India Today - India's most widely read magazine.: "The National Investigation Agency (NIA), a federal body constituted to probe and prevent terrorist attacks, becomes operational from Thursday along with the new anti-terror law, home minister P. Chidambaram said on Wednesday.
Chidambaram also announced large-scale changes to the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) in the Intelligence Bureau (IB), which is meant to collate intelligence inputs, assess them and disseminate its reports to security forces, among a slew of efforts to improve national security in the new year.
'The NIA will only investigate terror related offences,' Chidambaram told reporters after President Pratibha Patil gave the ceremonial nod to its creation on Wednesday. Patil also cleared the new anti-terror law. The home minister said the name of the NIA director-general will be announced in a few days. The Border Security Force's additional director general A.P. Singh, a 1974- batch IPS officer, is tipped for the job."
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Opinion: Israel has a duty to protect its citizens from attack - San Jose Mercury News
Opinion: Israel has a duty to protect its citizens from attack - San Jose Mercury News: "When Barack Obama visited the southern Israeli city of Sderot in July, the normally unflappable senator from Illinois was visibly shaken by what he saw: 'The Qassam rockets fired by Hamas deliberately and indiscriminately target civilians,' Obama said. 'This terror is intolerable. Israelis should not have to live in terror in their own homes and schools.'
After visiting the hospital bed of two brothers injured by such an attack — one of whom, 8-year-old Osher Tuito, lost his leg as a result — Obama added: 'If somebody was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I would do anything to stop that. And I would expect Israelis to do the same thing.'
President-elect Obama is correct. Israel has the right, indeed the duty, to put a stop to the intolerable threat posed by Hamas — an Iranian-backed Jihadist militia — to its citizens. A just and proportionate Israeli response is one that strives to eliminate Hamas' ability to carry out attacks against Israel. No more, but also no less."
After visiting the hospital bed of two brothers injured by such an attack — one of whom, 8-year-old Osher Tuito, lost his leg as a result — Obama added: 'If somebody was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I would do anything to stop that. And I would expect Israelis to do the same thing.'
President-elect Obama is correct. Israel has the right, indeed the duty, to put a stop to the intolerable threat posed by Hamas — an Iranian-backed Jihadist militia — to its citizens. A just and proportionate Israeli response is one that strives to eliminate Hamas' ability to carry out attacks against Israel. No more, but also no less."
Attack Brings Military Focus Home - washingtonpost.com
Attack Brings Military Focus Home - washingtonpost.com: "ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 30 -- With Pakistan and its army distracted by revived hostilities with neighboring India, a brazen suicide bomb attack Sunday by Islamist radicals in a northwestern village served as a jolting reminder that Pakistan still faces a real war at home, from an enemy that increasingly threatens to destabilize the Muslim nation of more than 170 million."
Pakistani Militants Admit Role in Siege, Official Says - NYTimes.com
Pakistani Militants Admit Role in Siege, Official Says - NYTimes.com: "ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistani authorities have obtained confessions from members of the Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba that they were involved in the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in November that killed more than 160 people, a Pakistani official said.
The confessions are sure to put pressure on Pakistan’s leaders; senior Pakistani officials have repeatedly complained in recent weeks that India had not provided them evidence of Pakistani complicity.
American and British officials — and Indian investigators — have said for weeks that their intelligence clearly points to the involvement of Lashkar in the Mumbai attacks. That evidence has been deeply uncomfortable for Pakistan, whose premier spy agency, the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, helped create, finance and train Lashkar in the 1980s to fight a proxy war against Indian forces in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir."
The confessions are sure to put pressure on Pakistan’s leaders; senior Pakistani officials have repeatedly complained in recent weeks that India had not provided them evidence of Pakistani complicity.
American and British officials — and Indian investigators — have said for weeks that their intelligence clearly points to the involvement of Lashkar in the Mumbai attacks. That evidence has been deeply uncomfortable for Pakistan, whose premier spy agency, the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, helped create, finance and train Lashkar in the 1980s to fight a proxy war against Indian forces in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir."
US deaths down in Iraq in 2008, up in Afghanistan - Yahoo! News
US deaths down in Iraq in 2008, up in Afghanistan - Yahoo! News: "BAGHDAD – U.S. military deaths in Iraq plunged by two-thirds in 2008 from the previous year, a reflection of the improving security following the U.S. military's counterinsurgency campaign and al-Qaida's slow retreat from the battlefield. By comparison, the war in Afghanistan saw American military deaths rise by 35 percent in 2008 as Islamic extremists shift their focus to a new front with the West."
www.ourbabytwins.blogspot.com
www.ourbabytwins.blogspot.com
Himal Southasian/�Terrorism�, Taliban and the tribal militia
Himal Southasian/�Terrorism�, Taliban and the tribal militia
December 2008 completes seven years of the Karzai reign; seven years since the Taliban has ostensibly been ousted. Yet for the past three years Afghanistan has been caught in an expanding spiral of violence that today threatens large sections of the Afghan population, the new institutions of state as well as development initiatives. It is a violence that is being increasingly felt in larger areas of neighbouring Pakistan and managed to strike India’s financial capital in late November.
As Southasian governments attempt to tackle murderous attacks striking at the heart of densely populated cities against citizens, Afghanistan offers important lessons. Why has a combined effort by the world’s largest superpower, the NATO countries and the Afghan government, involving both military might and billions of dollars, been unable to contain, let alone reverse the violence? Who is the Afghan government going to negotiate with as it attempts to talk to the ‘Taliban’? At the heart of the issue that confronts the whole region is the central question: what is ‘terrorism’? In focusing the battle against individuals like Osama bin Laden and groups like al-Qaeda or the Taliban, is the war against ‘Talibanisation’ itself being lost?
In order to answer these questions, it is necessary to revisit the end of 2001. It is now well established that US claims to having “liberated” Afghanistan from Taliban oppression notwithstanding, the Taliban’s denial of the basic human rights of Afghans did not invite active military intervention by any power until such time as the attack on the World Trade Center in New York. Though the Taliban’s ‘ideology’ of crushing women’s rights, limiting schooling and education, health and freedom of information and refusing to allow all forms of democratic principles proved convenient in subsequent efforts to demonise them, there was little attempt to differentiate between the ideology itself and the dangers of the group utilising the ideology as a tool of control. The assumption was that the elimination of a group or a set of individuals would disappear their ideology. As is now evident, not only have individuals been replaced, more worryingly, the conservatism that spawned and kept the ‘terrorists’ in power, is creeping insidiously back.
Many of the tenets of the Taliban were only an extreme form of an ideology that had its roots in the traditional practices and customary laws of some tribal groups. Inspired by tribal codes and principles of restorative justice, many of the customary laws of Afghanistan, especially the Pashtunwali (the unwritten code of honour of the Pashtun people practiced even today), would be considered abhorrent and a complete violation of basic principles of internationally recognised human rights including the right to life and liberty. The use of women as private property in dispute settlement; taking lives in exchange for injury or murder; treating the sheltering of a battered woman as a kidnapping which demands retribution through murder; all of this did not begin or end with the Taliban. Nor did the practice of summary or public executions. The brutality that is now seen to characterise the Taliban regime was evident in the behaviour of the ‘commanders’, ‘warlords’ and power brokers, with long years of conflict having brutalised the fighting men and having entrenched the most egregious aspects of the ‘spoils of war’ as routine practices.
While the Taliban undoubtedly epitomised the worst of these horrific practices, demonising the group, rather than viewing ‘terrorism’ as a tactical tool, has allowed the international community as well as the Afghan government to stop short of examining and tackling the roots of this behaviour. Conduct which originates from a combination of factors: the dehumanisation after years of war, the culture of conquest and pillage, the hostility towards outsiders and external influences, the severing of geographical, cultural and social roots, the loss of identity and the destruction of family and homes.
www.ourbabytwins.blogspot.com
December 2008 completes seven years of the Karzai reign; seven years since the Taliban has ostensibly been ousted. Yet for the past three years Afghanistan has been caught in an expanding spiral of violence that today threatens large sections of the Afghan population, the new institutions of state as well as development initiatives. It is a violence that is being increasingly felt in larger areas of neighbouring Pakistan and managed to strike India’s financial capital in late November.
As Southasian governments attempt to tackle murderous attacks striking at the heart of densely populated cities against citizens, Afghanistan offers important lessons. Why has a combined effort by the world’s largest superpower, the NATO countries and the Afghan government, involving both military might and billions of dollars, been unable to contain, let alone reverse the violence? Who is the Afghan government going to negotiate with as it attempts to talk to the ‘Taliban’? At the heart of the issue that confronts the whole region is the central question: what is ‘terrorism’? In focusing the battle against individuals like Osama bin Laden and groups like al-Qaeda or the Taliban, is the war against ‘Talibanisation’ itself being lost?
In order to answer these questions, it is necessary to revisit the end of 2001. It is now well established that US claims to having “liberated” Afghanistan from Taliban oppression notwithstanding, the Taliban’s denial of the basic human rights of Afghans did not invite active military intervention by any power until such time as the attack on the World Trade Center in New York. Though the Taliban’s ‘ideology’ of crushing women’s rights, limiting schooling and education, health and freedom of information and refusing to allow all forms of democratic principles proved convenient in subsequent efforts to demonise them, there was little attempt to differentiate between the ideology itself and the dangers of the group utilising the ideology as a tool of control. The assumption was that the elimination of a group or a set of individuals would disappear their ideology. As is now evident, not only have individuals been replaced, more worryingly, the conservatism that spawned and kept the ‘terrorists’ in power, is creeping insidiously back.
Many of the tenets of the Taliban were only an extreme form of an ideology that had its roots in the traditional practices and customary laws of some tribal groups. Inspired by tribal codes and principles of restorative justice, many of the customary laws of Afghanistan, especially the Pashtunwali (the unwritten code of honour of the Pashtun people practiced even today), would be considered abhorrent and a complete violation of basic principles of internationally recognised human rights including the right to life and liberty. The use of women as private property in dispute settlement; taking lives in exchange for injury or murder; treating the sheltering of a battered woman as a kidnapping which demands retribution through murder; all of this did not begin or end with the Taliban. Nor did the practice of summary or public executions. The brutality that is now seen to characterise the Taliban regime was evident in the behaviour of the ‘commanders’, ‘warlords’ and power brokers, with long years of conflict having brutalised the fighting men and having entrenched the most egregious aspects of the ‘spoils of war’ as routine practices.
While the Taliban undoubtedly epitomised the worst of these horrific practices, demonising the group, rather than viewing ‘terrorism’ as a tactical tool, has allowed the international community as well as the Afghan government to stop short of examining and tackling the roots of this behaviour. Conduct which originates from a combination of factors: the dehumanisation after years of war, the culture of conquest and pillage, the hostility towards outsiders and external influences, the severing of geographical, cultural and social roots, the loss of identity and the destruction of family and homes.
www.ourbabytwins.blogspot.com
Monday, December 29, 2008
Four dead in Afghan bomb attacks - CNN.com
Four dead in Afghan bomb attacks - CNN.com: "KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Bombings at a governor's compound and a bazaar in Afghanistan on Monday killed four civilians and wounded a few dozen others, the NATO command in the country said.
The U.S. military released this photo of Sunday's car bomb blast near a voter registration site.
A car bomb targeting the compound of the Parvan provincial governor in eastern Afghanistan killed two civilians and wounded 16 others.
Two improvised explosive devices detonated at a bazaar in the southern province of Kandahar, killing two civilians, including a child. Twenty civilians and an Afghan border police officer were wounded in the incident, which occurred in the town of Spin Boldak.
The violence is the latest said to be spawned by the resurgent Taliban movement that once ruled Afghanistan.
The Taliban regime harbored the al Qaeda terror network before it was ousted from power by the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the"
The U.S. military released this photo of Sunday's car bomb blast near a voter registration site.
A car bomb targeting the compound of the Parvan provincial governor in eastern Afghanistan killed two civilians and wounded 16 others.
Two improvised explosive devices detonated at a bazaar in the southern province of Kandahar, killing two civilians, including a child. Twenty civilians and an Afghan border police officer were wounded in the incident, which occurred in the town of Spin Boldak.
The violence is the latest said to be spawned by the resurgent Taliban movement that once ruled Afghanistan.
The Taliban regime harbored the al Qaeda terror network before it was ousted from power by the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the"
Ugandan Rebel Group Massacres 189 Over 3 Days in Northeast Congo, U.N. Says - washingtonpost.com
Ugandan Rebel Group Massacres 189 Over 3 Days in Northeast Congo, U.N. Says - washingtonpost.com
NAIROBI, Dec. 29 -- A Ugandan rebel group known for its horrific cruelties has massacred 189 people and kidnapped at least 20 children over three days in northeastern Congo, U.N. officials reported Monday.
The cultlike Lord's Resistance Army carried out the attacks on three villages between Thursday and Saturday, according to Ivo Brandau, a spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa.
NAIROBI, Dec. 29 -- A Ugandan rebel group known for its horrific cruelties has massacred 189 people and kidnapped at least 20 children over three days in northeastern Congo, U.N. officials reported Monday.
The cultlike Lord's Resistance Army carried out the attacks on three villages between Thursday and Saturday, according to Ivo Brandau, a spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa.
BBC NEWS | Middle East | Israel pounds Gaza for fourth day
BBC NEWS | Middle East | Israel pounds Gaza for fourth day
Air strikes early on Tuesday killed at least 10 people, medical officials in the coastal enclave said.
About 320 Palestinians have died since Saturday, the UN says. Four Israelis have been killed by rockets from Gaza.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for an immediate ceasefire and condemned both Israel and Hamas.
While recognising Israel's right to defend itself from militant rocket attacks, he condemned its "excessive use of force".
www.ourbabytwins.blogspot.com
Air strikes early on Tuesday killed at least 10 people, medical officials in the coastal enclave said.
About 320 Palestinians have died since Saturday, the UN says. Four Israelis have been killed by rockets from Gaza.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for an immediate ceasefire and condemned both Israel and Hamas.
While recognising Israel's right to defend itself from militant rocket attacks, he condemned its "excessive use of force".
www.ourbabytwins.blogspot.com
BBC NEWS | Middle East | Gaza eyewitnesses
BBC NEWS | Middle East | Gaza eyewitnesses
I have been working as physician in Gaza for 20 years. Shifa hospital has been turned into an emergency centre with several intensive care units to cope with the attacks.
But the emergency rooms do not have enough medical supplies or equipment to deal with the mass casualties.
I have been working as physician in Gaza for 20 years. Shifa hospital has been turned into an emergency centre with several intensive care units to cope with the attacks.
But the emergency rooms do not have enough medical supplies or equipment to deal with the mass casualties.
If terrorism is a cancer, treat it like one
If terrorism is a cancer, treat it like one
In the spirit of President-elect Obama's call for unity, the present divide between opponents and supporters of the war in Iraq needs to be healed. On one side, as represented by President Bush in his exit interviews, the war is seen, post-surge, as a key success in the war on terror. On the other side, as voiced by peace advocates, the Iraq War has been a dismal, shameful failure that did nothing to lessen the threat of terror around the world.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deepak Chopra
If terrorism is a cancer, treat it like one 12.29.08
Dear Abby, my economy's been cheating on me 12.22.08
Opinionators in paradise 12.15.08
Cursed are the peacemakers 12.08.08
More Deepak Chopra »
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let's leave aside the bitter acrimony that separates these two views. An intelligence report recently cited by Joe Biden has concluded that Arab outrage over Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo probably created more terrorists than the number vanquished in Iraq. But that fact won't deter the right wing, which insists that Bush was totally justified to "fight them over there so we don't have to fight them here."
In the spirit of President-elect Obama's call for unity, the present divide between opponents and supporters of the war in Iraq needs to be healed. On one side, as represented by President Bush in his exit interviews, the war is seen, post-surge, as a key success in the war on terror. On the other side, as voiced by peace advocates, the Iraq War has been a dismal, shameful failure that did nothing to lessen the threat of terror around the world.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deepak Chopra
If terrorism is a cancer, treat it like one 12.29.08
Dear Abby, my economy's been cheating on me 12.22.08
Opinionators in paradise 12.15.08
Cursed are the peacemakers 12.08.08
More Deepak Chopra »
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let's leave aside the bitter acrimony that separates these two views. An intelligence report recently cited by Joe Biden has concluded that Arab outrage over Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo probably created more terrorists than the number vanquished in Iraq. But that fact won't deter the right wing, which insists that Bush was totally justified to "fight them over there so we don't have to fight them here."
If terrorism is a cancer, treat it like one
If terrorism is a cancer, treat it like one
In the spirit of President-elect Obama's call for unity, the present divide between opponents and supporters of the war in Iraq needs to be healed. On one side, as represented by President Bush in his exit interviews, the war is seen, post-surge, as a key success in the war on terror. On the other side, as voiced by peace advocates, the Iraq War has been a dismal, shameful failure that did nothing to lessen the threat of terror around the world.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deepak Chopra
If terrorism is a cancer, treat it like one 12.29.08
Dear Abby, my economy's been cheating on me 12.22.08
Opinionators in paradise 12.15.08
Cursed are the peacemakers 12.08.08
More Deepak Chopra »
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let's leave aside the bitter acrimony that separates these two views. An intelligence report recently cited by Joe Biden has concluded that Arab outrage over Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo probably created more terrorists than the number vanquished in Iraq. But that fact won't deter the right wing, which insists that Bush was totally justified to "fight them over there so we don't have to fight them here."
In the spirit of President-elect Obama's call for unity, the present divide between opponents and supporters of the war in Iraq needs to be healed. On one side, as represented by President Bush in his exit interviews, the war is seen, post-surge, as a key success in the war on terror. On the other side, as voiced by peace advocates, the Iraq War has been a dismal, shameful failure that did nothing to lessen the threat of terror around the world.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deepak Chopra
If terrorism is a cancer, treat it like one 12.29.08
Dear Abby, my economy's been cheating on me 12.22.08
Opinionators in paradise 12.15.08
Cursed are the peacemakers 12.08.08
More Deepak Chopra »
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let's leave aside the bitter acrimony that separates these two views. An intelligence report recently cited by Joe Biden has concluded that Arab outrage over Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo probably created more terrorists than the number vanquished in Iraq. But that fact won't deter the right wing, which insists that Bush was totally justified to "fight them over there so we don't have to fight them here."
The Associated Press: Pakistan army: We must 'avoid conflict' with India
The Associated Press: Pakistan army: We must 'avoid conflict' with India
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan's army chief stressed Monday the need to avoid conflict with India, days after he ordered troops toward the rivals' shared border amid tensions following last month's terror attacks on Mumbai.
Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani made the remarks to a top Chinese diplomat who was visiting Islamabad to try and ease the situation between nuclear-armed Pakistan and India.
Kayani's remarks were believed to be his first about the tensions with Pakistan's traditional rival and could help reassure a jittery region that the country does not intend to escalate the crisis further.
On Friday, Pakistani intelligence officials said thousands of troops were being shifted toward the Indian border, though there has been no sign yet of a major build up at the frontier.
Without referring specifically to the situation, Kayani told Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei of the "need to de-escalate and avoid conflict in the interest of peace and security," a brief army statement said.
India blames Pakistani militants for the slaughter of 164 people in its commercial capital and has not ruled out the use of force in its response. Pakistan's civilian leaders have said they do not want war, but will retaliate if attacked.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan's army chief stressed Monday the need to avoid conflict with India, days after he ordered troops toward the rivals' shared border amid tensions following last month's terror attacks on Mumbai.
Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani made the remarks to a top Chinese diplomat who was visiting Islamabad to try and ease the situation between nuclear-armed Pakistan and India.
Kayani's remarks were believed to be his first about the tensions with Pakistan's traditional rival and could help reassure a jittery region that the country does not intend to escalate the crisis further.
On Friday, Pakistani intelligence officials said thousands of troops were being shifted toward the Indian border, though there has been no sign yet of a major build up at the frontier.
Without referring specifically to the situation, Kayani told Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei of the "need to de-escalate and avoid conflict in the interest of peace and security," a brief army statement said.
India blames Pakistani militants for the slaughter of 164 people in its commercial capital and has not ruled out the use of force in its response. Pakistan's civilian leaders have said they do not want war, but will retaliate if attacked.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Bomb kills 2 Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan - International Herald Tribune
Bomb kills 2 Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan - International Herald Tribune
TORONTO: A roadside bomb killed two Canadian soldiers, an Afghan police officer and a local interpreter in southern Afghanistan, the Canadian military said.
Warrant Officer Gaetan Roberge and Sgt. Gregory John Kruse were killed Saturday during a security patrol in the Panjway district, in the western part of Kandahar province.
The explosion also wounded four other Canadian soldiers and another Afghan interpreter, a release from the Department of National Defense said.
The wounded soldiers were airlifted to Kandahar Airfield and were reported in good condition. The Afghan interpreter sustained only minor injuries in the blast.
It has been a bloody weekend for Canadian troops in Afghanistan. Pte. Michael Freeman, 28, was killed Friday when his armored vehicle struck an explosive during a security patrol in Zhari district.
TORONTO: A roadside bomb killed two Canadian soldiers, an Afghan police officer and a local interpreter in southern Afghanistan, the Canadian military said.
Warrant Officer Gaetan Roberge and Sgt. Gregory John Kruse were killed Saturday during a security patrol in the Panjway district, in the western part of Kandahar province.
The explosion also wounded four other Canadian soldiers and another Afghan interpreter, a release from the Department of National Defense said.
The wounded soldiers were airlifted to Kandahar Airfield and were reported in good condition. The Afghan interpreter sustained only minor injuries in the blast.
It has been a bloody weekend for Canadian troops in Afghanistan. Pte. Michael Freeman, 28, was killed Friday when his armored vehicle struck an explosive during a security patrol in Zhari district.
Obama aide says terror network in Pak is biggest threat to US-India-The Times of India
Obama aide says terror network in Pak is biggest threat to US-India-The Times of India
In what may spell testing times for the Pakistan government and particularly its army-ISI complex, Bruce Riedel, former CIA hand and terrorism advisor to the Barack Obama transition team, has slammed the Musharraf regime for hoodwinking US in the war against al-Qaida and Taliban and sees Pakistan as part of the terror problem.
In what may spell testing times for the Pakistan government and particularly its army-ISI complex, Bruce Riedel, former CIA hand and terrorism advisor to the Barack Obama transition team, has slammed the Musharraf regime for hoodwinking US in the war against al-Qaida and Taliban and sees Pakistan as part of the terror problem.
Bloomberg.com: Asia
Bloomberg.com: Asia
Dec. 22 (Bloomberg) -- India will take all steps needed to combat terrorism emanating from Pakistan, Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said, adding that the government in Islamabad must also act against terrorists on its territory.
The government in New Delhi has blamed “elements” in Pakistan for being behind the Nov. 26-29 attack on Mumbai that killed 164 people. Pakistan, which has pledged to cooperate with the investigation, said it has been given no evidence the attacks were carried out by Pakistanis.
Dec. 22 (Bloomberg) -- India will take all steps needed to combat terrorism emanating from Pakistan, Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said, adding that the government in Islamabad must also act against terrorists on its territory.
The government in New Delhi has blamed “elements” in Pakistan for being behind the Nov. 26-29 attack on Mumbai that killed 164 people. Pakistan, which has pledged to cooperate with the investigation, said it has been given no evidence the attacks were carried out by Pakistanis.
Report Predicts Terrorism in US Coming From Hezbollah | News From Antiwar.com
Report Predicts Terrorism in US Coming From Hezbollah | News From Antiwar.com
The Associated Press announced today that it had obtained the “Homeland Security Threat Assessment” for the years 2008-2013. Though it was unclear who the intended audience for the “official use only” document was, it predicts virtually every disaster imaginable in the next five years.
Among its usual predictions of impending doom in the US (enormous biological attacks and illegal terrorist immigration), the DHS document warns of hypothetical Hezbollah attacks in the US, sparked by some unspecified “triggering event.”
The Associated Press announced today that it had obtained the “Homeland Security Threat Assessment” for the years 2008-2013. Though it was unclear who the intended audience for the “official use only” document was, it predicts virtually every disaster imaginable in the next five years.
Among its usual predictions of impending doom in the US (enormous biological attacks and illegal terrorist immigration), the DHS document warns of hypothetical Hezbollah attacks in the US, sparked by some unspecified “triggering event.”
Defining the War on Terror : NPR
Defining the War on Terror : NPR
All Things Considered, November 1, 2006 · The term "war on terror" is ubiquitous, but the meaning of the word "war" has evolved.
For most of the last 2,000 years, war has meant something very conventional and traditional. The current war on terror, however, is a completely unconventional, non-traditional type of conflict.
Georgetown University historian Bruce Hoffman says unlike traditional wars, the war on terror does not have a clear beginning and an end.
All Things Considered, November 1, 2006 · The term "war on terror" is ubiquitous, but the meaning of the word "war" has evolved.
For most of the last 2,000 years, war has meant something very conventional and traditional. The current war on terror, however, is a completely unconventional, non-traditional type of conflict.
Georgetown University historian Bruce Hoffman says unlike traditional wars, the war on terror does not have a clear beginning and an end.
The $1 Trillion Bill for Bush's War on Terror - TIME
The $1 Trillion Bill for Bush's War on Terror - TIME
The news that President Bush's war on terrorism soon will have cost the U.S. taxpayers $1 trillion — and counting — is unlikely to spread much Christmas cheer in these tough economic times. A trio of recent reports — none by the Bush Administration — suggests that sometime early in the Obama presidency, spending on the wars started since 9/11 will pass the trillion-dollar mark. Even after adjusting for inflation, that's four times more than America spent fighting World War I, and more than 10 times the cost of 1991's Persian Gulf War (90% of which was paid for by U.S. allies). The war on terrorism looks set to surpass the costs the Korean and Vietnam wars combined, topped only by World War II's price tag of $3.5 trillion.
The news that President Bush's war on terrorism soon will have cost the U.S. taxpayers $1 trillion — and counting — is unlikely to spread much Christmas cheer in these tough economic times. A trio of recent reports — none by the Bush Administration — suggests that sometime early in the Obama presidency, spending on the wars started since 9/11 will pass the trillion-dollar mark. Even after adjusting for inflation, that's four times more than America spent fighting World War I, and more than 10 times the cost of 1991's Persian Gulf War (90% of which was paid for by U.S. allies). The war on terrorism looks set to surpass the costs the Korean and Vietnam wars combined, topped only by World War II's price tag of $3.5 trillion.
U.S. Department of Defense Official Website
U.S. Department of Defense Official Website
Soldiers from the 926th Combat Engineer Brigade took advantage of an opportunity to ask questions and get answers directly from the senior leader in their chain of command, Dec. 24, 2008, at Camp Liberty’s field house. Story
Deployed NCO Gets Call From President
An Army soldier serving in Iraq received a special phone call Dec. 24, 2008, and on the other end of the line was the commander-in-chief. Story
Strikers Christen New Chapel in Baghdad
After nearly seven months of holding religious services in conference rooms, the Army Strikers at Forward Operating Base War Eagle in the Adhamiyah district of Baghdad christened their new chapel with a Christmas Eve candlelight service Dec. 24, 2008. Story
U.S., Iraqis Seize Rocket Delivery System
American and Iraqi security forces found and seized a rocket-rail system during a combined operation conducted in Baghdad’s Rashid district Dec. 25. Story
General Notes Progress With Security
The military command charged with training Iraq’s security forces and the Iraqi Interior Ministry continues to make progress, a senior military official said. Story
Iraqi Forces Discover Smuggled Treasure
Iraqi Security Forces recently uncovered hundreds of historical artifacts during two raids in northern Basra. The 228 ancient artifacts included Sumerian and Babylonian sculpture, gold jewelry and other items from ancient Mesopotamia. Story
Soldiers from the 926th Combat Engineer Brigade took advantage of an opportunity to ask questions and get answers directly from the senior leader in their chain of command, Dec. 24, 2008, at Camp Liberty’s field house. Story
Deployed NCO Gets Call From President
An Army soldier serving in Iraq received a special phone call Dec. 24, 2008, and on the other end of the line was the commander-in-chief. Story
Strikers Christen New Chapel in Baghdad
After nearly seven months of holding religious services in conference rooms, the Army Strikers at Forward Operating Base War Eagle in the Adhamiyah district of Baghdad christened their new chapel with a Christmas Eve candlelight service Dec. 24, 2008. Story
U.S., Iraqis Seize Rocket Delivery System
American and Iraqi security forces found and seized a rocket-rail system during a combined operation conducted in Baghdad’s Rashid district Dec. 25. Story
General Notes Progress With Security
The military command charged with training Iraq’s security forces and the Iraqi Interior Ministry continues to make progress, a senior military official said. Story
Iraqi Forces Discover Smuggled Treasure
Iraqi Security Forces recently uncovered hundreds of historical artifacts during two raids in northern Basra. The 228 ancient artifacts included Sumerian and Babylonian sculpture, gold jewelry and other items from ancient Mesopotamia. Story
Pak bluffing US in war on terror: ex-CIA officer
Pak bluffing US in war on terror: ex-CIA officer
Washington: Pakistan was “double dealing” the US on the war on terror for years, says a former CIA analyst, who believes it will be difficult to break the Pakistani intelligence agencies' ties with Islamist groups.
Bruce Riedel, who retired from the Central Intelligence Agency, in 2006 after 29 years, speaks angrily about Pakistan under President Pervez Musharraf for extracting billions of dollars from Washington even while it allowed al-Qaeda to regroup in its tribal lands.
"We had a partner that was double-dealing us," the International Herald Tribune quoted Riedel as saying at his Washington home. "Anyone can be snookered and double dealt. But after six years you have to start to figure it out."
Riedel's views carry weight because he is a terrorism expert on President-elect Barack Obama's transition team. He is one of those who think that the terror network in Pakistan's tribal areas poses the biggest security threat to the US.
Washington: Pakistan was “double dealing” the US on the war on terror for years, says a former CIA analyst, who believes it will be difficult to break the Pakistani intelligence agencies' ties with Islamist groups.
Bruce Riedel, who retired from the Central Intelligence Agency, in 2006 after 29 years, speaks angrily about Pakistan under President Pervez Musharraf for extracting billions of dollars from Washington even while it allowed al-Qaeda to regroup in its tribal lands.
"We had a partner that was double-dealing us," the International Herald Tribune quoted Riedel as saying at his Washington home. "Anyone can be snookered and double dealt. But after six years you have to start to figure it out."
Riedel's views carry weight because he is a terrorism expert on President-elect Barack Obama's transition team. He is one of those who think that the terror network in Pakistan's tribal areas poses the biggest security threat to the US.
27 dead after Ukrainian apartment blast - CNN.com
27 dead after Ukrainian apartment blast - CNN.com
Twenty-one people were rescued from the remains of the building, located in the Black Sea resort town of Yevpatoria.
Rescue workers were still combing through the site Friday, but are expected to finish their work soon, according to Ukraine's Emergency Situations Ministry.
Government officials said oxygen canisters stored in the basement of the building are the most probable cause of the blasts, which reduced the apartment complex to rubble.
Twenty-one people were rescued from the remains of the building, located in the Black Sea resort town of Yevpatoria.
Rescue workers were still combing through the site Friday, but are expected to finish their work soon, according to Ukraine's Emergency Situations Ministry.
Government officials said oxygen canisters stored in the basement of the building are the most probable cause of the blasts, which reduced the apartment complex to rubble.
Church blast kills Sri Lanka officers - CNN.com
Church blast kills Sri Lanka officers - CNN.com
Eight other CDF officers and two civilians were wounded, police said.
Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the blast, but police suspect the bomber was a member of the Tamil Tiger rebels.
There was no immediate response from the Tamil Tiger rebels to the incident, which, police said, occurred at St. Anne's Church in the Colombo suburb of Wattala, located on a roadway to the country's only international airport about 15 kilometers (9 miles) north of the capital.
The attack happened during a weekly festival that usually draws a large crowd shopping for vegetables and household goods.
Eight other CDF officers and two civilians were wounded, police said.
Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the blast, but police suspect the bomber was a member of the Tamil Tiger rebels.
There was no immediate response from the Tamil Tiger rebels to the incident, which, police said, occurred at St. Anne's Church in the Colombo suburb of Wattala, located on a roadway to the country's only international airport about 15 kilometers (9 miles) north of the capital.
The attack happened during a weekly festival that usually draws a large crowd shopping for vegetables and household goods.
The Associated Press: US: 14 students die in bombing at Afghan school
The Associated Press: US: 14 students die in bombing at Afghan school
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A suicide bomber tried to attack a meeting of tribal elders and blew himself up near an Afghan primary school on Sunday, killing 14 children and wounding 58 people, the U.S. military said.
The suicide blast went off near the entrance to a police and army post, said Yacoub Khan, the deputy police chief of the eastern province of Khost. U.S. troops are also stationed inside the outpost, but no troops were wounded or killed in the attack.
The U.S. military said that 16 people were killed, including 14 students, an Afghan soldier and another person, who was likely an Afghan security guard that Afghan officials said was killed.
Dr. Abdul Rahman, a doctor at a hospital near the blast, said the children were aged 8 to 10.
Photos of the bombing's aftermath showed bloodied text books lying on the ground beside small pairs of shoes. The U.S. military also released images of the blast caught on a security camera.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A suicide bomber tried to attack a meeting of tribal elders and blew himself up near an Afghan primary school on Sunday, killing 14 children and wounding 58 people, the U.S. military said.
The suicide blast went off near the entrance to a police and army post, said Yacoub Khan, the deputy police chief of the eastern province of Khost. U.S. troops are also stationed inside the outpost, but no troops were wounded or killed in the attack.
The U.S. military said that 16 people were killed, including 14 students, an Afghan soldier and another person, who was likely an Afghan security guard that Afghan officials said was killed.
Dr. Abdul Rahman, a doctor at a hospital near the blast, said the children were aged 8 to 10.
Photos of the bombing's aftermath showed bloodied text books lying on the ground beside small pairs of shoes. The U.S. military also released images of the blast caught on a security camera.
Violence in Kashmir lowest in 20 years: police - washingtonpost.com
Violence in Kashmir lowest in 20 years: police - washingtonpost.com
SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) - Separatist violence in Indian Kashmir has fallen to its lowest level since an insurgency began nearly two decades ago, police said on Friday, but almost 1,000 Muslim militants are still operating in the region.
Indian officials say violence between Indian troops and separatist militants started a steady decline in 2004 after India and Pakistan, who both claim the region in full but rule in part, started a slow-moving peace process.
In an offensive against Muslim militants in Jammu and Kashmir state this year, Indian security forces killed 350 guerrillas, including 67 top-ranking commanders of different groups, Kashmir police director-general Kuldeep Khuda said.
SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) - Separatist violence in Indian Kashmir has fallen to its lowest level since an insurgency began nearly two decades ago, police said on Friday, but almost 1,000 Muslim militants are still operating in the region.
Indian officials say violence between Indian troops and separatist militants started a steady decline in 2004 after India and Pakistan, who both claim the region in full but rule in part, started a slow-moving peace process.
In an offensive against Muslim militants in Jammu and Kashmir state this year, Indian security forces killed 350 guerrillas, including 67 top-ranking commanders of different groups, Kashmir police director-general Kuldeep Khuda said.
AFP: Kashmir poll turnout 'a victory for democracy': Indian PM
AFP: Kashmir poll turnout 'a victory for democracy': Indian PM
SRINAGAR (AFP) — Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called the higher than expected turnout in elections in disputed Kashmir a "vote for democracy" Sunday, as results showed no one party dominated the polls.
Despite a boycott call by separatists and armed rebels, more than 60 percent of voters participated in the multi-stage elections which came after a period of direct rule from New Delhi.
"The large turnout is a vote for democracy. It is a vote for national integration. Therefore, we are all happy," Singh told reporters in New Delhi.
The elections had to be held in seven stages to ensure security in the Himalayan region, where at least 47,000 people have been killed in violence linked to a long-running Muslim insurgency against Indian rule
SRINAGAR (AFP) — Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called the higher than expected turnout in elections in disputed Kashmir a "vote for democracy" Sunday, as results showed no one party dominated the polls.
Despite a boycott call by separatists and armed rebels, more than 60 percent of voters participated in the multi-stage elections which came after a period of direct rule from New Delhi.
"The large turnout is a vote for democracy. It is a vote for national integration. Therefore, we are all happy," Singh told reporters in New Delhi.
The elections had to be held in seven stages to ensure security in the Himalayan region, where at least 47,000 people have been killed in violence linked to a long-running Muslim insurgency against Indian rule
Saturday, December 27, 2008
AFP: At least 228 die as Israel hammers Hamas-run Gaza
AFP: At least 228 die as Israel hammers Hamas-run Gaza
GAZA CITY (AFP) — Israeli warplanes have hammered Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for rocket fire, killing at least 228 people in one of the bloodiest days of the decades-long Middle East conflict.
Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said "Operation Cast Lead" against the Islamist movement, which has also left some 700 wounded, will continue "as long as necessary.
"The battle will be long and difficult, but the time has come to act and to fight," he said.
Exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal called in Damascus for a new Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel and promised new suicide attacks.
Following mid-morning bombings, in which some 60 warplanes struck more than 50 targets in just a few minutes, Hamas fired more than 70 rockets and mortars into Israel killing one person and injuring four, according to a new Israeli army toll.
Israeli air strikes continued sporadically throughout the day and into the night.
GAZA CITY (AFP) — Israeli warplanes have hammered Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for rocket fire, killing at least 228 people in one of the bloodiest days of the decades-long Middle East conflict.
Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said "Operation Cast Lead" against the Islamist movement, which has also left some 700 wounded, will continue "as long as necessary.
"The battle will be long and difficult, but the time has come to act and to fight," he said.
Exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal called in Damascus for a new Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel and promised new suicide attacks.
Following mid-morning bombings, in which some 60 warplanes struck more than 50 targets in just a few minutes, Hamas fired more than 70 rockets and mortars into Israel killing one person and injuring four, according to a new Israeli army toll.
Israeli air strikes continued sporadically throughout the day and into the night.
Friday, December 26, 2008
BBC NEWS | South Asia | India-Pakistan military balance
BBC NEWS | South Asia | India-Pakistan military balance
In straight numerical terms of population, economic might, military manpower and equipment it is almost meaningless to speak about an India-Pakistan balance.
www.ourbabytwins.blogspot.com
In straight numerical terms of population, economic might, military manpower and equipment it is almost meaningless to speak about an India-Pakistan balance.
www.ourbabytwins.blogspot.com
CIA buys Afghan chief's loyalty with Viagra
CIA buys Afghan chief's loyalty with Viagra
The Afghan chieftain looked older than his 60-odd years, and his bearded face bore the creases of a man burdened with duties as tribal patriarch and husband to four younger women. His visitor, a CIA officer, saw an opportunity, and reached in his bag for a small gift.
The Afghan chieftain looked older than his 60-odd years, and his bearded face bore the creases of a man burdened with duties as tribal patriarch and husband to four younger women. His visitor, a CIA officer, saw an opportunity, and reached in his bag for a small gift.
Soldier killed in car accident - 12/24/08 - Raleigh News - abc11.com
Soldier killed in car accident - 12/24/08 - Raleigh News - abc11.com
FAYETTEVILLE (WTVD) -- The Army says an 82nd Airborne Division soldier died in a car accident. It happened south of Mobile, Alabama this past weekend.
Paratrooper Clifton P. Morrow, 22, of Irvington, Ala., was assigned to the 1-82 Attack Recon Battalion as an Apache crew chief.
"Specialist Morrow always maintained a positive attitude and he never complained about the difficult work that needed to be accomplished," said Lt. Col. David Jernigan, Morrow's battalion commander in a statement released to the media. "He always had a smile on his face while working on the aircraft."
Morrow is survived by his parents.
FAYETTEVILLE (WTVD) -- The Army says an 82nd Airborne Division soldier died in a car accident. It happened south of Mobile, Alabama this past weekend.
Paratrooper Clifton P. Morrow, 22, of Irvington, Ala., was assigned to the 1-82 Attack Recon Battalion as an Apache crew chief.
"Specialist Morrow always maintained a positive attitude and he never complained about the difficult work that needed to be accomplished," said Lt. Col. David Jernigan, Morrow's battalion commander in a statement released to the media. "He always had a smile on his face while working on the aircraft."
Morrow is survived by his parents.
WRCB Channel 3 Chattanooga News, Weather | Newlywed Soldier Killed in Iraq
WRCB Channel 3 Chattanooga News, Weather | Newlywed Soldier Killed in Iraq
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) - The family of a Fort Campbell soldier who died Saturday in Iraq had just celebrated his wedding to another soldier earlier this month in Alabama.
The Defense Department said Monday that 25-year-old Staff Sgt. Jonathan W. Dean of Henagar, Ala., died Dec. 20 of injuries suffered in a noncombat related incident in Tikrit, Iraq.
Pam Dean, his stepmother, said Tuesday that the family had just dropped him off at the airport to return to Iraq on Dec. 14 and had only been in Iraq three days before his death.
Dean and his wife, Staff Sgt. Anne M. Dore, were married on Dec. 6 in Alabama. His wife was also deployed, but has returned for the funeral service.
He was assigned to the 561st Military Police Company, 716th Military Police Battalion, 101st Sustainment Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. The military says the circumstances surrounding his death are under investigation.
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) - The family of a Fort Campbell soldier who died Saturday in Iraq had just celebrated his wedding to another soldier earlier this month in Alabama.
The Defense Department said Monday that 25-year-old Staff Sgt. Jonathan W. Dean of Henagar, Ala., died Dec. 20 of injuries suffered in a noncombat related incident in Tikrit, Iraq.
Pam Dean, his stepmother, said Tuesday that the family had just dropped him off at the airport to return to Iraq on Dec. 14 and had only been in Iraq three days before his death.
Dean and his wife, Staff Sgt. Anne M. Dore, were married on Dec. 6 in Alabama. His wife was also deployed, but has returned for the funeral service.
He was assigned to the 561st Military Police Company, 716th Military Police Battalion, 101st Sustainment Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. The military says the circumstances surrounding his death are under investigation.
Fox 28: South Bend, Elkhart IN News, Weather, Sports -Soldier died of punctured lung, father says
Fox 28: South Bend, Elkhart IN News, Weather, Sports -Soldier died of punctured lung, father says
WYOMING, Mich. (AP) - Services for a Grand Rapids-area soldier who died after collapsing during a march in Arizona are scheduled for Saturday.
The Army says 29-year-old Pfc. Moneeka Mayo Vander Geld of Wyoming, Mich., collapsed Sunday morning and died a short time later at a hospital in Sierra Vista, about 170 miles southeast of Phoenix.
WYOMING, Mich. (AP) - Services for a Grand Rapids-area soldier who died after collapsing during a march in Arizona are scheduled for Saturday.
The Army says 29-year-old Pfc. Moneeka Mayo Vander Geld of Wyoming, Mich., collapsed Sunday morning and died a short time later at a hospital in Sierra Vista, about 170 miles southeast of Phoenix.
AFP: NATO soldier killed in Afghanistan attack
AFP: NATO soldier killed in Afghanistan attack
KABUL (AFP) — A soldier with the NATO-led force in Afghanistan was killed Wednesday in an insurgent attack in the east of the country, the force said.
The multinational International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) did not provide the nationality of the soldier killed or any details about the attack.
"Our thoughts and sincere condolences are with the family and friends of the brave soldier who was killed during this tragic event on Christmas Eve," ISAF spokesman Captain Mark Windsor said in a statement.
KABUL (AFP) — A soldier with the NATO-led force in Afghanistan was killed Wednesday in an insurgent attack in the east of the country, the force said.
The multinational International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) did not provide the nationality of the soldier killed or any details about the attack.
"Our thoughts and sincere condolences are with the family and friends of the brave soldier who was killed during this tragic event on Christmas Eve," ISAF spokesman Captain Mark Windsor said in a statement.
Fort Carson Soldier Killed In Iraq Accident - Denver News Story - KMGH Denver
Fort Carson Soldier Killed In Iraq Accident - Denver News Story - KMGH Denver
BROKEN ARROW, Okla. -- A U.S. Army soldier from Fort Carson Army Base has died after his military vehicle rolled off a collapsed road in Iraq and into a canal.
Cpl. Stephen Zapasnik was one of three soldiers killed in the Christmas Eve accident in southern Iraq, according to his mother, Chris Zapasnik, of Broken Arrow. The Defense Department has confirmed the three deaths, but has not released the soldiers' names.
BROKEN ARROW, Okla. -- A U.S. Army soldier from Fort Carson Army Base has died after his military vehicle rolled off a collapsed road in Iraq and into a canal.
Cpl. Stephen Zapasnik was one of three soldiers killed in the Christmas Eve accident in southern Iraq, according to his mother, Chris Zapasnik, of Broken Arrow. The Defense Department has confirmed the three deaths, but has not released the soldiers' names.
Afghan bomb kills 1 soldier, injures 3
Afghan bomb kills 1 soldier, injures 3
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — A Canadian soldier is dead and three others are injured after their armoured vehicle was struck by an explosive device Friday in Zhari district, about 24 kilometres west of Kandahar City.
The attack occurred around 12:45 p.m. local time.
"(The soldiers were doing) security operations in the area when the explosion occurred," said Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson, commander of Task Force Kandahar, in a brief statement.
The Defence Department has not yet released the victim's name, but the family has been notified.
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — A Canadian soldier is dead and three others are injured after their armoured vehicle was struck by an explosive device Friday in Zhari district, about 24 kilometres west of Kandahar City.
The attack occurred around 12:45 p.m. local time.
"(The soldiers were doing) security operations in the area when the explosion occurred," said Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson, commander of Task Force Kandahar, in a brief statement.
The Defence Department has not yet released the victim's name, but the family has been notified.
Car Bombs, Clashes Kill 6 In Baghdad; U.S. Soldier Dies In Mosul Attack | AHN | December 26, 2008
Car Bombs, Clashes Kill 6 In Baghdad; U.S. Soldier Dies In Mosul Attack | AHN | December 26, 2008
Baghdad, Iraq (AHN) - Car bombs exploded and clashes erupted in different Baghdad neighborhoods and Iraqi cities on Thursday, killing eight people. One U.S. soldier died from a rocket attack in Mosul.
A car bomb blew up outside a restaurant in the Shula neighborhood, killing five people and wounding 25 others. Explosions in Alam killed one child while violence in Khadra killed two assailants, Interior Ministry spokesman Col. Salman Kadhim is quoted by the Washington Post.
A rocket or mortar attack in Mosul claimed the life of one U.S. soldier, the Pentagon said on Thursday
Baghdad, Iraq (AHN) - Car bombs exploded and clashes erupted in different Baghdad neighborhoods and Iraqi cities on Thursday, killing eight people. One U.S. soldier died from a rocket attack in Mosul.
A car bomb blew up outside a restaurant in the Shula neighborhood, killing five people and wounding 25 others. Explosions in Alam killed one child while violence in Khadra killed two assailants, Interior Ministry spokesman Col. Salman Kadhim is quoted by the Washington Post.
A rocket or mortar attack in Mosul claimed the life of one U.S. soldier, the Pentagon said on Thursday
BBC NEWS | UK | Marine killed in Helmand is named
BBC NEWS | UK | Marine killed in Helmand is named
The marine, from 42 Commando, died from enemy fire in the Nad-e-Ali district near Lashkar Gah in Helmand province.
L/Cpl Whatley, 20, from King's Lynn in Norfolk was described as "vibrant, happy person" by his family.
Some 136 UK troops have been killed in Afghanistan since 2001, including 11 Royal Marines in the past two months.
L/Cpl Whatley was killed in a fierce and prolonged battle while leading his men into action, the MoD said.
A statement released by his family said: "Ben was a vibrant, happy person who had an unbridled enthusiasm for life. He was so proud to be a Royal Marine. His
The marine, from 42 Commando, died from enemy fire in the Nad-e-Ali district near Lashkar Gah in Helmand province.
L/Cpl Whatley, 20, from King's Lynn in Norfolk was described as "vibrant, happy person" by his family.
Some 136 UK troops have been killed in Afghanistan since 2001, including 11 Royal Marines in the past two months.
L/Cpl Whatley was killed in a fierce and prolonged battle while leading his men into action, the MoD said.
A statement released by his family said: "Ben was a vibrant, happy person who had an unbridled enthusiasm for life. He was so proud to be a Royal Marine. His
Ninth body found at scene of Christmas Eve attack - Los Angeles Times
Ninth body found at scene of Christmas Eve attack - Los Angeles Times
A ninth body was found this morning at the grim scene of a Christmas Eve shooting in Covina, where a man in a Santa Claus suit opened fire on a house full of holiday revelers and set the building on fire.
There were 25 guests at the party and nine had been unaccounted for immediately after the shooting. The Los Angeles County coroner's office did not provide any more details about the deceased.
A ninth body was found this morning at the grim scene of a Christmas Eve shooting in Covina, where a man in a Santa Claus suit opened fire on a house full of holiday revelers and set the building on fire.
There were 25 guests at the party and nine had been unaccounted for immediately after the shooting. The Los Angeles County coroner's office did not provide any more details about the deceased.
NDTV.com: Launching strikes in Pak: Will it serve the purpose?
NDTV.com: Launching strikes in Pak: Will it serve the purpose?
For the last several days, there has been talk of how the impasse after the Mumbai terror strikes could pave the way for military strikes on terror hubs in Pakistan.
Though both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart have stated that war should be avoided.
There have been reports of how both Indian and Pakistani forces remain on full alert for a military confrontation, but armed forces remain on alert even during peacetime and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have proven that conventional military strikes cannot defeat a determined terrorist force.
In the current situation in the subcontinent, here is why a military option may achieve very little.
For the last several days, there has been talk of how the impasse after the Mumbai terror strikes could pave the way for military strikes on terror hubs in Pakistan.
Though both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart have stated that war should be avoided.
There have been reports of how both Indian and Pakistani forces remain on full alert for a military confrontation, but armed forces remain on alert even during peacetime and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have proven that conventional military strikes cannot defeat a determined terrorist force.
In the current situation in the subcontinent, here is why a military option may achieve very little.
BBC NEWS | South Asia | Indians warned to avoid Pakistan
BBC NEWS | South Asia | Indians warned to avoid Pakistan
India has advised its citizens against travelling to Pakistan as tension continues in the wake of last month's deadly attacks in Mumbai.
India's foreign ministry said travel was "unsafe" after reports Indians had been detained following recent bomb attacks in Pakistani cities.
Pakistani officials say the tension has meant scaling down military operations against militants and redeploying east.
The attacks on several targets in Mumbai left more than 170 people dead.
India blames militant groups based in Pakistan for the attacks. They and Pakistan's government deny any involvement.
India has advised its citizens against travelling to Pakistan as tension continues in the wake of last month's deadly attacks in Mumbai.
India's foreign ministry said travel was "unsafe" after reports Indians had been detained following recent bomb attacks in Pakistani cities.
Pakistani officials say the tension has meant scaling down military operations against militants and redeploying east.
The attacks on several targets in Mumbai left more than 170 people dead.
India blames militant groups based in Pakistan for the attacks. They and Pakistan's government deny any involvement.
Pakistan moves troops toward Indian border - Yahoo! News
Pakistan moves troops toward Indian border - Yahoo! News
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Pakistan began moving thousands of troops to the Indian border Friday, intelligence officials said, sharply raising tensions triggered by the Mumbai terror attacks.
India has blamed Pakistani-based militants for last month's siege on its financial capital, which killed 164 people and has provoked an increasingly bitter war of words between nuclear-armed neighbors that have fought three wars in 60 years.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Pakistan began moving thousands of troops to the Indian border Friday, intelligence officials said, sharply raising tensions triggered by the Mumbai terror attacks.
India has blamed Pakistani-based militants for last month's siege on its financial capital, which killed 164 people and has provoked an increasingly bitter war of words between nuclear-armed neighbors that have fought three wars in 60 years.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
In Mosul, Iraqi Christians Brave the Violence to Celebrate Christmas - NYTimes.com
In Mosul, Iraqi Christians Brave the Violence to Celebrate Christmas - NYTimes.com
MOSUL, Iraq — Iraqi Christians in the northern city of Mosul say this year has been the worst in living memory. After a wave of killings and attacks in October, more than 2,000 families fled to nearby villages.
Mosul remains one of the most dangerous places in Iraq and a stubborn holdout of the insurgency, but security has improved enough that at least half of those families have returned. On Thursday, they braved the violence and biting cold and rain to attend Christmas Masses and pray for their safety.
At the nearly thousand-year-old Chaldean church of Miskinta, where a bomb had exploded in October and graffiti praising the insurgency remains on a nearby wall, about 50 parishioners followed a deacon outside to the courtyard, where a fire was lighted to symbolize the birth of Christ.
Many tried to hold back tears as they prayed for “the rebirth of tormented Iraq to a new life of forgiveness and compassion.”
MOSUL, Iraq — Iraqi Christians in the northern city of Mosul say this year has been the worst in living memory. After a wave of killings and attacks in October, more than 2,000 families fled to nearby villages.
Mosul remains one of the most dangerous places in Iraq and a stubborn holdout of the insurgency, but security has improved enough that at least half of those families have returned. On Thursday, they braved the violence and biting cold and rain to attend Christmas Masses and pray for their safety.
At the nearly thousand-year-old Chaldean church of Miskinta, where a bomb had exploded in October and graffiti praising the insurgency remains on a nearby wall, about 50 parishioners followed a deacon outside to the courtyard, where a fire was lighted to symbolize the birth of Christ.
Many tried to hold back tears as they prayed for “the rebirth of tormented Iraq to a new life of forgiveness and compassion.”
Diplomatic Traffic
Diplomatic Traffic
According to diverse media reports, South Asian experts associated with incoming U.S. President Barack Obama are advocating that the next administration adopt a comprehensive, integrated, and fundamentally “new” approach towards Pakistan. The policies reportedly under consideration include increasing U.S. economic assistance, augmenting the transparency and accountability of U.S. aid flows, and working with a wider range of foreign countries and institutions seeking to promote Pakistan’s peace and security. Pakistani leaders have endorsed many of these policies in principle, but challenges remain.
BACKGROUND: An influential Obama adviser on South Asia, former CIA officer Bruce Riedel, has characterized Pakistan as “the most dangerous country in today's world.” Obama’s team worry that continued chaos in Pakistan could threaten a range of U.S. goals, including resolving the conflicts in Afghanistan and Kashmir, curbing nuclear nonproliferation, and promoting liberal, secular democracy in a Muslim country that has experienced long periods of military rule. Most seriously, it could allow al-Qaeda to develop further its incipient safe haven in northwest Pakistan, from which it could threaten new terrorist strikes against the United States and its allies.
According to diverse media reports, South Asian experts associated with incoming U.S. President Barack Obama are advocating that the next administration adopt a comprehensive, integrated, and fundamentally “new” approach towards Pakistan. The policies reportedly under consideration include increasing U.S. economic assistance, augmenting the transparency and accountability of U.S. aid flows, and working with a wider range of foreign countries and institutions seeking to promote Pakistan’s peace and security. Pakistani leaders have endorsed many of these policies in principle, but challenges remain.
BACKGROUND: An influential Obama adviser on South Asia, former CIA officer Bruce Riedel, has characterized Pakistan as “the most dangerous country in today's world.” Obama’s team worry that continued chaos in Pakistan could threaten a range of U.S. goals, including resolving the conflicts in Afghanistan and Kashmir, curbing nuclear nonproliferation, and promoting liberal, secular democracy in a Muslim country that has experienced long periods of military rule. Most seriously, it could allow al-Qaeda to develop further its incipient safe haven in northwest Pakistan, from which it could threaten new terrorist strikes against the United States and its allies.
The Associated Press: Indian PM: 'Nobody wants war' after terror attack
The Associated Press: Indian PM: 'Nobody wants war' after terror attack
NEW DELHI (AP) — India's prime minister insisted Tuesday that "nobody wants war" as he tried to calm fears a day after Pakistan sent fighter jets into the skies amid heightened tensions between the two nations.
Relations between the longtime, nuclear-armed rivals have been strained since the Mumbai terrorist attacks that killed 164 people last month.
India blames militants operating from Pakistani soil and wants Islamabad to crack down; Pakistan says India has not provided proof of Pakistani involvement.
Seeking to temper tensions, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, made his second visit to Pakistan since the Mumbai attacks. He urged the country's leadership to work with India to fight terrorism.
Also visiting Pakistan, the head of Interpol said Islamabad has agreed to work with the global police agency to help investigate the attacks. But three weeks into the probe, India has not yet shared any evidence that would help the agency identify suspects from other countries, Ronald Noble said.
NEW DELHI (AP) — India's prime minister insisted Tuesday that "nobody wants war" as he tried to calm fears a day after Pakistan sent fighter jets into the skies amid heightened tensions between the two nations.
Relations between the longtime, nuclear-armed rivals have been strained since the Mumbai terrorist attacks that killed 164 people last month.
India blames militants operating from Pakistani soil and wants Islamabad to crack down; Pakistan says India has not provided proof of Pakistani involvement.
Seeking to temper tensions, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, made his second visit to Pakistan since the Mumbai attacks. He urged the country's leadership to work with India to fight terrorism.
Also visiting Pakistan, the head of Interpol said Islamabad has agreed to work with the global police agency to help investigate the attacks. But three weeks into the probe, India has not yet shared any evidence that would help the agency identify suspects from other countries, Ronald Noble said.
Five convicted of plotting to kill Ft. Dix soldiers - Los Angeles Times
Five convicted of plotting to kill Ft. Dix soldiers - Los Angeles Times
Reporting from Washington -- A federal jury convicted five Muslim men Monday of plotting to kill soldiers at an Army base in New Jersey in a case that showed an aggressive FBI effort to infiltrate suspected homegrown terrorist cells.
The five men, all Muslim immigrants who have lived in the United States for some time, were acquitted of the related charge of attempted murder, but could face life in prison for their conviction on conspiracy to kill American soldiers. Sentencing is scheduled for April.
Serpil TatarCritics of the government's anti-terrorism approach said the case amounted to entrapment of angry young men and that if not for the actions of the FBI's informants, the group of immigrants would have done nothing more than talk about an attack.
However, security experts praised the convictions and the FBI investigation that led to them, arguing that the probe stopped a group of amateur terrorists before they could become experts, execute a plot and possibly spawn other cells.
Reporting from Washington -- A federal jury convicted five Muslim men Monday of plotting to kill soldiers at an Army base in New Jersey in a case that showed an aggressive FBI effort to infiltrate suspected homegrown terrorist cells.
The five men, all Muslim immigrants who have lived in the United States for some time, were acquitted of the related charge of attempted murder, but could face life in prison for their conviction on conspiracy to kill American soldiers. Sentencing is scheduled for April.
Serpil TatarCritics of the government's anti-terrorism approach said the case amounted to entrapment of angry young men and that if not for the actions of the FBI's informants, the group of immigrants would have done nothing more than talk about an attack.
However, security experts praised the convictions and the FBI investigation that led to them, arguing that the probe stopped a group of amateur terrorists before they could become experts, execute a plot and possibly spawn other cells.
Washington Times - Lashkar-e-Taiba draws well-educated youths
Washington Times - Lashkar-e-Taiba draws well-educated youths
LAHORE, Pakistan | The profile of those joining the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba is changing to include more young, educated men, some of whom even hold advanced degrees.
"The big change is that until a few years back most of the militants were hailing from the [Afghan] frontier, but now the scenario has changed and young men from all over Pakistan are joining," said Brig. Gen. Mahmood Shah, who served the Pakistani army in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas on the border with Afghanistan.
A ripe breeding ground for the new militants is southern Punjab, he told The Washington Times. Since the school system in Punjab is better than in the tribal areas, most of the new entrants to militant groups are better educated, GenShah said.
Lashkar-e-Taiba is blamed for terrorist attacks in Mumbai last month that killed more than 170 people. Pakistan last week officially banned Lashkar's charitable arm, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, froze its bank accounts, sealed at least 45 of its offices and arrested 50 of its leaders. Dawa chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed - who also headed Lashkar until it was banned in 2002 after an attack in India - was put under house arrest for a month at his home in Lahore. Eleven people, including Mr. Saeed, were banned from leaving the country.
LAHORE, Pakistan | The profile of those joining the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba is changing to include more young, educated men, some of whom even hold advanced degrees.
"The big change is that until a few years back most of the militants were hailing from the [Afghan] frontier, but now the scenario has changed and young men from all over Pakistan are joining," said Brig. Gen. Mahmood Shah, who served the Pakistani army in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas on the border with Afghanistan.
A ripe breeding ground for the new militants is southern Punjab, he told The Washington Times. Since the school system in Punjab is better than in the tribal areas, most of the new entrants to militant groups are better educated, GenShah said.
Lashkar-e-Taiba is blamed for terrorist attacks in Mumbai last month that killed more than 170 people. Pakistan last week officially banned Lashkar's charitable arm, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, froze its bank accounts, sealed at least 45 of its offices and arrested 50 of its leaders. Dawa chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed - who also headed Lashkar until it was banned in 2002 after an attack in India - was put under house arrest for a month at his home in Lahore. Eleven people, including Mr. Saeed, were banned from leaving the country.
Israeli security cabinet declares 35 groups "terrorist organizations"_English_Xinhua
Israeli security cabinet declares 35 groups "terrorist organizations"_English_Xinhua
JERUSALEM, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Security Cabinet Wednesday held a comprehensive discussion on the issue of Global Jihad and declared 35 al-Qaida and Taliban-affiliated groups as "terrorist organizations."
According to an Israeli Prime Minister's Office (PMO) statement sent to Xinhua, the 35 organizations are active mainly in Pakistan, Afghanistan and North African countries and direct their activities against Western nations, and not necessarily against Israel.
The move was a significant measure in the international struggle against the financing of terrorism and was designed to put Israel in line with Western countries, especially the United States, which are also using economic means in dealing with terrorism and assist Israel in locating funds designated for terrorist organizations in the Middle East, said the PMO.
JERUSALEM, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Security Cabinet Wednesday held a comprehensive discussion on the issue of Global Jihad and declared 35 al-Qaida and Taliban-affiliated groups as "terrorist organizations."
According to an Israeli Prime Minister's Office (PMO) statement sent to Xinhua, the 35 organizations are active mainly in Pakistan, Afghanistan and North African countries and direct their activities against Western nations, and not necessarily against Israel.
The move was a significant measure in the international struggle against the financing of terrorism and was designed to put Israel in line with Western countries, especially the United States, which are also using economic means in dealing with terrorism and assist Israel in locating funds designated for terrorist organizations in the Middle East, said the PMO.
For Islamic charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa, alleged supporter of terror in Pakistan, it's business as usual -- chicagotribune.com
For Islamic charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa, alleged supporter of terror in Pakistan, it's business as usual -- chicagotribune.com
Despite officials' vow to crack down after Mumbai, Islamic charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa still operates unfettered
By Kim Barker | Tribune correspondent
December 26, 2008
MURIDKE, Pakistan — The students used computers to draw Pakistani flags and houses, and the hospital patients lined up for the eye doctor. "Fire is hot," a group of 68 1st graders recited in a crowded English class.
So far, it is business as usual at the main headquarters of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the Pakistani charity that allegedly is a front for the banned militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which was blamed for last month's terror attacks in Mumbai, India.
Despite the Pakistan government's announced crackdown on the group in response to pressure from India and the West, no one has shut its headquarters, a sprawling campus about an hour from the eastern city of Lahore. No one has closed the group's mosque in Lahore. Ten relief camps for victims of a recent earthquake in Balochistan province — also a Taliban stronghold — continue to operate, charity officials said.
"They may have thought we left everything and ran away to be safe," said Abu Ehsan, who runs the Jamaat complex in Muridke, known as Markaz-e-Taiba. "They may not know we have reopened."
Despite officials' vow to crack down after Mumbai, Islamic charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa still operates unfettered
By Kim Barker | Tribune correspondent
December 26, 2008
MURIDKE, Pakistan — The students used computers to draw Pakistani flags and houses, and the hospital patients lined up for the eye doctor. "Fire is hot," a group of 68 1st graders recited in a crowded English class.
So far, it is business as usual at the main headquarters of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the Pakistani charity that allegedly is a front for the banned militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which was blamed for last month's terror attacks in Mumbai, India.
Despite the Pakistan government's announced crackdown on the group in response to pressure from India and the West, no one has shut its headquarters, a sprawling campus about an hour from the eastern city of Lahore. No one has closed the group's mosque in Lahore. Ten relief camps for victims of a recent earthquake in Balochistan province — also a Taliban stronghold — continue to operate, charity officials said.
"They may have thought we left everything and ran away to be safe," said Abu Ehsan, who runs the Jamaat complex in Muridke, known as Markaz-e-Taiba. "They may not know we have reopened."
For Islamic charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa, alleged supporter of terror in Pakistan, it's business as usual -- chicagotribune.com
For Islamic charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa, alleged supporter of terror in Pakistan, it's business as usual -- chicagotribune.com
Despite officials' vow to crack down after Mumbai, Islamic charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa still operates unfettered
By Kim Barker | Tribune correspondent
December 26, 2008
MURIDKE, Pakistan — The students used computers to draw Pakistani flags and houses, and the hospital patients lined up for the eye doctor. "Fire is hot," a group of 68 1st graders recited in a crowded English class.
So far, it is business as usual at the main headquarters of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the Pakistani charity that allegedly is a front for the banned militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which was blamed for last month's terror attacks in Mumbai, India.
Despite the Pakistan government's announced crackdown on the group in response to pressure from India and the West, no one has shut its headquarters, a sprawling campus about an hour from the eastern city of Lahore. No one has closed the group's mosque in Lahore. Ten relief camps for victims of a recent earthquake in Balochistan province — also a Taliban stronghold — continue to operate, charity officials said.
"They may have thought we left everything and ran away to be safe," said Abu Ehsan, who runs the Jamaat complex in Muridke, known as Markaz-e-Taiba. "They may not know we have reopened."
Despite officials' vow to crack down after Mumbai, Islamic charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa still operates unfettered
By Kim Barker | Tribune correspondent
December 26, 2008
MURIDKE, Pakistan — The students used computers to draw Pakistani flags and houses, and the hospital patients lined up for the eye doctor. "Fire is hot," a group of 68 1st graders recited in a crowded English class.
So far, it is business as usual at the main headquarters of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the Pakistani charity that allegedly is a front for the banned militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which was blamed for last month's terror attacks in Mumbai, India.
Despite the Pakistan government's announced crackdown on the group in response to pressure from India and the West, no one has shut its headquarters, a sprawling campus about an hour from the eastern city of Lahore. No one has closed the group's mosque in Lahore. Ten relief camps for victims of a recent earthquake in Balochistan province — also a Taliban stronghold — continue to operate, charity officials said.
"They may have thought we left everything and ran away to be safe," said Abu Ehsan, who runs the Jamaat complex in Muridke, known as Markaz-e-Taiba. "They may not know we have reopened."
Terrorism Havens: Pakistan - Council on Foreign Relations
Terrorism Havens: Pakistan - Council on Foreign Relations
Does Pakistan’s government support terrorism?
It has, and experts say that Pakistan’s military and Interservices Intelligence (ISI) both include personnel who sympathize with—or even assist—Islamist militants. ISI has provided covert but well-documented support to terrorist groups active in Kashmir, including the al-Qaeda affiliate Jaish-e-Mohammed, which investigators linked to the December 2001 attack on the Indian parliament and the February 2002 murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. President Pervez Musharraf made promises to stop Kashmiri militants from crossing into the Indian-held sector of Kashmir, but India insists Musharraf has yet to stop the terrorists’ movements.
How did Pakistan respond to September 11?
Pakistan, which had backed al-Qaeda’s Taliban hosts before September 11, abruptly reversed course and threw its lot in with the U.S.-led antiterrorist coalition. Under heavy U.S. pressure, Musharraf condemned the attacks and pledged Pakistan’s “unstinted cooperation” two days later. Pakistan has since become a key U.S. partner in its campaign against al-Qaeda, even as the perpetually turbulent, nuclear-armed Muslim country has teetered on the brink of war with India over the disputed province of Kashmir. Experts say Musharraf, who came to power in a 1999 coup, is under enormous strain: America is demanding that he crack down on Islamist militants; Pakistan’s religious extremists and some intelligence officials are furious at him for abandoning Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers and softening his line on Kashmir; and Pakistan’s main political parties are shunning him because he’s resisting the restoration of democracy.
Do all Pakistanis support the ‘war on terrorism’?
No. Despite its government’s cooperation with the United States, Pakistan is home to many Islamist extremists, some with links to al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups. Militants have conducted several terrorist attacks on Americans and other Westerners in Pakistan since September 11, including the abduction and murder of Daniel Pearl and the June 2002 car bombing of the U.S. consulate in Karachi, which killed twelve Pakistanis. Thanks to shared Islamist sympathies and ethnic ties, some Pakistanis have also helped Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters fleeing from Afghanistan take refuge throughout Pakistan. U.S. officials are concerned al-Qaeda could regenerate itself in urban areas and in the Northwest Frontier province, a lawless tribal region on the Afghan border inhabited by Pashtuns, the Taliban’s dominant ethnic group.
How has Pakistan supported the ‘war on terrorism’?
By becoming a major U.S. partner and staging area for the war in Afghanistan. The United States considers Pakistan one of its most important allies in the “war on terror.” Pakistan granted overflight rights to coalition aircraft, let U.S. forces use two Pakistani airfields, and shared intelligence about suspected terrorists. Pakistan has also worked with the FBI to capture suspected al-Qaeda and Taliban fugitives who fled into northern Pakistan—including al-Qaeda operations chief Abu Zubaydah and the alleged September 11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Muhammad—and in some cases has committed its own troops to hunt down al-Qaeda holdouts. According to the State Department’s 2004 Country Report, “Pakistan continues to pursue al-Qaeda and its allies aggressively through counterterrorist police measures and large-scale military operations.” Osama bin Laden is widely believed to be hiding in the remote tribal region along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border with his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Musharraf says Pakistani troops had their best chance of capturing bin Laden from May-July 2004, after the army launched an offensive along the border with Afghanistan. But he says the trail has now gone cold.
After the July 2005 London bombings, in which the bombers were of Pakistani decent—and at least one of the suspects visited a Pakistani madrassa—Musharaff outlined a new approach for cracking down on extremism. He has decided to monitor hate sermons from mosques; require that all madrassas be registered and foreign students expelled; clamp down on inflammatory material; and prohibit militant groups from collecting funds. Pakistan also responded to the bombing by detaining more than 200 suspected Islamist militants.
Have U.S. personnel operated in Pakistan?
Yes. U.S. soldiers have joined Pakistani troops on raids in the tribal border regions, and the FBI is contributing information and agents to the pursuit of al-Qaeda holdouts. U.S. officials say they need Americans on the ground because the Pakistani military is not doing enough on its own, and Pakistan-watchers say the government remains reluctant to pursue terrorists at home because it fears an internal political backlash. Moreover, Pakistan has not wanted to launch large-scale military operations against al-Qaeda while many of its troops have been amassed along the Indian border due to tensions over Kashmir, a festering conflict that has flared up several times since India and Pakistan gained independence.
How does the Kashmir crisis affect the war on terrorism?
It’s a large, frightening distraction, particularly since both Pakistan and India have nuclear weapons. Tensions over Kashmir, which spiked after a December 2001 terrorist attack on India’s parliament, have diverted U.S. and Pakistani resources away from the pursuit of al-Qaeda. Experts say the fate of the disputed Muslim-majority province is fundamental to Pakistan’s national identity and Musharraf’s rule; observers say the general was able to seize power because his predecessor backed down in a 1999 showdown over Kashmir. Meanwhile, India—also an American partner in the antiterrorist coalition—has accused the United States of hypocrisy for working with a Pakistani government that India says continues to support terrorism.
Weigh in on this issue by emailing CFR.org.
Does Pakistan’s government support terrorism?
It has, and experts say that Pakistan’s military and Interservices Intelligence (ISI) both include personnel who sympathize with—or even assist—Islamist militants. ISI has provided covert but well-documented support to terrorist groups active in Kashmir, including the al-Qaeda affiliate Jaish-e-Mohammed, which investigators linked to the December 2001 attack on the Indian parliament and the February 2002 murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. President Pervez Musharraf made promises to stop Kashmiri militants from crossing into the Indian-held sector of Kashmir, but India insists Musharraf has yet to stop the terrorists’ movements.
How did Pakistan respond to September 11?
Pakistan, which had backed al-Qaeda’s Taliban hosts before September 11, abruptly reversed course and threw its lot in with the U.S.-led antiterrorist coalition. Under heavy U.S. pressure, Musharraf condemned the attacks and pledged Pakistan’s “unstinted cooperation” two days later. Pakistan has since become a key U.S. partner in its campaign against al-Qaeda, even as the perpetually turbulent, nuclear-armed Muslim country has teetered on the brink of war with India over the disputed province of Kashmir. Experts say Musharraf, who came to power in a 1999 coup, is under enormous strain: America is demanding that he crack down on Islamist militants; Pakistan’s religious extremists and some intelligence officials are furious at him for abandoning Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers and softening his line on Kashmir; and Pakistan’s main political parties are shunning him because he’s resisting the restoration of democracy.
Do all Pakistanis support the ‘war on terrorism’?
No. Despite its government’s cooperation with the United States, Pakistan is home to many Islamist extremists, some with links to al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups. Militants have conducted several terrorist attacks on Americans and other Westerners in Pakistan since September 11, including the abduction and murder of Daniel Pearl and the June 2002 car bombing of the U.S. consulate in Karachi, which killed twelve Pakistanis. Thanks to shared Islamist sympathies and ethnic ties, some Pakistanis have also helped Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters fleeing from Afghanistan take refuge throughout Pakistan. U.S. officials are concerned al-Qaeda could regenerate itself in urban areas and in the Northwest Frontier province, a lawless tribal region on the Afghan border inhabited by Pashtuns, the Taliban’s dominant ethnic group.
How has Pakistan supported the ‘war on terrorism’?
By becoming a major U.S. partner and staging area for the war in Afghanistan. The United States considers Pakistan one of its most important allies in the “war on terror.” Pakistan granted overflight rights to coalition aircraft, let U.S. forces use two Pakistani airfields, and shared intelligence about suspected terrorists. Pakistan has also worked with the FBI to capture suspected al-Qaeda and Taliban fugitives who fled into northern Pakistan—including al-Qaeda operations chief Abu Zubaydah and the alleged September 11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Muhammad—and in some cases has committed its own troops to hunt down al-Qaeda holdouts. According to the State Department’s 2004 Country Report, “Pakistan continues to pursue al-Qaeda and its allies aggressively through counterterrorist police measures and large-scale military operations.” Osama bin Laden is widely believed to be hiding in the remote tribal region along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border with his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Musharraf says Pakistani troops had their best chance of capturing bin Laden from May-July 2004, after the army launched an offensive along the border with Afghanistan. But he says the trail has now gone cold.
After the July 2005 London bombings, in which the bombers were of Pakistani decent—and at least one of the suspects visited a Pakistani madrassa—Musharaff outlined a new approach for cracking down on extremism. He has decided to monitor hate sermons from mosques; require that all madrassas be registered and foreign students expelled; clamp down on inflammatory material; and prohibit militant groups from collecting funds. Pakistan also responded to the bombing by detaining more than 200 suspected Islamist militants.
Have U.S. personnel operated in Pakistan?
Yes. U.S. soldiers have joined Pakistani troops on raids in the tribal border regions, and the FBI is contributing information and agents to the pursuit of al-Qaeda holdouts. U.S. officials say they need Americans on the ground because the Pakistani military is not doing enough on its own, and Pakistan-watchers say the government remains reluctant to pursue terrorists at home because it fears an internal political backlash. Moreover, Pakistan has not wanted to launch large-scale military operations against al-Qaeda while many of its troops have been amassed along the Indian border due to tensions over Kashmir, a festering conflict that has flared up several times since India and Pakistan gained independence.
How does the Kashmir crisis affect the war on terrorism?
It’s a large, frightening distraction, particularly since both Pakistan and India have nuclear weapons. Tensions over Kashmir, which spiked after a December 2001 terrorist attack on India’s parliament, have diverted U.S. and Pakistani resources away from the pursuit of al-Qaeda. Experts say the fate of the disputed Muslim-majority province is fundamental to Pakistan’s national identity and Musharraf’s rule; observers say the general was able to seize power because his predecessor backed down in a 1999 showdown over Kashmir. Meanwhile, India—also an American partner in the antiterrorist coalition—has accused the United States of hypocrisy for working with a Pakistani government that India says continues to support terrorism.
Weigh in on this issue by emailing CFR.org.
'Unless you sacrifice, you can't fight terror'
'Unless you sacrifice, you can't fight terror'
Colonel R Hariharan [Images] is a specialist on South Asia military intelligence. He served as the head of intelligence for the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka [Images] between 1987 and 1990.
He is associated with the South Asia Analysis Group and the Chennai Centre for China Studies.
Colonel Hariharan spoke to rediff.com's Shobha Warrier about what needs to be done to avoid terror attacks like the one in Mumbai terror attacks.
Colonel R Hariharan [Images] is a specialist on South Asia military intelligence. He served as the head of intelligence for the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka [Images] between 1987 and 1990.
He is associated with the South Asia Analysis Group and the Chennai Centre for China Studies.
Colonel Hariharan spoke to rediff.com's Shobha Warrier about what needs to be done to avoid terror attacks like the one in Mumbai terror attacks.
F.B.I. Struggling to Reinvent Itself to Fight Terror - New York Times
F.B.I. Struggling to Reinvent Itself to Fight Terror - New York Times
WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 — Last February, top F.B.I. officers from across the nation gathered in a high-security auditorium for the latest plan to reinvent the crime-fighting agency to take on terrorism.
Stephen Crowley/The New York Times
Robert S. Mueller III, director of the F.B.I., testifying before a Senate committee hearing last May.
Philip Mudd, who had just joined the bureau from the rival Central Intelligence Agency, was pitching a program called Domain Management, designed to get agents to move beyond chasing criminal cases and start gathering intelligence.
Drawing on things like commercial marketing software and the National Security Agency’s eavesdropping without warrants, the program is supposed to identify threats. Mr. Mudd displayed a map of the San Francisco area, pocked with data showing where Iranian immigrants were clustered — and where, he said, an F.B.I. squad was “hunting.”
WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 — Last February, top F.B.I. officers from across the nation gathered in a high-security auditorium for the latest plan to reinvent the crime-fighting agency to take on terrorism.
Stephen Crowley/The New York Times
Robert S. Mueller III, director of the F.B.I., testifying before a Senate committee hearing last May.
Philip Mudd, who had just joined the bureau from the rival Central Intelligence Agency, was pitching a program called Domain Management, designed to get agents to move beyond chasing criminal cases and start gathering intelligence.
Drawing on things like commercial marketing software and the National Security Agency’s eavesdropping without warrants, the program is supposed to identify threats. Mr. Mudd displayed a map of the San Francisco area, pocked with data showing where Iranian immigrants were clustered — and where, he said, an F.B.I. squad was “hunting.”
www.1-800-GO-GUARD.com | Contact a Recruiter
www.1-800-GO-GUARD.com | Contact a Recruiter
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Think you want to join the Guard? Or at least find out more?
Fill out the form below to be contacted by a recruiter who can answer your questions and listen to your concerns.
Filling out this form does not obligate you to join. It's just a chance to check us out and learn more about the amazing opportunites in the Guard.
About You
Mumbai terror victim’s dad vows to 'fight terror with light'
Mumbai terror victim’s dad vows to 'fight terror with light'
The grieving father of a Brooklyn-born rabbi slaughtered in Mumbai vowed yesterday to rebuild his son's Jewish center that terrorists tried to destroy.
Nachman Holtzberg, 59, said the best way to heal his heartache is to ensure the work of his murdered son and daughter-in-law continues in the Indian city they loved.
"It will show those who want to destroy the house in India that we will continue to grow and to have strength," said Holtzberg, sitting in his Crown Heights home next to a lone, plain menorah.
The grieving father of a Brooklyn-born rabbi slaughtered in Mumbai vowed yesterday to rebuild his son's Jewish center that terrorists tried to destroy.
Nachman Holtzberg, 59, said the best way to heal his heartache is to ensure the work of his murdered son and daughter-in-law continues in the Indian city they loved.
"It will show those who want to destroy the house in India that we will continue to grow and to have strength," said Holtzberg, sitting in his Crown Heights home next to a lone, plain menorah.
The Associated Press: US fears Pakistani role in Mumbai attacks
The Associated Press: US fears Pakistani role in Mumbai attacks
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials are worried about a possible surge in violence between India and Pakistan after the bloody attacks in Mumbai that killed at least 195 people, including five Americans. To ease tensions, intelligence officials are searching urgently for clues that might identify the attackers even as Indian officials claim "elements in Pakistan" were involved.
FBI agents were preparing to fly to India to investigate the bloody attacks in the Indian financial capital as the State Department warned U.S. citizens still in the city that their lives remain at risk.
A U.S. counterterrorism official said some "signatures of the attack" were consistent with the work of Pakistani militant groups known as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed that have fought Indian troops in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir and also are reported to be linked to al-Qaida.
But the official emphasized it was premature to pinpoint who was responsible for the attacks. Another official, specializing in counterintelligence, also cautioned against rushing to judgment on the origins of the gunmen who waged a two-and-a-half-day rampage through India's leading commercial center before being killed.
The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.
India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir. U.S. officials are concerned about a flare-up in animosity similar to one that occurred after Pakistani militants attacked the Indian parliament in December 2001, the officials said.
Underscoring those fears, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has called the foreign minister of India twice, along with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, since the crisis began.
"There were very worrying tensions in the region," said Gordon Duguid, a State Department spokesman. "She was calling the president of Pakistan to get his read on how those tensions might be affected."
As U.S. officials worked to ease hard feelings between India and Pakistan, a tentative rapprochement between the two nuclear-armed rivals could hang in the balance.
Pakistan's ambassador to the U.S., Husain Haqqani, said in a statement that his country is "confronting the menace of terrorism with great vigor." Haqqani insisted "it is unfair to blame Pakistan or Pakistanis for these acts of terrorism even before an investigation is undertaken."
President George W. Bush pledged cooperation with Indian authorities and mourned the deaths of at least 195 people at the hands of gunmen.
"My administration has been working with the Indian government and the international community as Indian authorities work to ensure the safety of those still under threat," Bush said in statement Friday.
Bush was receiving regular updates, White House press secretary Dana Perino said Friday night. Senior administration officials were focused on ensuring that Americans were being helped in every way possible, she said.
Duguid, the State Department spokesman, cautioned that "Americans are still at risk on the ground," and repeated calls for U.S. citizens not to travel to the stricken city at least through the weekend.
Officials were working out the final details with Indian diplomats Friday for the departure of an FBI team, said U.S. authorities, who also spoke on condition of anonymity because of the delicate nature of the operation. A second group of investigators was on alert to join the first team if necessary.
U.S. officials were checking with Indian authorities and hospitals to learn more about the extent of casualties.
Among the dead were:
_Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg, 29, and his wife, Rivkah, 28. They were killed in an attack on the ultra-Orthodox Chabad-Lubavitch movement's center in Mumbai, Rabbi Zalman Shmotkin said in New York. Officials could not confirm whether Rivkah Holtzberg was, like her husband, an American citizen.
_Bentzion Chroman, an Israeli with dual U.S. citizenship who was visiting the center.
_Rabbi Leibish Teitlebaum of Brooklyn, N.Y., who was visiting the center.
_Alan Scherr, 58, and daughter Naomi, 13, of Virginia, who died in a cafe Wednesday night. They lived at the Synchronicity Foundation sanctuary about 15 miles southwest of Charlottesville, Va., and were among 25 foundation participants in a spiritual program in Mumbai, said Bobbie Garvey, a spokeswoman for the foundation, which promotes a form of meditation.
Duguid said consular staff would continue to work with Indian police until all missing Americans were accounted for.
U.S. officials have activated a phone tree to contact American citizens who registered with the U.S. consulate in Mumbai, State Department spokesman Robert McInturff said.
President-elect Barack Obama has spoken by telephone with Rice about the attacks and received several intelligence briefings, State Department officials said. They said Rice spoke again Friday with Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
"These terrorists who targeted innocent civilians will not defeat India's great democracy, nor shake the will of a global coalition to defeat them," Obama said in a statement. "The United States must stand with India and all nations and people who are committed to destroying terrorist networks, and defeating their hate-filled ideology."
The State Department set up a call center for Americans concerned about family members who may be in Mumbai. The number is 1-888-407-4747.
Associated Press writers Foster Klug and Lara Jakes Jordan in Washington, and Tom Breen in Richmond, Va., contributed to this story.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials are worried about a possible surge in violence between India and Pakistan after the bloody attacks in Mumbai that killed at least 195 people, including five Americans. To ease tensions, intelligence officials are searching urgently for clues that might identify the attackers even as Indian officials claim "elements in Pakistan" were involved.
FBI agents were preparing to fly to India to investigate the bloody attacks in the Indian financial capital as the State Department warned U.S. citizens still in the city that their lives remain at risk.
A U.S. counterterrorism official said some "signatures of the attack" were consistent with the work of Pakistani militant groups known as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed that have fought Indian troops in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir and also are reported to be linked to al-Qaida.
But the official emphasized it was premature to pinpoint who was responsible for the attacks. Another official, specializing in counterintelligence, also cautioned against rushing to judgment on the origins of the gunmen who waged a two-and-a-half-day rampage through India's leading commercial center before being killed.
The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.
India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir. U.S. officials are concerned about a flare-up in animosity similar to one that occurred after Pakistani militants attacked the Indian parliament in December 2001, the officials said.
Underscoring those fears, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has called the foreign minister of India twice, along with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, since the crisis began.
"There were very worrying tensions in the region," said Gordon Duguid, a State Department spokesman. "She was calling the president of Pakistan to get his read on how those tensions might be affected."
As U.S. officials worked to ease hard feelings between India and Pakistan, a tentative rapprochement between the two nuclear-armed rivals could hang in the balance.
Pakistan's ambassador to the U.S., Husain Haqqani, said in a statement that his country is "confronting the menace of terrorism with great vigor." Haqqani insisted "it is unfair to blame Pakistan or Pakistanis for these acts of terrorism even before an investigation is undertaken."
President George W. Bush pledged cooperation with Indian authorities and mourned the deaths of at least 195 people at the hands of gunmen.
"My administration has been working with the Indian government and the international community as Indian authorities work to ensure the safety of those still under threat," Bush said in statement Friday.
Bush was receiving regular updates, White House press secretary Dana Perino said Friday night. Senior administration officials were focused on ensuring that Americans were being helped in every way possible, she said.
Duguid, the State Department spokesman, cautioned that "Americans are still at risk on the ground," and repeated calls for U.S. citizens not to travel to the stricken city at least through the weekend.
Officials were working out the final details with Indian diplomats Friday for the departure of an FBI team, said U.S. authorities, who also spoke on condition of anonymity because of the delicate nature of the operation. A second group of investigators was on alert to join the first team if necessary.
U.S. officials were checking with Indian authorities and hospitals to learn more about the extent of casualties.
Among the dead were:
_Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg, 29, and his wife, Rivkah, 28. They were killed in an attack on the ultra-Orthodox Chabad-Lubavitch movement's center in Mumbai, Rabbi Zalman Shmotkin said in New York. Officials could not confirm whether Rivkah Holtzberg was, like her husband, an American citizen.
_Bentzion Chroman, an Israeli with dual U.S. citizenship who was visiting the center.
_Rabbi Leibish Teitlebaum of Brooklyn, N.Y., who was visiting the center.
_Alan Scherr, 58, and daughter Naomi, 13, of Virginia, who died in a cafe Wednesday night. They lived at the Synchronicity Foundation sanctuary about 15 miles southwest of Charlottesville, Va., and were among 25 foundation participants in a spiritual program in Mumbai, said Bobbie Garvey, a spokeswoman for the foundation, which promotes a form of meditation.
Duguid said consular staff would continue to work with Indian police until all missing Americans were accounted for.
U.S. officials have activated a phone tree to contact American citizens who registered with the U.S. consulate in Mumbai, State Department spokesman Robert McInturff said.
President-elect Barack Obama has spoken by telephone with Rice about the attacks and received several intelligence briefings, State Department officials said. They said Rice spoke again Friday with Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
"These terrorists who targeted innocent civilians will not defeat India's great democracy, nor shake the will of a global coalition to defeat them," Obama said in a statement. "The United States must stand with India and all nations and people who are committed to destroying terrorist networks, and defeating their hate-filled ideology."
The State Department set up a call center for Americans concerned about family members who may be in Mumbai. The number is 1-888-407-4747.
Associated Press writers Foster Klug and Lara Jakes Jordan in Washington, and Tom Breen in Richmond, Va., contributed to this story.
ReviewJournal.com - News - Local officials to visit India to evaluate Mumbai attacks
ReviewJournal.com - News - Local officials to visit India to evaluate Mumbai attacks
The Metropolitan Police Department will send five people to India in January in an effort to learn about last month's terrorist attacks that crippled Mumbai.
Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie said the purpose of the trip, in which Las Vegas officials will accompany Los Angeles Police Department investigators, will be to evaluate the tactics the terrorists used and how officials responded.
The Metropolitan Police Department will send five people to India in January in an effort to learn about last month's terrorist attacks that crippled Mumbai.
Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie said the purpose of the trip, in which Las Vegas officials will accompany Los Angeles Police Department investigators, will be to evaluate the tactics the terrorists used and how officials responded.
Why Britain Increasingly Worries About Pakistani Terrorism - US News and World Report
Why Britain Increasingly Worries About Pakistani Terrorism - US News and World Report
LONDON—That Britain faces a very real risk of home-grown Islamic terrorism has long been known. But now, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has not only publicly hinted at the extent of the problem but bluntly charged that most U.K.-based extremists are linked to Pakistan, some 3,700 miles away.
LONDON—That Britain faces a very real risk of home-grown Islamic terrorism has long been known. But now, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has not only publicly hinted at the extent of the problem but bluntly charged that most U.K.-based extremists are linked to Pakistan, some 3,700 miles away.
Feds consider searches of terrorism blogs - USATODAY.com
Feds consider searches of terrorism blogs - USATODAY.com
WASHINGTON — The Homeland Security Department may soon start scouring the Internet to find blogs and message boards that terrorists use to plan attacks in the USA.
The effort comes as researchers are seeing terrorists increasingly use the Internet to plan bombings, recruit members and spread propaganda. "Blogging and message boards have played a substantial role in allowing communication among those who would do the United States harm," the department said in a recent notice.
www.ourbabytwins.blogspot.com
WASHINGTON — The Homeland Security Department may soon start scouring the Internet to find blogs and message boards that terrorists use to plan attacks in the USA.
The effort comes as researchers are seeing terrorists increasingly use the Internet to plan bombings, recruit members and spread propaganda. "Blogging and message boards have played a substantial role in allowing communication among those who would do the United States harm," the department said in a recent notice.
www.ourbabytwins.blogspot.com
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
BBC NEWS | South Asia | Mumbai suspect remand is extended
BBC NEWS | South Asia | Mumbai suspect remand is extended
www.ourbabytwins.blogspot.com
A magistrate extended his custody until 6 January, police said.
The suspect faces a number of charges including murder, attempted murder, waging war against a country and criminal conspiracy.
The multiple attacks on the city on 26 November left at least 173 people dead, including nine of the 10 gunmen.
Mohammed Ajmal Amir Qasab, who has previously been identified also as Mohammed Ajmal Qasab and Azam Amir Qasab among others, had been due to appear in court, but because of security concerns magistrates and court officials visited him at the Mumbai police crime branch office.
www.ourbabytwins.blogspot.com
A magistrate extended his custody until 6 January, police said.
The suspect faces a number of charges including murder, attempted murder, waging war against a country and criminal conspiracy.
The multiple attacks on the city on 26 November left at least 173 people dead, including nine of the 10 gunmen.
Mohammed Ajmal Amir Qasab, who has previously been identified also as Mohammed Ajmal Qasab and Azam Amir Qasab among others, had been due to appear in court, but because of security concerns magistrates and court officials visited him at the Mumbai police crime branch office.
Monday, December 22, 2008
India FM: We will act on Mumbai if Pakistan won't - Yahoo! News
India FM: We will act on Mumbai if Pakistan won't - Yahoo! News
NEW DELHI – Pakistan is shifting blame and responsibility for last month's deadly attacks in Mumbai, India's foreign minister charged Monday, adding that Delhi would take action against the perpetrators if Islamabad failed to.
India also gave Pakistan a letter written by Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the only gunman captured after the rampage. Kasab wrote that he and the nine other gunmen involved in the Nov. 26 attack all came from Pakistan, India's Foreign Ministry said. He also requested a meeting with Pakistani envoys, the ministry said.
Islamabad has not acknowledged that Kasab is Pakistani and has said it is waiting for proof of his citizenship before it will take further action.
India's Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that if Pakistan doesn't deal with those responsible, India was prepared to "take all measures necessary as we deem fit to deal with the situation." He did not elaborate about the measures.
NEW DELHI – Pakistan is shifting blame and responsibility for last month's deadly attacks in Mumbai, India's foreign minister charged Monday, adding that Delhi would take action against the perpetrators if Islamabad failed to.
India also gave Pakistan a letter written by Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the only gunman captured after the rampage. Kasab wrote that he and the nine other gunmen involved in the Nov. 26 attack all came from Pakistan, India's Foreign Ministry said. He also requested a meeting with Pakistani envoys, the ministry said.
Islamabad has not acknowledged that Kasab is Pakistani and has said it is waiting for proof of his citizenship before it will take further action.
India's Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that if Pakistan doesn't deal with those responsible, India was prepared to "take all measures necessary as we deem fit to deal with the situation." He did not elaborate about the measures.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
The Cutting Edge News
The Cutting Edge News
Belgian authorities have arrested 14 suspected Al Qaeda terrorists, including a Jihadi who was allegedly planning a suicide attack, according to Agence France Presse and the Associated Press.
Sixteen raids were executed by 242 police officers in Brussels and in the eastern city of Liege on the eve of an important European economic summit scheduled to take place in Brussels. Security and judicial sources described the arrests as the “most important anti-terrorism operation in Belgium.” Citing the Federal prosecutor’s office, AFP reported that the move was targeting “a Belgian Islamist group involved in training as well as fighting on the Pakistan-Afghan border in cooperation with important figures in al Qaeda.”
Belgian authorities have arrested 14 suspected Al Qaeda terrorists, including a Jihadi who was allegedly planning a suicide attack, according to Agence France Presse and the Associated Press.
Sixteen raids were executed by 242 police officers in Brussels and in the eastern city of Liege on the eve of an important European economic summit scheduled to take place in Brussels. Security and judicial sources described the arrests as the “most important anti-terrorism operation in Belgium.” Citing the Federal prosecutor’s office, AFP reported that the move was targeting “a Belgian Islamist group involved in training as well as fighting on the Pakistan-Afghan border in cooperation with important figures in al Qaeda.”
House declares war on terror
The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Main News
Parliament today stood out as a symbol of national unity in the fight against terror. It was an exceptional day when emotions reigned supreme in the House normally used to chaos, and when opposing political forces walked the same path and voiced the same urge.
By the end of the day, the message from the House was loud and clear, as expressed both by leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee and leader of the opposition L.K. Advani: “Today we stand here to tell the world that we are one against terror; that the territorial integrity of India cannot be played with; that no one should dare to attack us.”
Parliament today stood out as a symbol of national unity in the fight against terror. It was an exceptional day when emotions reigned supreme in the House normally used to chaos, and when opposing political forces walked the same path and voiced the same urge.
By the end of the day, the message from the House was loud and clear, as expressed both by leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee and leader of the opposition L.K. Advani: “Today we stand here to tell the world that we are one against terror; that the territorial integrity of India cannot be played with; that no one should dare to attack us.”
BBC NEWS | South Asia | Tigers accused of rights abuses
BBC NEWS | South Asia | Tigers accused of rights abuses
It says the rebels are compelling civilians to do dangerous labouring jobs close to the frontlines.
And its says that their restrictions on movement have trapped hundreds-of-thousands of people in the war zone.
"Human Rights Watch research shows that the LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] has brutally and systematically abused the Tamil population on whose behalf they claim to fight," says the report.
www.ourbabytwins.blogspot.com
It says the rebels are compelling civilians to do dangerous labouring jobs close to the frontlines.
And its says that their restrictions on movement have trapped hundreds-of-thousands of people in the war zone.
"Human Rights Watch research shows that the LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] has brutally and systematically abused the Tamil population on whose behalf they claim to fight," says the report.
www.ourbabytwins.blogspot.com
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Mumbai gunman's confession sheds light on massacre - Yahoo! News
Mumbai gunman's confession sheds light on massacre - Yahoo! News
MUMBAI, India – The gunman captured in last month's Mumbai attacks had originally intended to seize hostages and outline demands in a series of dramatic calls to the media, according to his confession obtained Saturday by The Associated Press.
Mohammed Ajmal Kasab said he and his partner, who massacred dozens of people in the city's main train station, had planned a rooftop standoff, but abandoned the plans because they couldn't find a suitable building, the statement to police says.
www.ourbabytwins.blogspot.com
MUMBAI, India – The gunman captured in last month's Mumbai attacks had originally intended to seize hostages and outline demands in a series of dramatic calls to the media, according to his confession obtained Saturday by The Associated Press.
Mohammed Ajmal Kasab said he and his partner, who massacred dozens of people in the city's main train station, had planned a rooftop standoff, but abandoned the plans because they couldn't find a suitable building, the statement to police says.
www.ourbabytwins.blogspot.com
Friday, December 12, 2008
The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Main News
The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Main News
Nearly 50,000 persons from all walks of life came out on Mumbai’s streets today to form a human chain linking the Taj Mahal Hotel on the city’s southern-most tip and the Nariman House nearby to the northern-most tip of the city. The chain, which passed via the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus rail station, ringed the Oberoi and Trident Hotels, which were targeted in last month’s terror attack
Nearly 50,000 persons from all walks of life came out on Mumbai’s streets today to form a human chain linking the Taj Mahal Hotel on the city’s southern-most tip and the Nariman House nearby to the northern-most tip of the city. The chain, which passed via the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus rail station, ringed the Oberoi and Trident Hotels, which were targeted in last month’s terror attack
US backs Pakistan’s terror war policies -DAWN - Top Stories; December 12, 2008
US backs Pakistan’s terror war policies -DAWN - Top Stories; December 12, 2008
ISLAMABAD, Dec 11: US Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte said here on Thursday his country fully supported Pakistan’s ‘war on terror’ policies.
In his meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, he said if Pakistan and India did not act sagaciously to contain the fallout from the Mumbai carnage, peace of the whole region would be affected.
President Zardari assured the US government that Pakistan would not allow anyone to use its land against any country. “We will not allow the use of our territory for launching terror attacks against any country,” he said.
He said Pakistan had assured full cooperation to India in investigating the Mumbai attacks. “The government is determined to take strict action against anyone found involved in terror attacks anywhere in the world from Pakistan,” he added.
In a separate meeting with the US delegation, Prime Minister Gilani said Pakistan had taken note of designation of certain individuals and entities by the UN Security Council and would fulfil its international obligations.
ISLAMABAD, Dec 11: US Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte said here on Thursday his country fully supported Pakistan’s ‘war on terror’ policies.
In his meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, he said if Pakistan and India did not act sagaciously to contain the fallout from the Mumbai carnage, peace of the whole region would be affected.
President Zardari assured the US government that Pakistan would not allow anyone to use its land against any country. “We will not allow the use of our territory for launching terror attacks against any country,” he said.
He said Pakistan had assured full cooperation to India in investigating the Mumbai attacks. “The government is determined to take strict action against anyone found involved in terror attacks anywhere in the world from Pakistan,” he added.
In a separate meeting with the US delegation, Prime Minister Gilani said Pakistan had taken note of designation of certain individuals and entities by the UN Security Council and would fulfil its international obligations.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Pakistan acts against charity tied to attacks - Yahoo! News
Pakistan acts against charity tied to attacks - Yahoo! News
MURIDKE, Pakistan – Pakistan moved aggressively Thursday against an Islamic charity with links to militants suspected in the Mumbai attacks, freezing the group's assets, putting its leaders under house arrest and padlocking its offices.
The moves against Jamat-ud-Dawa could help convince India and the United States that Pakistan is cracking down on militants blamed for the Nov. 26-29 assaults, but it also risks igniting Muslim anger at its already shaky, secular government.
MURIDKE, Pakistan – Pakistan moved aggressively Thursday against an Islamic charity with links to militants suspected in the Mumbai attacks, freezing the group's assets, putting its leaders under house arrest and padlocking its offices.
The moves against Jamat-ud-Dawa could help convince India and the United States that Pakistan is cracking down on militants blamed for the Nov. 26-29 assaults, but it also risks igniting Muslim anger at its already shaky, secular government.
Gulfnews: India unveils anti-terror measures
Gulfnews: India unveils anti-terror measures
New Delhi: More spies and police, modern gadgets and a national investigation agency are among a slew of measures India is taking to prevent militant attacks like the one on Mumbai last month, the home minister said on Thursday.
The move comes after criticism that the government was not doing enough to prevent attacks, such as the one on India's financial capital that killed 179 people, because there were vast gaps in its intelligence and security apparatus.
New Delhi: More spies and police, modern gadgets and a national investigation agency are among a slew of measures India is taking to prevent militant attacks like the one on Mumbai last month, the home minister said on Thursday.
The move comes after criticism that the government was not doing enough to prevent attacks, such as the one on India's financial capital that killed 179 people, because there were vast gaps in its intelligence and security apparatus.
War against terror is and should be non-partisan: Congress
War against terror is and should be non-partisan: Congress
New Delhi, Dec 10 (PTI) Reflecting on the results of the recently concluded Assembly elections, Congress today said that people of the country have sent a clear signal that the war against terror is and should be non-partisan and above politics.
"People of our country have sent a clear signal that war against terror is and should be non-partisan and above and beyond politics," party spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan told reporters here.
She said that the people have also sent a clear message that the country should be united in its fight against terror by rejecting the "blatant politicisation and communalisation" of the fight against terror by the BJP.
She alleged that said right from the 'rath yatra' of L K Advani to the post-Godhra carnage in Gujarat, the saffron party had sought to communalise and politicise terror.
Asked about the setting-up of a federal agency to fight terror, Natarajan said the party hoped that the government moves quickly to take forward the decision to fight against terror.
On a question about the new Finance Minister, the spokesperson said it was purely the prerogative of the Prime Minister and he will decide on the issue.
Natarajan parried questions about the new Chief Minister of Rajasthan, saying it would be decided by the Congress Legislature Party.
She also thanked the people in all states where the Congress was voted into power in the elections and also in states where it lost, saying that the margin of difference in state like Madhya Pradesh was only two per cent. PTI
New Delhi, Dec 10 (PTI) Reflecting on the results of the recently concluded Assembly elections, Congress today said that people of the country have sent a clear signal that the war against terror is and should be non-partisan and above politics.
"People of our country have sent a clear signal that war against terror is and should be non-partisan and above and beyond politics," party spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan told reporters here.
She said that the people have also sent a clear message that the country should be united in its fight against terror by rejecting the "blatant politicisation and communalisation" of the fight against terror by the BJP.
She alleged that said right from the 'rath yatra' of L K Advani to the post-Godhra carnage in Gujarat, the saffron party had sought to communalise and politicise terror.
Asked about the setting-up of a federal agency to fight terror, Natarajan said the party hoped that the government moves quickly to take forward the decision to fight against terror.
On a question about the new Finance Minister, the spokesperson said it was purely the prerogative of the Prime Minister and he will decide on the issue.
Natarajan parried questions about the new Chief Minister of Rajasthan, saying it would be decided by the Congress Legislature Party.
She also thanked the people in all states where the Congress was voted into power in the elections and also in states where it lost, saying that the margin of difference in state like Madhya Pradesh was only two per cent. PTI
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
DNA - World - 'Tactics must be changed on war on terror' - Daily News & Analysis
DNA - World - 'Tactics must be changed on war on terror' - Daily News & Analysis
LONDON: Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan has said it is time to change tactics on the "so-called war on terror" and felt there is "hope" in US President-elect Barack Obama.
A critic of the American and Pakistan army bombing of the tribal areas in his homeland for flushing out al-Qaeda terrorists, Imran Khan told The Daily Telegraph: "This is a
civil war in the making."
"One million refugees have been created. Innocent people are being killed; children left without arms and legs. Alls under the magic mantra of fighting Islamic extremism. If
people understood what is really happening they would not countenance it," the leader of Tehreek-e-Insaf said.
LONDON: Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan has said it is time to change tactics on the "so-called war on terror" and felt there is "hope" in US President-elect Barack Obama.
A critic of the American and Pakistan army bombing of the tribal areas in his homeland for flushing out al-Qaeda terrorists, Imran Khan told The Daily Telegraph: "This is a
civil war in the making."
"One million refugees have been created. Innocent people are being killed; children left without arms and legs. Alls under the magic mantra of fighting Islamic extremism. If
people understood what is really happening they would not countenance it," the leader of Tehreek-e-Insaf said.
Pakistan refuses to extradite Mumbai terrorists - Times Online
Pakistan refuses to extradite Mumbai terrorists - Times Online
Pakistan will not hand India any of the Lashkar-e-Taiba militants arrested on Sunday for their suspected role in the Mumbai terrorist attacks, but will try them under its own laws, the country's foreign minister said today.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi also said that Pakistan did not want war with India, but was ready to defend itself in case of another conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours, which have fought three wars since independence in 1947.
Pakistan will not hand India any of the Lashkar-e-Taiba militants arrested on Sunday for their suspected role in the Mumbai terrorist attacks, but will try them under its own laws, the country's foreign minister said today.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi also said that Pakistan did not want war with India, but was ready to defend itself in case of another conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours, which have fought three wars since independence in 1947.
India releases names, details on Mumbai gunmen - Yahoo! News
India releases names, details on Mumbai gunmen - Yahoo! News
MUMBAI, India – Police in India released the names of nine suspected Islamic militants killed during the three-day siege of Mumbai and said investigators had uncovered new details about them — including their hometowns in Pakistan.
The allegations appeared to bolster India's claims that all the attackers were from Pakistan.
The chief police investigator into the attacks also showed photos of eight of the men — some from identity cards, while others were gruesome shots of the dead attackers. The body of the ninth, he said, was too badly burned.
MUMBAI, India – Police in India released the names of nine suspected Islamic militants killed during the three-day siege of Mumbai and said investigators had uncovered new details about them — including their hometowns in Pakistan.
The allegations appeared to bolster India's claims that all the attackers were from Pakistan.
The chief police investigator into the attacks also showed photos of eight of the men — some from identity cards, while others were gruesome shots of the dead attackers. The body of the ninth, he said, was too badly burned.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Arming India Against Terrorism - WSJ.com
Arming India Against Terrorism - WSJ.com
For three bloody days, just 10 determined killers held a city of 18 million hostage. The sheer ignominy of this fact has jolted Mumbaikars -- and Indians -- out of their fabled chalta hai (anything goes) attitude, and into a burst of citizen activism. Even Mumbai's business community has shed its habitual political timidity and filed an extraordinary public-interest lawsuit demanding that the government fulfill its constitutional obligation to protect its citizens.
But Indians shouldn't just stop there. They should also demand reform of the country's draconian gun laws -- a holdover from British times -- that prevent them from defending themselves. That would surely deliver far quicker results than waiting for India's slow-moving political classes to plug the vast lacunae in the country's security apparatus.
After all, what was particularly infuriating about the Mumbai attacks was not just that the Indian government failed to prevent them, even though it had received repeated warnings. Nor was it their tragic death toll; Mumbai, after all, experienced worse in the coordinated series of bombings in 1993 and 2006. Rather, it was that had there been anything resembling meaningful resistance, the attackers never would have been able to stage the kind of spectacle they did. Before they holed up in the Taj and Oberoi Hotels, they seemed to operate with almost complete impunity, freely moving from one target to another.
For three bloody days, just 10 determined killers held a city of 18 million hostage. The sheer ignominy of this fact has jolted Mumbaikars -- and Indians -- out of their fabled chalta hai (anything goes) attitude, and into a burst of citizen activism. Even Mumbai's business community has shed its habitual political timidity and filed an extraordinary public-interest lawsuit demanding that the government fulfill its constitutional obligation to protect its citizens.
But Indians shouldn't just stop there. They should also demand reform of the country's draconian gun laws -- a holdover from British times -- that prevent them from defending themselves. That would surely deliver far quicker results than waiting for India's slow-moving political classes to plug the vast lacunae in the country's security apparatus.
After all, what was particularly infuriating about the Mumbai attacks was not just that the Indian government failed to prevent them, even though it had received repeated warnings. Nor was it their tragic death toll; Mumbai, after all, experienced worse in the coordinated series of bombings in 1993 and 2006. Rather, it was that had there been anything resembling meaningful resistance, the attackers never would have been able to stage the kind of spectacle they did. Before they holed up in the Taj and Oberoi Hotels, they seemed to operate with almost complete impunity, freely moving from one target to another.
Alleged Terrorist Group Steers Young Men to Fight - WSJ.com
Alleged Terrorist Group Steers Young Men to Fight - WSJ.com
Captured terrorist suspect Mohammed Ajmal Kasab has repeatedly offered the same explanation to his interrogators for his role in the Mumbai attacks. "Islam is in danger," he says over and over, according to a senior Indian police official.
It was a message pumped into the 21-year-old by his trainers from the Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, according to Indian police. To reinforce the message, Mr. Kasab and the nine other terrorists were shown videos of Hindu violence perpetrated on Indian Muslims, police say.
Reuters
Kashmiri Muslims mourn militants killed in battle, in 2005.
Mr. Kasab's account of his recruitment and training -- along with accounts from court papers and interviews with former recruits -- offers a portrait of how Lashkar-e-Taiba combines indoctrination with expert combat training to turn directionless, disconnected young men into deadly Islamist terrorists
Captured terrorist suspect Mohammed Ajmal Kasab has repeatedly offered the same explanation to his interrogators for his role in the Mumbai attacks. "Islam is in danger," he says over and over, according to a senior Indian police official.
It was a message pumped into the 21-year-old by his trainers from the Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, according to Indian police. To reinforce the message, Mr. Kasab and the nine other terrorists were shown videos of Hindu violence perpetrated on Indian Muslims, police say.
Reuters
Kashmiri Muslims mourn militants killed in battle, in 2005.
Mr. Kasab's account of his recruitment and training -- along with accounts from court papers and interviews with former recruits -- offers a portrait of how Lashkar-e-Taiba combines indoctrination with expert combat training to turn directionless, disconnected young men into deadly Islamist terrorists
'Mumbai (Bombay) mastermind' arrested in Pakistan
'Mumbai (Bombay) mastermind' arrested in PakistanPakistani security forces have raided a training camp used by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the militant group blamed for last month's attack on Mumbai, and arrested at least 12 of the group's activists, government officials said today.
One Pakistani official told The Times that among those arrested was Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, LeT's operations chief, whom Indian officials have accused of masterminding the Mumbai attack.
One Pakistani official told The Times that among those arrested was Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, LeT's operations chief, whom Indian officials have accused of masterminding the Mumbai attack.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Pakistan could be listed as state sponsor of terrorism - The National Newspaper
Pakistan could be listed as state sponsor of terrorism - The National NewspaperA proposal to place Pakistan on the US government's list of state sponsors of terrorism is again being reconsidered long after it was first raised in 1992, according to The Times of India. A decision is not expected until after Barack Obama takes office in January and in the intervening period, Islamabad's response to the Mumbai attack will determine whether Washington moves forward with such a sanction.
Today in Investor's Business Daily stock analysis and business news
Today in Investor's Business Daily stock analysis and business news
India is not just an ally but now a top ally in what the State Department calls a "priority relationship" with the U.S. It's bound to be good for the U.S., and may amount to a worthy end to the war on terror.
"I believe that this partnership will be for the 21st century one of the most important partnerships that our country, the United States, has with any country around the world," former Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said in a 2007 speech. "I would wager that in 20 or 30 years time, most Americans will say that India is one of our two or three most important partners worldwide."
India is not just an ally but now a top ally in what the State Department calls a "priority relationship" with the U.S. It's bound to be good for the U.S., and may amount to a worthy end to the war on terror.
"I believe that this partnership will be for the 21st century one of the most important partnerships that our country, the United States, has with any country around the world," former Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said in a 2007 speech. "I would wager that in 20 or 30 years time, most Americans will say that India is one of our two or three most important partners worldwide."
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