Posted on 05/15/2005 5:57:08 PM PDT by TexKat
Tennessee National Guardsman Sgt. 1st Class Joel Gibbons, a cavalry scout platoon sergeant from 1st Squadron, 278th Regimental Combat Team, 42nd Infantry Division, Task Force Liberty, stands guard while an Iraqi child passes along information of an enemy weapons cache found near the Iranian border to the commander of the squadron. by Sgt. Matthew Acosta This photo appeared on www.army.mil.
Kyle Warren archive show today.
Monday, May 16, 2005 Updated at 3:57 PM EDT
Associated Press
Kabul — Four armed men dragged an Italian aid worker from her car Monday in the centre of Afghanistan's capital in a bold kidnapping that reinforces fears that militants or criminals are copying tactics used in Iraq.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the abduction of CARE International worker Clementina Cantoni, 32, or demands for her release, said police and the agency's director, Paul Barker.
"Four men carrying Kalashnikovs bashed in the window of her car and took her away. They told the driver not to move or he would be shot," Mr. Barker said.
The driver had just dropped a Canadian former CARE employee at a house in Kabul's downtown Shahr-e-Naw district when the kidnappers driving a sedan cut off the vehicle and abducted the Italian at about 8:30 p.m. local time, Mr. Barker said. The kidnappers then drove toward a nearby Christian cemetery, he said.
Afghan authorities, including President Hamid Karzai, were quickly alerted to the kidnapping after the Canadian woman made a panicked call to Mr. Barker, the director said. She made it safely into the guest house by the time of the abduction, but heard the attackers banging on the car, he said.
The family of Cantoni, who worked on a project helping thousands of Afghan widows, had been notified, Mr. Barker said.
Security forces immediately sealed off all main roads leading out of Kabul, said Jamil Khan, head of the criminal investigation department for the city's police. Officers stopped and searched cars in the city centre, checking trunks and under seats. Patrol cars with flashing emergency lights moved slowly through streets and helicopters circled overhead.
There were no signs of activity at the main Kabul office of CARE, one of the largest and most established international aid groups in Afghanistan.
In Rome, the Italian foreign ministry said a crisis unit that has handled past abductions of Italians abroad was working on the case, and that Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini, on his way back from a meeting in Poland, was following the situation.
The abduction follows a string of warnings to the roughly 3,000 foreigners living in Kabul that they could be targeted in attacks, including kidnappings.
On May 7, a suicide bomber blew himself up in an Internet cafe in the same area as Monday's abduction, killing a UN worker from Myanmar. Last month, an American civilian was abducted in Kabul but escaped by throwing himself from a moving car.
Kabul had been largely free of the kind of kidnappings rife in Iraq until October last year, when three UN election workers — one each from the Philippines, Northern Ireland and Kosovo — were seized at gunpoint in the city. They were released unharmed a month later.
A Taliban splinter group claimed responsibility for that kidnapping, although officials and diplomats have suggested criminals — possibly working for factions that oppose the growing authority of the U.S.-backed government — were responsible.
Margaret Hassan, the British director of CARE International in Iraq, was kidnapped in Baghdad in October last year and believed killed, although no body was recovered.
Her fate caused shock and anger in Iraq where she had lived for 30 years and was renowned for her work distributing food, medicine and supplies to Iraqis suffering under the sanctions of the 1990s.
Updated: Monday, 16 May, 2005
By Jim Muir - BBC News, Baghdad
Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari believes Iraqis will not respond to attempts to drive them into ethnic warfare, he has told the BBC.
In his first interview since taking office two weeks ago, Mr Jaafari said a recent spate of sectarian killings was an attempt to divide the country.
But he said Sunnis must be brought into government to weaken the insurgency.
"Young men might go the other way if they don't see that the political process is open to them," he said.
"We have focused a lot on ensuring that Sunni Arabs receive positions in the state and are appointed to a number of ministries so that we can block the road to those people who are trying to push those young people towards so-called resistance," he said.
The new Iraqi leader stressed that his government's response to the insurgency would be both military and political.
On the military side he said he had immediately set up a high level joint operations room to co-ordinate the security response.
Dialogue, Mr Jaafari said, was also open to all, even those Iraqis who had taken up arms - provided they had no blood on their hands.
But there could be no dialogue, he said, with the extremist Islamists from outside the country. They cared nothing for Iraq and its people.
"How are we supposed to treat those who shed the blood of Iraqis, and brand them infidels, and justify killing them because they voted?" he asked.
"How can we have dialogue with people who abduct our innocent daughters from the universities and try to do bad things, and violate these women, and behead people, what do we say to the likes of them?"
Mr Jaafari said he has also set up a special cabinet committee to speed up the process of producing a constitution - the main task of his transitional authority - and that every effort would be made to complete the task on time by mid-August.
Political progress, he said, would also have a positive impact on the security situation.
Recent weeks have seen a spate of mass killings which look ominously like communal sectarian retaliation.
Mr Jaafari said he believed it was the work of people trying to stir up sectarian trouble and civil war but he believed Iraq's long culture of sectarian co-existence would be strong enough to resist it.
"We are all Iraqis, one family, irrespective of sect, ethnicity, political orientation et cetera," he said.
May 16, 2005
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada will raise the number of troops in has in Afghanistan by about 1,250 by February next year to help boost security and rebuilding efforts, Defense Minister Bill Graham said on Monday.
Canada will close its base in Kabul and transfer troops and equipment to the southern Afghan city of Kandahar. In early 2006 a battle group of 700 soldiers and a brigade headquarters unit comprising 300 personnel will be sent to Kandahar for up to a year.
Graham also told reporters that a 250-strong reconstruction team would be sent to Kandahar this August and would stay in Afghanistan for around 18 months.
Last year Canada had 2,000 troops in the NATO-run International Security Assistance Force in Kabul but most have now left the country.
The 'Flying Tigers' of the 23rd Fighter Group prowl the sky over Afghanistan.
By U.S. Army Pfc. Cora Gerth - 20th Public Affairs Detachment
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, May 16, 2005 — The U.S. Air Force A-10s currently deployed at Bagram Airfield are part of the 23rd Fighter Group, the Flying Tigers, out of Pope Air Force Base, N.C., and are a unique group of aircraft - evident by just one look at their nose art.
The noses of these A-10s are emblazoned with an image of a shark's teeth and eyes. The Flying Tigers are the only Air Force unit authorized to display nose art on their aircraft, due to the history it symbolizes.
The Flying Tigers were first activated at Langley Field, Va., in 1941, and took over the tasks of the American Volunteer Group, fighting the Japanese military, in China during World War II. Twenty-nine of the original volunteers joined the 23rd, sharing their knowledge and expertise.
In their first day of combat, the Flying Tigers destroyed five enemy aircraft to help the Chinese fight the Japanese invaders. The original shark's teeth and eyes were designed to scare enemies during battle.
Throughout many inactivations and reactivations at different bases, the Flying Tigers have assisted in missions in China, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Kenya, Somalia, Bosnia, Haiti, Puerto Rico and now, Afghanistan, as the 75th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron.
The current mission of the Flying Tigers includes: close-air support, forward air control, interdiction and combat search and rescue operations.
"We fly in the close-in battles and put our noses in the fight," said U.S. Air Force Capt. Ron Oliver, an A-10 pilot with the 75th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron.
The Flying Tigers enforce high standards that their airmen must uphold. Newly arriving airmen to this group are briefed on the legacy that has been carried on throughout the years. They are trained on the vision, mission and goals to keep the original Flying Tigers' heritage alive.
Col. Warren Henderson, commander of both the 455th Expeditionary Operations Group here and the 23rd Fighter Group at Pope, is honored to lead such a historic group.
"When I'm flying, it's a pretty humbling experience to know the legacy we are continuing,” said Henderson.
“We're still interacting with some of the original squadron commanders, and it's great to see the pride they continue to have in our organization."
All of the training and preparation the Flying Tigers complete when at their home station readies them to do their part in supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
The Flying Tigers are scheduled to finish their year-long support of Operation Enduring Freedom in September.
Russian Denies Oil-For-Food Wrongdoing
May 16, 4:24 PM EDT
By STEVE GUTTERMAN - Associated Press Writer
MOSCOW (AP) -- Ultranationalist Russian lawmaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky on Monday denied wrongdoing under the U.N. oil-for-food program in Iraq, saying he never received money from Baghdad or from companies that bought oil from Saddam Hussein's government.
Zhirinovsky was responding to a U.S. Senate report alleging that he was among Russian officials and politicians who received millions of dollars in oil allocations from Saddam's government in return for their support in ending U.N. sanctions against Iraq.
"I did not sign a single contract, I did not receive a single cent from Iraq - not a kopeck," Zhirinovsky told Ekho Moskvy radio. He said he "never saw any Iraqi oil, not a drop."
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that, in the U.S. report, "Russia is incriminated by the very fact of its participation" in the program, which was designed to let Iraq sell oil and use the proceeds to buy humanitarian items in order to ease the effects on the Iraq people of U.N. sanctions imposed after Saddam's invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
"It is difficult to avoid the impression that the senators are trying to discredit the United Nations as a whole, pointing fingers at other countries while leaving the participation of American firms ... outside the brackets," the ministry said in a statement.
"It would be more logical for them to attend to seeking violations in their own country," it added.
Zhirinovsky said he used his close ties with Saddam's government to steer Iraqi oil to Russian companies but claimed he was motivated by patriotism and received no compensation for helping with introductions to Iraqi officials.
"I got no (money) from either side," said Zhirinovsky, who estimated that he visited Iraq some 15 times a year before his last trip in 2002. He said he had helped Russian companies because "I was the most acceptable person for Iraq."
A report released Monday by the investigations subcommittee for the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs said Zhirinovsky received Iraqi oil allocations worth $8.7 million under the oil-for-food program.
The program was designed to let Saddam's government sell oil and use the proceeds to buy food, medicine and other humanitarian items to ease the effects on the Iraq people of U.N. sanctions imposed after his invasion of Kuwait in 1990, which led to the 1991 Gulf War.
Saddam is widely accused of using oil vouchers that allowed the bearer to buy Iraqi oil at cut-rate prices to curry favor with countries holding veto power in the U.N. Security Council - France, Britain, China, Russia and the United States. The Senate subcommittee said about 30 percent of the oil sold in the program was allocated to Russia.
Former French Interior Minister Charles Pasqua, also accused by U.S. lawmakers of involvement in corruption in the oil-for-food program, denied the allegations and said he was caught in the crossfire of what he called an American campaign against France, which opposed the U.S.-led war to oust Saddam.
"I have never been to Iraq. I have never met Mr. Saddam Hussein. I never received anything from the Iraqis, in any domain," Pasqua said at a news conference in Paris. "If my name appears on documents as having benefited from allocations, it can only be the result of fraudulent behavior committed by certain people who used my name."
Last week, the U.S. Senate committee presented what it said was evidence that Pasqua and British lawmaker George Galloway got oil allocations from Saddam in return for backing his regime and its campaign against U.N. sanctions on Iraq.
Galloway planned to defend himself at a Senate hearing on Tuesday.
"The truth is, I have never bought or sold a drop of oil from Iraq, or sold or bought a drop of oil from anybody," Galloway told the British Broadcasting Corp. before boarding a flight at London's Heathrow Airport.
Zhirinovsky denied providing political or diplomatic support for Iraq in exchange for oil deals, calling the idea "absurd" and saying he always had opposed the U.N. sanctions. Zhirinovsky has been a Russian parliament member for more than a decade but was never in the government.
The U.S. report said the Russian Presidential Council - led by Alexander Voloshin, former chief of staff to President Vladimir Putin - received oil allocations worth more than $16 million, according to Iraq's oil ministry. Voloshin could not be reached for comment.
Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov said Russian authorities have seen no evidence of violations by Russian companies or individuals in the oil-for-food program. Zhirinovsky pointed out that it allowed Iraq to decide whom to sell oil.
The Senate report said Zhirinovsky on six occasions sold oil allotments to the Texas oil company Bayoil, whose owner, David B. Chalmers, has been indicted on charges related to the U.N. program. While Zhirinovsky said he had no commercial involvement in deals related to oil-for-food, he did not expressly deny a connection to Bayoil.
With Saddam favoring Russia, France and China, U.S. oil companies courted companies from those countries as they sought Iraqi oil, he said.
Bayoil "could have received oil through somebody," he said. "But what link is there to me here?"
© 2005 The Associated Press
http://www.kfwb.com/content.asp?STORY=/stories/E/EUROPE_OIL_FOR_FOOD&groupName=AP%20Top%20International%20Headlines&LINEUP=WORLDHEADS&table1tabCount=6&table1tabOn=1&table2tabCount=6&table2tabOn=3&tabParams=%26table1tabCount%3D6%26table1tabOn%3D1%26table2t
Associated Press May 16, 2005
SOFIA, Bulgaria - Bulgaria said Saturday it will provide three military bases for use by U.S. forces.
American officials have said they could use Bulgarian sites to deploy troops on rotational training tours as part of a broader U.S. strategy of shifting troops based in Europe further east.
An American team was expected in Bulgaria next week to discuss the bases, senior military officials have said.
Defense Minister Nikolai Svinarov said three bases will be offered to the Americans but "it remains to be determined which bases are to be chosen," according to the state news agency, BTA.
Parliament has the final say on the deployment of foreign troops, he said, adding a decision would be made by the end of the year.
Bulgaria, which joined NATO last year along with six other ex-communist nations, has declared its willingness to provide training grounds for U.S. troops.
Washington is interested in small, flexible bases, different from those set up to house large numbers of troops during the Cold War.
Earlier this year, the top commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Europe, General James Jones, said in Sofia he would propose to the U.S. Congress "four or five Bulgarian military facilities for use by U.S. forces."
Jones visited three possible locations - the Bezmer air base and the Novo Selo training area in southeastern Bulgaria, and the Black Sea port of Burgas.
Other possible options mentioned by military officials are the Graf Ignatievo air base in southern Bulgaria, the Black Sea base Atia and the nearby Sarafovo airport, used already by the United States to station refueling aircraft during operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Virginia BioDiesel Refinery West Point, Virginia 11:23 A.M. EDT
Q -- (inaudible) -- what's the White House --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I find it puzzling that Newsweek now acknowledges that the facts were wrong, and they refuse to offer a retraction. There is a certain journalistic standard that should be met, and in this case it was not met. The report was not accurate, and it was based on a single anonymous source who cannot personally substantiate the report, so the -- so they cannot verify the accuracy of the report.
Q Scott, is the White House demanding a retraction --
MR. McCLELLAN: No, I'm just saying --
Q -- or are you satisfied with the statement Newsweek has made --
MR. McCLELLAN: No, I'm just saying that I find it puzzling that the reporter got it wrong, yet said they're not retracting the story.
Q -- a retraction, or --
MR. McCLELLAN: Actually, if you look at the comments from the editor in this morning's papers he said, we're not retracting the story, we don't know the facts. I don't think that's a standard that we're talking about here.
Q So, Scott, you find it puzzling, but you're not asking for a retraction?
MR. McCLELLAN: That's correct.
Q Why would you not ask --
MR. McCLELLAN: I mean, it's -- this report has had serious consequences. It has caused damage to the image of the United States abroad. It has -- people have lost their lives. It has certainly caused damage to the credibility of the media, as well, and Newsweek, itself.
Q Can you 100 percent say for sure that it is wrong, that there were no incidents of American interrogators putting Korans in the toilets?
MR. McCLELLAN: I know of no such incidents. And the Department of Defense said last week that they could find no credible evidence of it either. They have looked into it. And obviously, we would take something like that very, seriously, because we've made it clear that that is simply not -- that does not represent the values of the United States of America. The United States of America values the religious freedom of all. And, in fact, at Guantanamo, we have made sure that the detainees are able to worship freely, and that they are provided copies of the holy Koran.
Q Has the President expressed his personal views on this?
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm going to stop in a minute, the President is starting to speak. I think I'm expressing our views.
END 11:25 A.M. EDT
Mehdi Lebouachera, Agence France Presse
BAGHDAD, 17 May 2005 — Sunni Arab leaders called yesterday for an independent group — rather than Parliament — to write Iraq’s new constitution, a day after US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said minorities should play a greater role in drafting the basic law.
“We propose forming a committee outside Parliament with representatives from across Iraq,” Nasser Al-Ani, a spokesman for the Sunni Arab Iraq Islamic Party, said. “We want our Shiite partners to give us an expanded role in this process.”
New Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari pledged Sunday to get more Sunnis involved in drafting the constitution after meeting with Rice during her surprise visit to Iraq.
Parliament has just set up a committee to draft the constitution by a deadline of Aug. 15. The draft is then to be put to a nationwide referendum by Oct. 15 under a deadline set by the US-inspired transitional administrative law (TAL) currently governing Iraq.
Favored under former President Saddam Hussein, Sunni Arabs, who account for about 20 percent of the population, provide the backbone of the deadly insurgency that has claimed more than 400 lives since the start of May. Shiite and Kurdish leaders, who swept to power in the landmark January elections, believe that involving Sunni Arabs in the new administration is essential to undermining support for the insurgents. But many of their own constituents, who suffered under Saddam, want revenge and have called for purging the administration of leading — often Sunni — members of the former ruling Baath party.
Because many Sunni Arabs boycotted the country’s Jan. 30 election, they are currently under-represented with just 16 seats in the 275-member assembly.
Following weeks of protracted haggling, they were given nine of the 36 Cabinet posts, including the powerful defense minister slot.
But their lack of parliamentary representation has cost them dearly in getting a voice on Parliament’s constitutional committee. The 55-member body includes just two Sunnis.
“The solution is to have a commission which includes members of Parliament and people from outside the Parliament,” Hajem Al-Hassani, the Sunni speaker of Parliament suggested.
Qassem Daoud, a national security adviser to former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, agrees that an independent committee might be a good idea.
Good looking Bird.
By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent
(Filed: 17/05/2005)
Iraqi insurgents using a rudimentary anti-aircraft weapon against an RAF transport plane are likely to have caused the biggest single loss of life in the conflict, military sources disclosed yesterday.
Nine RAF crew and an SAS signaller were killed when a C130 Hercules was shot down during a "special duties" mission 20 miles north-west of Baghdad on Jan 30.
An interim Ministry of Defence report has ruled out almost everything apart from enemy fire and it was suggested that a missile or rocket-propelled grenade could have brought down the aircraft.
But an official told The Daily Telegraph yesterday that the report concluded that the Hercules had been shot down by anti-aircraft artillery, as it flew at a low altitude, possibly 150ft.
"It was shredded by a multi-barrelled 20mm canon," the official said. "They have worked out that's what caused the crash."
The gun is believed to have been a 1960s twin-barrel Zu-23, made in China or the Soviet Union, left over from the Saddam Hussein regime.
It has an effective range of 2,000 yards and can be mounted on a lorry or set on wheels.
It is not known why the Hercules, which was equipped with sophisticated defensive measures, was flying at low altitude for the 40-minute trip.
Exellent analysis. Murderers and serial killers-Satan is their god, and he is pleased.
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