UN group in Gaza over Israeli war crimes

A UN Fact-finding Committee has arrived in the Gaza strip to investigate violations committed during Israel’s offensive on the territory earlier this year.

The United Nations committee arrived in the Gaza Strip on Friday evening through the Rafah border terminal with Egypt, and would be holding hearing sessions with the residents and the victims of Israel’s war on Gaza.

Israeli authorities are refusing to allow investigators access through southern Israel. Public hearing sessions would be held on Sunday and Monday in Gaza City and on Tuesday in Geneva, Switzerland.

Zionist Bullshit

1. It must be nice to be a member of a religion that allows, nay encourages, you to steal others people’s land and resources and feel good about it. Then, if anyone objects to your obnoxious disgusting behavior you get to label them as bigots. What  a great deal. Want to be an asshole – well here comes your role model.

Aron Raskas is a Baltimore lawyer and Israeli firster who believes that since he is a Jew he gets to live on land stolen from Palestinians and he thinks this is a “morally sound” thing to do.   I guess he must be fleeing all the anti-Semitism that is rampant in Baltimore. It’s so bad in Baltimore that Zionist slumlord Sam Zell had to buy the local newspaper – no not the Baltimore Jewish Times – but rather the Baltimore Sun – otherwise the Jews would have been driven out from their over forty synagogues there. Others would have had to seek refugee at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall or hide out under their desks at the Baltimore Hebrew University. Of course, due to the rampant anti-Semitism in Baltimore, BHU has had to merge with Towson. This will no doubt cause a flood in refugees from Baltimore into the West Bank.  But I digress.

No doubt some others would have had to hide in the basement of the Jewish Museum of Maryland. Other hiding places have been fortified by 900 hundred thousand dollars in grants from the federal goverment to protect Jewish places from terrorism. Noted Islamofascist Senator Barbara Mikulski very proudly announced this grant in October of 2007. No doubt her colleague, also an Islamofascist, Senator Benjamin Cardin, approved.  Yup, Maryland is a tough place for a Jew to live. So it’s off to the West Bank.

That rascal Raskas had to flee to the “settlement” of Rimonim which he informs us is in the “heart of the West Bank.” (Please note, that means he is living on land acquired by Israel in the 1967 war that Israel started. Therefore he is in violation of the Geneva Conventions. )

Now, Raskas knows that he is doing something illegal and immoral. It pervades the piece he wrote for that great anti-Semitic newspaper known as the Baltimore Sun. So he has to justify it by telling us that there just aren’t any Palestinians there. Obviously, you can’t steal land from people who do not exist – right?

As one looks out from Rimonim, the most telling fact is what one does not see. Over the miles of rolling hills that unfold across the landscape, there is not a village, building, home or even a herd of sheep to be seen. The scene is the same at other Jewish settlements as well.

It would be sort of like going into Jewish parts of Germany or Poland after WWII and taking over empty Jewish houses because you just couldn’t find any Jews anywhere. But again, I digress.

Okay, so he tells us, it’s fine for him to live in Rimonim because the Palestinians do not live there. Nor do they live anywhere else, apparently.

He knows this is a lie, of course. So he has to back it up with – and I am not making this up – with a quote from Mark Twain. Here goes:

When Mark Twain walked this land in 1867, he described in his book, Innocents Abroad, this very same “deserted” and “desolate country” with its “rocky and bare” landscape. Today, despite Palestinian efforts to portray it differently, not all that much has changed outside the few towns and villages that dot the land.

Villages like Hebron with about 170 thousand people (this would make it the second biggest city in Maryland – the land of anti-Semitism) or Nablus with 135 thousand. Damn, I’m digressing again.

Again, Raskas knows he is deliberately misleading his readers. Any idiot, except members of Congress, can tell you that world population figures today are quite different than they were in 1867.  Egypt, for example, has about 80 million people today. In 1882, it’s populaton was 8 million.

So, lie upon lie, he were go:

Even the pro-Palestinian group Peace Now concedes that Israeli settlements – mostly bedroom communities of Jerusalem or Tel Aviv – occupy less than 3 percent of the West Bank.

His nose is growing bigger and bigger and he knows this. So we then are told that those nice Jews fleeing persecution in Baltimore – I guess – are really nice urban professionals who would not harm a flea.

Moreover, Israeli professionals living a suburban life with their children in the vast expanse of these territories do not threaten or harm Palestinians.

Good grief. He  knows that anyone who has ever been in the West Bank knows that the settlers hate the Arabs and make life hell for them whenever they can. Furthermore, those same people know what happens at the endless check points that only Palestinian Muslims and Christians must endure, but not Jews and certainly not upwardly mobile Jews fleeing anti-Semitism from Baltimore.  Therefore, Raskas blames the Palestinains for the check points:

Israeli checkpoints and security measures have been implemented because Palestinians have seemed more interested in destroying Israel and killing Jews than establishing an independent Palestinian state.

This guy hasn’t even peeked yet. Again, he knows that even the simplest research will show that he is completely and obviously deliberately misrepresenting the truth.  So he has to go existential on us. But first, let’s summarize the argument so far.

1. He can’t see any Palestinians from his house, therefore it is okay that he went there and lives in violation of the Geneva conventions.

2. Mark Twain was in Palestine in 1867 and he didn’t see many people. Since Palestinians are too stupid to know how to have sex, there aren’t any Palestinians today either.

3. Israeli settlements don’t take up much space anyway. Although about 5 per cent of the Israeli Jewish population lives in them, these lovely bedroom communities are just tiny little things and only vicious anti-Semitic murderous crazed Palestinians plus Mark Glenn and Michael Collins Piper could ever have an objection to these bedrooms.

4. The Jews who live in the settlements are professionals and it would never occur to any of them ever to do anything to  harm those goddamn Palestinians.

5. Palestinians are hell-bent on violence for no reason whatsoever. They have no grievances at all, therefore the Israelis have built hundreds of check points and the ungrateful Palestinians don’t even have the courtesy to say thank you.

Got all this? Now since he knows his arguments are just Hasbarah, which is the Hebrew word for “Pure, 100 percent unadulterated bullshit”, we now get yet another justification.

“Nor are Jewish settlements the result of Israeli colonial aspirations. Most represent the return of the Jewish people to the cities of their ancestors.”

So if you take land for the hell of it, that’s being colonial. But if people who might have been related to your 2000 years ago lived there then its okay? Of course it is. Even Mark Twain – yes he is basing this part of his argument on Mark Twain too – would agree.

As Twain painstakingly reported, Jews have lived here since time immemorial, and a drive through these territories highlights the Jewish history – cities, tombs and other landmarks – rooted in this land.

Therefore, Jews today can go to Israel and do whatever the hell they want, which is exactly what they do.

“Yet it is not just ancient history that speaks to the great Jewish legacy. The Jewish presence has been a constant right up to modern times. While many bristle at the terms “Judea” and “Samaria,” dismissing them as propaganda invented by extremist “settlers” for political ends, maps, photographs, travel guides and other books have throughout history described these territories by those time-honored names. Even United Nations resolutions – including, notably, the 1947 Partition resolution – used those terms.”

Let’s see, the UN partition resolution uses the names Judea and Samaria, therefore the Jews have a right to Palestine. Of course Judea and Samaria were supposed to be part of the Arab state according to that partition plan,but damn, I’m digressing again. Oh and that Plan was never adopted by the UN Security Council either.

So the logical conclusion that anyone would draw from this is:

Given this history, the rights of the Jewish people in these lands are rich, historic and firmly enshrined. While negotiations about sharing this land may be necessary for the sake of peace, they cannot proceed from a premise that these are “Palestinian lands” or occupied “Palestinian territory.” They are, at most, “disputed territories.”

It is easy to see why so many people hate lawyers.

2. About 380 thousand Jews live on land confiscated from Palestinians. Over 120 Jewish-only settlements have been build on Palestinian land and over 100 other settlements called “outposts” have also been built. No Arab settlements have been built on Jewish land and the Arabs have not confiscated any Jewish land, whatever that is, to build Arab-only settlements. Israel’s population is about 7.5 million. About 5.5 million are Jews.

All of the settlements, all of them, are illegal.

International humanitarian law prohibits [an] occupying power [from transferring] citizens from its own territory to the occupied territory (Fourth Geneva Convention, article 49).

The Palestinians have lost control of 50 per cent of the West Bank land due to the settlements.

Israel has used a complex legal and bureaucratic mechanism to take control of more than fifty percent of the land in the West Bank. This land has been used mainly to establish settlements and create reserves of land for the future expansion of the settlements.

Israel uses the seized lands to benefit the settlements, while prohibiting the Palestinian public from using them in any way. This use is forbidden and illegal in itself.

How lovely. And Raskas feels good about it.

Maybe busing is what they need in the West Bank.

The Israeli administration has applied most aspects of Israeli law to the settlers and the settlements, thus effectively annexing them to the State of Israel…. This annexation has resulted in a regime of legalized separation and discrimination.

Under this regime, Israel has stolen hundreds of thousands of dunams of land from the Palestinians. Israel has used this land to establish dozens of settlements in the West Bank and to populate them with hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens. Israel prohibits the Palestinians as a group from entering and using these lands, and uses the settlements to justify numerous violations of the Palestinians’ human rights, such as the right to housing, to earn a livelihood, and the right to freedom of movement. The drastic change that Israel has made in the map of the West Bank prevents any real possibility for the establishment of an independent, viable Palestinian state as part of the Palestinians’ right to self-determination.

Literally hundreds of Israeli checkpoints have been built throughout the West Bank. These checkpoints cause great harm to the Palestinians making even the simplest of trips an absolute nightmare.

Many checkpoints are manned by heavily-armed Israeli soldiers and sometimes guarded with tanks. Others are made up of gates, which are locked when soldiers are not on duty. In addition there are hundreds of dirt or concrete roadblocks, which prevent the passage of all vehicles – family cars and ambulances alike.

Due in large part to the checkpoints and roadblocks, Palestinian movement is severely restricted. Journeys of short distances can stretch into hours when Palestinians are detained at checkpoints or forced to circumnavigate roadblocks or closed checkpoints.

The Palestinians have not built any checkpoints to stop Jews.

3. We at Mantiq al-Tayr dedicated the following selection to Noam Chomsky, the linguist whose theories on linguistics are filled with mathematical equations and who is an Israeli Lobby Denier.  We love it when language and math come together.

“Useless Eater” Healthcare Reform

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Pakistan’s Asif Zardari faces army rebellion over India detente

Pakistan’s president Asif Zardari is locked in a power struggle with his own army chiefs over his plans to ease tensions with its traditional enemy, India.

By Isambard Wilkinson in Islamabad and Dean Nelson in New Delhi
Published: 4:59PM BST 25 Jun 2009

Mr Zardari is accused of yielding to British and American pressure. Photo: EPA

According to sources close to Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Kiyani, senior officers are alarmed at the president’s plans to divert troops and aircraft defending Pakistan’s border with India and deploy them in a new offensive against Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants.

Their rift emerged after Mr Zadari made a number of speeches earlier this week, in which he said India no longer posed a military threat to Pakistan and that his country’s greatest threat came from Islamic guerrillas in its tribal areas along its frontier with Afghanistan. Such militants have waged a campaign of suicide bombings throughout Pakistan’s major cities and control large swathes of its tribal areas.

His comments raised hopes of a new thaw in the frosty relationship between India and Pakistan, but were questioned by analysts who said it defied the two nation’s experience of three wars. They accused Mr Zardari of yielding to British and American pressure.

Both London and Washington escalated their lobbying of Pakistan to address Indian concerns after the November attack on Mumbai, in which more than 170 people were killed. It was blamed on the Pakistan-based Islamic militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Evidence showing the plot was hatched and launched from Pakistan brought the two countries close to war, and sparked an intense diplomatic campaign to persuade New Delhi and Islamabad to step back from the brink.

According to senior military figures, one Anglo-American gambit to Islamabad was a guarantee that India would not be allowed to attack Pakistan if its forces were redeployed to fight terrorists on its Western border.

Analysts last night said they did not expect President Zardari to win his fight to redeploy the army from the Indian border.

“Mr Zardari’s statements do not mean that Pakistan will withdraw its troops from the border. For this to happen there has to be a reciprocal action by India,” said Dr Hasan-Askari Rizvi, a political and defence analyst. “He meant that although India may represent a long-term threat, the immediate threat is from the Taliban,” he added.

Lieutenant-General Talat Masood, a respected political analyst, said Mr Zardari’s comments were a genuine attempt to shore up civilian-led government in the country by easing tension with India.

“He thinks civilian government will be consolidated if relations with India improve, he thinks it is in Pakistan’s interest and for him the militancy is a greater danger,” he told The Daily Telegraph.

Despite signals that India would welcome talks – possibly between their foreign ministers at a meeting of the G8 group of nations in Trieste, Italy, this weekend – New Delhi believes a willingness to deport terrorist suspects like Lashkar-e-taiba leader Hafiz Saeed would be a more meaningful statement.

Lt-Gen Masood said Pakistan’s military chiefs firmly believed that there must first be progress in finding a solution to their dispute over the Kashmir region before a better relationship could be considered worth having.

Until then, the army chiefs will focus on India’s vast military capability rather than its stated intentions. “Intentions can change, and you can’t rule out the possibility,” he said.

Iranian Turmoil Good Excuse To Act Like Zionist Warmonger

Obama: Iran Violence May Endanger Direct Talks

Dismisses Ahmadinejad Call for Apology

Jason Ditz

Though the situation in Iran has calmed considerably over the past few days, President Barack Obama used today as an opportunity to again lash out at the Iranian government for what he called the “outrageous” violence of the past week.

President Obama has made various non-specific proposals for direct diplomacy between the US and Iran in the past, but now says the chances of that happening have been harmed by the post-election violence and that he is waiting to see how the disputed election in Iran “plays itself out in the days and weeks ahead” before deciding whether or not to follow through on his repeated promises of talks.

The proposals for talks have been stalled by Iran’s election, as the candidates avoided committing to the US proposals for talks. Since then Iran has accused the US of meddling in its post election affairs in funding various dissident groups.

Iranian President Ahmadinejad has demanded an apology from Obama for his post election comments, which Obama today dismissed, saying Ahmadinejad “might want to consider looking at the families of those who’ve been beaten or shot or detained.”

Ominous Signs On The Israeli – Lebanese Border

(Click the Above Image to Enlarge)

From The Jerusalem Post:

In an effort to prevent a flare-up along the northern border, UNIFIL has increased its operations in southern Lebanon and has begun entering villages in search of Hizbullah weapons caches, according to information obtained recently by Israel.

In one recent successful operation in the eastern sector of southern Lebanon, UNIFIL peacekeepers uncovered close to 20 Katyusha rockets that were ready for launch.

UNIFIL operates under Security Council Resolution 1701, passed following the Second Lebanon War in 2006. Operations in villages have been a point of contention between UNIFIL and Israel, which said over the past three years that the peacekeeping force was failing to prevent Hizbullah’s military buildup in southern Lebanon since it refrained from entering villages.

War on Terror is Elite Mind Control

April 21, 2006

By Henry Makow Ph.D.

It is more effective to manage society by mind control than by physical coercion. The events of  9-11 and the “war on terror” mostly are exercises in mass brainwashing.

German psychiatrist Kurt Lewin, who became director of the elite-sponsored Tavistock Institute in 1932, developed the thinking behind 9-11. In the book “Mind Control World Control” (1997) Jim Keith writes:

“Lewin is credited with much of the original Tavistock research into mass brainwashing applying the results of repeated trauma and torture [of individuals] in mind control to society at large.”

“If terror can be induced on a widespread basis into a society, Lewin has stated, then society reverts to a tabula rasa, a blank slate, a situation where control can easily be instituted from an external point.”

“Put another way: By the creation of controlled chaos, the populace can be brought to the point where it willingly submits to greater control. Lewin maintained that society must be driven into a state equivalent to an ‘early childhood situation.’ He termed this societal chaos ‘fluidity.’” (Page 44)

Elite planners designed Sept. 11 for its shock value. In the aftermath, they were able to impose a security crackdown, a costly military build-up and a war in Afghanistan and Iraq on a stunned population.

Keith cites another Tavistock researcher Dr. William Sargent author of “Battle for the Mind: A Physiology of Conversion and Brain-Washing” (1957): “Various types of beliefs can be implanted after brain function has been sufficiently disturbed by …deliberately induced fear, anger or excitement.” (48)

This blueprint was laid out long before Sept. 11, 2001. The official story of that tragedy doesn’t bear scrutiny. There was no wreckage at the Pentagon. All three buildings were demolished by explosives. Our “leaders” are  accomplices to the murder of over 3000 Americans and the destruction of an American icon. The plan is to fold the US into a “world government” controlled by London-based central bankers. Our cultural, economic and political elite is complicit in the ongoing cover up.


FUTURE SHOCK
Most political and cultural events are contrived by the elite for their psychological effect. JFK could have been disposed of in more humane ways. (He had many health problems.) Instead, for its shock value, they shot him down , in Mort Sahls’ words, “like a dog in the street.”

Jim Keith: “The Kennedy assassination was a British Intelligence, i.e. Tavistock hit, and its purpose was to shock the American consciousness into a near-comatose state for reprogramming, the standard Tavistock modus operandi.” (p.143)

The same can be said for the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. It all climaxed with the beatings of demonstrators at the 1968 Chicago Democratic convention. After that, my generation  turned inward as we were programmed to do. “Turn on, Tune in, Drop Out” said CIA funded pied piper Timothy Leary.

["I mean who was I supposed to work for, the KGB?" Leary quipped. (Keith p.99) Leary didn’t realize that there wasn't a big difference.]

Many young people became “dead heads” after Jerry Garcia’s Grateful Dead. Keith writes:

“An FBI internal memo from 1968 mentions the employment of the Grateful Dead as an avenue ‘to channel youth dissent and rebellion into more benign and non-threatening directions.’ [They] performed a vital service in distracting many young persons into drugs and mysticism, rather than politics.” (179)

Keith goes on to document CIA connections to the creation of mind control cults used to create “controlled chaos.” These include the Symbionese Liberation Army, Jim Jones, Charles Manson, Scientology, the Unification Church, Son of Sam and Heaven’s Gate. The John Lennon assassination also ties in. (183)

To bring the picture up to date, add the murder of Princess Diana, Columbine, the blowing of the levees in New Orleans, the burning of Black churches, and the bird flu scare. What we have is an ongoing secret war by the central bankers against society, a drumbeat of  psychological torture designed to keep society off balance or zoned out.
THE BITTER TRUTH

The most significant thing about our life is that we are victims of  elite mind control. We have been trained to be apathetic, trivia-minded and self absorbed. Apart from the political shocks,  we are hardly aware of  the vicious attack on our natural heterosexuality by a psy-op known as ”feminism” masquerading as womens rights.

We get our values, identity, meaning and love from our family roles. Women were brainwashed to abandon the female role and compete for the male role. A woman who dedicated herself to husband, home and children was stigmatized. This is part of the long-term elite program to eliminate the institutions of marriage and family.

According to this web site,  “Tavistock Institute has developed such power in the USA, that no one achieves prominence in any field unless he has been trained in behavioral science at Tavistock, or one of its subsidiaries.” Read how Tavistock directs hundreds of elite think tanks and corporations in the United States. The degree of elite coordination is breath taking.

For example, Century 21 has a new ad where a real estate agent is greeting a middle class Chinese couple arriving to settle in America. The voice-over says something like: “This is the shape of the future. We are agents of change.”

Obviously this ad will not appeal to Americans looking for a realtor. Rather, it conditions them to embrace immigration. Central banker dupes and lackeys have used the term “change agents” to describe themselves for decades.

Mankind is in the grip of a satanic force and is sinking into a coma. Our “leaders” work for an occult cabal of super rich perverts and criminals who secretly plot the end of Western Civilization and world tyranny. They see us as animals to be trained or culled.

The good news is that the animals “owe” them a lot of money for their fiat currency. So if we can tune out their madness, we can relax. The chaos is controlled. Wars are all orchestrated and they love money too much to destroy us, at least not yet.

Keystroke Loggers Installed In New Laptop Computers (disinformation)

MY BAD!!

thanks Jeff.

Keystroke Loggers Installed
In All New Laptops
From Rense.com
6-28-9

This one originated around 2005, and has returned…

screen snap from

http://therearenosunglasses.wordpress.com/2009/06/28/

keystroke-loggers-installed-in-new-laptop-computers/

For more info and images see Snopes’ account HERE

Argentina’s Economic Collapse

A warning for America and every country that participates in American-style “debtocracy”

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The untouchables Part 2

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The untouchable Country

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Palestinian School Kids Learn About the Wall

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Taliban Suicide Bomber Academy Graduation Ceremony

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Taliban Jihad School

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Rs 50m reward on Mehsud’s arrest live or dead announced

Rs 50m reward on Mehsud’s arrest live or dead announced

Announcing rewards running into crores of rupees on the arrests of Baitullah Mehsud and his accomplices live or dead, eleven more most-wanted persons’ ad has been released. The ads published in the newspapers announcing rewards on the arrests of most-wanted persons live or dead included three from South Waziristan, another three from Bajaur, two from Mohmand, two from Darra Adamkhel and one from Kurram Agency. A reward of Rs50 million has been announced for the arrest (dead or alive) of Baitullah Mehsud, according to the ad, while among others Bajaur’s Molvi Faqir’s head money has been fixed at Rs15 million besides the head money of Rs10 million each on the arrests (live or dead) of Abdul Wali of Mohmand Agency, Qari Shakeel of Mohmand Agency, Commander Tariq of darra Adamkhel, Hakimullah Mehsud and Qari Hussain of South Waziristan. Qari Ziaur Rahman of Bajaur, Fazal Saeed Utezai of Kurram Agency, Mufti Ilyas of Darra Adamkhel and Waliur Rahman of Bajaur’s arrests would be rewarded Rs5 million each. The government has released exclusive telephone numbers also for passing on information leading the arrests of most-wanted persons dead or alive.

Kurram clashes leave 33 dead

[SEE: The actual story of Parachinar Pakistan , Parachinar: The Valley of Death]

Kurram clashes leave 33 dead

Sixty five people were also injured in sectarian clashes between warring groups in various parts of Lower Kurram.—AP

Provinces

Kurram jirga again fails to broker peace

PARACHINAR: At least 33 people were killed and 65 others injured in sectarian clashes between warring groups in various parts of the Kurram agency on Friday night and Saturday.

According to sources, fierce clashes shook parts of Lower Kurram and the two groups were consolidating their positions.

The local populace is bitter over the attitude of the administration, accusing it of giving a free hand to troublemakers.

Haji Rauf, a tribal leader in upper Kurram, said the local tribesmen had fought Taliban for more than two years.

‘We have had over 700 young people martyred but have not allowed these militants to secure a toehold in upper Kurram. Now the influx of Taliban from Swat, Dir and other areas is worsening the situation.’

Haji Rauf called upon the government to launch an action similar to the one under way in Malakand. He extended the assurance that local tribesmen would stand ‘shoulder to shoulder with our army and fight alongside our soldiers’.

Paramilitary forces deployed in different areas of the conflict-hit region have so far not acted, a group of affected people complained during conversation with journalists.

The fighting started in the region 12 days ago over a dispute on construction of bunkers in Khar Kali and Balishkhel.

There were unconfirmed reports about infiltration of outsiders from Waziristan and Hangu district, but could not be verified from independent sources. The 12-day long clashes have left about 89 people dead and 175 injured.

Both sides have been accusing each other of seeking assistance from outsiders. Local people said that fresh clashes had erupted in Balishkhel, Khar Kali, Sangina, Mangak, Kochi Parachamkani and Kirman.

Doctors said that out of 20 injured people brought to the agency headquarters hospital on Saturday, four died.

The Kurram agency has seen frequent clashes over the past two years. Residents said that ‘movement of the militants’ in the area had caused sectarian clashes.

The main road from Thall to Parachinar has been closed to traffic for the past five months, causing severe shortages of foodstuff and medicines in Upper Kurram.

Arrested ex-MNA carried Baitullah’s letter

By Rauf Klasra

ISLAMABAD: The case of ‘missing’ former MNA Maulana Shah Abdul Aziz, who was picked up by an intelligence agency after his meeting with Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz as it transpired later, took an alarming new turn with the damning revelation that he may have been carrying a letter of Baitullah Mehsud addressing to a former high profile ISI general, known for his strong pro-Taliban views, it was reliably learnt.

The former MNA belonging to the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) had contested and won the 2002 elections from Karak District after defeating PTI supremo Imran Khan. The alleged secret letter of Baitullah Mehsud recovered from Shah Abdul Aziz was reportedly in the possession of the top khaki spy outfit.

When asked about the contents of the letter, sources within the Interior Ministry said the TTP chief in this letter had expressed his deep gratitude for the justifications, the former general had been offering to the media while defending the Taliban and their philosophy. More importantly, sources said the TTP chief was really happy with the retired general for opposing the military operation against the Taliban.

The sources said the letter was however significant only to the extent that it was allegedly written by Baitullah and the fact that it was being carried by Shah Aziz confirmed the nexus between the two, but it did not in any manner whatsoever suggest any link, direct or indirect, between the retired general and Baitullah Mehsud. Also, it was told that in all probability, the general was not even aware of the existence of such a letter.

A top level source in the Interior Ministry claimed that despite the fact that Shah Aziz was being monitored closely for some time, the secret agency did not have any intention to formally arrest him solely on the basis of his perceived links with the Taliban, fearing his arrest could lead to serious agitation in the ranks of pro-Taliban religious parties both within and outside the parliament. But much to the surprise of these agencies, Shah Aziz was found travelling with Fidaullah, one of the Taliban leaders and considered to be the mastermind of the suicide bombing in Islamabad and other areas in the recent past. His presence in the company of Fidaullah had alarmed the intelligence agency, which decided to take him in for further interrogations.

The sources said even at the point of actual arrest of Shah Abdul Aziz, the agency was still toying with the possibility of letting him go out of sheer political considerations but it all changed when one of the officers searching the vehicle in which Shah Abdul Aziz was travelling with Fidaullah found the letter in Shah Aziz’s briefcase. Shah Abdul Aziz reportedly had been tasked with delivering this letter to the retired general.

The source said the recovery of Baitullah Mehsud’s letter addressing to a top former spymaster had surprised even those who were deputed to investigate the former MNA known for his close links with the Taliban.

The sources said this secret letter had actually confused the intelligence agency officials, as they were wondering how to produce this letter in the court of law to justify the custody of Shah Abdul Aziz, as they believed that it would open a Pandora box and might bring a bad name to the army itself.

The sources said such a decision could seriously jeopardise the state’s case in the court of law. The sources said the intelligence agency had only two charges to frame against Shah Aziz, if it was serious in punishing him for his links with the Taliban and their suicide bombers. The sources said one potential charge that could be brought against him was that he was travelling with a wanted terrorist, Fidaullah. The second charge could be that he was carrying a secret letter written by the top terrorist of the country. But, the sources said, the intelligence agency had decided not to produce this letter in any court of law for the image of the institution.

Sources close to the intelligence agency said that though the detainee admitted that the letter was written by Baitullah to the retired general, they were trying to get to the bottom of the matter. They said the letter can be fake or sent with ulterior motives. They said the agency officials are also trying to verify the statement of the detainee about the letter.

This correspondent could not contact the retired general despite efforts. However, the generalís close circle suspected a plot to fix up the general. They believed that such efforts were made in the past but remained futile.

Separately, after remaining quiet for over a month since Shah Abdul Aziz was picked up by the top secret agency, a writ petition was filed in the Islamabad High Court by his brother, seeking his release.

Mehboob Elahi, the brother of Shah Abdul Aziz, confirmed in his petition that his brother was arrested when he was with Fidaullah, a young man from NWFP. The Islamabad SSP in his press conference had claimed on June 1 that Fidaullah was involved in a number of terrorist activities. But Mehboob Elahi in his petition alleged that his brother was kept in illegal confinement in the Aabpara police station along with Fidaullah as both were arrested together. He said his brother was innocent and police did not register an FIR against those who he believed had kidnapped his brother. He rejects all kinds of charges against his brother.

This correspondent contacted ISPR DG General Athar Abbas and sought his comment on the report that Shah Abdul Aziz was arrested by a secret agency and that he was carrying the letter by Baitullah Mehsud, his reply was crisp and short as he said: “I have no information on this subject”.

16 killed as militants’ hideouts pounded in SWA

Sunday, June 28, 2009

By Mushtaq Yusufzai & Irfan Burki

PESHAWAR/WANA: Sixteen more militants affiliated with Baitullah Mehsud were killed and six others sustained injuries in heavy bombing by warplanes and gunship helicopters on Taliban hideouts in parts of South Waziristan Agency on Saturday.

Also, the government took a serious note of Fridayís attack on the military convoy in Miramshah, North Waziristan, and warned the tribesmen in Miramshah to hand over the culprits within three days or face the consequences under territorial responsibility section of the laws of the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR).

The government continued the military operation against Baitullah Mehsud-led insurgents and sent fighter planes and gunship helicopters to pound their hideouts.

According to sources, three fighter planes and gunship helicopters blitzed militants’ positions in their strongholds of Ladha and Makeen and other villages, including Dwatoi, Kacha Langarkhel, Kotkai and Spinkai Raghzai.

The militants reportedly suffered losses when warplanes targeted their positions in Ladha and Makeen. Officials said 16 militants were killed and six others injured in the daylong air strikes on the Taliban positions. They said the injured militants were taken to private health centres in Makeen and Ladha, as the government has already withdrawn its machinery from most parts of South Waziristan inhabited by the Mehsud tribesmen.

Besides other government buildings, the government has also vacated most of the schools and roadside posts of the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC), which are now occupied by the militants.

In August last year, the government vacated the British-era Ladha Fort, which was built in 1932 and housed hundreds of soldiers.

The FC authorities on that occasion said they had vacated the fort to convert its building into a hospital. However, no hospital was set up there and later the spacious building was occupied by the militants. Portions of the historic building were dismantled and strong iron bars and other building material were sold at throwaway prices. Presently, there are no security personnel in the entire Mehsud territory.

The only option with the government to target Baitullah Mehsudís positions is bombing by fighter planes and gunship helicopters and using long-range artillery guns from the distant FC camps in Manzai, Jandola and Serwakai areas.

Keeping in view the tough resistance offered by the militants, the government will require sufficient time to send ground forces to the Mehsud region. The troops after days of battle secured the Wana-Jandola Road up to Serwakai while the Taliban militants are still in control of Wana-Jandola Road between Serwakai and Jandola.

Like the adjoining North Waziristan, where Utmanzai Wazir Taliban led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur developed differences with the government and attacks on security forces started in their territory, situation started deteriorating in the Ahmadzai Wazir parts of South Waziristan where pro-government militant commander Mulla Nazeer had signed a peace accord with the government.

Both Hafiz Gul Bahadur and Mulla Nazeer were considered pro-government and anti-Baitullah earlier when the government launched a military operation against the banned TTP chief in South Waziristan on January 13, 2008. However, this time the attitude of both the pro-government militant commanders seems different. [Maybe it was all the drone attacks upon him, or perhaps it was because the Army revealed its own hand by placing tracking devices [SIMS] in Taliban cars and homes?  SEE: Who Controls the Predators?]
Hafiz Gul Bahadurís ties with the government have soured and he has threatened to scrap his peace accord with the government if the military operation in Janikhel and Bakakhel in FR Bannu was not stopped.

After North Waziristan, suspected militants have now started attacks on military installations in Wana, South Waziristan, where the Ahmadzai Wazirs are based.

On ground, Mulla Nazeer has nothing concrete to motivate his militants for fighting against the government. His lone and longstanding demand from the government was an end to the drone attacks in his region.  [My own position remains unchanged on this facet of the dilemma, Nazir is "turning against the government" out of self-defense, a matter of survival.  The Predator attacks against him drove him into an alliance with Mehsud.  The Army writing him off is a mistake, as was "pimping" Qari Zainuddin before the press instead of covertly solidifying his forces with Nazir's and Bahadur's.  More mistakes such as these and Pakistan will be reunited with India, under total American domination.]

Sources in Wana said suspected militants attacked the military camp with rockets on Friday night. Later, the troops returned their attack with mortar and artillery shelling.

Tribesmen in Wana and nearby Azam Warsak village said they could not sleep due to the heavy firing in the area throughout the night.

A tribesman, Anwar Ashrafkhel, was killed and some villagers sustained injuries when mortar shells hit their mud houses in Azam Warsak village, seven kilometres west of Wana.   Sources close to Mulla Nazeer said that he had gone underground after series of drone attacks in the region.

Gul Bahadur and Mulla Nazeer entered into an alliance with Baitullah when they formed ìShura Ittehad-ul-Mujahideenî or the council of holy warriors, promising to help each other in case anyone of them was in trouble.

Meanwhile, the political administration in North Waziristan on Saturday convened a Jirga of eight tribal elders and asked them to hand over the culprits involved in attack on the military convoy or face punitive action under the FCR.

Assistant Political Agent (APA) of Miramshah sub-division Asghar Khan called a meeting of tribal elders of Miramshah village and gave them a three-day deadline to hand over the culprits or face punishment.

The APA said security forces had decided to launch a strict military offensive in the area after their convoy was attacked. But, he said, they did not take action because of a nearby school as many children might have died had gunship helicopters pounded the militants’ positions.

Quoting senior military officials, APA Asghar Khan said the military in future would target the area where they were attacked.

In favour of Drone attacks

Umar Khalid Dar

The phrase the enemy’s enemy is your friend is so true in today’s world and every nation is making alliances based on this theory. China and Russia are potential enemies but they have a common enemy i.e. America and hence creation of a bloc Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Similarly Pakistan shall also take advantage if any other country is against our enemy and wants to eliminate it; if in American imposed “war on terror” Pakistan and America have encountered a common enemy then why should we object the use of American drones against our enemy and demand that our own Armed forces shall take action against them. As far as my knowledge goes, I think that major chunk of arms and ammunition being used by our armed forces is supplied by Americans; so what difference does it make who is the man behind the gun till the time the targets are mutual. Therefore, I see no logic or forceful argument from those segments of the society who are in favour of taking on Taliban but are against the use of drones for achieving the task. I am referring to latest use of drones by America on the stronghold of most wanted fugitive of Pakistan, Baitullah Meshud and his gang of terrorists. For me it is just rhetoric from the analysts who object to use of the drones on the plea that such targeted killing shall be carried out by Pakistan Armed forces, with American supplied weapons, and not by Americans by their drones. To me it is immaterial who carries out the elimination of Pakistan’s staunch enemy; Pakistan Army Artillery gun or American Army Drone till the time the action is done with minimum loss of innocent lives. I am no military expert but I know the fact that Artillery guns are much more inaccurate as compared to guided missiles used by American drones; therefore, an Artillery gun will take a lot of time and a lot of innocents’ lives before hitting the target. So if we as a nation are convinced (though I am not) that this war on terror is our’s war and not American war then we shall not object on the means of achieving the goal. One should criticise the drones attack if they are used for targeting innocent human being but if the same potent weapon is used for targeting the known criminals or their accomplices then I do not see any wrong in it. During Swat operation; when Mr Fazlullah started feeling the heat of the Pakistan Army brute force; he sent frenzied calls to Baitullah Mehsud to start sending suicide bombers to Pakistan main cities in order to divert the Army’s focus away from Swat and force the federal government to come on terms with him; similar tactics was used by the miscreants very successfully during previous operations. Baitullah Mehsud; who is thought to be an American pawn as he was never targeted by Americans when Pakistan provided his whereabouts, obliged and we saw a tremendous increase in the suicide attacks in Pakistan. This makes Baitullah Mehsud Pakistan’s enemy and a terrorist who is killing innocent human beings and is thus wanted “dead or alive” by our security forces. It is pertinent to mention that Baitullah Mehsud has always shown his unwillingness to attack “infidel” forces in Afghanistan, rather he has focused his attention in killing innocent Pakistanis and targeting its security forces. If, for some unknown reasons, he has outlived his utility for the Americans and they also want him out of scene and it also serve our purpose then as a nation we shall not object the use of drones on him. The safest and surest way of getting rid of Baitullah Mehsud is through intelligence network; either ground intelligence or electronic intelligence. Ground intelligence in native or stronghold of Baitullah Mehud is almost negligible; see the fate of Qari Zainuddin, so the only way to get him is to either send ground forces into his stronghold or to hit him from distance based on electronic intelligence through either air force, artillery or drone. The history of Mehsud people as was observed by Lord Minto’s wife that is “they fight for the love of fighting” tilts the balance in favour of use of the latter means. One must understand that there is lot of difference between the terrain and people of Swat and Waziristan. Ground forces were successful in Swat because the general public was less sympathetic towards the ‘Taliban’ and that’s why they left their homes when they heard about Army operation, leaving the ‘Taliban’ and Army to engage without the fear of collateral damage. Whereas, no such movement of public have been observed from Waziristan which makes ground forces action much more difficult and prone to a lot of collateral damage. This delicate situation asks for more imaginative policy to handle; the use of brute force as in Swat might not be a good option. Collateral damage will be there whether we go for ground forces or drones attack, only the scale will be different. In case of ground force being used a lot of our brave soldiers will embrace ‘shahadat’ at the hands of miscreants whereas this loss can be minimized if drones are used. Therefore, in my opinion, use of drone on confirmed hideouts of miscreants is not a bad option and shall be accepted by our public. umardar27@hotmail.com

The al-Qaeda demon

Ghulam Asghar Khan

Al-Qaeda, which in Arabic means the Base, was originally the name given by the CIA operatives in Saudi Arabia to the database that they shaped to keep track of the individuals and groups to which the US administration was providing funds for the Afghan Mujahideen against the Russian occupation of Afghanistan. The CIA also provided military training and logistic support to the Mujahideen. US arms dealers, CIA agents and the covert US military ‘Special Operation Troops’ were deeply involved in assisting the Afghan resistance to the Russian occupation. Part of the hardware provided were shoulder-launched anti-aircraft stringer missiles that enabled the Mujahideen to turn the tide of the battle that eventually defeated and expelled the Russian army from Afghanistan. All the war material from Washington for the Afghan Mujahideen was channelled through Pakistan with the tacit consent of the then military dictator Zia ul Haq. The arms training and the logistical support to the Mujahideen couldn’t have been possible without the active support of the ferocious tribesmen on the Pakistani side of the Durand Line. During the Russian occupation of Afghanistan, Osama bin-Laden was the Major Domo, who helped to funnel US arms and supplies to the Mujahideen force that had become an amalgamation of many foreign fighters from Saudi Arabia to Chechnya to push the Russian bear out of Afghanistan. In this pivotal role, bin-Laden was constantly in close contact with the CIA and was supposedly America’s only bet to defeat Russia on the Afghan front. He accomplished the mission of dissipating the USSR in a big way that Washington couldn’t have done in hundred years of its lingering “Cold War.” Al-Qaeda was nothing more than a bogey man, an invented invisible and non-existent phantom to frighten children and the ignorant populace and to provide an excuse for its unending war on terror. It is part of the US global policy to commit ‘false flag’ attacks like the 9/11, the Bali, Madrid, London and more recently the Mumbai carnage, providing Washington an excuse to step in to “rescue and protect” global community from the rampant terrorism that was actually perpetrated by the US itself. The Taliban did not grow out of the dark overnight; it in fact was a corollary to the US proxy war against the Soviets in Afghanistan. It is the largest ethnic Pakhtun group that occupies a great swath of land and forms 80% of the total population of Afghanistan. Fiercely independent, the Pakhtuns have always defended their homeland from the foreign interlopers since 326 B.C. The region has a long history of invaders, who failed to overpower them. Among them were the Persians, Scythians (present day Ukraine), Kushans, Sakas, Huns, Arabs, Turks, Mongols, British, Russians, and most recently, Americans and their NATO allies. No alien power has ever been able to tame them in toto. They routed most of their invaders completely, or absorbed them into their tribes in such a way that they lost much of their identity with the passage of time. The adaptability of the Pakhtuns to the military strategies of their invaders had been par-excellent, which they used to fight among themselves until they confronted another alien threat to their sovereignty. It is this martial reorientation that has shaped the Pakhtun and Taliban outlook. The Afghans had their first encounters with a modern military power during the three Anglo-Afghan wars of 1839, 1878 and 1919. After failing to make any headway inside Afghanistan, the British Indian government established a porous boundary between Afghanistan and British India, the Durand Line that did not affect Afghans with strong ethnic and cultural bonds with the Pakhtuns living across the border. The British gave semi-autonomous status to the tribes on the eastern side of Durand Line by creating “tribal agencies” that morphed into FATA after independence in 1947. The FATA area generally remained calm until the last quarter of the 20th century. The Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in 1979 brought an end to this lull, when Afghanistan’s conservative religious majority rebelled against the occupation and a powerful group of Mujahideen emerged to lead the insurgency against the Soviets. In response, the Soviet army waged a brutal counterinsurgency crackdown that prompted the Mujahideen to call for jihad. During 10 years of occupation, Russian forces and their Afghan leftist allies reportedly killed 1.3 million Afghans, destroyed the infrastructure in the urban and rural areas and caused 5.5 million Afghans to flee to refugee camps in Iran and Pakistan where most of them found their way to the FATA. After a humiliating defeat and heavy loss of men and material, the Russians were forced to withdraw from Afghanistan in February 1989. Soviets left huge caches of arms and ammunition for their leftist allies in Kabul and sustained their material support for two years after the humiliating withdrawal. The leftist government the Russians left behind could not hold the fort against the might of the Mujahideen and fell in April 1992. The disorganised Mujahideen groups could not stick together and fell out. Each faction had a leader, or warlord with aspirations for power. Strife between the warlords and a war-wearing population led to an environment that allowed the Taliban’s radical ideas to have the sway. There is a quote that a Pakhtun is never at peace except when he is on war. The core of the Taliban grew from the Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan and presented themselves as the righteous religious students in the march for peace. Their popularity rapidly spread in the Pakhtun populace and became their de facto leaders under the command of Mullah Omar, who claimed the right to lead not just all Afghans, but all Muslims. In November 1994, Taliban seized control of the southern province of Kandhar under Mullah Omar’s command and claimed to be the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan. They made lightning progress and by 1997 they established their hold over 95% of the country. Mullah Omar had a close liaison with bin-Laden, and the Taliban also hosted al-Qaeda training camps and leaders in areas under their control. At this time, they allegedly supported the militant fundamentalist sectarian groups in Pakistan. Amidst a myriad of transcontinental terrorists al-Qaeda predominantly gives the Taliban a religious cause and some legitimacy. It lends a helping hand to the Taliban information and warfare efforts and might as well provide money, personnel, advanced technology and tactical training. Also supporting or at least coordinating with the Taliban, are some Central Asian Islamist movements and other smaller militant groups. As an accident of history, the leadership of this movement has fallen to the Taliban as they had effectively dissipated the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Since the religious seminaries had played a predominant role in the anti-Soviet jihad, they acquired repute both as centres of learning as well as Mujahideen recruitment hubs. This aspect is crucial to the success or failure of Taliban insurgency. An uprising cannot maintain itself without the support of the people. The Pakhtun majority, rendered vulnerable by what they perceive to be a lack of influence in Kabul. Their suspicions and mistrust of the government were further heightened by the inability Afghan Transitional Authority (ATA) from the hostile Northern Warlords, the genocide and the persistent Human Rights violations by the US-led forces in Afghanistan and the Pakistani tribal belt. The contiguity of the Pakhtun tribes on both sides of the Durand Line, approximately 28 million Pakhtuns contribute recruits, support personnel, money, weapons and up-to-date intelligence to the Taliban insurgents. With more than two generations of war-hardened inhabitants, it is easy for the Taliban to recruit experienced fighters, who know the terrain and can survive in the harsh environment. An added bonus is the weaponry that fell to the Mujahideen during the war with Soviets in 1980s. And same tactics are in vogue in their war against US-led occupation since after 9/11. The Taliban strategy is one of patience, while the US-led coalition is in a hurry to wipe them out. And as a consequence to this hurried-approach, they have killed hundreds of thousands civilian on both the sides of Durand Line. History proves that such porous defences like the Maginot and Siegfried Lines, and even Roman Emperor Hadrian’s Wall failed against the hard-core determined freedom fighters. The Taliban strategy is one of patience. They are conducting a classic ‘war of the flea’ aimed at causing their enemy to suffer the ‘dog’s disadvantages; too much to defend against too small ubiquitous and agile enemy. If, the war continues long enough, the dog would certainly succumb to exhaustion. The oft quoted Taliban axiom is; “The Americans may have the watches, but we have the time.” gasghar20@gmail.com

IDPs Funds being misappropriated

Updated at: 2201 PST,  Saturday, June 27, 2009 PESHAWAR: President PML-Q NWFP Chapter Amir Muqam Saturday accused that the funds for the affected people of Swat and Malakand Operation are being largely manipulated by Baitul Maal. He was giving away the relief checque to fund established for the lawyers of Malakand here. Talking to Geo News, he said the Malakand affectees are not being fully helped, adding stopping the registration of affectees is quite regrettable. Amir Muqam demanded that all the relief funds should be all spent on the affectees. He said that Baitul Mall are embezzling the Rs5000 checques on a large scale, which is extremely condemnable.

US interference spawning terrorism in region

Updated at: 2050 PST,  Saturday, June 27, 2009 LAHORE: Jamaat Islami (JI) Secretary General Liaquat Baloch Saturday said the US interference and its armed action is causing the whole region to be inflicted with terrorism. Talking to various delegations at Mansoorah, he said after Pakistan and Afghanistan, the conditions are worsening in Iran. Liaquat said the Asian countries will keep on suffering from lawlessness, until US is staying in Afghanistan, adding it is imperative for the global peace that US withdraws its troops from Afghanistan. ‘Engineered extremism was caused by drone attacks and bombardment at Lal Masjid, Jamia Hafsa and Darul Hifz in Bajaur,’ JI leader said warning that Pakistan will not be allowed to turn into a secular country.