Posted on 12/17/2006 4:03:30 PM PST by DAVEY CROCKETT
VEVAK learned its methodology from the Soviet KGB and many of the Islamist revolutionaries who supported Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini actually studied at Moscow's Patrice Lumumba Friendship University, the Oxford of terrorism. Documented Iranian alumni include the current Supreme Leader (the faqih) Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, under whose Velayat-e Faqih (Rule of the Islamic Jurisprudent) apparatus it has traditionally operated. Its current head is Cabinet Minister Hojatoleslam Gholam-Hussein Mohseni-Ezhei, a graduate of Qom's Haqqani School, noted for its extremist position advocating violence against enemies and strict clerical control of society and government. The Ministry is very well funded and its charge, like that of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (the Pasdaran) is to guard the revolutionary Islamic Iranian regime at all costs and under all contingencies.
From the KGB playbook, VEVAK learned the art of disinformation. It's not so difficult to learn: tell the truth 80% of the time and lie 20%. Depending on how well a VEVAK agent wants to cover his/her tracks, the ratio may go up to 90/10, but it never drops below the 80/20 mark as such would risk suspicion and possible detection. The regime in Teheran has gone to great lengths to place its agents in locations around the world. Many of these operatives have been educated in the West, including the U.K. and the United States. Iranian government agencies such as embassies, consulates, Islamic cultural centers, and airline offices regularly provide cover for the work of VEVAK agents who dress well and are clean shaven, and move comfortably within our society. In this country, because of the severance of diplomatic relations, the principal site of VEVAK activities begins at the offices of Iran's Permanent Mission to the UN in New York.
Teheran has worked diligently to place its operatives in important think tanks and government agencies in the West. Some of its personnel have been recruited while in prison through torture or more often through bribery, or a combination of both. Others are Islamist revolutionaries that have been set up to look like dissidents - often having been arrested and imprisoned, but released for “medical reasons”. The clue to detecting the fake “dissident” is to read carefully what he/she writes, and to ask why this vocal “dissident” was released from prison when other real dissidents have not been released, indeed have been grievously tortured and executed. Other agents have been placed in this country for over twenty-five years to slowly go through the system and rise to positions of academic prominence due to their knowledge of Farsi and Shia Islam or Islamist fundamentalism.
One of the usual tactics of VEVAK is to co-opt academia to its purposes. Using various forms of bribery, academics are bought to defend the Islamic Republic or slander its enemies. Another method is to assign bright students to train for academic posts as specialists in Iranian or Middle East affairs. Once established, such individuals are often consulted by our government as it tries to get a better idea of how it should deal with Iran. These academics then are in a position to skew the information, suggesting the utility of extended dialogue and negotiation, or the danger and futility of confronting a strong Iran or its proxies such as Hizballah (Hezbollah). These academics serve to shield the regime from an aggressive American or Western policy, and thereby buy more time for the regime to attain its goals, especially in regards to its nuclear weaponry and missile programs.
MOIS likes to use the media, especially electronic media, to its advantage. One of VEVAK's favorite tricks is setting up web sites that look like they are opposition sites but which are actually controlled by the regime. These sites often will be multilingual, including Farsi, German, Arabic French, and English. Some are crafted carefully and are very subtle in how they skew their information (e.g., Iran-Interlink, set up and run by Massoud Khodabandeh and his wife Ann Singleton from Leeds, England); others are less subtle, simply providing the regime's point of view on facts and events in the news (e.g., www.mujahedeen.com or www.mojahedin.ws). This latter group is aimed at the more gullible in our open society and unfortunately such a market exists. However, if one begins to do one's homework, asking careful questions, the material on these fake sites generally does not add up.
Let's examine a few examples of VEVAK's work in the United States. In late October, 2005, VEVAK sent three of its agents to Washington to stage a press event in which the principal Iranian resistance movement, the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MeK), was to be slandered. Veteran VEVAK agent Karim Haqi flew from Amsterdam to Canada where he was joined by VEVAK's Ottawa agents Amir-Hossein Kord Rostami and Mahin (Parvin-Mahrokh) Haji, and the three flew from Toronto to Washington. Fortunately the resistance had been tracking these three, informed the FBI of their presence in Washington, and when the three tried to hold a press conference, the resistance had people assigned to ask pointed questions of them so that they ended the interview prematurely and fled back to Canada.
Abolghasem Bayyenet is a member of the Iranian government. He serves as a trade expert for the Ministry of Commerce. But his background of study and service in the Foreign Ministry indicates that Bayyenet is more than just an economist or a suave and savvy businessman. In an article published in Global Politician on April 23, 2006, entitled “Is Regime Change Possible in Iran?”, Bayyenet leads his audience to think that he is a neutral observer, concerned lest the United States make an error in its assessment of Iran similar to the errors of intelligence and judgment that led to our 2003 invasion of Iraq, with its less than successful outcome. However, his carefully crafted bottom line is that the people of Iran are not going to support regime change and that hardliner President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad actually has achieved greater popularity than his predecessors because of his concern for the problems of the poor and his fight for economic and social justice. To the naive, Bayyenet makes Ahmadinejad sound positively saintly. Conveniently overlooked is the occurrence of over four thousand acts of protest, strikes, anti-regime rallies, riots, and even political assassinations by the people of Iran against the government in the year since Ahmadinejad assumed office. So too, the following facts are ignored: the sizeable flight of capital, the increase in unemployment, and the rising two-figure rate of inflation, all within this last year. Bayyenet is a regime apologist, and when one is familiar with the facts, his arguments ring very hollow. However, his English skills are excellent, and so the naОve might be beguiled by his commentary.
Mohsen Sazegara is VEVAK's “reformed revolutionary”. A student supporter of Khomeini before the 1979 revolution, Sazegara joined the “imam” on his return from exile and served in the government for a decade before supposedly growing disillusioned.
He formed several reformist newspapers but ran afoul of the hardliners in 2003 and was arrested and imprisoned by VEVAK. Following “hunger strikes”, Sazegara was released for health reasons and permitted to seek treatment abroad. Although critical of the government and particularly of Ahmadinejad and KhameneМ, Sazegara is yet more critical of opposition groups, leaving the impression that he favors internal regime change but sees no one to lead such a movement for the foreseeable future. His bottom line: no one is capable of doing what needs to be done, so we must bide our time. Very slick, but his shadow shows his likely remaining ties to the MOIS.
http://www.ocnus.net/artman/publish/article_27144.shtml
Spain to declassify papers in bomb trial: report
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/worldhotnews/read.php?newsid=30027708
Spain to declassify papers in bomb trial: report
Madrid - The Spanish authorities are set to release an intelligence
document requested by defence lawyers in the Madrid bombings trial, who
hope it will show an ETA link to the attacks, a newspaper reported
Friday.
The document is the transcript of an interview conducted by the
Spanish intelligence agency CNI with Jose Emilio Suarez Trashorras, a
Spaniard accused of transporting the explosives used in the March 2004
attacks.
Left-wing daily El Pais said Friday that the document was due to be
declassified, but that Trashorras made no mention of ETA -- or of any
relationship between the bombing suspects and the militant Basque group.
The newspaper did not cite its sources.
Earlier reports in the conservative El Mundo newspaper suggested that
Trashorras had told the CNI that bombing suspect Jamel Ahmidan knew two
members of the Basque separatist group ETA: Irkus Badillo and Gorka
Vidal.
Ahmidan died in a police raid after the attacks. Badillo and Vidal
were jailed for 22 years earlier this month for transporting half a tonne
of explosives to Madrid just prior to the 2004 bombings in which 191
people died.
Both are due to appear at the massive March bombings trial as defence
witnesses for Moroccan national Jamal Zougam, who is acccused of being
one of the bombers.
The issue is politically sensitive because the then government of the
Popular Party (PP) initially blamed the bombings on ETA -- even as
evidence emerged suggesting that radical Islamists were to blame.
It was a mistake that played a large part in the PP losing elections
three days after the bombings.
The court hearing the trial of the 29 mainly Moroccan men accused of
involvement in the bombings, Spain's worst-ever terrorist attack, asked
the government on Monday to declassify the national intelligence agency
document.
Prosecutors have ruled out any link between the alleged Islamist
radicals and ETA.
But some right-wing Spanish politicians and parts of the conservative
media have continued to suggest a link exists between the Islamists and
ETA.
The group has killed more than 800 people in its four-decade-long
fight for Basque independence.
Ahmidan is one of seven alleged ring leaders of the Islamic cell
accused of carrying out the attacks.
They blew themselves up three weeks after the train bombings, as
police closed in on their suburban Madrid apartment hideout.
Trashorras, a former miner, is one of the seven main accused of the 29
people on trial for the bombings. He is charged with murder for all 191
people who died in the train bombings.
Agence France Presse
Russia, Afghanistan discuss terrorism, narcotics, trade
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200702/24/eng20070224_352124.html
UPDATED: 10:35, February 24, 2007
Russia, Afghanistan discuss terrorism, narcotics, trade
Visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Afghan
counterpart Rangin Dadfar Spanta issued a joint statement on Friday,
after discussed issues related to terrorism, narcotics and trade.
"Russia highly desires for an Afghanistan without menace of terrorism
and a country with a sustainable security and development," the
statement said.
Russia was concerned about the production and traffic of narcotics in
Afghanistan, and was ready to assist Afghanistan to combate against
narcotics, it added.
Afghanistan produced a record 6,100 tons of opium in 2006, which
accounted for 92 percent of the world's supply. A great amount of
narcotics was trafficked to Russia as the terminal.
According to the statement, the Afghan government welcomed Russian
traders and companies to join the reconstruction projects in the
country, and the Russian side showed great interest in it.
Lavrov carried out his one-day visit here Friday, during which he met
Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Foreign Minister Spanta.
It was the first time that a Russian foreign minister visited
Afghanistan since February, 2002.
ETHNIC, SECURITY TENSIONS BUILDING IN MAKHACHKALA
By Andrei Smirnov
Thursday, February 22, 2007
On February 10, rebels attacked a group of Russian soldiers in the city
of Buinaksk. The problem is a long-standing one. For nearly a decade,
the republic has been a battleground for the pro-Russian authorities
and
Islamic insurgents supported by rebels from neighboring Chechnya.
"Unfortunately, there was no turning point in fighting terrorism,”
local
president Mukhu Aliev conceded to Dmitry Kozak, the Russian president’s
envoy to the Southern Federal District. “This issue is still on the
agenda" (regnum, February 9; also see Chechnya Weekly, February 15).
Dagestan needs a strong, effective police force to suppress the
insurgency, but recent events have revealed a deep crisis in the local
security agencies. Already this year the rebels have killed six
policemen and twice tried to kill the republican interior minister and
the police chief of Khasavyurt (Chechnya Weekly, February 8).
On February 15, 250 policemen from one regiment refused to obey orders
from the Dagestan Interior Ministry and demanded the resignation of its
head, Adilgirei Magomedtagirov. Abdurashid Bibulatov, the acting
commander of the regiment, and Magomed Shamilov, the leader of the
Dagestan police union, led the mutiny. The regiment stood on the parade
ground inside the garrison located in Makhachkala, the republican
capital. The policemen held signs with slogans such as: "The interior
minister should resign!" and "Down with Corruption in the Interior
Ministry!" The policemen explained their protest was prompted by the
fact that they were not paid for overtime. Waiting for rebel attacks,
the Dagestan police are on permanent alert and officers work 12-14
hours
every day instead of the normal eight. Then their overtime pay
disappears inside the Ministry headquarters (Kommersant, February 16).
However, the problem runs deeper than just pay stolen by corrupt
officials. The Dagestan policemen are feeling more and more isolated
from the general public. Bibulatov, the acting commander, complained to
a Radio Liberty journalist that 80% of the population in Dagestan hate
the police and that the police force is full of traitors who help the
militants. According to Bibulatov, eight members of the local special
forces (OMON) have joined the rebels and are now on the most-wanted
list
(Radio Liberty, February 16).
The same day as the mutiny, Magomedtagirov met with the leaders of the
protest and promised to launch a special audit of the Ministry. But
instead on February 16, one day later, Magomedtagirov fired Bibulatov.
Apparently the minister has no desire to compromise with the mutineers.
As for the missing overtime wages, the police officers likely will
recover at least part of what they are owed, because the police are the
only force the Dagestan authorities can still rely on.
Along with the police revolts, the upcoming elections to the local
legislature have again sparked ethnic conflict. President Aliev, an
Avar, heads the pro-Kremlin United Russia party. All of the best-known
Avar politicians and officials appear on the United Russia party list.
Since United Russia is likely to win the election, the new parliament
would consist mostly of Avars. There is one Dargin, Said Amirov, the
mayor of Makhachkala, on the list, but he is without any real
influence.
As for other ethnic groups, they were blocked from joining the list and
had to join other parties with little chance to win seats in the
parliament. Many Dargin and Lezgin political leaders joined the
Patriots
of Russia party, which is now the strongest opposition party in the
republic (Vremya novostei, February 16). Patriots of Russia is unlikely
to win the elections, as most observers expect fraud to occur, but it
could win a few seats. Now the competition between different parties
has
turned into an ethnic conflict between the domineering Avars (who
comprise 30% of the population of Dagestan) and Dargins, Lezgins, and
other minorities.
On February 14 Eduard Khidirov, the chairman of the Dagestan branch of
the Patriots of Russia, was gravely wounded when his car was riddled
with bullets in the center of Makhachkala. This assassination attempt
has seriously aggravated ethnic relations in the republic. Dagestan has
not seen such ill will among ethnic clans since the late 1990s.
The Kumyk minority has also begun to stir. On February 19, the Kumyks
organized a rally in Makhachkala protesting against the possible
appointment of a non-Kumyk as head of the Dagestan Teacher Training
University. According to the loose multiethnic formula used to
distribute jobs among the ethnic groups in the region, the University
should be headed by a Kumyk (Vremya novostei, February 16; gazeta.ru,
February 19).
While ethnic clans step up the power struggle, ordinary citizens have
united in protest against the corrupt authorities in the republic. So
far this year anti-government protests have occurred in Kizilyurt
District and in the city of Kaspiisk (Kavkaz-Center, February 8,
gazeta.ru, February 19).
Already in 2007 Dagestan has experienced popular unrest, an emboldened
insurgency, and police defiance. Now political leaders need to step in
and defuse -- no exacerbate -- the situation.
http://jamestown.org/edm/article.php?article_id=2371934
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=438062&in_page_id=1811&ito=1490
Psychics 'hired to find Bin Laden'
by BEN CLERKIN - More by this author » Last updated at 11:54am on 23rd February 2007
Psychics were recruited by the Ministry of Defence to locate Osama Bin Laden's secret lair, it was claimed yesterday.
Newly declassified documents revealed that the MoD conducted an experiment to see if volunteers could 'see' objects hidden inside an envelope.
More here...
• 'Bin Laden speech at bomb factory'
It is claimed the ministry hoped positive results would allow it to use psychics to 'remotely view' Bin Laden's base and also to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
However, after running up a bill of £18,000 of taxpayers' money, defence chiefs concluded there was 'little value' in using psychic powers in the defence of the nation and the research was taken no further.
The study, conducted in 2002, involved blindfolding test subjects and asking them to 'see' the contents of sealed brown envelopes containing pictures of objects and public figures.
The MoD tried to recruit 12 'known' psychics who advertised their abilities on the Internet, but when they all refused they were forced to use 'novice' volunteers.
The report, released under the Freedom of Information Act, shows 28 per cent of those tested managed to guess the contents of the envelopes, which included pictures of a knife, Mother Teresa and an 'Asian individual'.
But most subjects, who were holed up in a secret location for the study, were hopelessly off the mark. One even fell asleep while he tried to focus on the envelope's content.
A former MoD employee who received a copy of the report said the timing of the study must have been related to military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Nick Pope, who ran the MoD UFO research programme and worked at the ministry for 21 years, said: "It can only be speculation, but you don't employ that kind of time and effort to find money down the back of the sofa.
"You go to this trouble for high-value assets. We must be talking about Bin Laden and weapons of mass destruction."
The MoD last night defended its decision to fund the secret tests despite the questionable use of taxpayers' money.
And Mr Pope said: "I don't think this was a waste of public money. Many people will say so, but I think it is marvellous that the Government is prepared to think outside the box.
"And this is as outside the box as it gets."
http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?no=346991&rel_no=1
Warlords' Show of Strength
Thousands rally in Kabul to show support for former strongmen
Daud Khan (aimalkhan) Email Article Print Article
Published 2007-02-24 04:29 (KST)
To the chagrin of international rights organizations and law-abiding citizens, more than a dozen former mujahideen leaders (holy warriors), accused of war crimes and human rights violations, organized a peaceful rally in Kabul in support of the controversial draft law exonerating them from the crimes.
The bill, known as the Reconciliation Draft Law, was passed by the Wolesi Jirga or lower house of the Afghan parliament late last month. It was then referred to the upper house or Meshrano Jirga, which also accorded approval in toto through majority vote.
More than 15,000 supporters of the former strongmen, mostly youth from Kabul and the adjoining provinces, gathered in Kabul's sole Ghazi Stadium to voice support for the bill granting impunity to the warlords.
Chanting slogans against the United States and the outspoken female member of parliament Malalai Joya, the youths rallied through Kabul streets with banners and photographs of the warlords, majority of whom are now members of the President Karzai cabinet or the two houses of parliament.
The 28-year-old Malalai Joya from Afghanistan's western Farah province catapulted to fame when she launched into a tirade during the Constitutional Loya Jirga (Grand Assembly) held in Kabul in late 2003.
She was the first to raise voice against the controversial impunity bill after its sudden passage by the lower house of Afghan parliament on Jan. 30, 2007.
In their address to the gathering, the leaders said they would not tolerate criticism of those who fought jihad (holy war) against the Soviets and who, according to the speakers, are the heroes of the people of Afghanistan.
"Afghan people will show strong reaction if any one dared to raise accusing finger at the mujahideen leaders after that," said Qasim Fahim, one of the former warlords and senior adviser to President Hamid Karzai.
Fahim remarks were an open message to the rights organisations, media outlets and some members of parliament, particularly the emboldened Joya, who time and again issue statements to taunt the former strongmen over the rights issue.
Abdul Rab Rasul Sayaf, another strongman and former warlord, who is now sitting in the lower house of parliament, told the gathering at the jam-packed Ghazi Stadium that the bill was passed to achieve lasting peace in the insurgency-wracked country.
"It is aimed at bringing peace and stability," said Sayaf, who is accused of fighting a bloody battle with his rival groups between 1992 and 96 during which more than 70,000 civilians are said to have been killed only in the central capital Kabul.
The bill, which will be forwarded to President Hamid Karzai for signing into a law, is yet to be studied by the Afghan president. Two days back, an official of Karzai's media office told journalists that the president would not sign the bill. However, the president, during a press conference Thursday night, said he had yet to study the bill.
The Friday show of power by the former warlords and their supporter is also considered a signal to the beleaguered Afghan leader, who seemed caught between the rock and the hard place.
Interestingly, if signed into a law, which seems a possibility after the massive demonstration, the bill will also exonerate Taliban chief Mulla Mohammad Omar and former mujahideen prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who are on top of the most-wanted men of the United States.
The other worthy of note aspect of the Friday's demonstration was that majority of the leaders are either members of President Hamid Karzai's cabinet or members of any of the two houses of parliament.
Prominent among them included Minister for Energy and Water Ismail Khan, Karzai's advisor Mohammad Qasim Fahim, the two vice presidents (Karzai's deputies) Ahmad Zia Masood and Karim Khalili, Karzai's chief of army staff Abdul Rashid Dostum, speaker of the lower house of parliament Younus Qanuni, leader of Shiite Hazara community Mohammad Mohaqqiq, members of parliament Burhanuddin Rabbani (former president), Rasul Sayaf, Musafa Kazimi, Arif Noorzai and Noorul Haq Uloomi.
Although none of the leaders and organizers of the first-ever gathering of its type in Kabul chanted slogans against the United States -- the main backer of President Hamid Karzai -- the supporters of the leaders were seen cursing the world's sole Super Power and international rights organizations.
"Allahu Akbar" or "God is great," "Long live mujahideen" and "Death to America" were the common slogans on the lips of many of the participants flocked to the ruined stadium to express support for their "heroes." They were also carrying banners and placards bearing photographs of the leaders.
Tough security measures were in place in and around this fortified capital by deploying heavy contingents of police and the fledgling Afghan National Army (ANA).
Interior Ministry officials in Kabul said they had deployed 12,000 police in the city to control the situation and avoid any untoward incident. Security was also tightened at all the entry points where police and military personnel were searching all vehicles entering Kabul. There was no incident of violence.
©2007 OhmyNews
Taliban threatens 'bloodiest year' as UK boosts troops
Published in: The Guardian
February 23, 2007
The Taliban today threatened the deadliest year yet for foreign troops in Afghanistan as the government prepared to announce the deployment of 1,000 more British troops to the country.
"This year will prove to be the bloodiest for the foreign troops. It is not just a threat: we will prove it," the senior Taliban commander Mullah Dadullah told the Reuters news agency via satellite phone, adding that militants would be armed with shipments of new guns.
"The Taliban's war preparations are going on in caves and in mountains. Our 6,000 fighters are ready for attacks on foreign troops after the change in weather and as it becomes warmer," he said
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,,2020034,00.html
Fourth as-Sahab Video of Mujahideen Launching BM Rockets at an American Base in Lwara, Afghanistan
By SITE Institute
February 23, 2007
A fourth video from as-Sahab depicting the launching of BM rockets at an American base in Lwara, Afghanistan was issued today, Friday, February 23, 2007. The 56-second clip is from the series, “Hell for the Americans in the Land of Kharasan [Afghanistan]”, and is indicated to have taken place on November 28, 2006, only days after the previous release, which was issued on February 14. As in previous entries, it shows the Mujahideen setting up the launcher and firing the rockets.
The video is provided to our Intel Service members.
http://www.siteinstitute.org/bin/articles.cgi?ID=publications256007&Category=publications&Subcategory=0
Appears to be a jihad recruiting website:
http://crusaderwatcher.blogspot.com/2007/02/taliban-mujahideen-are-prepared-to.html
Not sure if you've seen this yet.....bears posting in case anyone has bought these.
Posted on Sat, Feb. 24, 2007
Cantaloupes recalled for salmonella
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A wholesale produce importer on Friday recalled several thousand cartons of cantaloupes from Costa Rica after some tested positive for salmonella.
Castle Produce said the recall covered roughly 2,560 cartons delivered on or after Feb. 16 to wholesalers in Los Angeles and San Francisco for distribution in the Western states.
The cantaloupes were distributed for sale in bulk in cardboard cartons, with nine, 12 or 15 melons to a carton.
There have been no reports of illness due to the contaminated cantaloupes, said Steven Reynolds, the company's chief financial officer. He said he didn't know whether the fruit had reached any stores.
Reynolds said the source of the salmonella was a plastic basket used to hold the cantaloupes after they are harvested and washed.
The Dole Fresh Fruit Co. on Feb. 16 recalled about 6,100 cartons of cantaloupes distributed to wholesalers in the eastern United States and Quebec from Feb. 5 to Feb. 8. The cantaloupes also were imported from Costa Rica and tested positive for salmonella.
Reynolds said Castle Produce's fruit came from the same grower. Dole spokeswoman Marianne Duong said she could not confirm this.
Salmonella, which commonly originates from the feces of birds and animals, can cause diarrhea, fever, dehydration, abdominal pain and vomiting.
http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/news/state/16774554.htm?source=rss&channel=montereyherald_state
February 23, 2007 PM Anti-Terrorism News
Al-Qaida: Video shows hit on U.S. base - 56-second video shows rockets
fired at U.S. military base in Afghanistan
http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A9htfMDwqd9Fic0AgRTQtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHZkMjZyBHBvcwMxBHNlYwNzcg--/SIG=12t72l319/EXP=1172372336/**http%3a//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070224/ap_on_re_mi_ea/afghanistan_al_qaida_3
(Pakistan) Blast That Killed U.S. Diplomat Tied to Qaeda - Highlights
links between Pakistani jihad groups and Al Qaeda in Waziristan
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/24/world/asia/24pakistan.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
White House Rehearses for a Domestic Attack - Testing simultaneous
terror attacks by “sleeper cells†using IEDs in 5 cities
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17302994/site/newsweek/
(U.S.) Terrorist suspect's self-portrait a puzzle - Daniel Maldonado's
notes released by Justice Department
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4575177.html
Ethiopian court upholds death sentences over terror - Attacks killed 29
and wounded 18 others during 11 years
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/23022007/325/ethiopian-court-upholds-death-sentences-terror.html
(Iraq) Straying From the Script - Newsweek: U.S. official in Baghdad
overstated extent of Iranian leaders' involvement in Iraq violence
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17265231/site/newsweek/?from=rss
(Iraq) US weapons making their way to PKK forces in northern Iraq
http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/6000135.asp?gid=74
(Iraq) U.S. Apologizes After Arresting Son of Iraqi Politician
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,254020,00.html
Afghanistan: Taliban Attacks Signal Start Of Spring Offensive
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/2/19AD086C-B571-4471-9100-EE42EE0496FB.html
(U.S.) Professor plays role in Afghanistan searches - Nebraska
professor, Afghanistan expert, advised U.S. on OBL's location after 9-11
attacks
http://www.theeagle.com/stories/022307/am_20070223010.php
Thais' sense of self threatened by insurgency - Zachary Abuza: ""The
brutality is amazing.. "It's more Islamist than it's ever been"
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/thais-sense-of-self-threatened-by-insurgency/2007/02/23/1171734017522.html
Blast in Russia's Chechnya kills at least five
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L23152293.htm
Security professionals gloomy on terrorism outlook
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070223/wl_nm/counterterrorism_mood_dc_1;_ylt=AkzaqNtFvW0ciuRkhLI1aVETv5UB
Canada's Highest Court Strikes Terror Detention Law and Charges tossed
for Canada terror suspect
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070223/ap_on_re_ca/canada_terrorism_arrests_1
Top Canadian court strikes down anti-terror law
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070223/wl_nm/terror_dc_2;_ylt=AteVpieiihknbeZYXiEQODcTv5UB
Canada rules indefinite detention wrong
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/canada_anti_terror_law;_ylt=Aks_hvQGzKXGz1ZvaBZOlh0Tv5UB
Nepal's Maoists give up nearly 3,500 weapons
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2007/February/subcontinent_February866.xml§ion=subcontinent
NKorea invites UN atomic inspector - North Korea asked chief U.N.
atomic inspector to visit, 4 years after expelling his experts
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070223/ap_on_re_as/koreas_nuclear;_ylt=AhBonGq92iMm19DnONE5LlKs0NUE
Plane reporting smoke lands at airport
An American Airlines jet carrying 147 passengers was forced to make an
emergency landing at Louisville International Airport about midnight
after
smoke was reported in the cockpit.
Flight 1354 took off from Dallas-Fort Worth at 8:15 p.m. en route to
Newark,
N.J., where it was scheduled to land at 1:25 a.m., according to the
airline’s web site.
Instead, it was diverted and landed safely in Louisville, said Trish
Burke,
an airport spokeswoman.
Three adults and one child were taken to area hospitals with minor
injuries,
according to a MetroSafe communications supervisor.
The airport was notified of the in-flight emergency at 11:09 p.m., and
on-site fire personnel found no fire on the plane when it landed, Burke
said.
All passengers were off the plane just after midnight and were being
examined by emergency workers at the scene.
“Some of the passengers reported burning eyes” and breathing problems
associated with smoke inhalation, Burke said.
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070223/NEWS01/30
2230017/1008/NEWS01
AF jet crashes near Hondo
An Air Force training jet from Randolph Air Force Base has crashed
southwest
of San Antonio along the Medina-Frio County line.
The crash happened at 12:45 p.m., about 12 miles south of Hondo in the
middle of a large private ranch.
The pilot ejected and was able to walk to an AirLife helicopter. He was
taken to Wilford Hall Medical Center for observation.
The plane that crashed is a T-38 Talon, a twin-engine jet that is used
by
the Air Force for training. The aircraft is assigned to the 12th Flying
Training Wing at Randolph Air Force Base.
Another Talon crashed earlier this year.
A committee of officers will be assembled to investigate Thursday's
crash,
the military said.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/military/stories/MYSA022207.pilotcrash.KENS
.20b6da1.html
February 24, 2007 Anti-Terrorism News
(Iraq) Tens of militants reported killed in Iraq raid
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/focusoniraq/2007/February/focusoniraq_February205.xml§ion=focusoniraq
(Iraq) Five killed, 24 wounded in car bombing attacks
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21282612-1702,00.html
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070224/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_violence_1;_ylt=Aj2BwVh9RmMDHJeAZ3NNQSZX6GMA
Iraq: Three more US soldiers killed in Anbar
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1171894502624&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
(Iraq) US says Iraq chlorine bomb factory was al Qaeda's
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PAR444851.htm
(Iraq) U.S. military defends arrest of Shiite politician's son
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/02/24/iraq.main/index.html
(Iraq) Jihadi Vs. Jihadi - Ansar al-Sunnah complains to Al-Qaeda that
terrorists killing each other
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/02/jihadi_vs_jihad.html
(Pakistan) 3 suspected terrorists die in Pakistan - Islamist terrorists
die when bicycle bomb explodes early
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/pakistan_bomb;_ylt=AgBe_T5vYQdRpPJDvn99OAPzPukA
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1171894505313&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
(Pakistan) Female suicide bomber dressed to kill -- planning to target
Pakistan Air Force installations in Peshawar
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\02\24\story_24-2-2007_pg7_27
http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/detailed_news.asp?date1=2/24/2007#10
(Pakistan/Afghanistan) The border post where bribes buy an easy entry
for Taliban
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article1431756.ece
(Afghanistan) Britain sending more troops to Afghanistan
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/Britain_sending_more_troops_to_Afghanistan/20070224-075808-9535r/
(Afghanistan) Taliban Recruiting Hundreds of Suicide Bombers for Major
Attack on NATO Forces in the Spring: Al-Jazeera Reports
http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD147307
(Somalia) Exodus from Mogadishu after deadly attacks - heavy fighting
overnight leaves 10 dead
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070224/wl_afp/somaliaunrestethiopia_070224105107;_ylt=AmpTFe8a7N_CspCz1ZVW6_2QLIUD
(Somalia) Hundreds of civilians wounded in Somali fighting, say Red
Cross
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/24/africa/AF-GEN-Somalia.php
(India) Firebombs Used in India Rail Attack Have U.S. Officials Worried
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/02/firebombs_used_.html
(India) Rebel ambush kills 15 police commandos in northeast India
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070224/wl_sthasia_afp/indianortheastunrest_070224122054;_ylt=AgbNUxlaJsc3MLy3en4WiQxA7AkB
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1171894505633&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
(India) Terrorists sneaking into big cities: Patil
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Terrorists_sneaking_into_big_cities_Patil/articleshow/1629511.cms
(St Louis, MO) St. Charles man accused in arms case is indicted -
Palestinian immigrant Mousa M. Abuelawi "stated he wants to buy as many
explosives as possible because, 'we're going to war.'"
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/7F0D225A619E19FB8625728C00105EE2?OpenDocument
US group sues over terror support policy - ACLU regarding exclusion of
Tariq Ramadan from US - donated to Hamas-linked group
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1171894504720&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
(Lebanon) UNIFIL: Lebanon Okays Hizbullah Patrols
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/121663
Iran: Nukes Are 'Inalienable Right'
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,254280,00.html
(Iran) American armada prepares to take on Iran
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/24/wiran24.xml
Israel denies report it is planning an Iran attack
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070224/ts_nm/israel_iran_dc_1;_ylt=Au8Y1nIMVYKfV4O3kj9xcjfuyucA
(Iran) Report: Israel seeks all clear for Iran air strike - UK Daily
Telegraph reports Israel is negotiating with the United States for
permission to fly over Iraq as part of a plan to attack Iran's nuclear
facilities
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=TN3Y4BWN2EDF1QFIQMFCFF4AVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2007/02/24/wiran124.xml
Commentary: Israel Ready for war with Iran
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=TN3Y4BWN2EDF1QFIQMFCFF4AVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2007/02/24/nriran24.xml
(Gaza) Three die in fresh Gaza violence
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2007/February/middleeast_February393.xml§ion=middleeast
(Israel) Police thwart bombing attack in Jerusalem bank
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1171894502489&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
(Australia) Hicks 'al-Qaeda's 24 carat golden boy'
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21279170-1702,00.html
(Thailand) Bangkok police on high alert amid terror threats
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070224/ts_afp/thailandsecuritytravel_070224060519;_ylt=AhhW4_KUWQiTPcR48aZRMKbuNREB
(Thailand) Minister: Support for Thai rebels growing - now claim 10,000
adherents
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/Minister_Support_for_Thai_rebels_growing/20070223-115612-1527r/
(Thailand) Two Russian tourists shot dead in Thailand
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21281516-1702,00.html
(UK Birmingham Kidnap Plot) Trial Set For Next Year - Parviz Khan,
"ringleader" of plot
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-1253010,00.html?f=rss
http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level.php?cat=Terrorism&loid=8.0.389557528&par=0
(UK) Man in court over UK 'kidnap plot'
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/02/23/uk.court.plot.reut/index.html
(UK) 'Hindu girls targeted by extremists'
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=38548&in_page_id=34
Report: Osama targets Prince Harry -- Code-breakers say top al-Qaida
leader wants Iraq-bound royal – 'dead or alive'
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54405
(Spain) Key Suspect Back in the Dock at Madrid Train Bombing Trial
http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level.php?cat=Terrorism&loid=8.0.389620256&par=0
(Canada) Tears of joy from accused terrorist as court quashes security
certificates
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=a8f532a1-4483-4a3a-990b-e573d84a417a&k=1392
MEMRI: Islamist Websites Monitor No. 66
http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD147607
Officials: Russian police kill 2 suspected militants after siege in
restive southern region
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/24/europe/EU-GEN-Restive-South.php
(Nigeria) Police: Nigeria gunmen shoot 2; 1 dies
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070223/ap_on_re_af/nigeria_oil_unrest_2;_ylt=AlQ15xtryy2bhy5oil1KshDZ9YEA
N Korea 'ready' to stop making plutonium
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21277041-1702,00.html
(Philippines) Frenchman arrested for bomb joke at airport
http://www.expatica.com/actual/article.asp?subchannel_id=58&story_id=36827
Sri Lanka happy as India blows up LTTE boat
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1936485,001302310001.htm
Sri Lanka troops take Tiger bases on truce anniversary
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070224/wl_sthasia_afp/srilankaunresttigers_070224090032;_ylt=AvlszZmJKKej.ZqX3Mdp87EtM8oA
Colombian rebels offer prisoner swap
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070224/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/colombia_kidnapped_betancourt_1;_ylt=AnGYkmbjghXtimbGTLaLrSuwv7kA
Colombian president willing to meet with FARC rebels
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070224/wl_afp/colombiarebelskidnap_070224033155;_ylt=Al5Ulz87Z2lDY98YE9n7I1Wwv7kA
Other News:
Jordanian Muslims march against Mughrabi dig
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1171894502481&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Passenger on flying imams' flight speaks out
http://hotair.com/archives/2007/02/23/video-passenger-on-flying-imams-flight-speaks-out/
(Netherlands) Kamp predicts row over burqa ban
http://www.expatica.com/actual/article.asp?subchannel_id=19&story_id=36895
Russian Parliament Rejects Power Sharing Agreement With Muslim Internal
Republic
http://www.mosnews.com/news/2007/02/21/tatarstan.shtml
Thanks, I am not sure if we have that one or not, I don't recall having read it........this year.
Strange that they manage to ruin cantalope, every year.
So many foods on recall right now.
Profile Of A Terrorist
INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
Posted 2/21/2007
Global Jihad: A new Gallup poll finds that richer, better-educated Muslims are more likely to be radicalized. This explodes the myth of the poor, dumb terrorist.
Since 9/11, the politically correct elite have mau-maued Americans into thinking the terrorists have hijacked a peaceful religion out of ignorance and poverty. Or that they've been brainwashed by Osama bin Laden.
But Gallup found the opposite to hold true: The most radical among Muslims — those who support jihad — earn more and stay in school longer. These are the smart ones, not the rubes.
Surely there must be some mistake. Perhaps Gallup's sample was too small. Actually, its surveys represent more than 90% of Muslims. They were carried out in 2006 and 2005 in 10 predominantly Muslim countries. About 10,000 Muslims were polled.
Statistics aside, there's plenty of anecdotal evidence to support the findings. Look at the backgrounds of some of the world's most notorious Muslim terrorists:
• Bin Laden, the son of a Saudi billionaire, studied engineering.
• His deputy Ayman al-Zawahri is an eye surgeon.
• Mohamed Atta, the son of a lawyer, earned a master's degree in urban planning.
• 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed graduated from an American college with an engineering degree.
• Flight 93 pilot Ziad Jarrah's father is a Beirut bureaucrat who drove a Mercedes and put his son through prep school.
Some of the London bombers had college degrees. One was a schoolteacher. Another's father owned a store.
Many of the Saudi hijackers were the best and brightest in their towns. Hani Hanjour, who crashed the plane into the Pentagon, studied English at the University of Arizona. Family members were wealthy merchants from Taif, a resort city in Saudi Arabia.
Most Palestinian suicide bombers have come from middle-class homes. They didn't do what they did to escape poverty.
And some of the most radical imams in America have doctorates.
Gallup merely backs with statistics what we already knew. Contrary to liberal dogma, education makes Muslims only more extreme, not more moderate. Education doesn't stop terrorism.
Inviting more Muslims to our shores in the hopes they'll embrace our culture and adopt our values also seems misguided.
Yet this is the logic behind the White House's deal to grant 21,000 student visas to young Saudi men over the next four years. It's been sold as a cultural exchange program.
But do we really want to educate thousands of Saudis on our campuses if education helps only to radicalize Muslims?
Gallup's survey of Muslims, the largest conducted, puts to rest theories that radicals attack us because they're poor and alienated from society. Or because they're dim and easily misled.
Radical Muslims have an education and an economic future, yet they still hate. They're literate enough to interpret their holy books, yet they still embrace jihad against infidels.
Perhaps the only sane course in this war is to separate the West from Islam.
..................................................................................................................................
As PD111 says this is the first time a Main steam Newspaper has advocated separation of Islam and the west, this is significant and for a publication such as the "Investors Business Daily" to be the first is probably more significant. This could have a direct effect on those thinking of investing in places like Saudi or the Middle East in general and that would hurt their economies.
Gandalf
posted by gandalf at 4:13 PM
1 Comments:
Anonymous said...
Of course the newspaper censors the fact that the attackers were not white, and were asian, please read the ‘description’ of the attackers, just for a laugh!
http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/display.var.1217601.0.dadtobe_tells_of_car_gang_attack_ordeal.php
Dad-to-be tells of car gang attack ordeal
By Steve Wright
A father-to-be was kicked, stamped and beaten in front of his pregnant girlfriend in what he says was a vicious racist attack.
Mick Stevens, 29, suffered swelling and bruising, and was subjected to repeated racial taunts in the unprovoked assault.
Mick, and his girlfriend Rebecca Ruding, 19, were on their way home after shopping when the attack happened at traffic lights in Fenby Avenue, East Bowling, Bradford.
Mick, of East Bowling, said: "I was crossing the road with Rebecca's cousin at the pelican crossing when a dark blue Ford Focus began revving its engine and inching towards us.
"We got to the pavement and the driver got out. He pulled me back and another lad got out of the car and started hitting me and stamping on my head. They were calling us white b******s.'"
8:23 PM, February 24, 2007
http://uppompeii.blogspot.com/2007/02/investors-business-daily-profile-of.html
http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0geu8zykeBFifUAJJ9XNyoA?p=Martha+Raye+USO&ei=UTF-8&fr=ush2-mail&x=wrt
http://www.google.com/search?q=Martha+Raye+USO&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
I did not know about the work that Martha Raye had done for the USO and our Military, until a few Freepers talked about her.
The article on Ann Margaret came from a friend, it has good photos in it. No url, it is one that is being passed around.
From the looks of this, it is the same story, I am not the only person taken with it.
http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0geu_ZKkuBFUOMADGdXNyoA?p=Ann+Margaret+USO&ei=UTF-8&fr=ush2-mail&x=wrt
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=nlh&q=Ann+Margaret+USO&btnG=Search
This is a good counter balance story to the Jane Fonda/Vietnam/Woman Of The Year story I have received many times in my e-mail....
Ann Margret
Viet Nam 1966
Richard, (my husband), never really talked a lot about his time in Viet Nam other than he had been shot by a sniper. However, he had a rather grainy, 8 x 10 black and white photo he had taken at a USO show of Ann Margret with Bob Hope in the background that was one of his treasures.
A few years ago, Ann Margret was doing a book signing at a local bookstore. Richard wanted to see if he could get her to sign the treasured photo so he arrived at the bookstore at 12 o'clock for the 7:30 signing.
When I got there after work, the line went all the way around the bookstore, circled the parking lot and disappeared behind a parking garage. Before her appearance, bookstore employees announced that she would sign only her book and no memorabilia would be permitted.
Richard was disappointed, but wanted to show her the photo and let her know how much those shows meant to lonely GI's so far from home. Ann Margret came out looking as beautiful as ever and, as second in line, it was soon Richard's turn.
He presented the book for her signature and then took out the photo. When he did, there were many shouts from the employees that she would not sign it. Richard said, "I understand. I just wanted her to see it."
She took one look at the photo, tears welled up in her eyes and she said, "This is one of my gentlemen from Viet Nam and I most certainly will sign his photo. I know what these men did for their country and I always have time for 'my gentlemen.'"
With that, she pulled Richard across the table and planted a big kiss on him. She then made quite a to-do about the bravery of the young men she met over the years, how much she admired them, and how much she appreciated them There weren't too many dry eyes among those close enough to hear. She then posed for pictures and acted as if he were the only one there.
Later at dinner, Richard was very quiet. When I asked if he'd like to talk about it, my big strong husband broke down in tears. "That's the first time anyone ever thanked me for my time in the Army," he said.
That night was a turning point for him. He walked a little straighter and, for the first time in years, was proud to have been a Vet. I'll never forget Ann Margret for her graciousness and how much that small act of kindness meant to my husband
I now make it a point to say "Thank you" to every person I come across who served in our Armed Forces. Freedom does not come cheap and I am grateful for all those who have served their country.
If you'd like to pass on this story, feel free to do so Perhaps it will help others to become aware of how important it is to acknowledge the contribution our service people make.
Don't be too busy today...
Share this inspiring message with friends and family.
On behalf of those who DO appreciate all that you did for us, thank you to each of you who receive this message who have served or are serving our country in the armed services or any other service.
5 Palestinians killed, 15 hurt in clashes between Gaza families
Last update - 11:36 24/02/2007
5 Palestinians killed, 15 hurt in clashes between Gaza families
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/829675.html
By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent and The Associated Press
Five Palestinians were killed and 15 wounded in shootings late Friday and early Saturday in the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, in clashes between families supporting rival parties Hamas and Fatah.
The clashes began shortly before midnight Friday between the Kawara and al-Ghalben clans, after Mohammed Ghelban, a 28-year-old commander from Hamas' military wing, was killed in a drive-by shooting outside of his home.
A 22-year-old man from a Fatah family, Hazem Karouah, was killed several hours later, as was 75-year-old Ismail Sabah, who was caught in the cross-fire.
Authorities at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City said four of the wounded are in critical condition.
This weekend's violence is the most severe to hit the Strip since the signing of the Mecca agreement two weeks ago establishing a unity government composed of Fatah and Hamas.
At least 130 people died in Hamas-Fatah fighting before the two sides signed a power-sharing agreement earlier this month. The pact is widely seen in Palestinian territories as the only way to avert civil war.
In keeping with efforts to maintain the fragile calm, the two factions did not openly blame each other. But in a statement, Hamas' military wing accused suspect figures hiding behind the cover of Karouah family of executing Ghelban.
The statement called on the Karouah family to stop protecting the killers and said Hamas fighters reserved the right to punish the killer.
Meanwhile, armed Palestinians attacked the house of Suleiman Khader in Khan Younis, who holds the rank of colonel in the Palestinian security forces.
The door of his house was blown off and two inhabitants of the house were wounded. The background to the incident remains unclear.
Iran and the U.S.: a delicate balance between war and peace
21 février 2007 RIA Novosti Agence russe
Iran and the U.S.: a delicate balance between war and peace
http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20070221/61079202.html
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Pyotr Goncharov) - On
February 23, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency
will
deliver a report to the UN Security Council on Iran's compliance with
Resolution 1737, adopted last December.
The resolution instructed Iran to suspend all uranium enrichment
activities by February 21. If the report says that Tehran has ignored
these demands, the Security Council will take additional measures to
toughen its sanctions.
Meanwhile the stand-off with Iran is developing beyond its nuclear
program. The United States is forcing events. According to The New
Statesman, the forces deployed in the northwest part of the Indian
Ocean
and in the Persian Gulf would allow the U.S. president to destroy
Iran's
political, economic and military infrastructure within a few hours.
Now it has become obvious that Iran's nuclear program is not the main
problem in its relations with the U.S. Washington has made it clear
that
Tehran will not dominate the Middle East, will not control the Persian
Gulf and that the U.S. will protect its interests in the region and
will
not abandon it under any circumstances. Washington has also made it
clear that it is not going to tolerate Tehran's policies toward Iraq.
All this has been announced as George W. Bush's new strategy.
It is becoming increasingly obvious that the centerpiece of the new
strategy is not the sending of two elite marine battalions and five
brigades to Iraq. It will be the deployment of two carrier strike
groups
and the cutting-edge Patriot PAC-3 anti-missile system in the Persian
Gulf. The question is whether this huge military potential will be used
for its actual purpose, or whether the U.S. will be satisfied with
flexing its muscles and demonstrating its determination. It is quite
possible that Tehran's refusal to stop uranium enrichment will provide
America with a good pretext to get rid of an opponent that claims the
role of a key player in the region and is thwarting its new plans.
So far, Bush views all talk of potential military strikes against Iran
as typical Washington political speculation. Secretary of Defense
Robert
Gates echoed this opinion when he said that the carrier group in the
Persian Gulf should be viewed as a reliable mechanism to reason with
Iran and that the U.S. is a force to be reckoned with even if it is
bogged down in Iraq. At the same time, both Gates and Bush acknowledged
that force was a last resort, to be used only if Iran does not get the
idea that the U.S. must be taken into account under any circumstances.
Judging by external signs, Tehran is in no hurry to take the White
House's advice and continues to demonstrate its determination. As a
matter of fact, Iran is conducting a military exercise involving 20
brigades. This is not just its biggest exercise in the last few years;
it also shows off the country's newly acquired anti-missile weapons.
Typically, at the last moment Tehran announced it was willing to resume
talks on its nuclear program in order to "relieve the fears and
concerns" of the international community. To do so, Ali Larijani,
secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, will meet the
director of the IAEA in Vienna. The next meeting of the IAEA board of
governors to discuss the Iranian dossier is scheduled for March 5-6.
Ahead of the meeting, Mohammed ElBaradei said that he would do his best
to convince the Iranian party that it was in its interests to look for
ways to continue negotiations. If his efforts fail, he cannot predict
what will happen even tomorrow, he said.
Yet even if he succeeds, this is unlikely to change the situation
drastically. The Iranian president has already said that Tehran will
not
suspend uranium enrichment, while elite units of the Iranian
Revolutionary Guard Corps have shown their worth when they "rebuffed
the
attack of airplanes, helicopters and missiles of the aggressor using
620
missiles and air defense guns" during the recent exercise.
Iran is showing that it is ready for war.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and may
not necessarily represent the opinions of the editorial board.
TDS 20.02.07: Iran's Revolutionary Guards send message with war games
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=79698
Iran's Revolutionary Guards send message with war games
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps launched three days of war
games
on Monday with a series of missile tests aimed at improving the
country's
defensive capabilities. The "Power Maneuver" exercises, involving 3,000
units of the elite force in 16 of Iran's 30 provinces, come at a time
of
mounting tension with the United States over Iran's nuclear program and
allegations that it is arming militias in Iraq.
State television said the exercise is the biggest since March 2006. The
broadcast said 20 brigades, or an estimated 60,000 troops, are
participating in the maneuvers.
"All weapons possessed by the Guards' ground force ... including new
weapons, will be tested during the war games," General Mohammad Reza
Zahedi, commander of the Guards' ground force, was quoted by the
official
Islamic Republic News Agency as saying Monday.The Revolutionary Guards
is
an elite military corps with more than 200,000 members and its own
naval
and air forces.
It is independent of the regular armed forces and controlled directly
by
the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
It oversees vital interests such as oil and natural gas installations
and
the nation's missile arsenal.
"With the firing of short-, medium- and long-range missiles by the
Revolutionary Guards, Power Maneuver has started," the state news
agency
IRNA reported.
It is the latest show of force by Iran's elite military in the face of
Washington's increasingly tough rhetoric, although US officials have
been
at pains to deny speculation of a planned military strike.
Vice Admiral Patrick Walsh, commander of the US Naval Forces Central
Command and 5th Fleet, told reporters at the US Navy base in Manama,
Bahrain that the US was keeping a close eye on the military exercises
in Iran.
IRNA said a total of 750 missiles and canon munitions would be fired
during
the exercises, being staged less than two weeks after similar maneuvers
by
the Guards' air force and naval units in the Gulf.
Exercise spokesman General Nilforoushan told state television the war
games
were aimed at "upgrading the capabilities and readiness of defense of
the
military forces as well as the deployment of munitions and forces in
the
early hours of a war."
http://www.dailystar.com.lb
"We will also carry out offensive exercises with anti-helicopter and
anti-aircraft weapons," said the spokesman, whose first name was not
given.
"Once, having military weapons with a range of up to 50 kilometers was
our
ideal. But the Guards now have access to rockets and missiles of a
range of
more than 200 kilometers," said Nilforoushan.
He told the Fars news agency later that the armed forces had
successfully
tested a laser-guided anti-tank missile that can be launched by a
Russian-designed T-72 tank.
Brigadier General Abbas Khani, the commander of an artillery and
missile
unit, said Fajr 3 and 5 and Zelzal missiles would be test-fired.
Zelzal (Quake) has a range of 100-400 kilometers. The Fajr 5 (Dawn) can
hit
a target about 70 kilometers away, while the Fajr 3 has a slightly
shorter
range.
The Guards earlier this month staged naval and air maneuvers during
which
they said they successfully test-fired a land-to-sea cruise missile
capable
of hitting warships in the Gulf and as far as the northern Indian
Ocean.
The United States accuses Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, a charge
denied
by Tehran, which insists its atomic program is peaceful in nature.
Although Washington has said it wants the long-running standoff
resolved
through diplomacy, it has never ruled out military action to thwart
Iran's
atomic drive.
Iran is facing a deadline this week set by the UN Security Council to
halt
uranium enrichment, a process which can make nuclear fuel or the core
of an
atom bomb.
US President George W. Bush has ordered a second aircraft carrier to
the
Gulf and US forces have stepped up raids in Iraq on networks supplying
Iranian arms to Iraqi militias.
US officials said this month that Iranian forces were supplying Shiite
militias with sophisticated bombs and training, claims some analysts
said
appeared timed to step up pressure on Iran as a confrontation over its
nuclear program is reaching a critical stage. - Agencies
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