and harms the country, a newspaper reported on Sunday.
"Aggressive and sharp slogans play into the enemy's hands to hurt the country and the system," Kargozaran newspaper quoted the reformist Khatami as saying in a speech in western Iran. "Fighting the arrogance (the United States) should not mean increasing the costs of running the country."
Khatami was referring to the administration of his successor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has defiantly vowed to press ahead with Iran's nuclear ambitions despite being slapped with three sets of U.N. sanctions.
Since taking office in 2005, Ahmadinejad has also drawn international condemnation for his vitriolic verbal attacks on Israel, which he said was doomed to disappear.
Vice President and close aide Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie also drew criticism Sunday for remarks he made about Israelm as Iranian MPs began new moves to strip him of his position as vice president, according to the Fars news agency.
The reformist former president also hit out at Ahmadinejad's administration for "presenting wrong statistics" about its economic achievements over the past three years. There has been speculation that Khatami, who was president from 1997 to 2005, may seek a third term in office in 2009.
Ahmadinejad, who put social justice on top his agenda when he campaigned for president, has come under fire from reformists and conservatives alike for his expansionist economic policies and rising inflation.
Vice President Mashaie's remark that Iranians are "friends with Israelis" in July sparked fury among conservatives and more than 200 MPs urged Ahmadinejad to take action against his ally and confidant.
Mashaie is one of 10 vice presidents and is immune from impeachment, according to the agency. But Mashaie, whose daughter is married to the president's son, vowed to remain in the job despite mounting calls on him to resign.
Ahmadinejad has also ignored the criticism of his close aide.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Such political infighting, Virginia, is why any Servant of Allah ISLAMIST HIDDEN IMAM-MAHDI will get the glory for destroying the Infidel armies in the ME, NOT THE MULLAHS!?
#2
ION TOPIX > INDIA: GLOBAL WARMING CREATING
"ENVIRONMENTAL REFUGEES" + RISING SEA LEVELS TO DISPLACE INDONESIAN, SOUTH ASIAN COASTAL VILLAGES.
As said before, many will be a'coming to GUAM-WESTPAC in search of new homes and lives - Milyuhns and Zilyuhns of INDONESIANS, INDIANS, MALAYSIANS, NEW WAVES/GENERATIONS OF FILIPINOS, ETC. whose nassive emigre' inflows will sorely tax iff not overwhelm Guam's infrastructure and statua quo. INDIANS AND MALAYSIANS ARE ALREADY COMING IN, BESIDES THE CHINESE, et, ILLEGALS CRASHING THEIR BOATS ON GUAM'S REEFS.
Iranian MPs critical of remarks about Israelis by a close aide of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad began new moves Sunday to strip him of his position as vice president, the Fars news agency reported. Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie is one of 10 vice presidents and the MPs voted to take up as a priority a bill to merge the tourism and cultural heritage organization which he heads with the Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry, Fars said. Vice presidents, unlike ministers, do not need a parliamentary vote of confidence before their appointment and are immune from impeachment. Mashaie's remark that Iranians are "friends with Israelis" in July sparked fury among conservatives and over 200 MPs urged Ahmadinejad to take action against his ally. But Mashaie, whose daughter is married to the president's son, vowed to remain in the job despite calls for his resignation. Ahmadinejad has also ignored the criticism.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/15/2008 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.
Islamic law has been officially adopted in Britain, with shariah courts given powers to rule on Muslim civil cases, The Sunday Times reported. 
Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped by Gaza militants in 2006, is "living in paradise," the British newspaper Sunday Times quoted a leader of the Gaza Strip Doghmush clan as saying. 
Manuchehr Mottaki who arrived in Moscow on Friday morning for a day long visit made the comment in a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. "Our relations would continue to further expand and strengthen," he said.
