In Russia, foreboding about America’s war in Afghanistan

By Tom Lasseter | McClatchy Newspapers

MOSCOW — Thirty years ago this week, the Red Army began its invasion of Afghanistan, a move that sank the Soviet Union in a decade of guerrilla war and hastened the collapse of the Cold War empire.

Today, as former Soviet soldiers watch American troops trying to pacify the same stretches of Afghan land they once fought for, aging Soviet generals and grunts alike are reminded of a war they’d rather forget.

While Russians are willing, and often eager, to predict utter defeat for U.S. efforts based on their own failure in Afghanistan, they’re much less comfortable talking about the pain of reportedly having lost more than 14,000 lives in a war that ended in retreat.

Comparing wars is a process riddled with inconsistency — the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan was far different from the American presence today — but on the eve of the anniversary of the Soviet war, the somber and at times anguished way that veterans in Russia spoke of their time in Afghanistan was a disturbing reminder of the hurdles that American forces now face.

The retired soldiers talk about Afghanistan in terms that echo the American experience in Vietnam: of winning battles but losing the campaign, watching the local population throw its support behind an insurgency and, finally, coming home to a country that no longer understood or supported their war.

As the Obama administration sends in 30,000 to 35,000 more troops by next summer — raising the total of U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan to at least 140,000 — men such as Alexander Tsalko say they can’t fathom why anyone would want to fight in that land of sharp mountain ridges and hot desert sands.

“Nothing was achieved while I was there. … There wasn’t anything good there; they fired at us, we fired at them,” said Tsalko, who commanded a helicopter unit in Kandahar from 1982 to 1983.

Tsalko was later the deputy head of a Soviet state defense committee and then a member of a Russian government commission for veterans affairs. He’s spent the last several years working for an organization that helps disabled veterans.

What are his thoughts in late December, the period when the Soviets thrust into Afghanistan with a troop buildup on Dec. 24 and Dec. 25 and then the overthrow of the government on Dec. 27?

“Bitterness and regret that we were drawn into this war,” Tsalko replied.

In short, he said, “those who fought there do not want to talk about it when they’re not drunk.”

Unlike Russia’s springtime celebration of its World War II victory over Nazi Germany, a national holiday that includes a triumphant, sparkling military parade in Red Square, the anniversary of the Soviet war in Afghanistan is hardly mentioned in the cold, dark days of December.

“It’s especially difficult to remember those episodes that so many would like to leave behind,” said Vladimir Kostyuchenko, a helicopter pilot for three tours in Afghanistan who’s now active with an Afghan veterans group in Russia. “These generals at the top, they had no sense of reality. They gave us murderous orders. I still bear a cross because I fulfilled those orders.”

Kostyuchenko, a slightly pudgy man with a friendly face whose helicopter was shot down in 1988, continued the thought: “Later we saw the results, and they were terrible.”

Igor Rodionov, who from 1985 to 1986 commanded the Soviet 40th Army, its main military force, said it wasn’t just the troops who were conflicted.

“On one hand, I was indignant when I understood what this decision to invade Afghanistan would result in. I could say that to my friends, but I could not say it out loud because I was a general,” said Rodionov, who retired as a four-star general and later was a Russian defense minister and then a parliament deputy. “Our sacrifices were not needed.”

Rodionov, who’s now 73, looked down at a table in front of him and arranged a pen, plate of crackers and a napkin to demonstrate the flanks of a troop position. He gazed at them for a moment with a bemused expression, as if to recognize the absurdity of talking about the violence of war while pointing at a napkin.

Pushing the items forward, Rodionov said that commanders often sent their men to hunt for the enemy in villages on either side of mountain gorges near vital transport routes.

“We could fight for two weeks in this gorge, killing the Afghans,” he said in a gravelly voice. “In return they kill our guys. We have used all our water, ammunition and food, and then we must go back to our rear position.”

Rodionov pulled the pen, crackers and napkin back to their starting places: “Then the mujahedeen” — meaning holy warriors, the term used by Afghan fighters — “would return to the gorge, and the whole thing continues.”

The Soviet experience, of course, isn’t proof that the same fate will befall the United States, which is now more than eight years into its Afghan war.

While the Soviet invasion in 1979 was widely seen across the world as an act of wanton aggression, a broad coalition of countries supported the U.S. decision in the aftermath of 9/11 to topple the Taliban government in Kabul and hunt down al Qaida.

The Soviets were badly hobbled by Western and Arab financial and arms support for the Afghan fighters, especially U.S. Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, which American pilots haven’t had to face.

The current collection of insurgents and terrorists — though they include some of the same men the U.S. backed against the Soviets — aren’t thought to receive anywhere close to that level of foreign help.

Still, the men who took part in the Soviet fight for Afghanistan say that no matter how smart the Obama administration’s plans are for turning the tide, they stand little chance in a country that’s known as the graveyard of empires.

“Afghans will fight foreign troops as long as foreign troops are there,” said Lev Serebrov, whose time there was bookended by the Soviet invasion and retreat. He arrived in 1979 and stayed through 1981 as a lieutenant colonel and deputy division commander, and returned from 1987 to 1989 as a major general and deputy to the Soviet operations commander for the Afghan war.

“No one should go there armed,” said Serebrov, who’s now a deputy in Russia’s lower house of parliament.

Kostyuchenko, the helicopter pilot, hosts a neighborhood remembrance of the war on Dec. 27, the date that Soviet forces murdered Afghan President Hafizullah Amin in order to replace him with a more loyal pawn. Killing Amin was the point of no turning back, Kostyuchenko explained.

On Sunday night, a group of old women, some of them wearing black scarves, will shuffle into a drab apartment on Mikhailov Street and light candles for their dead sons. The candles, from a nearby church, are thin so that they’ll fit into the spent bullet cartridges that Kostyuchenko lines up in a row at a small exhibit about the war that he tends.

Tsalko, the veterans’ issues advocate, didn’t say whether he’d be attending any memorial services.

After speaking of the bad dreams and drinking that come after a war ends, Tsalko thanked a reporter for his time and headed toward the door. Putting on his scarf, long winter coat and thick brown fur hat, he had one last thought: “It’s very hard to fight in Afghanistan. Your leadership will have to find a way out.”

MORE FROM MCCLATCHY

Russian advice: More troops won’t help in Afghanistan

Letter from Moscow: Russia torn between past and future

Biden had it right: Rural Russia is dying of poverty, neglect

Another Typical Day In America’s Iraq

26 killed in staggered blasts across Iraq

Mourners carry the coffins of Nasser Ali, 22, right, and Ahmed Qais, 14, during a funeral procession in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Dec, 24, 2009. The men were killed Wednesday by a blast which struck a group of Shiite pilgrims preparing for Ashoura. Bombs targeted Iraqi Christians and Shiite Muslims Wednesday, killing at least eight people and wounding four dozen. The violence continued Thursday.

(AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

By SINAN SALAHEDDIN, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 36 mins ago

BAGHDAD – Explosions killed at least 26 people across Iraq on Thursday, most of them Shiite pilgrims taking part in a holy mourning ceremony, authorities said, raising fears of further sectarian attacks at the approach of Shiite Islam’s most solemn occasion.

The deaths came three days before the climax of Ashoura, when hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims converge on the central city of Karbala to mourn the killing of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Hussein, in a 680 A.D. battle that sealed the split betweenShiites and Sunnis.

While Thursday’s attacks were smaller than similar bombings in previous years, they demonstrate that insurgents continue to incite sectarian tensions.

First came news of twin explosions targeting Shiite Muslim pilgrims in a central Iraqi town. The bombs killed at least 13 people and injured 74 others, authorities said.

Police Maj. Muthana Khalid said the first bomb exploded around 2 p.m. Thursday in Hillah, the capital of Babil province, about 60 miles (95 kilometers) south of Baghdad. He said the second explosion there came as police rushed to the scene 15 minutes later, a common tactic used by insurgents to maximize casualties.

“As people gathered here a powerful blast took place. A bomb exploded there and a car bomb exploded here,” said eyewitness Ali Hussein.

The bombs targeted Shiite pilgrims who had gathered near a bus station in downtown Hillah, which is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of Karbala. People from around southern Iraq, which is overwhelmingly Shiite, make up the bulk of pilgrims traveling to Karbala.

A wrecked car lay at the attack site, and a pair of blood-covered slippers could be seen near damaged storefronts.

Among the dead was provincial councilman Nima Jassim al-Bakri, who was also a doctor, several authorities and a colleague said.

Khalid, the police spokesman, and Hillah councilman Iskandar Witwit said al-Bakri was driving to the attack site but was shot by a guard after he failed to stop at a checkpoint and the guard thought he was an attacker, Khalid and Witwit said.

At the second incident, in Baghdad, a bomb targeting a funeral killed nine and wounded 33 in Sadr City, a predominantly Shiite neighborhood, police and hospital officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media.

The attack on the funeral procession raised questions about whether whoever planted the bomb thought they were targeting an Ashoura procession.

Then in a southern Baghdad neighborhood, a bomb killed four Shiite pilgrims and wounded 10 others on their way to Karbala, police and hospital officials said.

The 10-day period leading up to Ashoura is marked by processions through streets and Shiite neighborhoods across Iraq in which devout Shiites beat themselves with swords and other instruments as a way to show their devotion and mourning for Imam Hussein.

The mourning period usually takes place under heavy security, and this year was no different. The Iraqi government assigned more than 25,000 police and soldiers to protect pilgrims during the celebrations.

“The government is very aware of the threats to Christians and the Muslims” observing Ashoura, said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. John Johnson, a deputy commander in Iraq.

Violence in Iraq has dramatically declined since the insurgency pushed the country to the brink of civil war two years ago, but insurgents still regularly target security forces and civilians.

The Shiite event was banned under former dictator Saddam Hussein and his minority Sunni government. But the majority of Iraq’s roughly 29 million people are Shiites, and the mourning period gained renewed prominence after Saddam’s ouster and a Shiite-led government came to power.

But the potent symbol of religious grief has made a powerful target for Sunni insurgents intent on ripping the country apart. In 2008, a suicide bomber blew himself up among Shiite pilgrims in Iskandariyah, killing at least 40 people.

As authorities have fortified the area in and around Karbala, extremists have moved their efforts to pilgrims traveling relatively unprotected from outside Karbala.

“There is an investigation under way with those careless security men who did not perform well in search and checking,” Hillah police chief Maj. Gen. Fadhil Radad told Iraq’s state-run TV station.

Although Ashoura is essentially a mournful occasion, Iraq’s majority Shiites have also used it to showcase their dominance after decades of oppression under Saddam, turning out in large numbers to mark the occasion despite the threat of insurgent attacks.

Need To Focus More on Rana

By B. Raman

David Coleman Headley originally known as Daood Gilani and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, members of the Chicago cell of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LET), operated in concert from Chicago. They were in personal, telephonic and E-mail contact with each other. They even took a drive in a car together on September 7, 2009, when they discussed their future operational plans in India and Denmark at the instance of the LET and the 313 Brigade headed by Ilyas Kashmiri .The LET had four future targets in India—-the Somnath temple, the National Defence College in New Delhi, and the film world and the Shiv Sena office in Mumbai. The 313 Brigade’s target was the Copenhagen office of the Danish newspaper, which published some cartoons of Prophet Mohammad in 2005.

2. Headley undertook his two visits to Denmark and five pre-26/11 visits to India posing as a representative of an immigration consultancy service, which Rana ran from Chicago. He had kept Rana informed of his posing as the representative of the consultancy service and asked him, after a visit to Denmark, to corroborate the statements made by him to his interlocutors in Denmark regarding his links with Rana’s service. The fact that Rana agrred to this shows his concurrence to Headley using the cover of being a representative of his service for his operational visits to Denmark and India to collect pre-attack information. Rana booked the air tickets for Headley for his two visits to Denmark.

3. There is so far no information or evidence to indicate that Headley and Rana travelled to India together or were in India at the same time and were in touch with each other during their stay in India. According to Indian media reports, during a visit to Kerala, Rana had published an advertisement in a local newspaper offering the services of his company for intending Indian applicants for a US visa. Neither Headley nor Rana would seem to have indicated in any way that the immigration consultancy service in Chicago for which they claimed to be working was one and the same.

4.  According to the FBI’s first affidavit against Rana, on or about September 25, 2009, Rana spoke by telephone with the Consul General at the Pakistani Consulate-General in Chicago in an effort to obtain a 5-year visa for Headley to travel to Pakistan. It was clear from email traffic unrelated to terrorist plotting that the Consul- General knew Rana and Headley personally as all three attended the same high school. However, the Consul General knew Headley as Gilani. He was not aware that Gilani, his old schoolmate, had become Headley since February, 2006.  In seeking a visa for Headley, Rana stated that he wished to obtain the visa for a white American named Headley who did not have any Pakistani background at all. When the Consul-General suggested that Rana send this white American  to the consulate, Rana explained that he had sent his friend elsewhere to take care of some unspecified business so that someone else would visit the consulate. The FBI told the court in the affidavit that “It is clear from the foregoing conversation that Rana was attempting to deceive the Consul- General into granting a visa for Headley without the Consul- General knowing for whom the visa would be issued.”

5. One does not know whether the Consul-General agreed to this intriguing request of Rana. Even if he had done so, he would have noticed from the photograph in the passport of Headley that he was the same as Gilani—–unless Headley had changed his physical appearance when he took the new passport. Did Headley look different from Gilani?

6.  The sister of Rahul Bhatt, the film actor, whom Headley had befriended in Mumbai, had said in an interview that the Headley whom he knew was different from the Headley whose picture was being shown on the TV. Rahul had been quoted as saying that the Headley whom he knew sported a pigtail.

7.  According to the second report against Rana filed by the FBI in the court, he was in India in the third week of November, 2008.  He flew from Mumbai to Dubai on a flight of the Emirates Airlines on November 21, 2008. He flew from Dubai to China by the same Airlines on November, 24, 2008, and from there returned to Chicago via Seoul on November 26, 2008, by the Asiana Airlines.

8. There is no reason to believe that Headley was in India during this period. The last of his five pre-26/11 visits to India was in July, 2008. It is not clear when did Rana arrive in India in November, 2008, which places he visited and whom he met.  It is also not clear which city he visited in China, what was the purpose of his visit to China and why his visit to China was so short.

9.  Rana had admitted to the FBI that during his vist to Dubai from November 21 to 24, 2008, he met Maj. (retd) Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed alias Pasha who was in touch with Ilyas Kashmiri on behalf of Headley and that he came to know from Pasha about the impending terrorist attacks by the LET in Mumbai. Rana has sought to convey an impression that his visit (or visits?) to India had nothing to do with the 26/11 attacks and that he came to know of the planned attacks only from Pasha in Dubai a few days before the attacks.

10.  At the same time, it is clear from the papers filed by the FBI in the court that Rana personally knew both the handling officers of Headley in Pakistan—- Maj (retd) Abdur Rehman of the 313 Brigade and an unidentified office-bearer of the LET. It is also clear that Rana was fully aware at least on September 7, 2009, if not earlier, of the LET’s plans for future attacks on four targets in India.

12. Both Headley and Rana are equally important for the Indian and US investigators to reconstruct the 26/11 terrorist strikes in Mumbai, to identify the entire network set up by them in India and the US and neutralise the members of the network  still remaining undetected and to unearth the future plans of the LET and the 313 Brigade. The National Investigation Agency of India and the FBI should set up a joint team of senior officers to monitor the investigation being made in the two countries and get a complete picture of the conspiracy.

13. While one can understand the reluctance of the FBI to give access to Indian investigators to Headley, who is an American national and an informant of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), they should have no such hesitation in the case of Rana, who is a Canadian national and against whom there is no suspicion of his working for any US agency. We should, therefore, press our request for access to Rana.

14. The official and media focus in India and the US has been mostly on Headley.  The required attention is not being given to investigating the role of Rana.  The NIA should get from the FBI authentic pictures of Headley as Headley and as Gilani and of Rana, disseminate them widely through the print and electronic media and request those who had met and interacted with them under whatever name to contact the NIA.

(The writer is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai. E-mail: seventyone2@gmail.com)

Fighting for the Family of Man

By:  Peter Chamberlin

The American people are slowly waking-up to what we are.  We are a Nation that has surrendered our right to determine our own destiny for the promise of a job, a nice home, or healthcare that we can afford.  We think that we are still the same people who volunteered to fight a war against an obvious evil because it was the right thing to do, but that is no longer who we are.

The long series of wars that we have made possible, because we continued to think that it was right, have changed us.  Our support for endless war has opened the door for a few individuals to reap astronomical profits from our Army’s actions.   Our government is the hands of men who profit enormously by manufacturing and exporting war, not the tools of war, but actual war itself.  Serving a government that creates wars, then uses our children for cannon fodder in them is a travesty beyond measure.

Patriotism and dedicated service to a mission to start wars all over the world does no service to the Nation; it undermines the American homeland.  Bravery and heroism in service to a cause, whose ultimate objective is the destruction of the American Republic, is more than foolishness, it is dishonor to those who have served in the past and a dark stain on the ideals they fought for.

The men who pull the strings and make the life and death decisions in America have a hunger that extends far beyond our shores.  It was not enough that they owned everything in this country, they had to bleed the country dry in a methodical plan to use their American assets as seed money to take over the world.  They would buy controlling interest in every corporation and every country in the world.  Whatever they couldn’t buy they planned to take by force.

It was not enough that we were slowly destroying the world in order to maintain our extravagant lifestyles; they had to go and accelerate the process.  What have we empowered our leaders to do in the name of “preserving our way of life”?

To save the American way, we have spread the cancer of war onto every shore, driving it deeply into every heart.  We have forced the entire world to engage in our war upon individual freedom, for limiting freedom of action in the rest of the nations is the only way to avoid limits on our own behavior.  American foreign policy is a pathological assault upon the rest of the human race.  Anyone with an unsuppressed conscience, a true love of his or her country, or an ounce of human decency has to be disturbed to the point of exploding over what is being done by American hands.

Most of our leaders freely admit that we are in this global war to preserve our “way of life,” having dropped the ruse about this being a war of “self-defense,” long ago.  Even though it is approaching absurdity to continue claiming victim status in this war of aggression, the appeal that we are fighting to preserve the “American dream” still fires-up the ignorant masses, who all long to become millionaires themselves.  For sheep such as this, there is no cure; no appeal to reason (no matter how eloquent or profound) can dissuade them from supporting this fight for world conquest.  Such people have long ago laid their consciences to rest, for them there is no hope.

The power of the conscience is our greatest weapon in this ideological war.  The key that can save America (and the world) from itself is the collective guilt that we all share, which alone has the power to motivate us to take the necessary actions to put an end to the assault.  American leaders view the world as a prize to be won, or better, to be taken by force.  To this end, they have hatched a monstrous plan, so pervasively evil that it is beyond comprehension to the average sheep’s puny little mind.

Everything in the plan centers around the willingness of a certain type of individual to murder his own countrymen for money and power.  Without the active aid of this key personality type; the plan will not work.

Wherever the Empire oozes forth, spreading its putrid decadence, there are always countless men without consciences, waiting to become part of the great desolation. When confronted by this evil, so many men think that they will somehow fare better by serving this beast than by opposing it. The monsters know this, and know how to recognize which men and women can be swayed with bribery or threats and which ones will not submit to the yoke for any reason. Their work is organized like a symphony, hitting the high notes here, slamming the low notes over there. The point is, they know how to play us like we were merely instruments. Our task in the resistance must be to recognize this and learn to recognize the sheep’s mind within ourselves. Once we learn to recognize it within, we can apply that knowledge to the people we meet, or hope to influence, learning to recognize which one is open to reason and which one is a closed mind. Their intent to control the world is based on their ability to control and manipulate minds. We must develop similar capabilities, if we are to be effective. Changing human nature is the name of the game. We must teach the sheep to think like wolves.

Resistance is the only answer.

peter.chamberlin@hotmail.com

JIHADISTAN

JIHADISTAN

by Dr. Khurrum Shaukat Yousafzai

Our Establishment and the Jihadis who came from all over the World, has been fighting the Wars in, NWFP and FATA and Balauchistan against the Super Powers. First when Russian invaded Afghanistan (1979-1989) and later now when we are fighting another one against Taliban (2001-To date) when US has designs to occupy Afghanistan in the form of Military bases as it has in Saudia and other Arab countries.

1. Use of Islam against Russia in Great Game for Quest of Oil:

The fighters in the form of Muslim Madrassah students were brought from Arab countries of Saudia, Egypt, UAE, Morocco, and Algeria and where ever there was Islam. Fighter’s came from Christian countries of Europe and UK, USA and even Atheist countries like China (Xingjian Uighur Muslims) and Russia (Muslims of Chechnya’s).

The Help of CIA, Saudi, and Pakistan Intelligence (ISI) made this Mass migration of the Jihadis possible. The Main concept of Islam and Jihad was Hijacked and made to cater for the Psyche of War against a Communist Super Power that was Atheist and Non-Believers in Allah/ God. CIA had this Policy of using Religion against the Spread of Communism for a Long time and it was using all the other World religions effectively against Communism as it based on Atheism non Belief of God or Allah of Communists as basis of Hate, Although Communism was based on Principle of Socialism which is a major Part of Islam.

US was world leader of Capitalism/ Imperialism ( Interest based) , the system which works on system of Injustice to Poor and granting great power to Wealthy class, totally against the principles of Islam where Interests and other such Social Injustices are not tolerated as it harms the Poor.

This use of Islam for this purpose was approved by US President Jimmy Carter, and later by subsequent President Like Reagan and both senior and Junior Bushes.

This was Chief policy of CIA for Decades to come. The single Basis of Belief in one God was only plus point of US as it shared with Islam. Carter Doctrine, as we know US wanted to Have Military Basses; in all its spheres of Influences especially where there was Oil Fields. , Like Saudia, and other Middle Eastern countries extending upto Russian Controlled CIS states .

A total, of 1000 US bases were planned all over the world. The future was supposed to be Un-Tapped Oil reserves of CIS states Near Russia, At that, Time Russian border extended up to Afghanistan where after Afghan Jihad was pushed back to where it is now near shrunken Russia .

The Great Berlin wall came down and Europe became one as European Union because, as Russian had no War Machine left to protect its Interests. The dream of USA became true what could not be achieved and was unthinkable was achieved by these Jihadis. All of Asia and the Central Asia, CIS countries Predominately Muslim were under Russian Control were now Liberated from Russian without Sacrifice of a Single Western/ American Officer and Soldier and by Finances that was like less then 1 % of America would spend on other wars.

America who could not dare to fight the Mighty, Russian Empire and could choose to fight Cold Wars instead of Fighting Eye to Eye with Russians had effectively outsourced war to Jihadis.

2. Revenge of the Great Game Wars through Jihadis in the Past:

The Great Game which started after Year 1800 many wars were fought here in 1849 as First Afghan War 1849 , where whole British Forces were eliminated Ruthlessly by Afghans and with just one survivors to tell the Tale  as “Doctor William Boyden .

The Second Afghan war of 1876 again, and then the Third afghan War of 1919.

These wars can be called, “The Great Game wars ,“ of British to Grab Resources of Central Asia. The British after losing miserably and being, humiliated, by proud and Nationalist, Enlightened Pushtoons, of Afghanistan.

The sun would never set in British Empire in the world, in contempt called NWFP Area as “The Frontier” were their Empire ended in Shame.

The Denied, Honor to Pushtoons of not naming their Land as Afghania, or Land of Afghans or Pukhtoonkha Province (Official Name at that Time).

So they devised cunning plan to use the Islam and Maulvis for this Purpose, many Religious Movements were created by British Intelligence Isservices (MI6), which were monitored by Governor NWFP Lord Cuningham and Indian Viceroy Himself.

The famous accounts of these can be seen in the Diaries of, Lord Cunningham lying in London Museum now, he writes, I quote “ he would pay only 10 Rupees each to a Maulvi who would portray British as Ahele Kitabs and friends and the Russian as Foes Atheist and Kafir to wage Jihad against”.

Whole Markazes like Deobandi and Barelavi ,were under their control and were financed by Viceroy.

Same is case of  Case of Creation of Ahamdis and jamamat Ahmadi who was Created as By Product of the same Great Game strategy .

The Durrand Line Creation is also attributed to thier handy Work as Ahmadis like Sahibzada Abdul Latif of Afghanistan from Khost Area and that from NWFP region like Sahibzada Abdul Qayum Khan of Topi Swabi were instrumental in Helping  Mr. Durand foreign secrtary to Afghanistan of East India company representing Viceroy Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowneto Carve out  Durand Line withAmir Abdur Rehaman Khan king of Afghanistan 12 of November 1893.

Afghan Ahmadi Shabzada Abdul lateef of Khost

Durand line can be considered as Greatest tactical Advantage that paved the Way into afghanistan and Durrani Empire lost area of Khurasan  Iran , NWFP , FATA , Baluchistan and Punjab upto Chenab river in one stroke and Made Pashtun as a minority in Afghanistan whihc they ruled for over 10,00o Years .

Interestingly in NWFP Afghans and Pashtun were Made Minority as well after seperation of FATA and some districts to Punjab and Balauchistan. As now they were less in Number then Hazaras.

It may be noted that in the past Capital of Durrani Empire was in Lahore and Multan area of Punjab , whihc was shifted to Kandahar and Later to kabul which was capital during Mughal era of Afghanistan.

British  clipped and made small NWFP , Province can be termed as Brain Child of Viceroy Lord Curzon, who seperated FATA  from NWFP called Pashtunistan at That time. Which  Included some Part of Zhob areas of Balauchistan and Punjab too like Mian wali , DG Khan , Rajan pur Areas from Bannu NWFP.

The purpose was to  supress Pashtun/ Afghan  Nationalism and Promote Islamic Jihadis against Russian Bolshieviks or Kafirs/ Aethiests.

The Hyderabad Deccan Nawab was their one Paid Agent who got 1000 rupees a month. As he had good, Relations with Religious centers of Deoband and was controlling it through his wealth which influence spread to NWFP and FATA too.

Some famous Maulvis who belongs to Maslaqs were reporting to  Viceroy  Lord Curzon and Governor NWFP  Lord Cunnigham Directly.

Monitoring, of Maulvis, was done through Respectable, Families of NWFP, like the, Shabizadas, Nawabs, Arbabs, and Khan Bahadurs (Titles) .

This was writen by Governor NWFP Cuningham, in His Diaries found in British Oriental muesim and Metioned By Khan Abdul Wali Khan Respectable Politians of  Awami National Party  in His Book Facts are sacred , on Page number 76 and chapter 5 .

Aftab Ahmad Sherpao who Helped US establish Bases in AF-Pak Area

Some famous name s are Ghulam Hyder Khan of Sherpao Village in Charsadda who was a Khan Bahudur too , who,s two sons Aftab Ahmad Sherpao and Late Hayat Sherpao are famous Politicains .

Aftab Ahmad Sherpao also served as Interior Minister of  Pakistan Under General President Mushraff Just Like His Father as Great assest for  Great Game Players of Britian and USA , He Provided USA with Air Bases in Balauchistan and also was Instrumental in Lal Masjid Incident and Formation of Swat Terrorists in 1994 called TNSM when he was Chief Minister  of NWFP

Wali of Swat family are famous to as accomplice in Manipulting Mullahs for Viceroy and Governor NWFP.

Bahudur Kuli Khan

In Southern NWF Bahudur Kuli Khan Family who sons are Yusaf Khattak and Aslam Khattak , Lt-Gen Habibullah Khattak and Kulsom Saifullah was his daughter .  The Saifullahs are very Prominant members of Pakistan Muslim League like Saleem Saifullah and Anwar Saifullah .

Most of these people are still present around us today and are in Powerful Positions and Parliaments some with Beards and some without Beards as now they are Industrialists, Rich Tycoons.

Colonel, T. E. Lawrence of Arabia, The Jewish English famous Spy of MI6, who was instrumental in Creating Israel and Dictatorial King ships in Arabia out of Large Pan Arab state of Ottomans Empire, Islamic State created after Shahdat of Hazarat Ali PBUH, from 633 AD – Finished 1920.

He was Transferred and Stationed in Waziristan in Wana (FATA) Airport, 1921 to 1929, just after, finishing his job, in Arabia. He disguised himself as a Mechanic of Royal Air force First and Later as Mullah Salman Shah. He Knew Quran by heart, and would make himself as Imam of a Masjid and as Muslim Aalim.

After enlist help, of these Local mullahs in destabilizing Afghan Government, The Guerrilla warfare of Jihads worked in 1930,s and Ameer-Aman Ullah Khan of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was destabilized and Ameer was Exiled in 1929 to Italy were he died in 1969.

Taliban Like Reign of “Mullah Bacha Saqa” was established, by British.

Whom Forbid Women’s education and no Education at all just like Taliban does now and as not a new Tactic at all.

The British had learnt this Tactic from Changez Khan and his  son Halkoo Khan who would use Mullahs in His quest over Baghdad and Muslim Cities of Bukhara and Samarkand.

British who could not Defeat Pushtoons now were effectively were toppling Afghan Governments and annexing its areas like NWFP FATA and Balauchistan.

Col Lawrence of Arabia of MI-6 British Inteligence in Miranshaw Wana Airport Waziristan -1928

Colonel Lawrence of Arabia in Jerusalem 1918 in Militry Unifrom who was Instrumental in Creating Isreal

Sherif Hussain the Amir of Mecca who joined Lawrence of Arabia to Conspire against otoman Khalafat on 12 dec 1916

Colonel Lawerence of Arabia of MI-6 dressed as Quran Reading Arab in Jerusalem 1918

British Mi-6 Spy Lawrence of Arabia in Waziristan Wana Airport in Miranshaw as Airforce Mechanic -1928

Lawrence of Arabia at Wejh in Jordon and Syrian Area in 1917

Prince Faisals army at Jordon Syrian area of Wejh 1917

Akaba Fort which was overrun by Insurgents comprised of Arab Tribals Criminals under Lawrence of Arabia.

Nuri Said and Saudia Arabian Sharfian Iand Prince Faisals Insurgents in Akaba under Lawrence of Arabia 1917

Sherfian Isurgents who Fought with Prince Faisal and Sharif of Mecca to topple Otomon Empire Along with lawrence of Arabia

Afghan Ahmadi Shabzada Abdul lateef of Khost

Bahudur Kuli Khan

Amanullahkhan 1919-1929

Aftab Ahmad Sherpao who Helped US establish Bases in AF-Pak Area

Colonel TE Lawrence in Miranshah Waziristan( FATA) Air Port 1928 Lying on Bed, and in Uniform in Jerusalem Israel 1918, which he helped in Creating along with Saudia Arabia in White Arab Dress . where he used to work with Shareef of Mecca while he crafted Saudia Arabia for them after Dismembering Muslim Ottomans Turkish Sultanate through Guerrilla war with Help from Arab Criminal s.

3. War against Russia using Islam and Jihadi Text Books:

After British left India and Pakistan came into Being, after World War -2, after losing its superiority to US, then it Sold its Regional Interests to USA the new Superpower of the World.

The Fourth  Afghan war, started after Russia Invaded Afghanistan and we had to send, Mujahideen from (1979 -1990) as an Ally of US.

The Fifrth  Afghan War ( 1999- To Date), is the current war on Terror as an Ally again of USA, a Key Player and we have Foes the superpowers Russia , China , Islamic republic of Iran , and Uzbekistan.

In order to use and hijack Islam, Jihadi Literature was invented in the American University of Nebraska, where Professor Thomas Gouttierre of University of Nebraska Afghan Department was Instrumental in developing this Text Book Program, according to Research in Manipulative Psychology.

These Jihadi Text Book as these were called had Violent Images that were to be taught to unsuspecting Children. These were supplied to Madrassahs all over Pakistan these, Madrashahs were about 300-400 in numbers at that time from where these books were supplied to Madrassahs and to refugee camps.

In the late 1980s, and early 1990s, the “Education Center for Afghanistan”, located in Peshawar, Pakistan, and operated by the Afghan mujahidin (holy warriors), published a series of primary education textbooks replete with images of Islamic militancy.

It was a medium for promoting political propaganda and inculcating values of Islamic militancy into a new generation of holy warriors prepared to conduct jihad against the enemies of Islam. Afghan and Pakistani children who read the books were now fit tough Guerilla fighters after this Brain Washing. Consider the following introduction to the Persian alphabet in a first-grade language arts book:

Alif [is for] Allah. Allah is one. Bi [is for] Father (baba). Father goes to the mosque… Pi [is for] Five (panj). Islam has five pillars… Ti [is for] Rifle (tufang). Javad obtains rifles for the Mujahidin… Jim [is for] Jihad. Jihad is an obligation. My mom went to the jihad. Our brother gave water to the Mujahidin… Dal [is for] Religion (din). Our religion is Islam. The Russians are the enemies of the religion of Islam… Zhi [is for] Good news (muzhdih). The Mujahidin missiles rain down like dew on the Russians. My brother gave me good news that the Russians in our country taste defeat… Shin [is for] Shakir. Shakir conducts jihad with the sword. God becomes happy with the defeat of the Russians… Zal [is for] Oppression (zulm). Oppression is forbidden. The Russians are oppressors. We perform jihad against the oppressors… Vav [isfor] Nation (vatn). Ironically, this series is still in limited use now.

In May 2000 in some Afghan schools “Estiqlal Lycee”, a small co-educational Afghan elementary school in Islamabad, Pakistan. Half of the 236 students then at the Lycee were girls, many of whom had come from Afghanistan after 1996, when the Taliban seized power and implemented policies that denied girls access to education past grade three.

One of the responsibilities of , ECA, “Education Center for Afghanistan,” was to write, print, and distribute textbooks.

The ECA was funded by the Education Program for Afghanistan at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), with a $50 million grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) , that ran from September 1986 through June 1994.

Raheem Yaseer, an Afghan educator who worked at the UNO office in Peshawar during the early years of the program and now acts as the campus coordinator for the program in Omaha USA.

After the Soviet forces withdrew, from Afghanistan, the Education Program for Afghanistan, under increasing pressure from Afghan parents and teachers, it was decided in 1991 to remove the militant images from the mujahidin textbook series.

The revision process was completed by 1992. Educators commonly refer to the edited versions as the “Revised UNO textbooks”, which are widely used in Pakistan and Afghanistan today.

However, Few years ago, “Joyce Gachiri”, a project officer on education for the Afghanistan Country Office of UNICEF located in Islamabad, reported seeing many of the unrevised mujahidin books in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan as well as in the Province of Badakhshan, in the hands of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance.

According to “Ahmad Shah Durrani” , the printing press manager at the “Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief”, (ACBAR) in Peshawar–the organization responsible for printing the revised UNO textbooks–the unedited mujahidin textbooks were not printed by ACBAR after 1992.

But in June 2000 with new copies of the violence-filled unrevised textbooks Appeared. The appearance of these unedited textbooks freshly printed in Peshawar and sold at textbook shops in Kabul some eight years after they were to have been replaced suggests that the Taliban wished to inspire a new generation of militants with the message of jihad and are in use even today.

But the Taliban, who came to power in 1996, may not be entirely to blame. Between 1992 and 1996, militant factions of mujahidin ruled and battled over Kabul.

Thus, it is likely that, these textbooks never fell out of favor with the mujahidin leadership, who were responsible for the militant content in the first place.

The promotion of violence for the sake of Islam is the predominate theme throughout textbook series in mathematics, language and Arts for grades one through six. Madrashahs are now Battle stations for the CIA and America against Russia and enemies of America, result was Exit of Russia from Afghanistan 1989 and Paving way for America in 2001 for its Great Game Plan and Carter Doctrine of Military Basses in Heart land of Russia Territory through Jihadis.

The revenge of Vietnam and of North Korea was, taken effectively from Russia By these Jihadis served purpose of America very well.

4. Taliban Jihadis are following American Agenda of New Great Game too now:

As Taliban created, a Power vacuum suitable for America to fill very easily, as Russian had fallen from Super Power Status and China and Iran had not been in Position to Enter Afghanistan because of Taliban were fighting them and their Supported Groups like Ahmed Shah Masood , General Rasheed Dostum and Rabbani and were called the Northern Alliance.

These Groups were predominately Shia Tajiks and the Taliban were Sunni Pushtoons mostly.

Taliban Effectively Kept the Ground in Ready for America to Land there and Establish its Military Basses without any resistance at all. The Taliban Guerilla could not run Efficient Government, at all, as they had no Knowledge and were just Illiterate Mullahs with no Technical Expertise.

Infact after their Government Afghanistan was Established it was cursed and afflicted with Famine Draught and lack of Cash and it was through Intervention of Pakistan Government of Nawaz Shareef PML-N, Government. Provided them Free Food and Fuel to save them from Starving to Death.

Nawaz Shareef Incidentally was lobbying fro Taliban in United Nations a seat, through Foreign Minister. (1996-99). Taliban were doing atrocities/ Brutalities, and Human rights Violations that have no Place in Holy Quran but Practiced only by the American Protégé and Dictatorial and Brutal Arab Countries, like Saudia Arabia.

All world nations resisted the move. Interestingly the man chosen was Mr Karzai (Current President Afghanistan) as Taliban Envoy to UN. When Taliban were not able to Complete the Great Game Agenda of USA , after it failed to take over Afghanistan Totally 100%, and there was a chance , that Taliban would be overrun by Northern Alliance .

Iran was ready to even Invade Afghanistan with 200,000 strong Islamic Revolutionary Guards ,Army, to safeguard its Interests. America Jumped in quickly after September 2001 after it staged the Drama of 9/11 and war on Terror to Attack Afghanistan itself establish its Bases in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

The Basses in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have been snatched back currently by Russians.

Because of this new situation America has to depend on Pakistan as it hold key to supply routes to Afghanistan ( 100 % ) , as Afghanistan is landlocked country in Present.

The Supply routes are Vital to American Economic/ Military Interests as well. As long as Pakistan is the source of Supply routes, it will be in favor as Long as this status quo is maintained, otherwise America will abandon it when other alternate are established.

Which are shifting towards Tajikistan where supply line starting from Georgia and ends at Tajikistan near Swat Chitral and Gilgit Pakistan .

Tajikistan a New supply route is already established after Bridges were built by USA. However, the war in Georgia between CIA and Russia Army has made this Question mark for Now.

The other route of Chubahr port of Iran and Sistan Route to Kandhar and Helemend is Untrustworthy for America as it Involves Iran , which is at Loggerheads with America and it cannot be utilized by America in Foreseeable future.

5. War on Pakistan from these Religious out Fits:

The America role has not been of Friend, a new term has to be coined called Frienemy, that fits our relation well with America. As we are a friend and enemy too , we Receiving Aid and we are target of American Bombs Drones etc .

Famously Pakistan is included by America as part of Axis of Evil. Pakistan is the Sole Muslim Nuclear Armed power and is perceived as a Potential threat by Israel on paper only not in Practice. We are not treated Equals by US and as a partner even when Millions have died to safeguard American Interests.

Our motherland has provided to them Military basses. Our Deaths are more then World wars first and second put together. The Shia and Sunni Divide of Taliban is exploited by US in Pakistan, Violent Sunni Militant groups sprang up in Punjab and Sindh, where Shias are slaughtered every where in Pakistan like Karachi, Lahore, DI Khan and Kurram Agency.

Tit for Tat, deaths are happening This kind of Divide was only favorable to Zionists and our Enemies only , are performed by these Fake Religious Parties name of Islam, are killing Pakistanis in their pseudo Hate for America, which provides them with Dollars to further its Agenda.

Madrassahs have sprang up Everywhere and now have increased to about 4000 to 6000 from just few 400 in Afghan Jihad time. Schools are deserted and not funded by Government of Pakistan are used as Bakra Mandies and Punchaytas and Hujras.

These Terrorist out Fits would change their name when Government would put ban on them and appear as different organizations to slip through Bans. Now these Groups are part of Taliban and threaten the Federation of Pakistan as it an Ally on war on Terror.

Some of these Religious Leaders of these groups ran for elections in Punjab against mainstream parties like PPP, and later joined the Mainstream parties PML-N serve as Senators, MNA even today.

Taliban Claims that they are fighting Jihad but, evidence points otherwise, they are threatening Islamic countries which are threat to Israel like the Islamic republic of Iran it is challenging Israel on its Human Rights Record and it raised voiced against it which not a single 57 OIC Muslim Countries in the World for last 50 Years.

Criminal Activities by Taliban by abducting and Killing of Chinese Engineers who are helping Pakistan in its projects , is another Indication Taliban are in Fact American Stooges that want to Further the American causes against China.

Another Damning Evidence is Taliban Tilt towards Inviting trouble for Pakistan Nuclear Weapons and from World Nations, when tried to Capture Pakistani Territory and then establishing a Fake Islamic Emirate in Waziristan and Swat where they started Barbarism not found in Islamic Religion and Quran.

The first Suras of Quran were from Sura – Al Nisa which concern rights of Women are openly flouted by them. Islam asks to spare even our enemies, who do not fight us in Jihad.

Muslim Men women, children, who are not fighting Taliban are not even spared by them and their terror. They Burned Schools, when the first letter of Quran, says to read, and write in the Name of Allah.

Taliban behavior Reminiscent of Chengez khan and other such Savages especially similar to the ones Trained by CIA in South Americas and Africa like Rwanda and Congo etc are another Proof of their Agenda through Terror and Fear all weapons of Devil according to Holy Quran.

The International Outcry has put Pakistan Government, Army the ISI and in fact, the whole Nation at Mercy of These criminals and our survival is at Stake now.

Pakistan is trapped in this Quagmire as it now distanced for Islamic Countries, which consider Pakistan as stooge of America. Our Traditional Friend China and is not happy, Russia is not entirely and Iran too. We are without friends in the world now.

6. Why Jihad here and not in anywhere else?

Kashmir Jihad followed the Afghan Jihad, and these Jihadis went there and fought wars with Indian Forces, was the, only time, Jihad never happen in NWFP, FATA and Balucistan Area . The region of Interest to USA and Great Game for Oil. Kashmir Jihad was completely stopped, when Gen Mushraf wanted it stopped in 2002 after he did Peace Agreements with India as US wanted him to.

These Taliban/ Jihadi , forces relocated to FATA, NWFP, and Balauchistan and Jihad stopped as if a Light bulb is switched off, the Ideas was deleted from these Jihadi Minds , the Jihad in Kashmir Finished like it never existed and if there was no Kashmir Problem at all.

Just like US Af- Pak policy, Taliban are denouncing Jihad in Kashmir too. Taliban of Swat is denouncing Jihad in Kashmir as Sufi Mohammed said in his Interview and so did Mullah Nazir of Waziristan.

Even now, when are still being Muslim Women being Gang raped and Murdered by Indian Forces Jihad is non Existent. These Jihadis never contemplate to Announce the “Real Jihad “ to go to Israel, and Fight shoulder to shoulder with Palestinians Muslims and Hassan Nasurrallah of Lebanon , The Idea is never crossed in their minds that these Oppressed Muslims and for last Half century is where Jihad that is needed the most.

These so-called religious Parties could not even send Single doctor to treat the Muslim women and children, who were burned with Phosphorus bombs banned by UN but openly used by Israel and manufactured by USA.

Even the Arab countries protect Interest of Israel by not allowing other Muslims near Israel.

It is easy to get US visa then that of Jordon. Concept of Pan Islamism is a dead beat now.

We are faced with Separation Movements form Three out of Four Provinces of Pakistan because of this kind of Policies and are pushed us to Depths of Poverty as these wars have played havoc in NWFP, FATA and Balauchistan actively since year 1800, s.

Sadly we don’t have a leader to lead us well, we are reduced to just Sheep and Goats who is prowled by wolves.

MAY ALLAH GIVE US WISDOM TO GET OUT THIS FITNA.

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SOURCE : http://drksy.wordpress.com/

America’s Intrusive Ambassador In Pakistan

While the Boston Globe advises President Obama to scale back meddling in Pakistani politics, US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson launches a covert campaign to convince politicians to support President Zardari.

The disconnect is breathtaking. Globe’s position (“Show US neutrality in Pakistan“) also serves to signify how much the US public opinion is unaware of the extent of the intrusive presence of the United States in Pakistan. Part of what US officials describe as rising anti-Americanism in the country is actually nothing more than Pakistani backlash for this meddling.

Mr. Zardari’s team and his closest aides – especially Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Ambassador in Washington Husain Haqqani – have been on a collision course with the Pakistani military. They have permitted possibly tens of private US defense contractors – private militias, to be accurate – into Pakistan.  Moreover, Pakistanis have strong reasons to believe that Mr. Zardari and his team had consented to some conditions, or secret understandings, with Washington prior to taking charge in Pakistan last year. It is no secret that the incumbent pro-US Pakistani government is the result of a ‘deal’ brokered by the Bush administration in 2007. That deal imposed the current set of discredited politicians on Pakistan.  In some ways, this was the third US-led regime change, after Kabul and Baghdad. But unlike those two capitals, regime-change in Pakistan happened without the need for a full fledged military invasion. This was and continues to be an achievement for US diplomacy and military, and a moment of shame for most Pakistanis.

To be fair, Washington could not have done it with the help of Pakistani insiders. Former strongman Musharraf was under no compulsion to agree to this wild American idea. Yet for inexplicable reasons he chose to agree to a power-sharing agreement with late Benazir Bhutto, as part of the US-brokered deal.

It is encouraging to see some Americans – like the editorial writer at Boston Globe – cut through the fog of official US media manipulation and see developments in Pakistan through Pakistani perspective.  But most Americans don’t know, for example, how their envoy here, Ms. Anne W. Patterson, is quietly meeting Pakistani politicians at private residences of trusted friends to strategize domestic politics. These meetings are not acknowledged by the US Embassy or by Pakistani politicians and hence do not make it to the front pages of Pakistani newspapers.

More recently, a US defense contractor on whose behalf Ms. Patterson lobbied senior Pakistani officials for special weapon permits was found to have paid bribes to a Pakistani minister’s aide to the tune of US $ 250,000. In short, the US ambassador’s name came up several times during a case of bribery involving the national security of the host country.

Pakistani politicians in government are too timid to put the US government on notice about the extracurricular activities of its diplomats in Pakistan.

[This is one blatant aspect of US meddling in Pakistan. Another is the sudden media reports in the US complaining about Pakistani harassment of US diplomats. Those leaks were stunning by all accounts because they showed the US at the receiving end of Pakistani high handedness. The reality is totally different but who cares. US government spinners released the story first and that’s what counts. Pakistanis are lousy at media projection anyway. More on this later.]

So, who will stop Ms. Patterson from trying to manipulate Pakistani politics? And why such a heavy US investment in the Zardari government? And why is the US orchestrating the encirclement of the Pakistani military, from the borders of Afghanistan to the civilian pro-US government in Islamabad?

And the most important question: Is Pakistan the enemy? Every US move in the region says it is. Even the financial aid is being used as an instrument of coercive policy rather than an instrument of development, which is what US officials make it sound like. Here again the US official language says one thing and does another.

Woman moves LHC over harassment by FBI

By Our Reporter

The petitioner said she wanted to renounce her and her daughters’ US citizenship and she got an appointment on Nov 10 from US Consul Tracy Brown, who assigned a member of her staff for the meeting. Above: US Consul Tracy Brown. – Photo by APP.

RAWALPINDI: The Lahore High Court has sought written comments from federal secretaries of the ministries of foreign affairs and interior on a petition filed by a woman doctor alleging that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had tried to kidnap her.

Justice Asad Munir ordered the secretaries on Tuesday to file their replies within three weeks in response to the petition of Dr Mehwish Saleem Baig. She had alleged that she was being harassed by FBI officials after being detained in the US consulate in Karachi for over two hours.

Dr Mehwish stated that she had gone to the United States in 1998 after getting married to Dr Faheem Nusrat and both obtained US nationality. She returned to Pakistan this year with her daughters Ayasha Faheem, 9, and Fatima Faheem, 5, after her husband divorced her over domestic issues.

Before returning to Pakistan, she obtained legal custody of the girls through a court after getting permission from their father, she said. She said she had left the US because she was facing financial problems there.

The petitioner said she wanted to renounce her and her daughters’ US citizenship and she got an appointment on Nov 10 from US Consul Tracy Brown, who assigned a member of her staff for the meeting.
source : http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/woman-moves-lhc-over-harassment-by-fbi-329

Pakistan ISI: The Patron and the Victim

Harinder Singh

The December 8, 2009 Taliban attack on an Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) facility in Multan was the third such attack against Pakistan’s foremost intelligence agency in the last six months. The previous two attacks were reported at Lahore and Peshawar in May and November 2009. While the latest attack led to the killing of twelve civilians and the wounding of another 47, the most brazen of all was the one at Lahore which targeted the provincial headquarters of the agency and also killed a number of ISI officials. Till recently, the dreaded Taliban tactic of combining suicide bombings with sporadic fire assaults was restricted to the frontier provinces and a few cities in North Punjab. The Multan attack evidently signals the expanding reach of the Tehrik-i-Taliban, and in essence its ability to actively coalesce with the Punjabi Taliban in the Pakistani heartland.1 The Taliban and its cohorts would much like to expand the reach of operations – the intent being to thin out the military footprint. An operationally stretched force could soon cease to be effective and provide jehadis the tactical space to spread their radical influence.

The Tehrik-i-Taliban (TTP) has been quite active following the launch of the ground offensive in South Waziristan. The important cities of Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Peshawar have since been subjected to repeated attacks and bombings. Incidentally, October 2009 was reported to be the bloodiest month in Pakistan’s recent history – with 32 bomb explosions and some 314 civilian deaths. And since the insurgency gained prominence in the frontier provinces, Pakistan has witnessed 966 blasts resulting in 2389 dead and 6121 wounded.2 Peshawar has been the epicentre of violence – eight bomb blasts in October 2009 alone, with 206 civilians killed and 410 wounded. But while suicide attacks have increased – apparently in retaliation to the military counter offensive in South Waziristan – the incidence of direct attacks against the security forces have dropped sharply. A recent survey by the Brookings Institution highlights that the frequency of monthly attacks since June 2009 has fallen from more than 250 incidents to about 170.3 The decline has been the sharpest in NWFP, falling from about 160 to 70.

The Tehrik-i-Taliban’s continued ability to press home suicide attacks could be attributed to several reasons. The escape of the TTP command and control structure prior to the launch of the military campaign in South Waziristan could be the prime reason. Several analysts claim that much of the mid-rung leadership escaped while the military high command was busy contemplating the launch of operations in Waziristan. Secondly, over time, the TTP cadres seem to have established close links with the Punjabi Taliban, and these linkages now seem to be playing up. Third is the important aspect of the insurgent modus operandi – the planning and execution of bomb blasts do not necessarily require hardened militants but only a sharp and crafty mind. Often these daring actions are planned and executed by overground workers who possess the craft and motivation for the cause. The pattern and intensity of blasts clearly suggests that the TTP operatives are fairly well entrenched in the civil society. And here, the dubious role of the ISI in scouting, recruiting and indoctrinating these “invisible hands” of terror cannot be discounted.

The Taliban strike in Multan, Pakistan’s fifth largest city and the most prominent in South Punjab, is worrisome for several reasons. Multan billets Pakistan Army’s foremost strike corps. It also happens to be the native place of the country’s prime minister and foreign minister. Having struck in Multan, the TTP have signalled that they can strike at will in any part of the Pakistani heartland. This also in a way implies that Karachi – the commercial capital of Pakistan – is within striking distance. An attack on Karachi can have severe political and economic ramifications. The Karachi police had once arrested five militants belonging to Lashkar-i-Janghvi in April 2009, who were reportedly planning attacks in Karachi. The targets included the home of the interior minister, the city police headquarters, a few Shiite religious places and local contractors co-ordinating NATO’s land based supplies in Afghanistan. Even as recent as December 21, 2009, the Karachi police arrested three people who were supposedly planning suicide attacks.

The current situation in the province could complicate the ethnic tensions between the Mohajirs and Pashtuns. The large Pashtun population in Karachi can be exploited by rogue elements to bring the commercial city to a grinding halt. The ruling MQM party already seems nervous, and at a time when the province is suffering from divisive internal politics, any further worsening of the situation may not be desirable. Balochistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) have also not been left untouched. But then the relative calm in these provinces needs to be questioned. The Taliban leadership may not like to disturb their traditional safe havens in North Balochistan, Karachi and Muzafarabad. And this logic could well restrain them from extending their operational reach. The TTP command and control structure would surely build deep inroads into these provinces, but then also ensure safety of these havens for rest and recoup, financial and logistical support. The Taliban terror strikes in Karachi or Quetta could be more out of compulsion rather than to drive the radical cause.

The fact that the ISI patron is now becoming the victim of jehadi terrorism does not bode well for Pakistan. A bit of history may be relevant here. The ISI came to the limelight when it helped in running the United States and Saudi Arabia funded mujahideen campaign against the Soviets in Afghanistan. Deep involvement turned the ISI into an over zealous organisation, which not only played favourites in domestic politics but also threw its weight behind the separatist forces in Jammu and Kashmir. Besides, it was also credited with supporting the movement to realise the goal of securing strategic depth in Afghanistan. In recent times, its role in masterminding the attacks against the Indian embassy in Kabul and the 26/11 Mumbai incident is well known. While the Pakistani leadership and establishment outrightly reject the linkage between the ISI and radical militant groups, there is more than sufficient evidence to prove the connection.

The United States too has had serious apprehensions on the role play of the ISI, and this is supposedly reflected in the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) report of September 1999. The DIA report presented for public scrutiny in 2002 highlights the role of ISI in sponsoring not only the Taliban but also its al-Qaeda connection. But then the Bush administration chose to ignore the linkages for a long time. In recent times, the Pakistani establishment seems to have made some organisational changes, but those are far from enough. Imtiaz Gul in his recent book The Al-Qaida Connection writes that the Afghan cell does not exist any more and its support to outfits in Kashmir is also much subdued. But then out of strategic concerns, it still continues to maintain contacts with jehadi groups operating in Afghanistan and Kashmir.

There is no denying the fact that retired ISI officers and some officials from within the organisation are maintaining contact with the Haqqani network, Mullah Omar and several other militant groups including those active in Kashmir. The Karzai government has often criticised this policy of duplicity, arguing that the ISI is manipulating the Afghan militant groups residing in the frontier provinces to de-stabilze Afghanistan. Several analysts from within Pakistan have also questioned the agency’s role and expressed the need to rein in its activities. The stigma of abetting terrorist groups is deep and would require more than a normal correction to purge its ranks of pan-Islamists. The Pakistan government’s recent attempts to induce scrutiny into the organisation have not worked. The July 2008 notification of bringing the ISI under civilian control was revoked within 24 hours. Obviously, the military and the ISI were not happy with the decision, and the PPP government was forced to reverse the decision.

The Taliban connection now seems to be turning around. For years the Pakistan establishment had supported the indoctrination, motivation and training of jehadi cadres for export in the neighbourhood. Since 9/11, many militant groups went the al-Qaeda way in co-opting suicide bombing into their modus operandi for jihad. As Imtiaz Gul aptly describes, “these human bombs originally designed and nurtured to destroy enemies of Islam and Pakistan, have [now] started exploding themselves inside their own country, killing their fellow countrymen – civilians and military alike.” The terror factories that were conceived and nurtured in the frontier provinces are now knocking at the Pakistani heartland. The recent bomb attacks on ISI establishments have taken the battle a step beyond. Perhaps this could also suggest the cutting of the umbilical cord between the patron and the client. But then the resulting scenario could be even more worrisome – with no one to take control of the radical militant groups, they would be free to act. A strong alliance with al-Qaeda operatives could gather steam in the absence of ISI mentors.

Pakistan could do well to re-cast the ISI’s role and the organisational ethos to contain the Taliban. Left on its own, the “al-qaida-ised” Taliban insurgency could transform itself into an even more serious threat. The biggest challenge facing the establishment will be how to transform the organisation. Being a force largely drawn from the military makes it practically unaccountable for its actions in the public domain. More importantly, the radical and divisive agendas pursued by some retired officers are not only a cause of concern but an impediment to the well being of the state. There could be a few suggestions to correct the organisation – re-define its role and context of field operations, infuse new blood in the organisation, “cosmopolitise” the staff by recruiting from different organisational streams, and bring in accountability amongst its retired and serving cadres. The ISI may well require a personnel reliability programme and due diligence checks in the long term. If the Pakistani establishment now fails to rehab the organisation, the collapse of the Pakistani state, in the words of Sushant Sareen, would have been “written, directed and produced” by the ISI.

1. 1.The accompanying map is sourced from Stratfor.
2. 2.The Indian National Interest Review, December 2009, p. 32.
3. 3.http://www.csmonitor.com/World/2009/1215/Pakistan-suicide-attacks-spike-but-overall-attacks-are-down.

Gates Wants Funding to Militarize Nation-Building

Gates proposes $2 billion for unstable countries

Defense secretary proposes a major overhaul in U.S. nation-building

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has proposed a major overhaul of the way the Pentagon and State Department do nation-building, seeking to end friction between the bureaucracies by putting them jointly in charge of three huge new funds aimed at stabilizing strife-ridden countries.

The proposal is aimed at addressing problems that have dogged the U.S. effort in Iraq and Afghanistan — particularly, disputes over whether civilians or the better-funded military should be in charge of stabilization.

But Gates’s proposal goes beyond those conflicts to address what the military increasingly sees as the greatest threat to the United States — failing states such as Yemen and Somalia that could provide a haven for terrorist groups.

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The proposal would concentrate existing and new money in three long-term funds totaling as much as $2 billion. They would be dedicated to training security forces, preventing conflicts and stabilizing violence-torn societies around the world. The funds would exist separately from the war budgets, and allow for quicker and better-coordinated response to looming or actual conflicts, officials said.

In a memo to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Gates noted that the huge increase in Pentagon funding for stabilization efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan has prompted complaints about the militarization of U.S. foreign policy.

‘Sets forth a new approach’
The proposal “sets forth a new approach that could transcend these debates. It argues for a new model of shared responsibility and pooled resources for cross-cutting security challenges,” Gates wrote in the unclassified Dec. 15 memo, which was obtained by TheWashington Post.

Gates hasn’t discussed his proposal directly with Clinton, though they have talked about the broader issue, officials said.

Several legislative aides and a senior administration official said Gates’s idea for joint funds might not fly, given that the multiple congressional committees that oversee the Defense and State budgets are unlikely to cede control.

More broadly, the plan could raise concerns that the Defense Department is trying to expand its growing role in institution-building, which was traditionally carried out by the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

“It goes well beyond current Defense Department involvement in stabilization and conflict prevention,” said Gordon Adams, a defense and foreign affairs budgeting expert at the Stimson Center think tank. “And the sizeable money they’re asking for seems unrealistic.” Defense Department spokesman Geoff Morrell said the proposal wasn’t a Pentagon power play but “an attempt to get people out of the business-as-usual approach.”

“We need to be much more quick to respond to allies who are in need of security assistance so they can handle these problems and they don’t devolve into emergencies that require American forces,” he said.

Projects selected jointly
Under Gates’s proposal, State and Defense would provide money from their own budgets — either contributing 50/50 or according to each department’s priorities. The departments would select the projects together.

Gates painted different scenarios for launching the three funds in 2011. The most ambitious envisions a $1 billion fund to train and equip foreign security forces and another $1 billion for conflict prevention and stabilization. “Such an approach would dramatically increase non-military assistance,” the memo says.

The joint funds, based on a model used by Britain, would not only improve coordination but set up a broader mechanism to finance national-security needs, Gates said. While the Pentagon has gotten generous increases in recent years, State has lagged.

“The civilian component of what we’re doing is critical to success for our country,” Gates told U.S. soldiers in Kirkuk, Iraq earlier this month, echoing a concern he has expressed frequently. “And, unfortunately, the civilian elements of our government — the State Department, AID and so on — have been starved of resources for decades.”

State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley said the department was reviewing the memo.

“It contains some creative ideas on moving forward. Secretary Clinton and Secretary Gates share an interest in improving the security assistance process,” he said.

Lack of detail
The Gates memo is vague on where the lines would be drawn between the funds aimed at improving security services, fostering stabilization and preventing crises. The lack of detail could raise hackles among lawmakers concerned that the pools could become open-ended funding obligations.

Gates noted that the joint funds would fall under the oversight jurisdiction of eight congressional committees. To avoid a bureaucratic nightmare, he suggested creating special standing committees in the House and Senate.

The State Department traditionally has taken the lead in institution-building abroad, including providing funds for training and equipping security forces. In recent years, the Pentagon has become more active in that area through its $350-million-a-year Global Train and Equip Program and the Commander’s Emergency Response Program, which allows officers to hand out small grants for starting businesses or doing community projects. That program received about $1.5 billion in 2009.

Staff writer Glenn Kessler contributed to this report

Australian Protestors Charged Over Road Block

Protestors charged over road block

Kieran Campbell

Protesters James Dowling and Kieran O’Reilly.

KC

TWO protesters against the Australian Army defence games at Shoalwater Bay yesterday argued they had a right to block army vehicles because they were trying to stop “war crimes”.

James Joseph Dowling and Kieran Joseph O’Reilly pleaded not guilty in Rockhampton Magistrates Court to contravening a police order after they refused to move off a road at the entrance of Shoalwater Bay, north of Rockhampton.

On July 9, Dowling and O’Reilly were part of a group of protestors who took their anti-war campaign to Raspberry Creek Road a few minutes north of Rockhampton.

They held a sign that read, “In the name of God, stop the wars” and stood in the middle of the road at the entrance of Shoalwater Bay.

About five cargo trucks for the US Military turned off the Bruce Highway onto Raspberry Creek Road and were stopped in their tracks by the protestors, who had started reading aloud the names of soldiers and civilians killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Senior Sergeant Murray Shields was called to the blockade and spoke to one of the protestors who had already moved off the road.

Then he spoke to O’Reilly and Dowling, who both introduced themselves and told police they wouldn’t move.

Senior Sergeant Shields told the pair they would be breaking the law if they stayed on the road but still they refused to leave.

They were arrested and taken to Rockhampton Watch House where they refused to sign bail papers and spent four days in custody.

During a hearing yesterday the protesters claimed they were not doing anything illegal because they were stopping “war crimes” that the Australian Defence Force was involved in.

Acting Magistrate Mark Morrow found both men guilty after police argued they had a responsibility to move because traffic was being pushed onto the Bruce Highway.

Dowling told Mr Morrow: “What we did was a good thing and I’d like to invite you to join us and anyone else.”

O’Reilly told a police officer giving evidence that rather than being obstructed, the army soldiers were “just adapting to an innovation in their exercise”.

The police officer replied that the truck drivers for the military did feel obstructed.

Mr Morrow ordered a conviction be recorded but didn’t punish the pair any more after they had spent four days in custody in July.

Caspian gas goes east

Borut Grgic

Though late to the Caspian energy game, China is the first to plug-in in a big way. This weekend, just two years after the project was announced, Chinese President Hu Jintao opened the 1,140-mile-long pipeline that will carry up to 40 billion cubic meters, or bcm, of gas from Turkmenistan to China.

This is a huge boon not only for China’s energy security, but also for its regional influence.

The new Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline also passes through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, and is the biggest non-Russian pipeline project ever to be completed in the post-Soviet region. The strategic significance of this pipeline cannot be underestimated. With up to 40 bcm due to flow through the pipeline for the next 30 years, China has become the biggest buyer of Caspian gas, displacing even Russia.

For states such as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, this pipeline yields significant revenues in terms of transit fees, and also provides them with a channel to sell their own gas to China. Uzbekistan in particular is believed to have significant gas reserves, which it can sell to external buyers in the future.

Most importantly, a stronger Chinese presence in the region provides considerable leverage and balance against over-dependence on Moscow. The new pipeline will help ensure autonomy in decision-making for the Central Asian leaders, while bringing to the forefront political and economic links that existed for centuries before the Soviet Union along the east-west corridor also known as the Silk Road.

The new Turkmenistan-China pipeline is significant for at least one other reason: Everything about it contrasts with the European Nabucco project. Europe has been eyeing Caspian gas for a decade now, but so far it has very little to show for its efforts. The biggest obstacle to Europe’s Caspian policy is Europe itself. There are too many competing interests pushing forward contradictory projects: Including Nabucco, White and South Stream and the TGI, there are at least four competing European projects aiming to unite Caspian producers with European consumers.

The patience of the Caspian producers and transit countries such as Azerbaijan is running thin. Baku, too, has started to look for alternative options to sell its gas – considering options such as Iran, Russia and even China by connecting Azerbaijan across the Caspian Sea to the new Turkmenistan-China pipeline.

The European gasmen crowding hotel lobbies in Baku and Ashgabat keep convincing themselves that Europe is indispensable to the gas security of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. This crowd is deeply convinced that the Caspian producers need access to the European markets more than we need Caspian gas. The logic is absurd, but it is consistent with European arrogance. Actually, the facts speak to the contrary.

This summer, Baku signed a deal with Russia for 0.5 bcm of gas and the Azerbaijanis are about to sign a similar deal with Iran. At the same time, the Azerbaijani gas due to be sold to Europe is being blocked by Turkey, which insists on unreasonable tariff terms and a below-market price for the gas it buys from Azerbaijan. China, on the contrary, pays market price for Caspian gas, and doesn’t ask for a “brotherly discount” (as the Turks are demanding from Azerbaijan); the country also does not attach a long list of human-rights issues to its gas relations with the Caspian states.

Can Europe still get its hands on Caspian riches? The prospect is extremely bleak, and not because Caspian states won’t sell to Europe or because Chinese negotiators are so much better at landing deals. The problem is in Europe. We are too divided and not strategic enough when it comes to managing our gas relations with current and future partners, and Brussels has no leverage on Ankara to force Turkey into a more cooperative mode on the transit of Azerbaijani gas to Europe.

But that’s the nature of European common foreign policy – a lot of talk and a little action – and, further, the nature of European energy policy. In competing against each other to get their hands on Caspian gas, the European energy companies are not only hurting themselves and European consumers, but also giving China free reign to determine the flow of Caspian gas. This lack of European solidarity when it comes to Caspian energy must be put aside immediately. Otherwise, there will be no Caspian gas left for Europe to handle, and no one left to drink beer with in the pubs of Baku and Ashgabat.

* Borut Grgic is the founder of the Institute for Strategic Studies in Brussels.

Democracy Will Now Be Mandatory In Parts of India

Democracy or Else: voting compulsory in Gujarat state

by Aziz Poonawalla

There’s some irony in the recent news that in Gujarat state, that democracy will now be mandatory:

All registered voters in Gujarat will be required to vote. Those absent will be asked to submit a valid reason with proof within a month. The Bill empowers the election officer to declare people who do not vote defaulter voters.

A local editorial in favor of the law argues that with reduced voter participation, “the true spirit of the will of the people is not reflected in the electoral mandate”. The logic of the law, then, is that by forcing an increase in that voter share, you better approximate that “spirit of the will”. But will that actually make things any better? In any democracy you have to be an idealist, to believe in that magic aggregate with which your single vote will join and thus, together, make a difference. In India, with far greater dynamic range between rich and poor, it seems like the deliberations of the mighty are so far removed from the daily life experience of the average rickshaw wallah, that explaining how his vote will really matter seems a pointless excercise.

And there is some serious irony at work in the fact that this law is being promoted by Narendra Modi, whose role in orchestrating the 2002 pogrom against muslims in Gujarat undermined democracy far more than mere voter absence. When the machinery of the state can be abused by those in power with no checks and balances, and they actually get away with it (and are even “rewarded” electorally for it), then you have a banana republic with a democratic fig leaf.

More votes won’t magically erase the corruption and graft that infects the Indian body politic. It’s hard to be anything but cynical about this. Putting that aside, though, the general question of whether voting should be compulsory or not is an interesting question. According to the articles, 32 countries have adopted this law, and if all of India follows Gujarat’s lead, then this may become the rule to which America is the exception. Quite a contrast indeed with Western ideals, which have tried to limit the franchise to the white male elite, and the “lesser” classes and gender have had to fight for and paid dear price to win.

My personal instinct is that freedom cannot and should not be mandated. Perhaps this law throws the fundamental flaw of democracy into sharp relief – that there is nothing sacred, or inherently libertarian, about majority rule (a lesson learned from the Swiss minaret ban as well).

America Needs Pakistan’s Help — Again–III

23 Dec, 2009 Jeff Gates

Game Theory Warfare Below is the third installment in a 5-part series written for Opinion Maker by Jeff Gates, author of Guilt By Association. The destabilization of Pakistan began with the December 2007 murder of Benazir Bhutto after Mark Siegel, her Ashkenazi biographer and lobbyist, assured U.S. diplomats that her return was “the only possible way we could guarantee stability and keep the presidency of Musharraf intact.” That advice is consistent with how Israel wages game theory warfare. See: ·        How Israel Wages Game Theory Warfare Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf signed his own political death warrant when he announced that resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict was essential to resolve conflicts in Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan. Should Barack Obama concede the truth of that long-obvious fact, Zionist extremists may well ensure that his presidency is brought to an abrupt end. In terms of game theory strategy, it came as no surprise to see the prominent media profile given five young American Muslims when they traveled to Pakistan this month while leaving behind a videotape explaining, “Muslims must do something.” That understandable reaction to emerging events helped fuel the plausibility of Pakistan as a haven for training what mainstream media in the U.S. promoted as “home-grown terrorists” posing an imminent threat to national security. See: ·        Fort Hood Tragedy That game theory-predictable reaction emerged soon after President Obama, in effect, endorsed yet another major expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Meanwhile the Israel Lobby-dominated U.S. Congress voted overwhelmingly (344 to 36) to condemn the Goldstone Report documenting dozens of Israeli war crimes against Muslims in Gaza. The report by Richard Goldstone, an eminent South African Jewish jurist, also included evidence of ongoing crimes against humanity. Meanwhile our president remained silent, our U.N. Ambassador supported Israeli efforts to quash the report and our Secretary of State hurled insults at Islamabad. War crimes and crimes against humanity are key components of the agent provocateur strategy required to ensure the extremism from which this enclave of Jewish extremists claims a need for protection. By providing that protection—with no mention of decades of serial provocations—the U.S. appears guilty by its association with Israel’s notoriously aggressive behavior. The Way Forward Pakistanis must acknowledge the obvious: we Americans have lost control over our government. Barack Obama is only the latest U.S. president to enable an agent provocateur strategy that allows Zionists to wage war in plain sight and, to date, with legal and political impunity. Meanwhile the aggressor continues to portray itself as the perennial victim in need of ever more military assistance. After six decades of nonstop duplicity, our entangled alliance with Jewish religious fanatics has transformed the U.S. into the world’s greatest threat to peace due to our “special relationship” with a brutal enclave of game theory war-planners. The Ashkenazi dominance of U.S. media ensures that the common source of this geopolitical manipulation remains unknown to Americans though it is widely understood abroad. We need help—from outside the U.S.—to grasp a disturbing fact: the same Zionist operatives who deceived us to invade Iraq for Greater Israel also induced us to pile on debt and debase our currency while profiting on our foreseeable decline. Americans do not yet grasp that the real risk to national security is an enemy within. The greatest threat to this transnational criminal syndicate is two-fold: transparency and stability. Their continued success relies on sustained chaos, serial mass murders and well-timed crises. Transparency may emerge from the ongoing Iraq Inquiry in the U.K. Testimony taken by that high profile panel heightens the risk that Israel, not Islam, will be exposed as the global center of terrorism. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair could face war crime charges for his complicity in using false pretenses to order British forces to join the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Stability also poses a risk. With stability, Americans may realize that the phony intelligence deployed to induce our invasion of Iraq came from a common source with a common motivation. Americans know that something fundamental is amiss. Ordinary Americans are hurting. A long-deceived U.S. public is looking for answers to how their nation was reduced to such a perilous condition—financially, militarily and diplomatically. How were we transformed from prosperous leaders of the post-WWII era into a global pariah flirting with insecurity and instability while teetering on the edge of bankruptcy? With access to the real facts, Americans will realize that the real enemy is lodged deep inside our government. And deep inside our own manipulated beliefs about who is friend and who is foe. The true enemy is not the high-profile “assets” (the Clintons, G.W. Bush, Tony Blair, Barack Obama, et.al.) but those low-profile operatives who produced their political careers and positioned them for high office as pliable and reliable policy makers. The stunning subterfuge by which the “Coalition of the Willing” was induced to wage a war for Greater Israel may first work its way to clarity in the U.K. Tony Blair has already conceded that, absent the success of the phony intelligence on WMD, he “would have had to use and deploy different arguments about the nature of the threat.” With 1.3 million Iraqis dead from war-related causes, a war crimes tribunal must be part of the remedy so that never again is duplicity allowed to operate on such a scale. In game theory terms, the cost of complicity in such conduct must be explicit, severe and foreseeable. Expect Another Crisis The risk of exposure, in turn, increases the strategic necessity for yet another well-timed crisis, with Pakistan a vulnerable target for the next regime change. When Americans gain access to the unvarnished facts, we will insist on regime change here. That process will accelerate as voters grasp that this corruption lies deeply imbedded inside both major U.S. political parties as proven by Barack Obama’s rapid ascendancy to the presidency. At present, ordinary Americans simply do not know the scope of the current criminality. Americans are not stupid; we’re just badly misinformed—and purposefully so. Our system of informed choice steadily atrophied as a transnational criminal syndicate steadily gained dominance in mainstream media. The depth of this corruption suggests the potential for a dramatic change in U.S. politics as Americans identify its common source. The U.S. and Pakistan share a common enemy in those who are adept at displacing facts with what a targeted population can be deceived to believe. To prevail in this sophisticated form of Information Age warfare, we must fight as allies to rid our nations from the influence of those who would have us hate each other in order to advance their extremist agenda. As Americans and Pakistanis learn how modern-day warfare is waged in plain sight—by way of deception—they will see for themselves the source of this treachery. With that knowledge will come the resolve required to prevail. See: Beliefs: The Power Behind Unending War Next in the series: The Israel/India Alliance An author, educator, attorney, merchant banker and adviser to policy-makers worldwide, Jeff Gates served as counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance (1980-87) prior to consulting 35 foreign governments. A Vietnam veteran, he is author of Guilt By Association, The Ownership Solution and Democracy at Risk. See www.criminalstate.com.

Warring on the psyche

Eva Barlett, In Gaza

December 22, 2009 while i am not palestinian and have not lived my life under occupation, over the year here in besieged, massacred gaza, the sound of israeli F-16 warplanes became normal too quickly.  Even initially, after just one month, i stopped looking up and the heartbeat stayed regular. explosive sonic booms and bombings aside, the sound of a warplane is unique, one i’d never heard prior to gaza. one that many of us tucked safely away in the invading, occupying or abetting countries never have to know… unless we are part of those occupations, invasions and ‘peace-keeping missions’ abroad. so now, over a year after first hearing the roar of israeli fighter planes crowding and polluting gaza’s skies, after collectively enduring a 23 day onslaught from the world’s 4th most powerful military –and enduring the sound and psychological warfare of that massacre –it may be surprising that the planes’ roars can still startle. but they do. and accompanied by the memories of what the warplanes, apaches, and zenanas [UAVs, or drones] do and did during the Israeli massacre of Gaza last winter, the initial apprehension and worry flash back in an instant:  is it now, this morning, tonight…that Israel will start again. imagine living with the sonic boom campaign, where the sound barrier breaks so strongly resemble the explosion warplane bombs that children, adults even, are traumatized by it.  gazans have lived with this for years.  imagine even a day of zenana screams (even without the bombs that accompany them). UAV sounds imagine how damaged your psyche might be. [and if there is a theme to my recent posts –that of war/invasions and the expectation of war/invasions –it is not because we focus on it out of choice, nor that there aren’t better, more pleasant, things to dwell on.  it’s because of the reality of what happened one year ago, what happened prior to the massacre, and what has continued on a regular basis since.  they may not make the corporate media, but the israeli attacks and aggressions continue in gaza]

:: Article nr. 61335 sent on 22-dec-2009 23:42 ECT
www.uruknet.info?p=61335

Link: ingaza.wordpress.com/2009/12/22/warring-on-the-psyche/

Psychotic Israelis Indict Bilin Leader for Showing Spent Tear Gas Canisters To the World

Spent tear gas grenades and projectiles used on the village of Bil’in for which Abu Rahmah was indicted. Photo: Oren Ziv ActiveStills

This has to be seen to be believed: Bil’in leader charged

with arms possession

by Adam Horowitz

Abdallah Abu Rahmah, a leader of the weekly nonviolent protests in Bil’in, has finally been charged after being arrested nearly two weeks ago by the Israeli military. Abu Rahmah’s arrest has been part on anongoing Israeli campaign against Palestinian nonviolent resistance leaders. The charges against him could not be more creative. From a Popular Struggle Coordination Committee press release:

Abdallah Abu Rahmah, a school teacher and coordinator of the Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Wall, was indicted in an Israeli military court yesterday. Abu Rahmah was slapped with an arms possession charge for collecting used tear gas canisters shot at demonstrators in Bil’in by the army and showcasing them in his home.

An indictment was filed in a West Bank military court yesterday for incitement, stone throwing and arms possession charges against Bil’in Popular Committee coordinator, Abdallah Abu Rahmah. On receiving the indictment Adv. Gaby Lasky, Abu Rahmah’s lawyer said that “the army shoots at unarmed demonstrators, and when they try to show the world the violence used against them by collecting presenting the remnants – they are persecuted and prosecuted. What’s next? Charging protesters money for the bullets shot at them?”

Abdallah Abu Rahmah, a school teacher and coordinator of the Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Wall, was indicted in an Israeli military court yesterday. Abu Rahmah was slapped with an arms possession charge for collecting used tear gas canisters shot at demonstrators in Bil’in by the army and showcasing them in his home.

An indictment was filed in a West Bank military court yesterday for incitement, stone throwing and arms possession charges against Bil’in Popular Committee coordinator, Abdallah Abu Rahmah. On receiving the indictment Adv. Gaby Lasky, Abu Rahmah’s lawyer said that “the army shoots at unarmed demonstrators, and when they try to show the world the violence used against them by collecting presenting the remnants – they are persecuted and prosecuted. What’s next? Charging protesters money for the bullets shot at them?”

For more details: Jonathan Pollak +972546327736

On December 10, exactly one year after receiving the International League for Human Rights’ Carl Von Ossietzky Medal – on International Day of Human Rights – Abu Rahmah was arrested during an Israeli military night-time raid for his involvement in organizing unarmed protest against the Wall in the village of Bil’in. The indictment served yesterday also includes charges of incitement and stone throwing.

As part of a recent wave of repression against the Palestinian popular protest movement, Israel has charged numerous grassroots organizers with both stone throwing and incitement. In at least one case, that of Mohammed Khatib from Bil’in, the court found evidence presented on a stone-throwing charge to be falsified.

In the past six month, 31 residents of Bil’in have been detained by the military, and in neighboring Ni’ilin, 91 have been arrested in the past 18 months. Abdallah Abu Rahmah’s arrest and indictment, as well as that of Adeeb Abu Rahmah and the arrest of Jamal Juma’ of the Stop the Wall organization are part of a wider attempt to equate grassroots organizing with a hefty of incitement. This is part of the army’s strategy to use legal measures as a means of quashing the popular movement.

See here for an article on the subject from today’s Haaretz Newspaper.

* The above picture is for free-of charge single-use in internet publications only. Please include picture credit. For print and higher resolution please contact rnziv@yahoo.com

US Makes Outrageous Claims to Justify Yemen Air Strikes

[First they create a fake terrorist enemy, to justify sending American forces all over the world.  Then they blow-up some American buildings to justify “revenge” attacks upon innocent groups of civilians.  Then we send-in another Manchurian candidate killer to kill a few young soldiers, linking him to our next targeted nation, Saudi Arabia Yemen. Then we send cruise missiles to vindicate Obama’s decisions before the sceptical world, to claim another trophy of another dead Muslim preacher who was allegedly connected to the Manchurian candidate.  The US claims it has killed countless “al Qaida” operatives in this manner with its flying Phoenix program, yet it has never produced proof of even one terrorist leader’s death in a Pakistani, Yemeni, Somali, or any other covert airstrike.  If the allegedly “intelligent” intelligence experts who target the leaders and keep the body counts really knew who they had killed in any given incident, then why do so many of their trophies show-up after they are allegedly killed?  It’s all bullshit, folks, just part of the “circus” staged for our amusement.  Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.]

Yemen says Fort Hood-linked imam may be dead

Mohamed Sudam

SANAA (Reuters) – The leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and a Muslim preacher linked by U.S. intelligence to deaths at a U.S. army base are believed to have died in a Yemen air strike, a security official said on Thursday.

Yemen said 30 militants were killed in the strike in the eastern province of Shabwa.

Among those believed killed was Anwar al Awlaki, whom U.S. officials linked to the gunman who killed 13 people at the Fort Hood army base in Texas on November 5.

“Anwar al Awlaki is suspected to be dead (in the air raid),” said the Yemeni official, who asked not to be identified.

The air attack targeted a meeting of militants planning an attack on Yemeni and foreign oil targets, the official said.

He added that the leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Abu Basir Nasser al-Wahayshi, may also have been killed in the strikes but that there was no confirmation.

“We are still unsure if two of the top leaders have been killed or not. One of them is the … al Qaeda member Nasser al-Wahayshi,” he said, declining to say whether more strikes would take place on Thursday.

Saudi and Yemeni militants said earlier this year they were uniting under the name Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, using Yemen as their base.

In a video announcement earlier this year, al-Wahayshi, a Yemeni, threatened attacks against Westerners in the oil-exporting region. The group has also called for the overthrow of the U.S.-allied Saudi royal family.

Al Arabiya television said there had been four air strikes.

Yemen’s Supreme Security Committee issued a warning to citizens in the province of Shabwa not to aid the militants.

On Monday, Yemen said its security forces and war planes last week foiled a planned series of suicide bombings. About 30 al Qaeda militants were killed in those airstrikes with 17 arrested in Abyan and in Arhab, northeast of the capital Sanaa.

Yemen, which has intensified its campaign against Al Qaeda militants over recent weeks, is also facing a Shi’ite rebellion in the north and secessionist violence in the south.