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The War Room / Afghanistan / Iraq / Re: AFGHANISTAN: Daily stuff here please....
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on: December 06, 2010, 07:34:47 am
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Afghan resistance statement The Negotiation Ploy Boomerangs on the EnemyIslamic Emirate of AfghanistanDecember 4, 2010 http://www.shahamat.info/english/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3503:the-negotiation-ploy-boomerangs-on-the-enemy&catid=3:articles&Itemid=5The esteemed Amir-ul-Mumineen, Mullah Muhammad Omar Mujahid, in his Eid ul Adha message, re-affirmed the stance of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan regarding talks with the puppet Kabul regime and the American invaders. He made it clear that the solution of the Afghan issues lies only in full withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan. The recent developments as regards our country show the far-sightedness of the Amir-ul-momineen, by not responding to the war stratagem being launched by the enemy time and again under the name of peace talks overtures. With the passage of time, it becomes more and more exposed that the enemy is only trying to create rifts among the ranks of Mujahideen through their publishing false reports of peace talks with the senior officials of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. On 22nd Nov. 2010, the New York Times wrote: "the so called "high -ranking member of Taliban" was actually a lowly shop keeper from Quetta. He had introduced himself as Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour to the British Intelligence MI6; His credentials had been confirmed by US intelligence agencies. Then, he was flown by NATO to Kabul to meet with Hamid Karzai who gave him large amount of money. The man apparently had long talks with the M16 for several days before he was whisked away to Kabul. In fact, the enemy has no clear strategy for diplomatic solutions of the issue. Instead, they resort to some hypocritical tactics aimed at weakening the Mujahideen. A western writer writes: "But wait. If we did want to weaken Taliban resolve—and surely we do—and if individual Taliban leaders aren't really sure what the others are doing, then even a fake Taliban talker might do the trick. Isn't it possible the false Mansour served our interests--by putting the real Taliban leaders "on edge," worried that some of their colleagues might be cracking? If the fake Mansour didn't exist, it might be worth paying someone take the role, no?" After flaunting its military surge and much publicized operations in Helmand and Kandahar, the enemy has realized that their increased military presence has actually backfired by inciting resistance to their presence even in areas that were relatively peaceful in the past. By their own admission, attacks on the foreign forces from April to October 2010 have increased by 300% compared to the same period in 2009. By the Grace of Allah, the Operation Al Fath (Operation Victory) has successfully been forging ahead. Next phase of the Mujahideen operations, as pointed out by the Commander of the Faithful, will deal dashing blows at the enemy, Inshallah. In the recent Nato summit in Lisbon, the occupying Nato forces confirmed the end of 2014 as their final withdrawal date from Afghanistan. Since the invaders has proved unable to defeat the Mujahideen militarily (as they themselves admit), they are trying fatuously to create dissension and distrust among the ranks of Mujahideen by spreading the rumor of talks. After the 9/11 attacks on America, the United States did not bother to open a comprehensive and neutral investigation of the 9/11 event to find the real culprits but instead of presenting concrete evidence, the Americans simply said that the Afghans should give in to their demands or they will invade our country. Soon, they started a barbaric aerial bombardment of Afghanistan, without regard to any principle of International law. The Nato allies, repeating mistakes of past empires, considered Afghanistan as a weak nation that they could invade and utilize for their designs in the region. After the fall of Kabul, the Amir ul Mumineen, Mullah Muhammad Mujahid, in an interview with BBC Radio had predicted that Afghanistan would prove as a graveyard of the American Empire. Today, the Americans have been in Afghanistan for more than nine years, the same length of time that the Soviets had been in Afghanistan, and they are in no better condition than the Soviets. Their puppet regime is weak and corrupt and holds no sway beyond Kabul. They have displaced hundreds of thousands of innocent Afghan civilians; tens of thousands of Afghans have fallen prey to the enemy’s indiscriminate bombing, and an even higher number have been wounded by them. Their brazen lies about the ground realities have spiraled to such an extent that even their puppet President does not believe in them anymore. But most important of all, the myth of American supremacy has been shattered. America has been demoted from a supposedly "hyper-power" or "super-power" to just another regional power, unable to impose its will on other nations without the backing of other regional powers. The irony is that America was instigated into attacking Afghanistan by other regional powers, and Americas presence in the country served their interests more than it served America’s interests. And today, because of their military and political losses in Afghanistan, America does not have the strength and stomach to confront their real enemies. America’s invasion of Afghanistan will be judged as a unique moment in history when America abandoned its own principles of "Realpolitick" and decided to pull someone else’s chestnut out of the fire. The longer it stays in this fire, the more it will be burnt.
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General / International News / Ron Paul stands up for Assange
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on: December 04, 2010, 07:31:02 am
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Ron Paul stands up for Assange Paul is taking a stand as one of Julian Assange’s few defenders. | AP PhotoRead more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1210/45930.html#ixzz179HxroJ2By: Andy Barr December 3, 2010 12:56 PM EST http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1210/45930.html Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) is taking a stand as one of Julian Assange’s few defenders in Washington, arguing that the WikiLeaks founder should get the same protections as the media. Attorney General Eric Holder said this week that the Justice Department is examining whether Assange can be charged with a crime for posting hundreds of thousands of leaked government intelligence documents and diplomatic cables. Many Republicans have gone even further in their attacks on Assange, especially former Arkansas GOP Gov. Mike Huckabee, who said this week that the source who leaked to the WikiLeaks founder should be tried for treason and executed if found guilty. But in a Thursday interview with Fox Business, Paul said the idea of prosecuting Assange crosses the line. “In a free society we're supposed to know the truth,” Paul said. “In a society where truth becomes treason, then we're in big trouble. And now, people who are revealing the truth are getting into trouble for it.” “This whole notion that Assange, who's an Australian, that we want to prosecute him for treason. I mean, aren't they jumping to a wild conclusion?” he added. “This is media, isn't it? I mean, why don't we prosecute The New York Times or anybody that releases this?” Paul followed up with a post to his Twitter account Friday morning: "Re: WikiLeaks — In a free society, we are supposed to know the truth. In a society where truth becomes treason, we are in big trouble."
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The War Room / Afghanistan / Iraq / Re: AFGHANISTAN: Daily stuff here please....
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on: December 03, 2010, 06:03:22 am
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Afghan resistance statement Remarks of the Spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Regarding the Usage of Poisonous Chemical Weapons in Afghanistan by the Invading AmericansIslamic Emirate of AfghanistanDecember 2, 2010 http://www.shahamat.info/english/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3445:remarks-of-the-spokesman-of-regarding-the-usage-of-poisonous-chemical-weapons-i&catid=4:statements&Itemid=4On the basis of evidence, the American invaders have used banned weapons like thermo baric and bunker buster bombs against defenseless civilian Afghans in various parts of he country in the past few years under the pretext of eradicating Mujahideen. Many congenital deformities have occurred in infants in every part of the country as a result of the usage of the chemical weapons. Furthermore, the residents have been suffering from various diseases. As a proof, we would like to refer to the following documents: 1. An Afghan investigative research scholar, Dr. Mohammad Daud Miraki conducted field research in the southern provinces of the country. He accumulated enough empirical evidence regarding the use of poisonous weapons in the area. 2. In 2002, a research team of Canadian Medical Research Center visited southern provinces of Afghanistan and found that the magnitude of uranium isotopes in the inhabitants was soaring between 300 and 2000 nanograms while the accepted limit is 10 nanograms. 3. The Al-alam TV website has posted a video report about newly-born infants suffering from deformities and abnormal body parts caused by the usage of biological weapons. See http://www.alalam-news.com/node/3075704. A Senior official of the Kabul Regime’s Ministry of Health told media some times ago that they had obtained evidences, indicating that the Americans had used depleted uranium munitions and phosphorus bombs in Tora bora in east Afghanistan in 2001. Deformed infants have been born in the area or some have deformed body parts or suffering from weightlessness or mental retardation. Diseases like leukemia( blood white cells disease) is widespread in the area. Sperms " infertility" malfunction in males have been noticed. Many persons have died without an open wound. All Americans military and civilian rulers are held responsible for these anti-human crimes. Ironically, still, the crimes have been continuing in Afghanistan at the hands of the invading Americans and their coalition forces, in a time that many human rights organizations including those of the United Nations and the Human Rights Watch have presence in the country. To fulfill its responsibility, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan calls on all human rights organizations and other relevant entities, organizations and independent personalities to take steps, as a part of their responsibility, to impede those who are involved in human rights violations and bring them to human rights crimes tribunals. Moreover, speed up efforts aimed at disseminating awareness and unearthing more cases of crimes against humanity. Qari Muhammad Yousaf Ahmadi Spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan 2010-12-02 1431-12-26
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The War Room / Afghanistan / Iraq / Re: AFGHANISTAN: Daily stuff here please....
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on: November 22, 2010, 04:49:37 am
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Afghan resistance statement Response of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan as regards Lisbon MeetingIslamic Emirate of Afghanistanhttp://theunjustmedia.com/Afghanistan/Statements/Nov10/Response%20of%20the%20Islamic%20Emirate%20of%20Afghanistan%20as%20regards%20Lisbon%20Meeting.htmZilhajj 13, 1431 A.H, Saturday, November 20, 2010 In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. On 20.11.2010 ended the meeting of 28 NATO member countries which had been held in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Participants of the meeting passed some decisions about Afghanistan. In response, the Islamic Emirate issue its stance concerning the decision as follows: 1. Seeing that the USA failed to get additional military assistance of the NATO member countries in Lisbon Meeting for prolongation of the war in Afghanistan despite her all-out efforts or at least get commitment to ensure long-term continuation of the present military power of the NATO member countries in Afghanistan, therefore, it is a good news for the Afghans and all freedom-loving people of the world and it is a sign of failure for the American government. In the past nine years, the invaders could not establish any system of governance in Kabul and they will never be able to do so in future. 2. The real solution of the Afghan issue lies in withdrawal of the foreign forces. Hence the NATO decision to start withdrawal of military forces from Afghanistan in 2014 is an irrational decision because until then, various untoward and tragic events and battles will take place as a result of this meaningless, imposed and unwinning war. The bottom line for them is to immediately implement what they would ultimately have to implement though after colossal casualties. They should not postpone withdrawal of their forces even be it for one day. 3. As far as the Mujahid people of Afghanistan are concerned, they are not ready to tolerate foreign invasion and occupation of their country even if it is for one day because of their firm determination. Nor they feel exhausted in the way of the sacred Jihad and the struggle of independence. So they will not remain silent even for a single night until and unless the goal of complete freedom and formation of an independent government is achieved. They will not wait for the time of implementation of a given decision or timetable of withdrawal. 4. Seeing that the invading forces which have come here from far-flung places, thousands of kilometers away, and want to set a timetable for withdrawal but still want to continue presence of their forces at the regional countries, therefore, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan calls on the neighboring and regional countries to take drastic measures for a bright future of Afghanistan, the Afghans, and all the region, for good relationship and reconstruction of Afghanistan. 5. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has formulated comprehensive policy for the future Afghanistan, for efficient governance, security, Islamic justice, education, economic advancement, national unity, and a foreign policy that will ensure protection of the country against any harm of others and convince the world that the future Afghanistan will not harm them. The Islamic Emirate wants to take strong step in collaboration with all countries and in the framework of mutual respect to maintain bilateral corporation with all countries; ensure economic progress and bright future. We consider the whole region as our home against colonialism and as a responsible force, want to play a role for peace and stability of the region in future. 1431-12-15 2010-11-21 The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
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The War Room / Pakistan / India / Re: PAKISTAN : Daily stuff here please......
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on: November 22, 2010, 04:26:54 am
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South Asia Nov 23, 2010 http://atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/LK23Df02.html AN ATOL EXCLUSIVE Pakistan opens its door to US opsBy Syed Saleem Shahzad ISLAMABAD - The Pakistani Embassy in Washington has lifted all scrutiny mechanisms for granting visas to defense-related American officials. Under the new procedures, implemented two weeks ago, officials will be granted visas in 24 hours. Previously, under pressure from the armed forces, all applications for visas by United States defense officials were passed on to Pakistan's Ministry of Defense, which in turn sent them to the directorate of Military Intelligence. After several months of scrutiny, visas were either granted or denied. The new procedures were laid down on the direct intervention of the office of President Asif Ali Zardari to facilitate the Americans in their quest to directly hunt down militant networks in Pakistani cities, where Washington believes major attacks in Europe are being planned and also from where the insurgency in Afghanistan is being directed. Compared with 2009, US drones have doubled their air-to-ground attacks during 2010, to more than 100 on militant sanctuaries in Pakistan's tribal areas. The development on visas occurred slightly before this weekend's Lisbon summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, where it emerged there was no clear end-game strategy for the mission in Afghanistan. NATO leaders pledged to begin the process of withdrawal and handing over of authority for security to Afghan security forces from 2011, and to transfer complete control by the end of 2014, though they clarified that the date given for shifting authority to the Afghan government was not a deadline. Between the lines, the declaration implies the continuation of the American-led war against al-Qaeda and Taliban with a new dimension from next year. Over the past year in Afghanistan, NATO has to a large extent been fighting shadows, with the enemy hardly showing up other than to cause havoc with improvised explosive devices. The Americans now appear to want to turn the broader battlefield into a focused anti-insurgency campaign through targeted special operations. One major development in this regard is the expansion of the American embassies in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The US ambassador to Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry, announced recently that a US$511 million contract had been awarded to Caddell Construction to build the world's largest embassy in Kabul and that a contract worth $734 million had been awarded to B L Harbert for a new US Embassy compound in Pakistan, which would virtually be an American base in Islamabad complete with an air strip - all at a cost of more than $1 billion. (See US's $1bn Islamabad home is its castle August 4, 2009.) http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/KH04Df03.html"A three-pronged American strategy is visible for Pakistan that clearly concerns Pakistan's security establishment," a senior security official told Asia Times Online on the condition of anonymity. "The Americans increasingly want to have direct intervention and control in counter-terrorism operations and want to expand their operations from the tribal regions into the cities," the official said. He added that the US also aimed to broaden its influence through local private security contractors as well as by investing in think-tanks to motivate the Pakistani intelligentsia in favor of a regional anti-insurgency campaign. "In this new campaign, the Americans aim to reduce the role of the Pakistani security forces and they want to directly deal with the insurgents," the official said. This would be a third phase of the counter-insurgency operations the Americans have adopted in Pakistan since Islamabad sided with the US in the "war on terror" after September 11, 2001. During former president General Pervez Musharraf's regime (June 2001-August 2008), broader counter-insurgency operations were essentially devised and controlled by Pakistani security agencies. The US Central Intelligence Agency did not have any input, and if it did receive a tip-off on any high-profile target, coordination with the Inter-Services Intelligence was a must. Immediately after Musharraf stepped down as army chief and then as president in August 2008, the Americans adopted a policy of direct intervention and control through drone strikes. The Zardari government was completely on board with this and the weak military establishment in the post-Musharraf era did not have much space to oppose the drone operations. American defense contractors were deployed to enhance the level of operations, but in the meantime the military gained strength and started to put its foot down over the largely unchecked American operations in Pakistan and tighter visa procedures were put in place. Nonetheless, the Americans were desperate to jack up the level of their counter-terrorism operations in Pakistan. Initially, they worked some backchannels with the help of the Pakistani government to by-pass the scrutiny of military intelligence of defense-related personnel. Asia Times Online broke the story that this year 50 foreign nationals, including officials of a private American defense contracting firm, had arrived in Pakistan even though they did not have security clearance from Pakistan's intelligence agencies. (See Peace sacrificed in shrine attack July 3, 2010.) http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/LG03Df04.htmlThese people had earlier been denied visas by the Pakistani embassies they first approached, including in the US, Britain and India. However, they were apparently subsequently given visas by the embassy in Abu Dhabi and the consulate in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. This was done without the prerequisite clearance from the Pakistani Ministry of Interior, the Defense Ministry and the security agencies. "These included over a dozen US nationals who had already been denied visas by our embassy in Washington on suspicion of them having links to Blackwater [Xe Services]," a source told Asia Times Online, adding that the visas had been issued for periods of six months to two years, although usually visas are only given for 90 days. The report was later confirmed officially by the Pakistani government; Pakistani security officials investigated the matter and new checks were put in place - and are now lifted. However, Washington is convinced that the war in Afghanistan cannot be won unless its sphere is broadened into Pakistan. Pakistan's economic compulsions - it receives extensive US aid and support - were sufficient grounds to exploit and when America recently applied pressure on Islamabad to lift the visa procedures, Pakistan quietly removed them. "This is a litmus test for the Pakistani military establishment, which does not want to give the Americans a free walk inside Pakistan." a source close to Pakistan's military quarters told Asia Times Online. "At the same time, Pakistan does not want to lose its allies in Afghanistan, which are obviously the Islamist groups. However, the battle has reached a level where the Americans can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to Pakistan's soft handling of those Islamist groups. Also, the economic quagmire in the country is deepening, and antagonizing the Americans, who are aid masters, is no option either," the source said. However, a clash of interests between the Pakistani military establishment and Washington now appears likely. Washington understands that during winter, fighting in Afghanistan slows down and a major chunk of insurgents goes to Pakistan's cities to see their families, especially in places like Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan. The Americans want to take action during this period, but the Pakistani military establishment cannot allow this to happen. Whether Pakistan is ready to pay the cost if it tries to impede American operations is another matter as the US is already upset with Islamabad's refusal to launch operations against the powerful Haqqani network in the North Waziristan tribal area. That is, is the loss of military and economic aid an affordable option? Pakistan has already expanded its arms procurement base, notably with China, with which it is negotiating a submarine purchase deal, beside several air-defense system deals. These military ties are expected to deepen as an alternative to American military support. Likewise, despite American opposition, Pakistan has signed on to an Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project to help meet its energy needs. "Iran offered Pakistan all sorts of assistance, but Pakistan could not fully exploit that. It included offers of soft loans as well as support for building the infrastructure in Pakistan that would facilitate trade routes between Iran, Pakistan and Turkey," M B Abbasi, who was recently Pakistan's ambassador to Iran, told Asia Times Online. "It is so sad. Iran allocated 1,100 megawatts of electricity for Pakistan and assured Pakistan that it had 5,000 MW in surplus energy that it could further allocate for Pakistan, but Pakistan did not take any interest to exploit that opportunity," Abbasi said. Asia Times Online has learned that Pakistan refused this offer of Iranian support on American pressure, but Abbasi would not comment on this. However, the Iranian card is still available to Pakistan if the Americans push through with operations inside Pakistan, something that now looks likely with Washington having managed to by-pass the military and use the government to facilitate a free flow of security operatives into the country. Syed Saleem Shahzad is Asia Times Online's Pakistan Bureau Chief and author of upcoming book Inside Al-Qaeda and the Taliban 9/11 and Beyond published by Pluto Press, UK. He can be reached at saleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com http://atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/LK23Df02.html |
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The War Room / Afghanistan / Iraq / Re: AFGHANISTAN: Daily stuff here please....
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on: November 20, 2010, 12:20:39 pm
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Afghan resistance statement The Americans can no longer conceal their defeat in the Kandahar OperationsIslamic Emirate of Afghanistanhttp://inteltrends.wordpress.com/2010/11/20/islamic-emirate-of-afghanistan-the-americans-can-no-longer-conceal-their-defeat-in-the-kandahar-operations/November 20, 2010 The White House has determined July 2011 as the deadline to begin withdrawing their defeated invader forces from Afghanistan. It is therefore necessary for them to justify this withdrawal in front of their civilians and the world at large by achieving some meaningful or tangible gain in Afghanistan. To this end they have stationed over 150,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan along with all the military technology they can muster. The Americans have chosen Kandahar as their battleground both for its sentimental and strategic importance. For the past nine months the Americans have been attempting their utmost to achieve some sort of military or political gain in Afghanistan. They employed all the propaganda tools at their disposal to turn the people away from the Mujahideen. However, failing to win the support of the people, the invaders resorted to the indiscriminate carpet bombings of the people’s lands and the mass murders of the innocent civilians. All this has caused the displacement of thousands of families from their lands and villages. However, despite all their trickeries and force, the battle for Kandahar has settled steadily in the Mujahideen’s favour. The Mujahideen were, from the start of these operations, to carry out precise Commando-led operations against the nerve centres of the foreign forces and their puppet partners, thus seizing the initiative from the foreign occupiers. Not only did the Mujahideen conduct these operations in Kandahar city, but also extending to surrounding areas such as the airport, Dand, Arghandab, Zhiri, Panjwaee, and Maiwand districts. The head of the foreign barbarian forces, Nick Carter, last month, could not give any information on these operations to the media. This is mostly because the enemy neither knows the military strength of the Mujahideen nor their main bases. The Mujahideen, profiting from the Dagger and Marjah operations, were able to introduce several new tactics that have completely demoralised the invader forces. These tactics are the main reason why the Mujahideen have not abated their operations in the area in the winter season. These new tactics have placed the foreign invaders under significant military and domestic pressure. Their failure in the Kandahar operations was also the main reason behind Obama’s supporters, the Democrats, defeat in the mid-term elections. Also due to their failures in the Kandahar operations, Obama’s approval ratings in America have sunk to 46% while the myth of America’s military superiority globally has been shattered. This Friday’s NATO meeting in Portugal will also address how the foreigners can prevent the escalating death toll of their soldiers in Afghanistan. Though the eleventh month in Afghanistan is generally very cold and naturally impedes any military undertakings, the Mujahideen have been so active in Afghanistan that midway through the month, the invaders (who hide 90% of their real casualties in Afghanistan) by their own count have lost over 23 soldiers in this month. In summary it has become clear that after nine years of occupation, the invaders are doomed towards the same fate as those that tread this path before them. Their troop surges, their new strategies, their new generals, their new negotiations, and their new propagandas have been of no avail. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan opines that the Americans have exhausted themselves in Afghanistan over the last nine years, and now will not stay long in our beloved country. What they could not gain in the last few months with their, then, fresh troops, they will not be able to gain in Kandahar, with their, now, demoralised and fearful troops. It is becoming manifest that the Americans will not be able to conceal their defeat in Afghanistan for too long. Therefore, the White House, instead of counting their mounting casualties in Afghanistan, would be better advised to formulate a withdrawal plan, to at least save those troops, which are still alive. [End.]
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The War Room / Afghanistan / Iraq / Re: AFGHANISTAN: Daily stuff here please....
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on: November 17, 2010, 05:27:50 am
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The 2014 Timetable for AfghanistanRobert Dreyfuss | November 15, 2010 If you're an antiwar activist, the news from Afghanistan ought to be somewhat encouraging. Not only is the Obama administration sticking to its guns concerning the July, 2011, deadline for the start of a drawdown, but the NATO summit this week in Portugal will fix 2014 as the end point for US and NATO combat forces, a deadline that President Karzai of Afghanistan has endorsed vociferously. That's not good enough, of course, since it still means four more years of war and, even then, an uncertain timetable for removing residual (i.e., "non-combat") troops. (See: Iraq, where there are still 50,000 troops in the country and renewed talk about extending their deployment past the deadline of 2011 for complete withdrawal.) But the good news embedded in all of this is that the discourse on Afghanistan is built around when to end the fighting and transition to the use of Afghan forces to do the fighting. And it's not about "winning" the war, nation-building and village-by-village, valley-by-valley, Petraeus-style counterinsurgency. That's a shift that Obama's White House has engineered, and it was laid out in detail in Bob Woodward's recent book, Obama's Wars. If you're General Petraeus, the news from Afghanistan is disheartening. Disheartening enough, in fact, that according to the Washington Post Petraeus was sounding a bit like an insulted child, dropping hints that he might resign over Karzai's latest outburst. Over the weekend, Karzai gave an extended interview to the [1]Post [1] in which he renewed much of his critique of the war. Last spring, you'll remember, Karzai launched a strong attack on US policy in his country. As I wrote for The Nation [2] in April: In a series of angry, frustrated outbursts, Karzai has declared that the United States is acting like an invader and occupier, that ‘there is a thin curtain between invasion and cooperation-assistance,' that the heavy-handed US and NATO military operations could transform the insurgency into a "national resistance" and that he himself might throw in his lot with the Taliban. He said, not without reason, that the Obama administration was trying to undercut his efforts to reach a settlement with the Taliban. And an Afghan who attended a meeting with Karzai told the New York Times, "He believes that America is trying to dominate the region, and that he is the only one who can stand up to them." In his latest interview, Karzai lambasted American "mistakes," criticized private security firms, renewed charges that the United States was trying to rig Afghanistan's elections, and, when asked if the US government was "well-intentioned" in Afghanistan, said: "That has to be proven." He also said that the United States must halt its night raids, the central plank of Petraeus' vaunted counterinsurgency plan for sending death squads against Taliban leaders, saying: "The raiding homes at night. Terrible. Terrible.… I don't like it in any manner, and the Afghan people don't like these raids in any manner. We don't like raids on our homes. This is a problem between us, and I hope this ends as soon as possible." Karzai added that the war on terrorism shouldn't be fought on Afghan soil, since the actual terrorists are elsewhere. And he renewed calls for talks with the Taliban. All that didn't make Petraeus too happy, and the Post reports today that the general expressed "astonishment and disappointment" [3] with Karzai's remarks. Though he probably isn't going to quit over this, aides to Petraeus weren't ready to say it's impossible, but they went as far as to hint at it [3], according to the Post: "Officials discounted early reports Sunday that Petraeus had threatened to resign." For months now, both Karzai and NATO have been trying to highlight 2014 as the year that the war ends, and now, it appears, the Obama administration is on board with that. Though it's too distant—the war can certainly end before that, and in fact now is a good time for a cease-fire [4] to jumpstart peace talks—it's good that the administration is talking now about an end to the war. The role of the opposition is put pressure on the White House to accelerate its timetable, and to focus on diplomacy—not just talks with the Taliban, but with all of the key international players, including India, Pakistan, Iran, Russia, China and Saudi Arabia. Like this blog post? Read all Nation blogs on the Nation's free iPhone App, NationNow. [5] [5] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Source URL: http://www.thenation.com/blog/156441/2014-timetable-afghanistanLinks: [1] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/14/AR2010111400002_pf.html[2] http://www.thenation.com/article/hamid-karzais-rebellion[3] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/14/AR2010111404549.html[4] http://www.thenation.com/blog/155016/afghanistan-its-time-ceasefire-and-negotiations[5] http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nationnow/id399704758?mt=8
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The War Room / Afghanistan / Iraq / Re: AFGHANISTAN: Daily stuff here please....
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on: November 17, 2010, 05:01:47 am
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South Asia Nov 18, 2010 http://atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/LK18Df02.html THE ROVING EYE Have (infinite) war, will travel By Pepe Escobar Anyone aware enough to think that Washington's goal is not to "win" the unwinnable AfPak quagmire but to keep playing its bloody infinite war game forever is now eligible for a personal stimulus package (in gold). Let's review the recent evidence. All of a sudden, the White House, the Pentagon and the United States House of Representatives have all embarked on a new narrative: forget major US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2011; let's move the goalpost to 2014. Then wily Afghan President Hamid Karzai tells the Washington Post he does not want all these US troops roaming around "his" country no more, adding please, stop killing my people with special-forces night ops - a euphemism for Pentagon terrorism. General David “I'm always positioning myself for 2012” Petraeus is "astonished". How could he not be? After all, Karzai wanted to give the boot to private contractors - undisputed AfPak champions of false-flag black ops - then he gave up, as he might give up again on the night raids. As for Petraeus, he only wants the best of both worlds; kick up the hell-raising, as in drone hits and night ops (who cares about collateral damage?) and sit back and talk with the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence-created Taliban. Incidentally, Petraeus' counter-insurgency myth has been buried in the plains south of the Hindu Kush (not that many in the US noted). The counter-insurgency (COIN) myth implies that Washington, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and what passes for "Afghan security forces" could "take, clear, hold and build" areas previously controlled by the Taliban. They could not accomplish any of this even in Marjah, insistently sold by the Pentagon and compliant corporate media as a success, not to mention much bigger Kandahar. Former US secretary of state Colin Powell has just weighed in on CNN, admitting the US won't be "pulling out 100,000 troops. I don't know how many troops we'll pull out." Powell also said that "inside the national security team", the whole thing is "conditions-based". Thus "conditions" may be bent to suit any narrative. Sharp noses may immediately detect a whiff of Vietnam, and Powell had to insist that Afghanistan is not that country. Well, whether Karzai is increasingly becoming the new Ngo Dinh Diem is beside the point; his assassination would not solve anything anyway. And all this while a 71-page Council on Foreign Relations report written by 25 "experts" gets a lot of traction in Washington. The report finds that the war costs a fortune, may not serve US interests and it's not "clear that the effort will succeed". Do people get paid to conclude this? The report also meekly suggests that depending on President Barack Obama's December strategic AfPak review, the US "should move quickly to recalculate its military presence in Afghanistan". It won't. Let's try following the money. The AfPak war costs roughly US $7 billion a month - money that Washington needs to borrow from Beijing. Afghanistan in itself costs $65 billion a year - not counting NATO and humanitarian aid. Afghanistan's gross domestic product is only $22 billion. So Washington is spending three times the wealth of a whole country just to occupy it. Money for nothing. Properly invested, by this time Afghanistan would be the new Singapore. AfPak costs nearly $100 billion a year. Surrealist as it may seem, polls indicate that for most Americans the US federal budget deficit is not a priority. No wonder no election candidates on November 2 emitted a peep about the ridiculously expensive quagmire. Let's face it. Whoever is writing this screenplay deserves an Oscar. All you need is NATO According to the official narrative, technically NATO only left its (cavernous) building in Europe for Afghanistan under the organization's Article 5 (emphasizing collective defense) to help Washington fight George W Bush's "war on terror" against al-Qaeda. Yet even somnolent diplomats in Brussels know that Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri crossed from eastern Afghanistan to Pakistan in early December 2001, and disappeared into a black void. This would never prevent NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen - ahead of the NATO summit this weekend in Lisbon - stressing that the war, well, goes on forever, as in "there is no alternative to continuing military operations". NATO's council secretary Edmund Whiteside didn't mince his words, "Afghanistan will be a very long military venture." And German Brigadier General Josef Blotz insists: "No timetable has been set for withdrawal of coalition troops." The "strategy" of the 152,000-soldier, 50-nation, NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan ranks as a thesis on Monty Python geopolitics; to pledge a tsunami of euros for Karzai's shenanigans while forcing member countries to unleash ever more troops into the Taliban meat grinder - even though public opinion all across Europe says out loud "we can't take this anymore". At least the commander of British forces in southern Afghanistan, Major General Nick Carter, was sensible enough to stress that NATO would only know if it was "winning" by June 2011, "when the fighting season begins again" and everyone can "compare Taliban attacks with this year". Wait for another eight months and pray for 2014; that's the "strategy". Talk about on-the-ground intelligence. NATO is absolutely useless at infiltrating the historic Taliban - also known as the Quetta shura, based in Balochistan (they cannot even point a drone to where Mullah Omar is). NATO cannot infiltrate the Haqqani network in North Waziristan. And NATO cannot infiltrate the Hezb-i-Islami network, controlled by former prime minister and bomber of Kabul (in the mid-1990s) Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, based in and around the strategic Khyber Pass. The Pakistani ISI will always align with the Taliban under any circumstances - because this is Islamabad's way of protecting its "strategic depth" against India. The ISI will always insist on having the Taliban at the same table with Washington, otherwise any semblance of "talks" will be dead on arrival. Islamabad's dream scenario is the Taliban, the Haqqanis and Hezb-i-Islami controlling southern and eastern Afghanistan. That would also be instrumental in preventing another one of Islamabad's primal fears - that disgruntled Pashtuns will unite and go all out to form an across-the-artificial-border Pashtunistan. The key to all this mess is not Obama, Karzai, the Pentagon or NATO. It's which way General Ashfaq Parvez Kiani, number 29 on Forbes' list of the most powerful people in the world, will see the wind blowing. As much as during the Bush "war on terror" years, when Islamabad was ruled from Washington, during the Obama AfPak years the White House is a hostage of Islamabad. But for the Pentagon/NATO axis, Pakistan is just a drop in the ocean. Next Friday and Saturday, at the Lisbon summit, the world will be presented with a NATO-goes-global narrative. Team Pentagon/NATO will be convinced to abandon its privileged outpost of infinite war - Afghanistan - over its dead nuclear bombs. After all, Washington/Brussels has implanted a precious foothold in the heart of Eurasia - arguably for life. The Lisbon summit, moreover, will see NATO formally adopting a new strategic concept - which essentially means keeping its nuclear arsenal in perpetuity, including US nuclear bombs stationed in Europe. You know, those nuclear bombs that Iran does not have (but Pakistan and India, not to mention Israel, do). Paraphrasing the great Burt Bacharach, what the world needs now, is NATO sweet NATO. Pepe Escobar is the author of Globalistan: How the Globalized World is Dissolving into Liquid War (Nimble Books, 2007) and RedZone Blues: a snapshot of Baghdad during the surge. His new book, just out, is Obamadoes Globalistan (Nimble Books, 2009). He may be reached at pepeasia@yahoo.com. |
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The War Room / Afghanistan / Iraq / Re: AFGHANISTAN: Daily stuff here please....
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on: November 16, 2010, 05:45:12 am
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The Stimulus Package in Kabul
(I Was Delusional -- I Thought One Monster “Embassy” Was the End of It) By Tom Burghardt http://uruknet.info/?p=m71880&hd=&size=1&l=eTomdispatch, November 15, 2010 You must have had a moment when you thought to yourself: It really isn’t going to end, is it? Not ever. Rationally, you know perfectly well that whatever your "it" might be will indeed end, because everything does, but your gut tells you something different. I had that moment recently when it came to the American way of war. In the past couple of weeks, it could have been triggered by an endless string of ill-attended news reports like theChristian Science Monitor piece headlined "U.S. involvement in Yemen edging toward 'clandestine war.’" Or by the millions of dollars in U.S. payments reportedly missing in Afghanistan, thanks to under-the-table or unrecorded handouts in unknown amounts to Afghan civilian government employees (as well as Afghan security forces, private-security contractors, and even the Taliban). Or how about the news that the F-35 "Joint Strike Fighter," the cost-overrun poster weapon of the century, already long overdue, will cost yet more money and be produced even less quickly? Or what about word that our Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has officially declared the Obama administration "open" to keeping U.S. troops in Iraq after the announced 2011 deadline for their withdrawal? Or how about the news from McClatchy’s reliable reporter Nancy Youssef that Washington is planning to start "publicly walking away from what it once touted as key deadlines in the war in Afghanistan in an effort to de-emphasize President Barack Obama's pledge that he'd begin withdrawing U.S. forces in July 2011"? Or that bottomless feeling could have been triggered by the recent request from the military man in charge of training Afghan security forces, Lieutenant General William Caldwell, for another 900 U.S. and NATO trainers in the coming months, lest the improbable "transition" date of 2014 for Afghan forces to "take the lead" in protecting their own country be pushed back yet again. ("No trainers, no transition," wrote the general in a "report card" on his mission.) Or it could have been the accounts of how a trained Afghan soldier turned his gun on U.S. troops in southern Afghanistan, killing two of them, and then fled to the Taliban for protection (one of a string of similar incidents over the last year). Or, speaking of things that could have set me off, consider this passage from the final paragraphs of an Elisabeth Bumiller article tucked away inside the New York Times on whether Afghan War commander General David Petraeus was (or was not) on the road to success: "'It is certainly true that Petraeus is attempting to shape public opinion ahead of the December [Obama administration] review [of Afghan war policy],' said an administration official who is supportive of the general. 'He is the most skilled public relations official in the business, and he’s trying to narrow the president’s options.'" Or, in the same piece, what about this all-American analogy from Bruce Riedel, the former CIA official who chaired President Obama’s initial review of Afghan war policy in 2009, speaking of the hundreds of mid-level Taliban the U.S. military has reportedly wiped out in recent months: "The fundamental question is how deep is their bench." (Well, yes, Bruce, if you imagine the Afghan War as the basketball nightmare on Elm Street in which the hometown team’s front five periodically get slaughtered.) Or maybe it should have been the fact that only 7% of Americans had reports and incidents like these, or evidently anything else having to do with our wars, on their minds as they voted in the recent midterm elections. The Largest "Embassy" on Planet Earth Strange are the ways, though. You just can’t predict what’s going to set you off. For me, it was none of the above, nor even the flood of Republican war hawks heading for Washington eager to "cut" government spending by "boosting" the Pentagon budget. Instead, it was a story that slipped out as the midterm election results were coming in and was treated as an event of no importance in the U.S. The Associated Press covered U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry's announcement that a $511 million contract had been awarded to Caddell Construction, one of America’s "largest construction and engineering groups," for a massive expansion of the U.S. embassy in Kabul. According to the ambassador, that embassy is already "the largest... in the world with more than 1,100 brave and dedicated civilians... from 16 agencies and working next to their military counterparts in 30 provinces," and yet it seems it’s still not large enough. A few other things in his announcement caught my eye. Construction of the new "permanent offices and housing" for embassy personnel is not to be completed until sometime in 2014, approximately three years after President Obama’s July 2011 Afghan drawdown is set to begin, and that $511 million is part of a $790 million bill to U.S. taxpayers that will include expansion work on consular facilities in the Afghan cities of Mazar-i-Sharif and Herat. And then, if the ambassador’s announcement was meant to fly below the media radar screen in the U.S., it was clearly meant to be noticed in Afghanistan. After all, Eikenberry publicly insisted that the awarding of the contract should be considered "an indication... an action, a deed that you can take as a long-term commitment of the United States government to the government of Afghanistan." (Note to Tea Party types heading for Washington: this contract is part of a new stimulus package in one of the few places where President Obama can, by executive fiat, increase stimulus spending. It has already resulted in the hiring of 500 Afghan workers and when construction ramps up, another 1,000 more will be added to the crew.) Jo Comerford and the number-crunchers at the National Priorities Project have offered TomDispatch a hand in putting that $790 million outlay into an American context: "$790 million is more than ten times the money the federal government allotted for the State Energy Program in FY2011. It's nearly five times the total amount allocated for the National Endowment for the Arts (threatened to be completely eliminated by the incoming Congress). If that sum were applied instead to job creation in the United States, in new hires it would yield more than 22,000 teachers, 15,000 healthcare workers, and employ more than 13,000 in the burgeoning clean energy industry." Still, to understand just why, among a flood of similar war reports, this one got under my skin, you need a bit of backstory. Singular Spawn or Forerunner Deluxe? One night in May 2007, I was nattering on at the dinner table about reports of a monstrous new U.S. embassy being constructed in Baghdad, so big that it put former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s grandiose Disneyesque palaces to shame. On 104 acres of land in the heart of the Iraqi capital (always referred to in news reports as almost the size of Vatican City), it was slated to cost $590 million. (Predictable cost overruns and delays -- see F-35 above -- would, in the end, bring that figure to at least $740 million, while the cost of running the place yearly is now estimated at $1.5 billion.) Back then, more than half a billion dollars was impressive enough, even for a compound that was to have its own self-contained electricity-generation, water-purification, and sewage systems in a city lacking most of the above, not to speak of its own antimissile defense systems, and 20 all-new blast-resistant buildings including restaurants, a recreation center, and other amenities. It was to be by far the largest, most heavily fortified embassy on the planet with a "diplomatic" staff of 1,000 (a number that has only grown since). My wife listened to my description of this future colossus, which bore no relation to anything ever previously called an "embassy," and then, out of the blue, said, "I wonder who the architect is?" Strangely, I hadn’t even considered that such a mega-citadel might actually have an architect. That tells you what I know about building anything. So imagine my surprise to discover that there was indeed a Kansas architect, BDY (Berger Devine Yaeger), previously responsible for the Sprint Corporation's world headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas; the Visitation Church in Kansas City, Missouri; and Harrah's Hotel and Casino in North Kansas City, Missouri. Better yet, BDY was so proud to have been taken on as architect to the wildest imperial dreamers and schemers of our era that it posted sketches at its website of what the future embassy, its "pool house," its tennis court, PX, retail and shopping areas, and other highlights were going to look like. Somewhere between horrified and grimly amused, I wrote a piece at TomDispatch, entitled "The Mother Ship Lands in Baghdad" and, via a link to the BDY drawings, offered readers a little "blast-resistant spin" through Bush’s colossus. From the beginning, I grasped that this wasn’t an embassy in any normal sense and I understood as well something of what it was. Here’s the way I put it at the time: "As an outpost, this vast compound reeks of one thing: imperial impunity. It was never meant to be an embassy from a democracy that had liberated an oppressed land. From the first thought, the first sketch, it was to be the sort of imperial control center suitable for the planet's sole 'hyperpower,’ dropped into the middle of the oil heartlands of the globe. It was to be Washington's dream and Kansas City's idea of a palace fit for an embattled American proconsul -- or a khan." In other words, a U.S. "control center" at the heart of what Bush administration officials then liked to call "the Greater Middle East" or the "arc of instability." To my surprise, the piece began racing around the Internet and other sites -- TomDispatch did not then have the capacity to post images -- started putting up BDY’s crude drawings. The next thing I knew, the State Department had panicked, declared this a "security breach," and forced BDY to take down its site and remove the drawings. I was amazed. But (and here we come to the failure of my own imagination) I never doubted that BDY’s bizarre imperial "mother ship" being prepared for landing in Baghdad was the singular spawn of the Bush administration. I saw it as essentially a vanity production sired by a particular set of fantasies about imposing a Pax Americana abroad and a Pax Republicana at home. It never crossed my mind that there would be two such "embassies." So, on this, call me delusional. By May 2009, with Barack Obama in the White House, I knew as much. That was when two McClatchy reporters broke a story about a similar project for a new "embassy" in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, at the projected cost of $736 million (with a couple of hundred million more slated for upgrades of diplomatic facilities in Afghanistan). Simulating Ghosts Now, with the news in from Kabul, we know that there are going to be three mother ships. All gigantic beyond belief. All (after the usual cost overruns) undoubtedly in the three-quarters of a billion dollar range, or beyond. All meant not to house modest numbers of diplomats acting as the face of the United States in a foreign land, but thousands of diplomats, spies, civilian personnel, military officials, agents, and operatives hunkering down long-term for war and skullduggery. Connect two points and you have a straight line. Connect three points and you have a pattern -- in this case, simple and striking. The visionaries and fundamentalists of the Bush years may be gone and visionless managers of the tattered American imperium are now directing the show. Nonetheless, they and the U.S. military in the region remain remarkably devoted to the control of the Greater Middle East. Even without a vision, there is still the war momentum and the money to support it. While Americans fight bitterly over whether the stimulus package for the domestic economy was too large or too small, few in the U.S. even notice that the American stimulus package in Kabul, Islamabad, Baghdad, and elsewhere in our embattled Raj is going great guns. Embassies the size of pyramids are still being built; military bases to stagger the imagination continue to be constructed; and nowhere, not even in Iraq, is it clear that Washington is committed to packing up its tents, abandoning its billion-dollar monuments, and coming home. In the U.S., it’s clearly going to be paralysis and stagnation all the way, but in Peshawar and Mazar-i-sharif, not to speak of the greater Persian Gulf region, we remain the spendthrifts of war, perfectly willing, for instance, to ship fuel across staggering distances and unimaginably long supply lines at $400 a gallon to Afghanistan to further crank up an energy-heavy conflict. Here in the United States, police are being laid off. In Afghanistan, we are paying to enroll thousands and thousands of them and train them in ever greater numbers. In the U.S., roads crumble; in Afghanistan, support for road-building is still on the agenda. At home, it’s peace all the way to the unemployment line, because peace, in our American world, increasingly seems to mean economic disaster. In the Greater Middle East, it’s war to the horizon, all war all the time, and creeping escalation all the way around. (And keep in mind that the escalatory stories cited above all occurred before the next round of Republican warhawks even hit Washington with the wind at their backs, ready to push for far more of the same.) The folks who started us down this precipitous path and over an economic cliff are now in retirement and heading onto the memoir circuit: our former president is chatting it up with Matt Lauer and Oprah; his vice president is nursing his heart while assumedly writing about "his service in four presidential administrations"; his first secretary of defense is readying himself for the publication of his memoir in January; and his national security advisor, then secretary of state (for whom Chevron once named a double-hulled oil tanker), is already heading into her second and third memoir. But while they scribble and yak, their policy ghosts haunt us, as does their greatest edifice, that embassy in Baghdad, now being cloned elsewhere. Even without them or the neocons who pounded the drums for them, the U.S. military still pushes doggedly toward 2014 and beyond in Afghanistan, while officials "tweak" their drawdown non-schedules, narrow the president’s non-options, and step in to fund and build yet more command-and-control centers in the Greater Middle East. It looks and feels like the never-ending story, and yet, of course, the imperium is visibly fraying, while the burden of distant wars grows ever heavier. Those "embassies" are being built for the long haul, but a decade or two down the line, I wouldn’t want to put my money on what exactly they will represent, or what they could possibly hope to control. Tom Engelhardt, co-founder of the American Empire Project, runs the Nation Institute's TomDispatch.com. His latest book is The American Way of War: How Bush’s Wars Became Obama’s (Haymarket Books). You can catch a Timothy MacBain TomDispatch video interview with me on our "stimulus" spending abroad by clicking here or download it to your iPod, here. [Note: For those still interested, some of the BDY sketches of the Baghdad embassy remain up at Antiwar.com. Click here to see them. And while I’m at it, let me make a heartfelt bow to Antiwar.com, without which TomDispatch research would truly be hell and, in particular, Jason Ditz, whose daily updates are must-read fare for me. Other crucial must-read sites for collecting war info include Juan Cole’s Informed Comment, Paul Woodward’s the War in Context, and Noah Shachtman’s Danger Room.] Copyright 2010 Tom Engelhardt |
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The War Room / Afghanistan / Iraq / Re: AFGHANISTAN: Daily stuff here please....
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on: November 16, 2010, 05:35:06 am
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Taliban Leader Mullah Omar: The US and NATO Are Being Defeated in Afghanistanby Jeremy Scahill http://uruknet.info/?p=m71875&hd=&size=1&l=eThe Nation, November 15, 2010 In a communiqué marking the beginning of the Muslim holiday, Eid-al-Adha, the leader of the Afghan Taliban, Mullah Mohammed Omar, claimed his forces were making gains against US and NATO forces in Afghanistan and announced a new plan to increase attacks aimed at delivering a "crushing and decisive blow" against the presence of foreign forces. "The aim is to entangle the enemy in an exhausting war of attrition and wear it away like the former Soviet Union," declared Omar in his address on the "Festival of Sacrifice." Omar wrote that his forces had developed new short and long term strategies, saying overall "our strategy is to increase our operations step by step and spread them to all parts of the country to compel the enemy to come out from their hideouts and then crush them through tactical raids." Omar's declaration comes amid reports that leaders at this week's NATO summit in Portugal plan to set 2014 as an end date for "combat" operations. Omar portrayed the ongoing battle with US forces in Marjah and, more recently, in the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar--where US-led forces code-named their operation "Dragon Strike"-- as victories. Noting the surge in US and NATO casualties and deaths in Afghanistan, Omar wrote. "The moment of defeat of the invaders has approached," adding: "The enemy has been defeated on the battlefield. Now they rely on media hype and portray themselves as if making advancement but the ground realities are what you and we are witnessing. The enemy is retreating and facing siege in all parts of the country day in and day out. Their life casualties are spiraling up." Current Taliban commanders and former senior officials of Omar's Taliban government recently told The Nation that while the US Special Operations Forces' targeted killing campaign against Taliban commanders has been successful, the strikes were actually producing a more radical generation of fighters and commanders. In his communication, Omar did not address the issue of the targeted killing campaign, but he did claim that morale among the Taliban remained high. "Our Mujahid people will never feel exhausted in the sacred path of Jihad, because it is a divine obligation," he wrote. "Fatigue can have no way into it." Omar is never seen publicly and US officials believe is hiding in Quetta, Pakistan. In interviews with The Nation in Afghanistan, several former and current Taliban leaders suggested that Omar was currently residing in Afghanistan. In the nine years since US forces toppled the Taliban government analysts have questioned the extent of his control over insurgent forces fighting to expel the US and NATO. On the ground in Afghanistan, anti-US fighters tell different stories. Many say they are loyal to Omar and proclaim him the leader of the jihad, while other reports paint a picture of a fractured resistance with multiple groups. Omar "is the main figure and a powerful person and the emir of the Taliban," says Abdul Salam Zaeef, the former Taliban government's ambassador to Pakistan. Speaking at his home in Kabul where he is closely monitored by Karzai's security forces, Zaeef said, "Nobody knows where is he. If I know, the [Afghan] government should know, the Americans should know. It would be not safe. Nobody knows where is he, but he is alive." As for reports Omar has been captured, Zaeef laughs and says, "He was already captured so many times by the American media." In his Eid-al-Adha communiqué, Omar blasted the Karzai government as a corrupt "puppet Kabul regime" subservient to Washington and rejected as "baseless propaganda" reports that senior Taliban officials have engaged in any negotiations with the Karzai government or US/NATO forces. "The cunning enemy which has occupied our country is trying, on the one hand, to expand its military operations… and, on the other hand, wants to throw dust into the eyes of the people by spreading the rumors of negotiation," Omar wrote. The Taliban leader's allegations mirror those of a US official who told McClatchy News Service in October that reports of senior Taliban meeting with Afghan or US officials were propaganda aimed at sowing dissent among the Taliban leadership. "This is a psychological operation, plain and simple," said the US official with firsthand knowledge of the Afghan government's strategies. "Exaggerating the significance of it is an effort to sow distrust within the insurgency." In his declaration, Omar wrote: "The enemy wants to cover up its failure in Afghanistan by wrongfully raising hollow hopes in the hearts of their respective people. The believing people of Afghanistan and the public of the world should not trust any news report or rumor about the stance of the Islamic Emirate disseminated by any one rather than the leadership of the Islamic Emirate or the designated spokesmen, because such new reports are spread by the intelligence agencies of the hostile countries. Then the media outlets affiliated with these espionage entities, irresponsibly publish them with great fanfare. The aim is to play down the defeat (of the enemy) at the military field through media warfare. But these conspiracies will never prove effective against our brave people and mujahideen." Omar also delivered his counter-point to the US counterinsurgency doctrine, instructing his forces not to target civilian populations and to build ties in local communities, calling on his followers to ensure that their "Jihadic activities will not become a cause for destruction of property and loss of life" of civilians, adding, "Anything that is not permissible in Islam, has no place in our military policy." Watch : Briefing: Jeremy Scahill http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoZ_nNajb4w&feature=player_embedded
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The War Room / Afghanistan / Iraq / Re: AFGHANISTAN: Daily stuff here please....
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on: November 16, 2010, 05:13:18 am
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Message of Mullah Omar on the occasion of Eid-ul-OdhaMullah Mohammad Omar Mujahid, Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan  Mullah Mohammed Omar November 15, 2010 http://212.7.195.26/~alemarah/english/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3115:message-of-felicitation-of-the-esteemed-amir-ul-momineen-on-the-occasion-of-eid-ul-odha&catid=4:statements&Itemid=4Message of Felicitation of the Esteemed Amir-ul-Momineen on the Occasion of Eid-ul-Odha Praise be to Allah. We praise Him and seek His help, forgiveness and guidance. We seek His refuge from the whims of our inner-self and from our transgressions. Whoever Allah guides, no one can deviate( him/her); who ever goes astray, can find no one as a friend and guide (except Allah to guide him). We testify that there is no god but Allah. Alone is He and no partner He has. We also testify that Mohammad (peace be upon him) is His servant and messenger. Having said that, I would like to further say: To the suffering Mujahid people of Afghanistan; to all believing ethnicities in all parts of the world; to all nearly and remotely- situated Muslims and to the Muslim Ummah: Peace, Mercy and Blessing of Allah be upon you all. My heart-felt felicitation to you on this great day of joy, selflessness and sacrifice. May Allah (swt) accept in His Sight the worship and offerings of all Muslims. Similarly, may Allah (swt) accept the pilgrimage of the pilgrims who are now visiting the Kabba Sharifa and the struggles and toils of the Mujahideen of the way of truth and of their supporters. May Allah (swt) bestow blessing, salvation and victory on the Ummah as a result of the endeavors of the Mujahideen.Ameen Meanwhile, I would like to share with you some viewpoints concerning the current situation of the country and the world. Regarding the Internal Developments of the Country: The moments of defeat of the invaders have approached now due to the special victory and the sincere sacrifices of the Mujahideen. The enemy has been defeated at the battle field. Now they rely on media hypes and portray themselves as if making advancement but the ground realities are what you and we are witnessing. The enemy is retreating and facing siege in all parts of the country day in and day out. Their life casualties are spiraling up. It is because of this pressure that the enemy has resorted to spreading the misleading rumors of peace talks. Thus, they want to reduce the military pressure which is being exerted on them. But it was the enemy in the first place, who invaded our country, imposing the war on us, so the sole way for our salvation is the armed jihad in the way of Allah (swt). Our Mujahid people will never feel exhausted in the sacred path of Jihad, because it is a divine obligation and a great worship. Fatigue can have no way into it. It is a matter of pride that the Mujahideen and the people, like brothers, lay down their lives in the defense of their religion, honor and independence of their country. They do not give chance to the enemy to create split among them through propaganda and other covert machinations. The enemy wants to protect itself from the attacks of Mujahideen by creating local militia units and utilize them as a shield; we have paid special attention to this task and obtained spectacular achievements. Similarly, some internal and external enemies are now speaking of disintegration of the beloved country. They should know that the patriotic countrymen and the Islamic Emirate will never allow any one to put into practice their wicked plan. Regarding the Puppet Kabul Regime: The situation of the Afghan people and the beloved country is going from bad to worse during this reign of the surrogate Karzai regime. Hardships, starvations, poverty, homelessness, civilian casualties, various diseases, aberrations of the youth and cultural and social deviation in the name of democracy are touching its climax. A few hoarders in the high government slots have control over all items including the daily consumption items. This is being carried out under the title of the open market system. They are determiner of the prices. We witness this hard fact, that many miserable families of the country have been forced to resort to beggary. Corruption is at its epic. This is not what we say but the founders and masters of this regime admit that their puppet regime ranks 2nd at the index of the most corrupt regimes of the world. This is because the rulers of the regime have been installed by others and they are not interested in the future and prosperity of the country. They are only hankering after filling their pockets with money and fleecing the masses. Many of them have foreign nationality and do not consider Afghanistan as their own country. The Americans are intending to keep in the country, a regime installed under the leadership of some westernized elements-- a regime which is extremely bereft of any resolve and determination; a surrogate only relying on foreign aid. Thus the invaders want to prolong their presence in the region and extend their occupation. Every Afghan in this corrupt regime has obligation to desist from supporting the invaders because of the current ordeals and tribulations that the Afghan Muslim people are passing through. They should not help their enemies of faith to destroy their home. There is no moral and religious justification to work in a regime, being puppet and traitor to its people. If they are not able to join the ranks of Jihad, at least, they can desist from cooperating with them. Thus they would perform their patriotic and ideological obligation. They should take care, less they may not stand shameful before their people and history and Allah (swt) on the Day of Resurrection. The number of those who have left the ranks of the enemy has increased following our previous call to do so. This is a commendable phenomenon. We have instructed all Mujadeen to favor them with special incentives and acclamations. Regarding the Rumors of Peace Talks by the Americans: The Islamic Emirate still holds its previous stand regarding the current issue of the country. Islamic Emirate believes that the solution of the issue lies in withdrawal of the foreign invading troops and establishment of a true Islamic and independent system in the country. The cunning enemy which has occupied our country, is trying, on the one hand, to expand its military operations on the basis of its double standard policy and, on the other hand, wants to throw dust into the eyes of the people by spreading the rumors of negotiation. Claims about negotiation, flexibility in the stance of the Islamic Emirate, are mere baseless propaganda. The enemy wants to cover up its failure in Afghanistan by wrongfully raising hollow hopes in the hearts of their respective people. The believing people of Afghanistan and the public of the world should not trust any news report or rumor about the stance of the Islamic Emirate disseminated by any one rather than the leadership of the Islamic Emirate or the designated spokesmen, because such new reports are spread by the intelligence agencies of the hostile countries. Then the media outlets affiliated with these espionage entities, irresponsibly publish them with great fanfare. The aim is to play down the defeat ( of the enemy) at the military field through media warfare. But these conspiracies will never prove effective against our brave people and mujahideen as these experiences have already been tested. The former Jihadi leaders and influential based in Kabul should know that, as the invading Americans already used you against the Mujahideen in the framework of peace council, they will again use you for their illegitimate objectives besides the puppet regime of Kabul. We can’t figure out why you are unilaterally coopering with the invaders? Can the present regime reflect your objectives of former jihad? Was the aim behind your 14-years long Jihad to let the place of the Russians to be occupied by the Americans? If you want to extricate yourself of this dilemma and lead a life like a proud Muslim Afghan, the only way of honor and dignity is the way of the sacred Jihad and independence of the country. Come and compensate for your mistakes of the previous years by honestly embarking on the path of struggle against the invaders. This does not mean that every one has to join the stronghold but every one should utilize his capability in support of the current resistance. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has comprehensive policy for the efficiency of the future government of Afghanistan; about true security, Islamic justice, education, economic progress, national unity and a foreign policy based on norms to protect itself from the harms of others and convince the world that the future Afghanistan will not harm them. Regarding the Military Situation of the Country: Our coming military programs will forge ahead on the basis of the climate of the country and the geographical locations as per the plans now at the disposal of the Mujahideen. The aim is to entangle the enemy in an exhausting war of attrition and wear it away like the former Soviet Union. This will force it face disintegration after dealing a crushing and decisive blow at it that it would not be able to hold itself thereafter. To achieve this, we have hammered out short term and long term plans. We are optimistic about the results of these plans. Our strategy is to increase our operations step by step and spread them to all parts of the country to compel the enemy to come out from their hideouts and then crush them through tactical raids. This experiment was effective in Marja, Kandahar and some other areas. Therefore, the Mujahideen should focus on their jihadic efforts more than ever and expand their jihadic operations on the basis of the given plans. They should try their best to compel the moribund enemy to flee from our soil. They should constantly and unremittingly remember Allah during the performance of their tasks and be sure that Allah is the ultimate creator and conductor of all affairs; and must have the conviction that their achievements are the result of the exclusive blessings and victory from Allah; should increase their worship and recite the prayers during jihad which the holy prophet (peace be upon him) usually recited. This will bestow on them solace and consolation and will strengthen in them the essence of trust, sincerity, humbleness and the desire to seek the pleasure of Allah (swt). These characteristics of a believer are an asset which even in worse conditions lead to a blessing and victory from the Almighty Allah. Similarly, do not forget the Islamic moral conduct, even for a while, during your journey on the path of the sacred Jihad. You should study the Jihad related affairs in the books of the Sayings of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and in the laws of religious jurisprudence. Pay attention to the life and property of the civilians so that, may Allah (swt) forbid, your Jihadic activities will not become a cause for destruction of property and loss of life of people. Any thing that is not permissible in Islam, has no place in our military policy. Spread fraternity among yourselves and help each other during the time of distress and ordeal. Maintain close contact with the people, seek the advice of local influential and hear their constructive advice and consultation and put them into practice. To the Young Educated Generation and Men of Letters of the Country and the Students of Universities: As a young educated generation and men of letters (writers) of our Islamic country, you are the leaders of tomorrow of the country. Our enemy is turning every stone to spread their cultural and ideological influence over the young generation of this Muslim country and thus jeopardize our history, religious values and our future. Our religious and historical enemy has cunningly launched a propaganda drive, spending huge amount of money in order to gradually strip our young generation of their Afghan and Islamic identity. As a young generation of this Islamic country, you have an Islamic and Afghani responsibility to confront these hostile anti-Islamic and anti-Afghan endeavors of the enemy with all your capability of tongue and pen and indefatigable struggle. Do not let your historical, religious and cultural enemy succeed. You should know that the cunning enemy financially and extensively fund some sold-out Afghan circles in a surreptitious manner to flare up a domestic war on the basis of language and geographical locations. Thus they want to harm the identity and integrity of the country and take avenge on the Afghans. You, the young educated generation, should not become part of these negative movements. Instead, solely focus on serving the cause of dissemination of Islamic culture, independence of the country and unity. The honor of a Muslim lies in Islam and Islamic unity. It is you that are able to protect the pillars of Islamic culture and Afghani identity from crumbling down. The Islamic Emirate is your flank of battle and a stronghold. The Islamic Emirate is proud of your support; your Jihad of words and pen and holds you in high esteem and praise. This resistance will increasingly boost through your scholarly cultural efforts. To Peoples and Governments of the Islamic World: On this occasion of Eid-ul-odha and on behalf of the Islamic Emirate and as a member of the world Islamic family, I would like to remind the governments and people of the Islamic world to forget the issue of the occupied Afghanistan and the miserable condition of the people of this country. You should remember that the Afghan people have played prideful role for the defense of Islam and Islamic world, offering numerous sacrifices in this way throughout different stages of the history. This nation stood as a wall of iron in front of the invasions of Genghis, Britons and the communist colonialists, saving the Islamic world. Today, this nation is entangled in a complicated trial and an imposed war on the charges of their professing (Islamic) ideology. Every day, men and women of this nation, fall prey to the bombardment of the invaders and their children become orphans; miserable people are displaced internally due to the operations and fear of bombardment of the enemy. The people are grappling with hardship and poverty. But the Afghans have embraced all these sufferings out of commitment to the great cause of establishment of rules of the Holy Quran and the defense of the Islamic faith. So the Muslims of the world should share and feel (their pain) and have conduct with them on equal terms as pious Muslim. Perform your obligation of fraternity( towards them) in your material wealth. The countries of the Islamic world should not feel as being a lien to the issues of Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine and should not spare any effort in this regard in the framework of their foreign policies. They should consider the pains and hardship of these suffering people as their own pain and problem and play positive role in the solution of their problems. To American and European Peoples and to Members of Parliaments: Afghanistan is an independent Islamic country. It has a prideful history and freedom-loving people at the level of the region and world. This nation has not harmed the independence of other countries and, throughout the history, has not permitted any one else to take their independence. Now when your forces have invaded this territory for the achievement of some colonialist objectives and goals, so it is the religious and humane obligation of the Afghans to stand up to your forces. Think, if your country is invaded by some one else, would you remain indifferent in such circumstances? What do you think, should our people allow the invasion and aggression in their country and remain insouciant vis-avis the invaders? And should not they show any reaction in front of the aggression against their honor religious values, national dignity and independence.? If you are an impartial judge, you would yourself give us the right to keep up the path of resistance against the invaders and even shore it up more than ever. Availing the limited resources at their disposal and because of their firm determinations and conviction in their being in the right, the Afghans showed to your military chiefs and political leaders in the past nine years, that you, invaders, are not able to force this nation to accept your occupation. The troops surge made no change in the status quo and never will they be able to turn the tide, if God willing. Body counts of your troop’s causalities have spiraled up but still your political leaders and military chiefs stubbornly persist in their failed politics. First of all, you should find for yourselves the ground realities and then study them. Ponder over them impartially. How long the governments and people of the world will tolerate your tyrannical policy and your demeanor of taking hostage the people. To relieve yourselves and the Afghan people from the weariness of this unjustified war, you have to put an end to the war as soon as possible. The more the war prolongs, the more causalties of your troops increase and the more its economic burden become heavier. Nothing more than this, you will achieve. This is the country of the Afghans. The Afghan will not relinquish of it. The resistance will continue as long as the invaders are stationed there. You should review the historical facts to learn some essential points from them. It is more rationale to stop adding fuel to the flames of war by leaving this region. The presence of foreign forces on our soil, paves the way for intensification and aggravation of the war--consequent upon which you will have to face colossal financial and life losses. To the Neighboring and Regional Countries of Afghanistan: As an independent country, Afghanistan has been forced to wage a sanguinary war for the attainment of its identity. The colonialist countries led by America, want to turn our historical and independent country into a military base under various pretexts. It has persuaded some other countries to align with them and even have compelled the World Body of the United Nations to issue resolutions palatable to the USA. It has turned the World Body, defacto, into personal entity of America. I urge you to find for yourselves the ground realities instead of listening to the futile propaganda of the colonialists. Do not forget your responsibilities in the way of independence of our oppressed country. On the basis of its hypocritical policy, America wants to project our legitimate mission to defend our country and the current resistance as a threat to the world whereas they have no convincing proof and evidence on hand in this regard. Request: To end, I urge all Muslims to remember the families of Muahideen, the prisoners, martyrs and IDPs in these day of sacrifices and selflessness; they have sacrificed themselves in the defense of this venerable religion (Islam) and the country. Remember their orphans and heirs and behave with them like you behave with your children, particularly, favor them with a share in the joy of the Eid. Once again congratulations on the occasion of Eid and may Allah protect you from grief and anguish. Peace be on you all The servant of Islam Amir-ul-Momineen Mullah Mohammad Omar Mujahid 9/12/1431 15/11/2010
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The War Room / Afghanistan / Iraq / Re: AFGHANISTAN: Daily stuff here please....
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on: November 12, 2010, 12:31:31 pm
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Afghan resistance "What do the Americans want to achieve in Afghanistan?" by Hunzala Mujahid, Islamic Emirate of AfghanistanNovember 11, 2010 http://212.7.195.26/~alemarah/english/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3017:what-do-the-americans-want-to-achieve-in-afghanistan&catid=3:articles&Itemid=5In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Beneficent In October 2001, when the invading American aerial attacks on Afghanistan began, they had predicted an easy victory by dent of their technological ascendancy and thought that the subsequent armed clashes at the battlefields would be as easy as the initial aerial onslaughts. Being under the delusion of their own propaganda, the Americans believed that they had advantage over the Russians, English, Mongols, Macedonians and Persians who had already faced route in this ancient land. The Afghan nation’s habitual prudence in testing the strengths and capabilities of their new enemies before embarking on a full scale struggle was mistaken for being signs of weakness of the Afghans. This emboldened the enemy to take on the Afghans on their own land and focused on building grand military bases in the country. Not since the days of Akbar of the Moghul’s India, had anyone been so foolish to bring their armies to the precipitous heights of our heartlands. However, the inevitable defeat and tremendous losses quickly taught the American generals how futile their venture was. So they abandoned the rural area operations strategy and embarked on another strategy--concentrating on the main population areas. They gave priority to taking control of the southern provinces of Afghanistan. But all praises be to the Almighty Allah, the Mujahideen have foiled their plan. The brutal I.S.A.F’s failure to hold Marjah and their inability to gain any significant ground in Kandahar or Helmand illustrates utter defeat of the invaders’ strategy. Seeing that they can’t succeed militarily, the enemy has resorted to a new stratagem instead: sowing dissension in the ranks of the Mujahideen by spreading rumors of talks and negotiations between the Afghan puppet government and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. By such deception, they hope to create a split within the Mujahideen or alternatively draw away some of the Mujahid combatants from the armed struggle, or at least to demoralize Mujahideen. A thousand thanks to Allah, this ploy of the enemy also went awry. Rather than benefiting the enemy, it exposed how weak the enemy was. In light of the U.S. military’s failures to achieve any tangible results in Afghanistan, naturally, the U.S. public is asking why they went into Afghanistan in the first place and what do they want to achieve? After the 9/11 attacks in the U.S., Washington reacted like a mad dog, threatening every government on earth on the basis of the evidence that only existed in the figments of their imagination. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which wanted to put an end to the chaotic situation created by warlords, was attacked in the most barbaric manner and forced to defend its country and people. The U.S. government never bothered to identify the underlying causes of the 9/11 attacks on its territory nor sought to formulate a rational response to it. Instead it emptied its resources, and now seeks to somehow extricate itself from the quagmire it got itself into. To date, America has never clarified its goals that are hidden behind attacking Afghanistan except the so-called apparent slogan of war on terror which is a well-known prefabricated pretext. According to a survey conducted among US soldiers in Afghanistan, majority of them do not know what they fight for in Afghanistan and why they are stationed there. It is also not clear, that the American military presence in Afghanistan will ever serve the cause of peace and stability in the region and the world. It is worth mentioning that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has never carried out any attack against the U.S. nor any other county. For the Afghans, Afghanistan is their land where they live. The people of Afghanistan simply wish to live peacefully according to our Islamic principles and have no higher aspiration than to live and die in defense of our land and our religion. We will continue to defend our honor and land, until any and all foreign forces leave Afghanistan. As for America, it clearly needs to re-evaluate its objectives in Afghanistan because its presence in Afghanistan serves no valuable purpose for its security and every extra day it stays in Afghanistan, paves the way for its financial melt-down and decline in political stature. America would be far better off if it withdraws its forces from Afghanistan, and instead, engage with people of countries like Afghanistan, on a mutually beneficial and constructive way.
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General / General Discussion / Paying To Be Raped - By Sibel Edmonds
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on: November 12, 2010, 05:42:34 am
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Paying To Be RapedBy Sibel Edmondshttp://www.boilingfrogspost.com/2010/11/09/the-not-so-gradual-degradation-of-a-nation/November 11,2010 "Boiling Frogs" -- Every single day millions of us are being subjected to the shameful processes of being searched, screened and viewed naked, patted, groped, fondled, poked and stroked by badge-wearing strangers- police under a different name. Every single day. Millions of us, Americans. Being violated. Being degraded. You know exactly what I am talking about. I am taking about me, you, your mother, her brother, his brother’s wife and toddler son, their grandmothers. I am talking about the systematic degradation of our people. I am talking about being raped of our dignity, privacy, and decency. I am talking about a daily systematic **** we actually pay to be subjected to. I am talking about severe violations we elect people to bring upon us. Yes, I am talking about traveling, TSA police, and being reduced to naked and helpless subjects of government police practices. Considering its short tenure, the motherland police force, aka Department of Homeland Security, has had a one of a kind success. In less than a decade it is now the third largest cabinet police department. It has around 200,000 employees, and that’s without counting contract employees – which exceed this number. Now remember, we still have the FBI, CIA, NSA, DIA…plus all the other state and local police forces from before. TSA makes up over 60,000 of DHS employees. This 60,000 federal police force oversees 450 airports, so that makes it around 133 police per airport. And that’s in addition to local airport police. What do I mean by not so gradual and systematic degradation? I mean in less than ten years, they went from this: to This  then to This  And now to this, this, this, and this all together:  Next, coming soon, very soon, it will be This  and This  Last week TSA announced that airline passengers should expect to see and feel additional pat-down procedures at U.S. airports over the coming weeks to provide another layer of security. They said passengers should continue to expect “an unpredictable mix of security layers that include explosives trace detection, advanced imaging technology, canine teams, among others.” The following blurb comes from CNN, thanks to one of its employees who chose to speak up a little, only a little (all emphasis in bold are mine): Rosemary Fitzpatrick, a CNN employee, said she was subjected to a pat-down at the Orlando, Florida, airport on Wednesday night after her underwire bra set off a magnetometer. She said she was taken to a private area and searched, with transportation screening officers telling her the pat-down was a new procedure.
According to Fitzpatrick, a female screener ran her hands around her breasts, over her stomach, buttocks and her inner thighs, and briefly touched her crotch.”I felt helpless, I felt violated, and I felt humiliated,” Fitzpatrick said, adding that she was reduced to tears at the checkpoint. She particularly objected to the fact that travelers were not warned about the new procedures.… Okay, up to this point I was pleasantly surprised to see this piece being run by a mainstream outlet, and the fact that this woman didn’t take the **** in silence and go away the way most do when it comes to these government sanctioned and implemented systematic rapes, but then I reached the following: “I am appalled and disgusted at the new search procedures and the fact that passengers have not been made aware of the new invasive steps prior to entering the security area,” Fitzpatrick wrote. “It appears once you enter the security area, passengers forfeit their rights. There were no signs, video information, etc. at the entrance of the security area at the airport. Why?”
She added: “As an experienced traveler for work who was in tears for most of the search process, I have never experienced a more traumatic and invasive travel event!”First, let me give her due credit for saying out loud that she objected and felt: helpless, violated, humiliated, appalled and disgusted. But after that, it is my turn to be appalled. Is the process supposed to get less humiliating, appalling, traumatic, and disgusting if the violators give prior notice about the violations, the rapes, to come??!!! Please walk with me through the following reasoning: Two rapists are brought before a judge. One had caught his victim by surprise through a blitz attack, then violently raped her. The other had stalked his victim for a while, sent her some disturbing warning notes, and then violently raped her. Victim one turns around and tells victim two: Why do you feel violated?! Your rapist gave you the courtesy of warning notes – and that makes his **** much less of an offense than my rapist!! My question to CNN’s Fitzpatrick is this: Next time, when these people squeeze your breast, poke your buttocks and stomach, and grab your crotch, will you feel okay? Far less violated? All because now you know what to expect?! After reading the piece I quickly scanned other news sites, both mainstream and alternative. Almost all of them picked up the story and reported it per the original, and the strongest cursory comment at one site was that the story and Fitzpatrick’s experience was ‘unsettling.’ Wow! How hard-hitting! But that was not what I found, and find, so very ‘unsettling.’ Not at all. What I find truly unsettling is that we only have a handful like Fitzpatrick who come forward screaming about the horrifying, humiliating, violating, traumatic …nature of these federal police practices (abuses) in all our airports. Now that is truly unsettling, shocking, and appalling as far as I am concerned. Millions are going through these routine **** processes (Yes, ****: raping you of your dignity, privacy, humanity, and more. Ok?!) without a peep. What is going on here? Have ‘their’ systematic humiliation and degradation practices been so successful that millions take it regularly without any protest, objection, action, counteraction?! I am talking about the hard-core ACLU following liberals. Where the he … are you?! I can’t hear or see you. Where is the protest? Give me a holler, and let me know where and when and I’ll be there to join. Here I’m hollering on the record. And no, don’t go file a couple of lawsuits and say that you’ve done your share; that lazy move hasn’t worked for at least a decade!! I am talking about those on the extreme right of those mentioned above. What happened to your slogan of small government and keeping a tight rein on federal government practices? Isn’t this as close and personal it gets, when your feds are squeezing your testicles while breathing inches from your face, and while you are fully paying for these squeezing and probing services?! I thought you’d attributed these practices to those commies, shouldn’t you be barking when it is in your own backyard? I am talking about old fashion patriarchal guys. Where are you macho and good ole cowboy mentality testosterone walking bags when your wives and daughters are being fondled, squeezed, and intimately probed? Shouldn’t you be roaring like lions and throwing punches like John Wayne when it comes to those who violate your ‘women’? Don’t you feel your manliness under attack when they make you stand in front of them, with your legs apart, arms up to each side, while their hands wrap around measuring your buttocks? I am talking about us Americans, those to the right, the ones on the left, the upper class- lower class, and those in the middle…Here we are, the entire nation, being violated and raped on a daily basis by our servants whom we pay for dearly. Last time I checked we were paying them over $7 Billion – here it is with all the zeroes: $7,000,000,000. Please, don’t even try to bring up that ‘security’ punch line so overused and abused, because last time I checked they were not providing much in terms of ‘security.’ In fact they couldn’t even secure their own personnel files and records. Soon they will be bending us over to give us a thorough cavity search. After that it will be all cavities… And after that…There will be one or two who may stand up and scream. And for ‘them,’ one or two, even ten will be very easy to quash and ‘eliminate.’ Yet, I am still here, still hoping; hoping that somehow I’ll get to see that number in the tens of thousands and beyond, and that’s the only hope I see to stop our expedited degradation process. They say it always starts with one. Well, here I am, willing to be one. How about you?
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The War Room / Afghanistan / Iraq / Re: AFGHANISTAN: Daily stuff here please....
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on: November 12, 2010, 04:46:51 am
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An indepth interview with Haji Ahmad Saeed,
head of resistance operations in Kandahar cityAlemarah (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan)http://212.7.195.26/~alemarah/english/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3016:an-indepth-interview-with-haji-ahmad-saeed-head-of-operations-in-kandahar-city&catid=2:comments&Itemid=3November 11, 2010 The recent operations in the province of Kandahar, by the enemy I.S.A.F forces are viewed by the western-orientated media, as the last military push against the Mujahideen. The majority of them are of the opinion that should these operations fail as well; the Americans would have no other option but to leave Afghanistan. The enemy admits, that the essential objective of this operation is to prevent the collapse of Kandahar city (which is Afghanistan’s second largest city) to the Mujahideen forces. To achieve this, the enemy, besides conducting operations in the districts surrounding Kandahar city, has now also started military operations in the city centre as well. To find out exactly what impact these operations have had on the Mujahideen forces, we talked to Haji Ahmad Saeed, who is in charge of Mujahideen military operations in Kandahar city. This detailed interview is presented below. Alemarah: First of all, please give us some general information of the recent operations of the invading forces: what are some of the activities the invaders have undertaken? Haji Ahmad Saeed: All Praise is to Allah, Kandahar city, which has in the past many years, bore witness to some of the Mujahideen’s greatest operations and bravery, has seen sustained attacks by Mujahideen warriors. These attacks have caused our internal and external enemies’ to panic, to the point of admitting that could very well fall to the banner of Islamic Emirate’s soldiers. Since then, the enemy has completely revised its strategy, focussing almost exclusively on Kandahar city and its surrounding regions. In line with this strategy, the enemy has increased its presence in the region considerably. This increase has been witnessed in the city centre as well, where the enemy has increased its infantry and motorised battalions. They have also carried out large scale raids against civilian population by surrounding entire districts, then carrying out house to house searches for weapons and Mujahideen. They have also started operations in regions that are under Mujahideen control. They have infested the city centre with numerous foreign and army outposts, besides the normal police stations. They have set up more and more check points on the roads and increased their intelligence gathering spy-rings. All this has given Kandahar city the appearance of a city under siege. The enemy has caused all this commotion and carried out these measures to stop our activities in the region but Alhamdulillah and again Alhamdulillah, as our recent operations in the heart of the city have shown, the enemy has utterly failed in this objective. Even the westerners’ own governmental and non-governmental agencies confirm our success by stating that Mujahideen activities in Kandahar, instead of decreasing, have increased by over twenty-four percent. Alemarah: The enemy invaders claim that they have set up a belt our Kandahar city to choke the movements of Mujahideen into and out of the city. What information do you have regarding this? Haji Ahmad Saeed: It is true that the enemy has set up various check points on the roads leading into the city and on the main highways and constructed some ten large army stations. One of these army posts is on the Panjwaee road near Kobai; another is one the way from Khanjakak towards Soop; another is on the Heart road near Seelo; another is on the Arghandab road near Mir Ahmad Khan’s Kalachi; one near Kotal, one on Shah Wali Kote road, on Kabul road near Ainoominy; on the Boldak road from Shurandam towards the city. They have also set up two new army posts on the roads leading from Mahlajat. All these outposts have some of the most high-tech detection and identification tools available to the west. Yet despite this they have never captured any of our Mujahideen, nor detected any explosive-laden vehicle. Everyday our explosive filled vehicles pass over these army checkpoints and army posts without being detected or captured. This is all by the Grace of Allah who has favoured us in all opportunities. The enemy’s so called 'belt’ has achieved no other purpose besides harassing the local populace. As you can see, our attacks on the city have increased rather than decrease. Therefore this belt is no impediment to the Mujahideen operations and its purpose has been inflated far beyond its capabilities. Alemarah: How are Mujahideen’s operations inside Kandahar city? Haji Ahmad Saeed: In the city, as of old, as soon as darkness spreads the stooge governments rule comes to an end, our battalions start their patrols and our operations begin. At night, we set up our ambushes on all the major roads, sealing the enemy inside their outposts. Due to our ambushes, now the enemy has accepted that they cannot provide support to their other outposts if and when they get attacked. Similarly, the Mujahideen always watch their activities during day time. Everyday enemy spies and soldiers are shot dead by our snipers. Several days ago, on the Kandahar bypass road, Mujahideen conducted searches of cargo trucks finding and subsequently burning those trucks carrying supplies to enemy soldiers. All this proves that the Mujahideen have the capabilities and willingness, to conduct operations in the city according to their own initiative, while the enemy has lost all morale and determination to fight. Alemarah: It is said that since this new operation was launched, many innocent residents have gone missing, some of whom have subsequently been found and have reported to have been kidnapped by American and puppet government officers. What information do you have regarding this? Haji Ahmad Saeed: It is true that the enemy has arrested many innocent people, the majority of whom are still suffering in prisons. These people have been arrested by government intelligence services as well as by various local militias. Many of them have been arrested due to personal or tribal rivalries. These incidents require a thorough investigation because many of these innocent arrestee’s have often been tortured to death without any legal process. These are all innocent Afghan civilians whose death should be investigated by all Afghan and global societies. Alemarah: Enemy has been announcing recently that they have captured a large cache of weapons, explosives and mines from the Mujahideen. What is your information regarding this? Haji Ahmad Saeed: This is yet another of the enemy’s baseless claims. We have not yet faced a situation where the Mujahideen’s weapons or mines have been captured due to the enemy’s intelligence gathering. However, it has sometimes happened that some of our mines have failed to explode due to some technical or electronic failure. These have subsequently fallen into enemy hands further inflating their egos. Alemarah: The issue of civilian casualties is hotly debated in Kandahar. The enemy propaganda claims that civilians are often killed in Mujahideen operations. What do you have to say about this? Haji Ahmad Saeed: I, as the head of Kandahar operations, feel very sensitive to this issue, first in front of Allah and then in front of our Afghan people. If we did not fear for causing harm to our own people then our operations in Kandahar would be ten times more than they are today. We have always tried our best to completely end any civilians casualties on our part. We often have had to cancel our operations when we fear the possibility of civilian casualties. On the other hand, the enemy always seeks to stay and move in our population centres so that if Mujahideen attack them, any resulting civilian damage would be blamed on the Mujahideen. As much as we want to attack the enemy, we know that they want to use our people as human shields for their protection and therefore we abstain from confronting them in these areas. Alemarah: Partly as a result of the recent operations and partly due to the targeted killings of government workers, some people in Kandahar are beginning to think that these shootings and bombings are random and indiscriminate. For this reason these people are very fearful of the present situation. What is your message to these people? Haji Ahmad Saeed: I want to tell these people that if they are not government workers then they should be completely calm and relaxed. The operation in Kandahar are not random and spirit of the moment operations, instead each step is thoroughly planed and meticulously executed. The Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate first conduct thorough background research into their targets and when their relationship with the puppet government and their foreign paymasters is fully confirmed, do they proceed to punish these collaborators. Only once during my term has one of our Mujahids mistaken an innocent person (who fully resembled the intended target and was present in the same neighbourhood) for an intended target and killed him. On that occasion we contacted the family of the deceased and resolved the matter under the law of Shariah. Other than that no innocent person has been killed in these targeted assassinations. I want to console my fellow countrymen that the valiant Mujahideen would never steep to randomly killing their own countrymen. It is quite possible that the puppet government and the foreign invaders have put some moles in the city that terrify the populace by defaming the name of the pious Mujahideen. We have provided a contact number to the people of Kandahar to seek our help if ever confronted by these stooge government bandits. Alemarah: How would you describe the Kandahar government? Haji Ahmad Saeed: The government in Kandahar is barely capable of defending itself. We can see that the Kandahar government has no staff or functioning bureaucracy. Its only functioning organs are the police stations, which are run by the American invaders. On the other hand, the Mujahideen have set up various different committees which are always busy resolving the daily disputes of the local people in Kandahar. Alemarah: To end, if you would like to say something or send a message, feel free. Haji Ahmad Saeed: I, as a Mujahid and Muslim Afghan, would like to outline three issues which, if acted upon, will Inshallah bring success in this world and the one to follow. My first message is to the puppet government workers. I say to them as a Muslim Afghan to leave this government. The government they work for is neither lawful nor Shar’ee (which applies the rule of Allah) but is a slave institution set up by the Americans to further their imperial goals. It does not befit a Muslim to work for the infidels in such an institution. They should hasten to leave this institution, and the Mujahideen will uphold all their rights. My second message is to the various different contractors responsible for working for the Americans in exchange for money. I tell them that even if your collaboration with the foreigners brings you wealth; it also increases the misery of Afghanistan under foreign occupation. For this reason you must give up on earning such unlawful wealth and give up your collaboration with the American invaders. My third message is to the various militias around Kandahar that are set up and run by the American invaders. Most of the commanders and soldiers in these militias are those same bandits that infested Kandahar before the inception of the Islamic Emirate. These bandits were once disarmed after the invasion but have once more been re-armed to serve as the shovels of Americans. I ask these men to consult their consciousness. How the Americans used them at the start of the invasion and then denounced them as bandits and miscreants. Now that they are again knee-deep in the mud, they invoke you to do their dirty deeds. Is it not enough for you to learn from your previous mistakes. You should not involve yourself once again in this dangerous war.
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The War Room / Afghanistan / Iraq / Re: IRAQ : daily stuff here please
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on: November 10, 2010, 12:11:53 pm
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US prepares permanent Iraq occupationby Bill Van Auken http://uruknet.info/?p=m71686&hd=&size=1&l=eWSWS, November 10, 2010 US Defense Secretary Robert Gates signaled Tuesday that the US is preparing to scrap a 2011 deadline for withdrawal of all US troops from Iraq, setting the stage for a permanent military occupation of the oil-rich country. "We’ll stand by," Gates told reporters. "We’re ready to have that discussion if and when they want to raise it with us." The defense secretary, a holdover from the Bush administration, reiterated Washington’s formal position that while the "initiative clearly needs to come from the Iraqis; we are open to discussing it." The reality is that the Obama administration is presently exerting intense political pressure aimed at breaking an eight-month-old deadlock in the formation of a new Iraqi government so that it can have a US client regime capable of taking the "initiative" of asking American troops to stay. US efforts have intensified in the aftermath of the midterm elections as part of a broad further turn to the right in both US foreign and domestic policies. Last August, the Obama administration had celebrated the withdrawal of a single Stryker brigade from Iraq, proclaiming that its members were the last combat troops deployed in the country and that the US combat mission had ended. The reality is that nearly 50,000 US troops remain in Iraq, the bulk of them with the same combat capabilities as the brigades that have been withdrawn. The US Air Force remains in control of Iraqi airspace and the US Navy controls its coastlines. Obama sought to exploit the drawdown of US forces from their peak of 170,000—many of them redeployed to the "surge" in Afghanistan—for political purposes, claiming in the run-up to the elections that the Democratic president had fulfilled his campaign promise to end the war in Iraq. This was a patent fraud. The timetable for the troop drawdown and the December 2011 final withdrawal was set not by Obama, but rather by a Status of Forces Agreement negotiated between the Bush administration and the US puppet government of Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad. The Obama administration is now moving to abrogate this Bush era treaty in order to secure an indefinite US military grip over Iraq. The immediate impediment to this plan is the absence of a government in Baghdad to sign a new agreement. Eight months after the election last March, the country’s rival political factions have been unable to cobble together a viable coalition. The principal political factions convened a meeting Monday in the northern Kurdish capital of Irbil to discuss a power-sharing arrangement, but no deal was immediately forthcoming. Both Maliki and his principal challenger, the former prime minister and CIA asset Iyad Allawi, reiterated their claims to the prime minister’s office. Iraqi political sources reported that Washington has demanded that a deal be worked out quickly. "We’ve been under tremendous pressure by the Americans … in clearly asking President [Jalala] Talibani to step down," a Kurdish official told Jane Araf of the Christian Science Monitor. Both Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have personally called in recent days to demand the resignation, he said. The aim is to allow Allawi to assume the presidency and Maliki to remain as prime minister in a national unity government. Thus far, however, the Kurdish parties have shown no desire to surrender the office, which they see as an instrument for blocking any incursion on their semi-autonomous control of the north of the country. Iraq has faced growing violence, posing the threat of a new eruption of sectarian civil war. Bombings Monday claimed the lives of at least 22 people in the Shia holy cities of Najaf and Karbala. The killings come little more than a week after the massacre of 58 Iraqi Christians killed in the storming of the church where they had been taken hostage and a series of bombings in Baghdad’s Shiite areas that killed at least 70. As the political stalemate drags on, the discussion within the US military and foreign policy establishment has increasingly pointed toward the continuation of the US occupation. The State Department last week released an audit warning that Iraq would continue to need the deployment of US troops to maintain stability after 2011 and warning that it would be too dangerous to turn over the defense of US interests in the country to civilians. According to the Associated Press, the State Department document echoed warnings by defense analysts and former diplomats that "hard-won security gains could crumble if US forces leave on schedule." The report cast doubt on the ability of State Department personnel—in the absence of US military occupation forces—"to conduct their work in an environment in which 95 percent of the Iraqi population holds unfavorable or ambivalent views of the United States." Ryan Crocker, the US ambassador to Iraq from 2007 to 2009, spoke along similar lines last week, declaring: "I worry that what we’re seeing is a transition from a military lead to no lead. Simply put, the capacity does not exist on the civilian side to take on the vast array of roles and missions that the military has so ably performed in Iraq." While preparing to extend the US military occupation of Iraq indefinitely, the Obama administration is also expected to issue a review of its Afghanistan policy next month that will prescribe "staying the course" in the current military surge that has driven up both civilian casualties and the death toll among US troops. Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell last week reiterated the position of the military and of the White House that the July 2011 deadline that Obama announced for beginning the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan would not spell even the beginning of the end of the US war there. The date, he said, would only mean that US commanders would assess in what parts of the country they could "begin to transition increasing security responsibility" to Afghan puppet forces. These would not include the provinces where US troops are now doing the most killing and dying, such as Helmand, Kandahar and Kunar, the spokesman said. Brought into office thanks in large measure to a wave of antiwar sentiment in the American population, Obama is continuing the wars and occupations that he inherited from the Bush administration, while ratcheting up US military threats against Iran, increasing the danger of a new and potentially far more catastrophic war. This policy reflects the consensus position within the American ruling elite in support of using military force as a means of offsetting the crisis and decline of American capitalism through wars of aggression aimed at securing US hegemony over the energy rich Persian Gulf and Central Asia. Reactionary and unpopular measures already planned, but held back until after the election, are being put into motion, preparing an escalation of the carnage caused by American militarism. The Republicans winning control of the House of Representatives has only served to drive the administration’s policies, both foreign and domestic, even further to the right. The struggle to end the ongoing US occupations and wars, and to prevent the outbreak of a far bloodier conflagration, can be waged only by the working class mobilizing its independent political strength against both major parties, the Obama administration and the profit system that they defend. Bill Van Auken
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