Posted on 01/30/2006 11:19:08 PM PST by Gucho
Cpl. Jonathan E. Knight, a member of the Security Augmentation Force with Marine Forces Pacific, fires a few rounds from an M1014 combat shotgun to familiarize himself with the weapon before running the room-breaching course at Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii, on Jan. 18. (Lance Cpl. R. Drew Hendricks / U.S. Marine Corps)
By Jim Garamone - American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2006 – The world cannot allow Iran to gain nuclear weapons, President Bush said on CBS's "Face the Nation" program yesterday. He also discussed coaBushlition efforts in Iraq and the terrorist surveillance program.
Worldwide diplomatic efforts are concentrating on getting Iran to end its nuclear program, Bush said. "Our strategy is to present and hold together a united front to say to the Iranians, 'Your designs to have a nuclear weapon or your desire to have the capability of making a nuclear weapon is unacceptable,'" he said.
Bush said the world's message to Iran is to become part of the family of nations and give up nuclear weapons ambitions. Bush said precautions over Iran's nuclear program are necessary because Iran has a "non-transparent government" and because the leader of Iran has openly stated his desire to destroy Israel.
The president de-emphasized any U.S. military option in Iraq but said the option "should be on the table" as a last resort.
Bush also spoke about public support for operations in Iraq. He said it's important to highlight U.S. efforts in Iraq because "people saw death on the TV screens without a sense that we're making progress."
"I needed to say to the people, 'You bet it's tough,'" he said. "The enemy is using their one weapon effectively, which is the destruction of innocent life."
Referring to the terrorist surveillance program, Bush said the question really is to what extent a president during war can exercise authorities to protect the American people. "I made the decision to listen to phone calls of al Qaeda or suspected al Qaeda from outside the country coming in or inside the country going out because the people, our operators, told me that this is one of the best ways to protect the American people," he said.
"It is important that this program go on. I understand the debate, and I understand the need to make sure people discuss and debate whether or not I've got the authority to do it," he said. "But as I told the American people, ... if somebody's talking to al Qaeda inside the United States, we need to know why. And that's what this program is aimed to do."
Monday, January 30, 2006
Bomb Attacks Are Foiled Near U.S. Embassy and Military Base in Afghanistan
January 30, 2006
TIKRIT, IRAQ -- Iraqi Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division worked with coalition forces Sunday to raid an anti-Iraqi forces cell targeting coalition bases in Baqubah.
The Iraqi Soldiers, joined by members of 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, planned and conducted several raids to capture terrorists who were behind mortar and rocket attacks on coalition bases. Prior to the raids, unit leaders targeted several specific AIF members who were believed to be behind the attacks and operating in the nearby town of Septia.
The raid into Septia began just after daybreak, and the units completed the mission by about noon. In all, three targeted terrorists and 15 other suspected AIF members were detained. The units also seized a weapon, several hundred rounds of ammunition and one IED triggering device.
This operation between the Iraqi Army and coalition forces is another example of the growing competence and capability of the Iraqi Army as they continue to assume more responsibility for Iraq’s security and the safety of its citizens.
Source : MSG Terry Webster - 101st Airborne Div. - FOB Speicher, Iraq
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By Jeff Schogol - Stars and Stripes Mideast edition
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy has handed over 10 suspected pirates to Kenyan authorities, said Lt. Cmdr. Charlie Brown, a spokesman for 5th Fleet.
The suspected pirates were captured Jan. 21 after the USS Winston Churchill stopped a dhow about 54 miles of the coast of Somalia. Of the 26 men aboard the dhow, 10 were Somalis and 16 were from India. The Indians told the Navy that the Somali men hijacked their vessel and used it to attack merchant shipping.
The 10 suspected pirates were transferred Sunday to authorities in Mombasa, Kenya, Brown said.
Brown deferred further comment to Kenyan authorities and declined to say whether this ends the Navy’s involvement in the matter. “It wouldn’t be appropriate to speculate on the legal disposition,” he said in an e-mailed response to questions.
The Churchill was conducting routine security operations when it responded to a report that pirates had fired on a ship off the Somali coast.
While the Navy responds to distress calls from mariners attacked by pirates, it does not actively patrol for pirates, according to a Navy statement.
“The world is 70 percent water. The Navy is not big enough now, nor would it be big enough with 600 ships to actively patrol and police the entire world for piracy,” the statement says.
The Navy essentially halted its efforts to counter piracy after the Civil War, said Michael Crawford, head of the Early History Branch at the Naval Historical Center.
Crawford said the United States’ anti-piracy operations can be divided into three periods.
During the first period the United States fought states in northern Africa that seized ships for ransom, Crawford said. The United States fought against Tripoli from 1801 to 1805 and Algiers in 1815, he said.
In the 1820s, the Navy quashed pirates of the Caribbean spawned by South American countries wars of independence, Crawford said.
The Navy had less success during the last period of fighting pirates when it worked with the British navy to stop the international slave trade, Crawford said.
The Navy: The Continental Period, 1775-1890
By Michael A. Palmer
January 30, 2006
... Many of the children I speak with know at least some English and are able to communicate with soldiers, always eager to converse and tell them their names. They bombard soldiers, asking questions about where we are from, what is our name, and many other small facts about soldiering.
Many of the times we are literally overwhelmed with children investigating the Stryker, wanting to know about absolutely every piece of gear that a soldier wears. They are absolutely fascinated by American soldiers and eager to build a relationship with them ...
As I was speaking about these children with my mother, who was born in Germany during World War II, she mentioned to me that "she used to be one of those children." I guess I never thought about it that way or realized it, but it was at that point that it occurred to me that I have American soldiers to thank for my mom's freedom.
Listening to my mom talk about these encounters with soldiers made me proud to carry on the tradition of fighting for the freedoms of others. If nothing else, I want to convey to the American public that yes, this is worth fighting for, and yes, we are making a huge difference no matter what the media states. If the American soldier left such an indelible mark on my mother, these children will live to tell stories of how American Soldiers helped them long after we have left Iraq. ..."
Troops who would like to participate in Voices can send their dispatches and pictures to tbrant@adn.com. Submissions become the copyrighted property of the Daily News and can be reprinted in any form.
Foreign firms find oil in border town – official
By Salem Arif
Azzaman, January 30, 2006
Foreign firms have reached “very good results” in their exploration for oil deposits in the border town of Zakho, said Mohammed Zaibari, head of the northern oil distribution company.
Zaibari, speaking in a local television interview, did not name the foreign firms but said they were exploring for oil in northern Iraq under an agreement with the central government.
“The preliminary explorations have shown very good results,” he said.
Zakho is a town in the Kurdish north bordering Turkey.
Zaibari did not give the names of the foreign firms involved in the exploration.
But said: “The explorations in Zakho provide conclusive evidence that Iraqi crude reserves are is immense indeed.”
Proven Iraqi reserves are estimated at 14 billion barrels, the world’s second largest after those of Saudi Arabia.
Zibari is in charge of fuel distribution in the three Kurdish provinces of Dahouk, Sulaimaniya and Arbil as welll as Taameem (kirkuk) and Nineveh (Mosul).
He claimed that the five provinces currently suffer from no fuel shortages.
He said his company’s policy of rationing the distribution particularly of gasoline has slashed what he called “waste” in the three Kurdish provinces by 40%.
Despite its massive oil wealth, Iraq currently imports fuel from Turkey and Zaibari said fuel bills due to Turkey, and still unpaid by the government, were worth up to $1 billion.
http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news/2006-01-30/171.htm
Officials say Sabotage Caused Fatal Pakistan Train Crash
By Benjamin Sand - Islamabad
30 January 2006
Pakistani officials say a train crash Sunday was an act of sabotage. A damaged rail line sent a packed express train off the track and into a deep ravine, killing at least three people and injuring dozens more.
At least five cars barreled off the track Sunday night, sending one compartment down a deep ravine near Jhelum city in eastern Pakistan.
Almost 600 people were on board the Islamabad Express traveling from Rawalpindi to Lahore.
Speaking by phone from the scene, Pakistan's Minister of Railways Shamim Haider said the track was apparently sabotaged just minutes before the crowded train passed through.
"Plates at both ends of one rail were removed," said Haider. "They must have been removed recently because one train passed at 6:20 and this [the wrecked train] was crossing at 7:20."
He says so far no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred about 100 kilometers southeast of the capital. An investigation is under way.
Emergency crews worked through the night pulling survivors out of the wreckage and taking the injured to a nearby hospital.
The area is considered politically stable and there is no record of insurgent activity in this part of Pakistan.
Similar attacks are fairly common in southwestern Pakistan, where tribal militants have been fighting government forces over control of local resources.
http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-01-30-voa17.cfm
1/31/06
WASHINGTON (AFP) - President George W. Bush plans to voice support for a "free society" in Iran during his annual State of the Union speech in which Iraq and the war on terror will also likely figure prominently.
"We want the people of Iran to be able to live in a free society," he said Monday as he met with his cabinet, adding that he would address the issue during Tuesday night's speech "and make clear the policy of the United States."
Bush drew a similar distinction between government and governed in 2002, but it was lost amid an international outcry over his decision to brand Iran part of an "axis of evil" with North Korea and Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
That phrase drew a torrent of international criticism, with even the pro-reform majority in Iran's parliament denouncing it and some in Europe saying such harsh language was counter-productive.
Ahead of Tuesday's address, the US president has seemed eager to avoid a repeat of that controversy at a time when he says it is critical for the international community to form a "united front" on Tehran's nuclear program.
"It's very important that we speak to two groups: One is the government, and also the people," he told CBS news in an interview last week.
"And in speaking to the people, my message is this: You know, we're not going to tell you how to live your life, but we would like you to be free," he said. "But to the government, our message is, is that if you want to be a part of the family of nations, give up your nuclear weapons ambitions."
Bush's speech comes after a year in which his poll numbers dropped to their worst levels, battered by the poor response to Hurricane Katrina and growing unhappiness over how he has managed the war in Iraq.
Although up slightly, his approval ratings have stagnated in the low 40 percent range.
A Time magazine poll released this week showed 55 percent of Americans disapproved of Bush's handling of his job while 41 percent gave him the thumbs up. His approval rating was 12 points down from a year ago, the weekly said.
The prime-time televised address to a joint session of the US Congress on Tuesday is widely considered his best chance to shape the debate on difficult issues like the war in Iraq ahead of critical November legislative elections.
Bush was also expected in his speech to try to soothe worries about soaring health care and energy costs -- two of the reasons why much of the US public expresses concerns about the US economy.
Aides said he would defend the Iraq war's place in the broader global campaign to stamp out terrorism, and emphasize what they said was a string of successes in promoting democracy around the world.
Bush was also expected to call for the renewal of the Patriot Act that expanded law-enforcement powers after the September 11th attacks, and justify his order authorizing spying on Americans at home without court approval.
The speech comes amid all-out diplomatic efforts by the United States and Europe to rally Russia and China to a hard-line position on Iran.
Washington accuses Iran of using a civilian nuclear program as cover for a quest to develop atomic weapons.
Tehran rejects the charge, and insists it has the right under international law to a peaceful atomic energy program. Moscow and Beijing have resisted efforts to refer the matter to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.
"We're united in our goal to keep the Iranians from having a weapon, and we're working on the tactics necessary to continue putting a united front out," said Bush. "The message is: Give up your nuclear weapons ambitions."
Amid difficult talks aimed at easing US and European worries that Tehran seeks atomic weapons, Bush said "one option" was taking the Islamic republic to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.
But he has steadfastly refused to rule out the use of military force.
The United States has been courting support from Russia and China, both among the veto-wielding permanent five council members, for a harder-line approach while offering support for a compromise proposal from Moscow.
NOTE; President George W. Bush will deliver the annual State of the Union Address to a Joint Session of Congress on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 at 9pm (ET).
Thank you (*Gucho*) outstanding!!!!!
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