Thursday, February 4, 2010
Obama's not the only one confused by Lisbon
The Obama "snub" continues to gather headlines in today's papers. PJ Crowley, the US Assistant Secretary of State, today confirmed that the uncertainty created by the new posts created under the Lisbon Treaty had been a major factor in Obama's decision to withdraw, saying:
"Because of the changes involving the establishment of a EU council president and a European commission president on top of the rotating EU presidency, I think it's taking some time to work through exactly how various high-level meetings will happen."
And it seems it's not only the Americans who haven't got a clue who they're meant to be talking to. Le Figaro notes that, on his visit to the EU this week, Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj was left perplexed as to which of the EU's various presidents he was speaking to at any one time. After one meeting, he said:
“I have just been received by the European Council President, I was received yesterday by the President of the European Parliament and after this meeting I will meet the President of the European Council...Er...”
Quite.
"Because of the changes involving the establishment of a EU council president and a European commission president on top of the rotating EU presidency, I think it's taking some time to work through exactly how various high-level meetings will happen."
And it seems it's not only the Americans who haven't got a clue who they're meant to be talking to. Le Figaro notes that, on his visit to the EU this week, Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj was left perplexed as to which of the EU's various presidents he was speaking to at any one time. After one meeting, he said:
“I have just been received by the European Council President, I was received yesterday by the President of the European Parliament and after this meeting I will meet the President of the European Council...Er...”
Quite.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
War News for Wednesday, February 03, 2010
NATO is reporting the deaths of two American soldiers in a roadside bombing in an unidentified area in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, February 2nd.
3 U.S. Soldiers Die in Attack by Pakistan Militants:
Secret operation ruined by deadly al-Qaeda bomb: It is believed US troops have been training Pakistan's Frontier Corps since at least 2008. The training program has never been officially admitted to by Pakistan's government.
The soldiers were in Pakistan as members of a small, little-publicised American mission to train members of the paramilitary Frontier Corps to fight Taliban and al-Qaeda militants. Officials spoke of their deaths on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information. The US embassy declined to comment.
Earlier a spokesman for the Frontier Corps said that there were four foreign victims, who were all aid workers. "The four foreigners were working for an NGO. They are from the international community," he said.
Reported security incidents
Baghdad:
#1-2: Hours earlier, two separate roadside bombs targeting Shiite pilgrims exploded in Baghdad, killing one and wounding seven others, a security official in the capital said.
#1: The official said the first attack took place Wednesday at about 6:15 a.m. in western Baghdad, killing one person and wounding three.
One civilian was killed and three others were wounded in an improvised explosive device explosion in western Baghdad, a police source said on Wednesday. “The bomb, planted on the main road in al-Mansour neighborhood, western Baghdad, went off this morning (Feb. 3) targeting Shiite pilgrims heading for Karbala, killing one and injuring three,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
#2: He said a second explosion in southwest Baghdad wounded four pilgrims.
Three civilians were wounded on Wednesday in a roadside bomb explosion in southwestern Baghdad, a police source said. “The bomb, planted by unknown gunmen on the road near a Shiite mosque in al-Aamel neighborhood, southwestern Baghdad, went off, targeting Shiite visitors heading for Karbala, injuring three,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
#3: Iraqi forces managed on Tuesday to defuse an improvised explosive device in northeastern Baghdad, the Baghdad Operations Command (BOC) said in a statement. “The forces defused the bomb on the Mohammad al-Qassem highway near al-Nedaa mosque, northeastern Baghdad,” said the statement received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency. A police source had said earlier that an explosive charge went off targeting Shiite pilgrims in al-Zaafaraniya region, southeastern Baghdad, injuring three of them.
Karbala:
#1: A bomb planted on a parked motorcycle exploded Wednesday on the outskirts of the holy city of Karbala, killing at least 20 Shiite pilgrims and wounding more than 100 others amid tight security for the huge religious procession, officials said. The bomb exploded at about 11 a.m. in an area known as Ibrahimia, near the east entrance - one of three - into Karbala, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief media. At least 108 people were wounded in the attack, the official said, adding that the area was clogged with pilgrims and the number of casualties could increase. A hospital official in Karbala, also speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the number of dead and wounded.
#2: A bomb attached to a military vehicle killed three people and wounded 21 others in eastern Kerbala on Tuesday night, police said.
Kirkuk:
#1: Gunmen shot and killed a police officer near his house in southern Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
Mosul:
#1: Unidentified gunmen shot and killed a civilian in al-Haramat region in western Mosul, while he was coming from his village in al-Hamidat district,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
#2: “Three gunmen shot an 18-year-old young man when they stormed his house in al-Shuhadaa neighborhood, central Mosul,” the same source said.
#3: One policeman, a civilian and a child were wounded in a hand grenade attack in central Mosul, a police source said on Tuesday. “Unknown gunmen threw a hand grenade at a police vehicle patrol in al-Farouq region, central Mosul, injuring a policeman, a civilian, and a child,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
#4: Iraqi security forces backed by U.S. troops killed one suspected insurgent and arrested two others in a raid southeast of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: A second Australian soldier was wounded in a weekend bomb blast in southern Afghanistan, Defence says. Defence initially said only one soldier was slightly wounded when a Bushmaster armoured vehicle struck an improvised explosive device (IED) on Saturday - the first Australian soldier wounded in Afghanistan so far this year. It now says another soldier was wounded in the same incident. "The second soldier received minor head injuries as a result of the blast," a defence statement said.
#2: A helicopter of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was slightly damaged in landing at Kandahar in south Afghanistan Wednesday, a statement of the alliance said. "An ISAF helicopter was slightly damaged when it struck a vehicle with its rotor blade upon landing in Kandahar City today," the statement added. There were no injuries from the incident and no insurgent involvement, it stressed.
MoD: Corporal Liam Riley
MoD: Lance Corporal Graham Shaw
DoD: Capt. David J. Thompson
DoD: Spc. Marc P. Decoteau
DoD: Lance Cpl. Michael L. Freeman Jr.,
3 U.S. Soldiers Die in Attack by Pakistan Militants:
Secret operation ruined by deadly al-Qaeda bomb: It is believed US troops have been training Pakistan's Frontier Corps since at least 2008. The training program has never been officially admitted to by Pakistan's government.
The soldiers were in Pakistan as members of a small, little-publicised American mission to train members of the paramilitary Frontier Corps to fight Taliban and al-Qaeda militants. Officials spoke of their deaths on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information. The US embassy declined to comment.
Earlier a spokesman for the Frontier Corps said that there were four foreign victims, who were all aid workers. "The four foreigners were working for an NGO. They are from the international community," he said.
Reported security incidents
Baghdad:
#1-2: Hours earlier, two separate roadside bombs targeting Shiite pilgrims exploded in Baghdad, killing one and wounding seven others, a security official in the capital said.
#1: The official said the first attack took place Wednesday at about 6:15 a.m. in western Baghdad, killing one person and wounding three.
One civilian was killed and three others were wounded in an improvised explosive device explosion in western Baghdad, a police source said on Wednesday. “The bomb, planted on the main road in al-Mansour neighborhood, western Baghdad, went off this morning (Feb. 3) targeting Shiite pilgrims heading for Karbala, killing one and injuring three,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
#2: He said a second explosion in southwest Baghdad wounded four pilgrims.
Three civilians were wounded on Wednesday in a roadside bomb explosion in southwestern Baghdad, a police source said. “The bomb, planted by unknown gunmen on the road near a Shiite mosque in al-Aamel neighborhood, southwestern Baghdad, went off, targeting Shiite visitors heading for Karbala, injuring three,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
#3: Iraqi forces managed on Tuesday to defuse an improvised explosive device in northeastern Baghdad, the Baghdad Operations Command (BOC) said in a statement. “The forces defused the bomb on the Mohammad al-Qassem highway near al-Nedaa mosque, northeastern Baghdad,” said the statement received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency. A police source had said earlier that an explosive charge went off targeting Shiite pilgrims in al-Zaafaraniya region, southeastern Baghdad, injuring three of them.
Karbala:
#1: A bomb planted on a parked motorcycle exploded Wednesday on the outskirts of the holy city of Karbala, killing at least 20 Shiite pilgrims and wounding more than 100 others amid tight security for the huge religious procession, officials said. The bomb exploded at about 11 a.m. in an area known as Ibrahimia, near the east entrance - one of three - into Karbala, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief media. At least 108 people were wounded in the attack, the official said, adding that the area was clogged with pilgrims and the number of casualties could increase. A hospital official in Karbala, also speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the number of dead and wounded.
#2: A bomb attached to a military vehicle killed three people and wounded 21 others in eastern Kerbala on Tuesday night, police said.
Kirkuk:
#1: Gunmen shot and killed a police officer near his house in southern Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
Mosul:
#1: Unidentified gunmen shot and killed a civilian in al-Haramat region in western Mosul, while he was coming from his village in al-Hamidat district,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
#2: “Three gunmen shot an 18-year-old young man when they stormed his house in al-Shuhadaa neighborhood, central Mosul,” the same source said.
#3: One policeman, a civilian and a child were wounded in a hand grenade attack in central Mosul, a police source said on Tuesday. “Unknown gunmen threw a hand grenade at a police vehicle patrol in al-Farouq region, central Mosul, injuring a policeman, a civilian, and a child,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
#4: Iraqi security forces backed by U.S. troops killed one suspected insurgent and arrested two others in a raid southeast of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: A second Australian soldier was wounded in a weekend bomb blast in southern Afghanistan, Defence says. Defence initially said only one soldier was slightly wounded when a Bushmaster armoured vehicle struck an improvised explosive device (IED) on Saturday - the first Australian soldier wounded in Afghanistan so far this year. It now says another soldier was wounded in the same incident. "The second soldier received minor head injuries as a result of the blast," a defence statement said.
#2: A helicopter of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was slightly damaged in landing at Kandahar in south Afghanistan Wednesday, a statement of the alliance said. "An ISAF helicopter was slightly damaged when it struck a vehicle with its rotor blade upon landing in Kandahar City today," the statement added. There were no injuries from the incident and no insurgent involvement, it stressed.
MoD: Corporal Liam Riley
MoD: Lance Corporal Graham Shaw
DoD: Capt. David J. Thompson
DoD: Spc. Marc P. Decoteau
DoD: Lance Cpl. Michael L. Freeman Jr.,
Pedro Alonso Lopez ( Parte 3 )
Alcuni giorni dopo, un’abitante del luogo, una certa Carvina Poveda, si reca a effettuare compere al mercato. La figlia Maria, dodicenne, l’accompagna. Uno sconosciuto tenta di rapire la ragazza. La donna piange, strepita e chiama aiuto, mentre l’uomo tenta di lasciare in fretta la zona, con la ragazza stretta fra le sue braccia. Gli addetti alle vendite accorrono rapidamente, catturano l’uomo prima che questi possa fuggire e lo trattengono fino all’arrivo della polizia.
Pedro è stranamente tranquillo e quando gli agenti lo traducono al commissariato la loro prima impressione è quella di avere tra le mani uno squilibrato. Pedro non collabora, sceglie di rimanere in silenzio e si rifiuta di rispondere a qualsiasi domanda. Gli investigatori decidono così di cambiare strategia e di utilizzarne una del tutto differente.
In cella assieme a lui viene messo Padre Cordoba Gudino, un sacerdote. La speranza è quella che l’indiziato si confidi col prete e gli possa rivelare quali siano in realtà i suoi crimini.
Non occorre attendere troppo tempo, perché quasi subito Pedro inizia a raccontare. Il giorno successivo ha rivelato così tante e orribili cose che padre Cordoba chiede di potere uscire dalla cella. Quello che le sue orecchie hanno udito è troppo e non può sopportare oltre.
In seguito ai dati rivelati durante il colloquio con Padre Gudino, gli investigatori mettono alle strette Pedro, ora sono in possesso di nuovi e sconvolgenti elementi. Il serial killer crolla.
Pedro confessa di avere ucciso 110 ragazze in Ecuador, 100 in Colombia e più di 100 in Perù.
«A me piacciono le ragazze dell’Ecuador» dice. «Sono molto docili, gentili e innocenti, danno maggiore confidenza; non come le colombiane che sospettano degli estranei.»
Nel corso delle sue confessioni, Pedro giustifica i crimini con la propria dura vita e un’adolescenza difficile e solitaria.
«Persi la mia innocenza all’età di otto anni» spiega. «Così decisi di fare lo stesso nei confronti della maggior parte di ragazze che potevo incontrare.»
Quando gli chiedono in base a quali caratteristiche scegliesse le sue vittime, Pedro spiega che la maggior parte delle volte gironzolava per i negozi dei villaggi allo scopo di selezionare i suoi bersagli, il criterio solitamente preferito: quello di “una certa aria d’innocenza”. Le uccideva sempre all’ultima luce del giorno, perché non voleva che l’oscurità nascondesse lo spasmo della morte.
Quando gli chiedono cosa intenda con queste parole, Pedro spiega che dapprima violentava la sua vittima, per poi strangolarla mentre la guardava negli occhi. Che provava il massimo del piacere e una forte eccitazione sessuale osservando la loro vita che fuggiva via.
In seguito dichiarò che l’orrore continuava anche dopo la loro morte. Spesso interpretava un orrido “party” con i corpi delle piccole ragazze, sistemandole nel modo più opportuno e parlando con loro.
Inizialmente la polizia è scettica riguardo agli orrori raccontati da Pedro e i legami con la Colombia non sono tali da consentire la verifica del suo racconto. Ma come Pedro capisce che gli investigatori dubitano di lui e delle verità che ha loro raccontato, si offre di condurli nei vari punti di sepoltura che ha seminato per il paese. Gli investigatori accettano e pianificano l’azione.
Alcuni giorni dopo la sua confessione iniziale, Pedro viene prelevato dal quartier generale della polizia. Il convoglio di agenti segue alla lettera le sue istruzioni e si reca nei posti da lui segnalati. I dubbi degli investigatori scompaiono del tutto quando Pedro li conduce in una località isolata nelle vicinanze di Ambato, dove scoprono i resti di 53 ragazze, di età compresa fra gli otto e i 12 anni.
Nel corso della giornata Pedro li guida in altri 28 siti, tuttavia nessun altro corpo viene trovato. Alcuni investigatori pensano allora che gli animali ne abbiano sparpagliato i resti e le piogge abbiano completato il resto del lavoro portandoli via chissà dove.
Una volta ritornati al commissariato Pedro viene velocemente incriminato di 57 omicidi, benché lui stesso, nelle sue dettagliate confessioni, ne reclami 110. Il direttore della prigione, Victor Lascano, spiegò in seguito: «Se qualcuno confessa 100 omicidi e si trovano i corpi di 53 vittime, allora dobbiamo credere a quello che dice.» Ai reporter confidò anche che: «Ritengo la sua stima di 300 omicidi assai scarsa.»
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
War News for Tuesday, February 02, 2010
The British MoD is reporting the deaths of two British ISAF soldiers in an IED attack near Malgir, which lies between Babaji and Gereshk, Helmand province Afghanistan on Monday, February 1st.
NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier in an IED attack in an unidentified location in southern Afghanistan on Monday, February 1st.
Think Spain is reporting the death os a Spanish ISAF soldier, Felipe Romero Meneses, in a roadside bombing in the Afghan town of Sang Atesh, western Afghanistan on Monday, February 1st. Six other Spanish soldiers were injured in the attack.
As Marines Move In, Taliban Fight a Shadowy War:
US troop surge focuses attention on roadside bombs:
Reported security incidents
Baghdad:
#1: update A female suicide bomber detonated her explosives inside a way station for Shiite pilgrims Monday, killing 54 people. The bomber hid the explosives beneath an abaya - a woman's black cloak worn from head to toe - as she joined a group of pilgrims on the outskirts of Baghdad's Shiite-dominated neighborhood of Shaab, said Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, Baghdad's top military spokesman. A police official said 54 people, including 18 women and 12 children, were killed and 117 were wounded. A hospital official confirmed the casualties.
#2: Twelve pilgrims who were heading to Karbala have been wounded in a hand grenade attack in the capital Baghdad, the Iraqi police said on Tuesday. “Last night, an unknown gunman threw a hand grenade at a group of visitors who were on their way to Karbala in Baghdad’s southern neighborhood of al-Doura, wounding 12 of them,” a police source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
#3: “At noon, a roadside explosive device targeted Arbaeen visitors in al-Zafaraniya area, southeastern Baghdad, wounding three of them (civilians),” a police source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
#4: A roadside bomb targeted a police patrol in Saidiyah neighbourhood, south Baghdad at 8.30 a.m. Monday, causing material damages only.
Taji:
#1: Meanwhile, a policeman was wounded when a sticky device hit his civilian vehicle in Baghdad’s northern area of al-Taji, according to the same source.
Mosul:
#1: In northern Iraq, gunshots were fired at the motorcade of the Ninevah provincial governor, Atheel al-Nujaifi, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Mosul, said a security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief media. The governor was not injured, but some of the vehicles in the convoy were damaged, the officials said. The shots occurred while al-Nujaifi was visiting a dam and was met by Kurdish protesters waving flags and banners from their nearby northern enclave.
#2: Four civilians were wounded on Monday in a motorcycle bomb explosion in the east of Mosul, a security source said. “A booby-trapped motorcycle went off in the Christians-majority Qurat Qoush town in al-Hamadaniya district, east of Mosul, injuring four civilians,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
#3: Police forces defused an explosive device on Monday in central Mosul, according to a security source. “A force from the criminal investigation department in Ninewa, managed on Monday to defuse an explosive charge, planted in a crowded region in al-Sergkhana region in central Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Al Anbar Prv:
#1: Falluja police forces have dismantled two explosive devices in the east of the city and captured three suspects, a local security source said on Monday. “On Monday, a force from al-Karma police defused two roadside explosive devices planted by unknown gunmen in the district,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.“No casualties or damage were reported,” the source noted.
#2: Police forces on Monday seized a rocket launch pad and two Katyusha missiles north of Ramadi city. “The two rockets were defused,” a local security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
#3: Four policemen were wounded on Monday in an improvised explosive device blast in eastern Falluja, a police source said. “An explosive charge went off targeting a police vehicle patrol in al-Bu Soouda region in al-Karma district in eastern Falluja,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The blast injured four policemen and damaged their vehicle,” he added.
Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Pakistani troops killed eight Islamist militants Tuesday in an Afghan border region where insurgents are staging a comeback after a military operation there was declared a success, a local official said. Pakistani troops killed eight Islamist militants Tuesday in an Afghan border region where insurgents are staging a comeback after a military operation there was declared a success, a local official said.
#2: Gunmen have shot dead "a close friend" of Afghan President Hamid Karzai in the troubled southern province of Kandahar, one of the president's brothers told AFP. Gunmen on a motorcycle killed 35-year-old tribal leader Mohammad on Tuesday, described by Ahmad Wali Karzai "as a very close friend of ... the president". Mohammad's driver was also killed and his brother wounded in the attack, Karzai said, his voice shaking with grief.
#3: Two pro-government tribesmen were killed and four wounded when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region of Mohmand on the Afghan border, officials said.
#4: Seven Taliban militants were killed and 10 others injured as Afghan National Police repelled their attack in country's relatively peaceful Jawzjan province Monday night, deputy provincial police chief said on Tuesday. "Scores of armed Taliban militants raided police headquarters in Qoush Tepa district late Monday night and encountered with police, with seven insurgents killed and 10 others injured," Mohammad Ibrahim told Xinhua. He said that two police officers were injured in the gunbattle that lasted for hours.
#5: No damage or casualties occurred when two rockets landed on Camp Arena in Herat province late Monday evening.
#6: In a separate incident, an Australian soldier was slightly wounded when his Bushmaster vehicle struck an IED in another location. Both attacks occurred while the soldiers were on separate patrols north of Tarin Kowt in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, 30 January 2010.
DoD: Sgt. David J. Smith
News: Felipe Romero Meneses
NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier in an IED attack in an unidentified location in southern Afghanistan on Monday, February 1st.
Think Spain is reporting the death os a Spanish ISAF soldier, Felipe Romero Meneses, in a roadside bombing in the Afghan town of Sang Atesh, western Afghanistan on Monday, February 1st. Six other Spanish soldiers were injured in the attack.
As Marines Move In, Taliban Fight a Shadowy War:
US troop surge focuses attention on roadside bombs:
Reported security incidents
Baghdad:
#1: update A female suicide bomber detonated her explosives inside a way station for Shiite pilgrims Monday, killing 54 people. The bomber hid the explosives beneath an abaya - a woman's black cloak worn from head to toe - as she joined a group of pilgrims on the outskirts of Baghdad's Shiite-dominated neighborhood of Shaab, said Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, Baghdad's top military spokesman. A police official said 54 people, including 18 women and 12 children, were killed and 117 were wounded. A hospital official confirmed the casualties.
#2: Twelve pilgrims who were heading to Karbala have been wounded in a hand grenade attack in the capital Baghdad, the Iraqi police said on Tuesday. “Last night, an unknown gunman threw a hand grenade at a group of visitors who were on their way to Karbala in Baghdad’s southern neighborhood of al-Doura, wounding 12 of them,” a police source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
#3: “At noon, a roadside explosive device targeted Arbaeen visitors in al-Zafaraniya area, southeastern Baghdad, wounding three of them (civilians),” a police source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
#4: A roadside bomb targeted a police patrol in Saidiyah neighbourhood, south Baghdad at 8.30 a.m. Monday, causing material damages only.
Taji:
#1: Meanwhile, a policeman was wounded when a sticky device hit his civilian vehicle in Baghdad’s northern area of al-Taji, according to the same source.
Mosul:
#1: In northern Iraq, gunshots were fired at the motorcade of the Ninevah provincial governor, Atheel al-Nujaifi, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Mosul, said a security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief media. The governor was not injured, but some of the vehicles in the convoy were damaged, the officials said. The shots occurred while al-Nujaifi was visiting a dam and was met by Kurdish protesters waving flags and banners from their nearby northern enclave.
#2: Four civilians were wounded on Monday in a motorcycle bomb explosion in the east of Mosul, a security source said. “A booby-trapped motorcycle went off in the Christians-majority Qurat Qoush town in al-Hamadaniya district, east of Mosul, injuring four civilians,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
#3: Police forces defused an explosive device on Monday in central Mosul, according to a security source. “A force from the criminal investigation department in Ninewa, managed on Monday to defuse an explosive charge, planted in a crowded region in al-Sergkhana region in central Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Al Anbar Prv:
#1: Falluja police forces have dismantled two explosive devices in the east of the city and captured three suspects, a local security source said on Monday. “On Monday, a force from al-Karma police defused two roadside explosive devices planted by unknown gunmen in the district,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.“No casualties or damage were reported,” the source noted.
#2: Police forces on Monday seized a rocket launch pad and two Katyusha missiles north of Ramadi city. “The two rockets were defused,” a local security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
#3: Four policemen were wounded on Monday in an improvised explosive device blast in eastern Falluja, a police source said. “An explosive charge went off targeting a police vehicle patrol in al-Bu Soouda region in al-Karma district in eastern Falluja,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The blast injured four policemen and damaged their vehicle,” he added.
Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Pakistani troops killed eight Islamist militants Tuesday in an Afghan border region where insurgents are staging a comeback after a military operation there was declared a success, a local official said. Pakistani troops killed eight Islamist militants Tuesday in an Afghan border region where insurgents are staging a comeback after a military operation there was declared a success, a local official said.
#2: Gunmen have shot dead "a close friend" of Afghan President Hamid Karzai in the troubled southern province of Kandahar, one of the president's brothers told AFP. Gunmen on a motorcycle killed 35-year-old tribal leader Mohammad on Tuesday, described by Ahmad Wali Karzai "as a very close friend of ... the president". Mohammad's driver was also killed and his brother wounded in the attack, Karzai said, his voice shaking with grief.
#3: Two pro-government tribesmen were killed and four wounded when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region of Mohmand on the Afghan border, officials said.
#4: Seven Taliban militants were killed and 10 others injured as Afghan National Police repelled their attack in country's relatively peaceful Jawzjan province Monday night, deputy provincial police chief said on Tuesday. "Scores of armed Taliban militants raided police headquarters in Qoush Tepa district late Monday night and encountered with police, with seven insurgents killed and 10 others injured," Mohammad Ibrahim told Xinhua. He said that two police officers were injured in the gunbattle that lasted for hours.
#5: No damage or casualties occurred when two rockets landed on Camp Arena in Herat province late Monday evening.
#6: In a separate incident, an Australian soldier was slightly wounded when his Bushmaster vehicle struck an IED in another location. Both attacks occurred while the soldiers were on separate patrols north of Tarin Kowt in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, 30 January 2010.
DoD: Sgt. David J. Smith
News: Felipe Romero Meneses
A couple of months back, we launched the Custom Sections Directory feature in Google News to allow users to set up sections on topics of their interest, and to share them with other users.
Today, we are giving users even more options for following stories. Users can mark a story cluster by clicking on the star next to it, like they can with messages in Gmail and items in Google Reader. When you star a story in Google News, it's one way to let us know that you're interested in that subject. When there are significant updates, we will alert you by putting the headline in bold so you can get more information. You can also follow your 20 most recent starred stories in the "Starred" section of Google News.
We hope you enjoy the new feature and welcome your feedback.
A couple of months back, we launched the Custom Sections Directory feature in Google News to allow users to set up sections on topics of their interest, and to share them with other users.
Today, we are giving users even more options for following stories. Users can mark a story cluster by clicking on the star next to it, like they can with messages in Gmail and items in Google Reader. When you star a story in Google News, it's one way to let us know that you're interested in that subject. When there are significant updates, we will alert you by putting the headline in bold so you can get more information. You can also follow your 20 most recent starred stories in the "Starred" section of Google News.
We hope you enjoy the new feature and welcome your feedback.
Monday, February 1, 2010
"Figure it out and let us know"...
was the message, according to the WSJ, that the US State Department chose to leave on the EU's voicemail this weekend, presumably while the Spanish, who hold the EU Presidency, Herman Van Rompuy and Jose Manuel Barroso all wrestled with each other as they failed to answer the phone.
Although this isn't strictly true, it's an image that fits with the 'Kissinger question' of "who do I call if I want to speak to Europe?", if he ever actually said it that is.
What is true is that President Obama has pulled out of the annual EU-US summit this spring and one of the reasons is that the EU's various presidents have been so busy arguing over who would get to shake his hand first that they apparently forgot to send out the invitations.
In the words of a State Department official, "We don't even know if they're going to have one [a summit]. We've told them, 'Figure it out and let us know.'"
A more diplomatic official said, "Who attends from the US and at what point will depend on who's calling the meeting. There's a competition in Europe because you now have the standing EU architecture."
This was supposed to be the first high-level EU-US summit after the entry into force of the EU's 'magical cure', also known as the Lisbon Treaty, which was billed as the answer to the EU's inability to deal with the outside world as one, creating a President, a Foreign Minster, and a diplomatic service.
But it turns out Obama doesn't seem that bothered about coming round to watch the EU play with its new toys. For some strange reason the US President thinks it's more important to travel to Asia in the spring, to South Africa in the summer and to Portugal for the NATO summit in the Autumn.
Just a thought but maybe that's because there will be people there with something more important to say..
Although this isn't strictly true, it's an image that fits with the 'Kissinger question' of "who do I call if I want to speak to Europe?", if he ever actually said it that is.
What is true is that President Obama has pulled out of the annual EU-US summit this spring and one of the reasons is that the EU's various presidents have been so busy arguing over who would get to shake his hand first that they apparently forgot to send out the invitations.
In the words of a State Department official, "We don't even know if they're going to have one [a summit]. We've told them, 'Figure it out and let us know.'"
A more diplomatic official said, "Who attends from the US and at what point will depend on who's calling the meeting. There's a competition in Europe because you now have the standing EU architecture."
This was supposed to be the first high-level EU-US summit after the entry into force of the EU's 'magical cure', also known as the Lisbon Treaty, which was billed as the answer to the EU's inability to deal with the outside world as one, creating a President, a Foreign Minster, and a diplomatic service.
But it turns out Obama doesn't seem that bothered about coming round to watch the EU play with its new toys. For some strange reason the US President thinks it's more important to travel to Asia in the spring, to South Africa in the summer and to Portugal for the NATO summit in the Autumn.
Just a thought but maybe that's because there will be people there with something more important to say..
War News for Monday, February 01, 2010
NATO is reporting the death of an American soldier in a roadside bombing in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Monday, February 01.
US drones killed 123 civilians, three al-Qaeda men in January:
US releases names of prisoners at Bagram, Afghanistan :
Reported security incidents
Baghdad:
#1: An Iraqi police official says a female suicide bomber walking among Shiite pilgrims in northern Baghdad has detonated an explosives belt, killing at least 41 people. The official says the bomber struck Monday as the pilgrims were walking near the Shiite neighborhood of Shaab. He says that about 106 people have been wounded. A hospital official also confirmed the casualties. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to the media. Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, Baghdad's top military spokesman, said 19 people were killed and 80 wounded. The bomber, pretending to be a pilgrim, struck as a group of pilgrims made their way through the Shiite-dominated neighborhood of Shaab in northern Baghdad, an Iraqi police official said.
Mosul:
#1: U.S. soldiers killed three suspected insurgents and wounded another who it says were planting roadside bombs near a major road on Saturday south of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
#2: A civilian was wounded when gunmen attacked an Iraqi army checkpoint in western Mosul, police said.
Al Anbar Prv:
#1: A senior Iraqi police officer was killed by gunmen at his home at dawn on Monday, Iraqi security officials said. Security sources told the German Press Agency dpa that gunmen entered the house of Colonel Khalaf al-Dalimi in the outskirts of the city of Ramadi near Baghdad, at around 5 AM (0200 GMT). The gunmen killed al-Dalimi and then fled.
#2: A roadside bomb blew up in central Fallujah, Sunday, killing the insurgent who was planting it.
Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Meanwhile, two would-be suicide bombers targeted a police station Monday in southern Zabul province, but were driven back before they could set off their explosives. Officers opened fire on the two attackers as they approached the police headquarters in Qalat city, killing one, said deputy provincial police chief Ghulam Jalanai Farahi. One officer was wounded in the firefight. The second attacker escaped during the fighting and security forces were searching for him, Farahi said.
#2: an attack on a convoy of commercial trucks contracted by WFP on 30 January. "We believe that eight trucks were destroyed and one truck was damaged. The other 19 trucks in the convoy were undamaged," Challiss McDonough, WFP's information officer in Kabul, said told. One truck driver was injured in the incident and another, along with his truck, was unaccounted for, she said.
#3: A NATO oil tanker was attacked and burned down on Monday morning in the northwest Pakistani city of Peshawar, police said. Police said a couple of unidentified militants opened fire at the tanker that was soon wrapped up in flames. Locals said the militants ordered the driver and his assistant to get down and set the tanker on fire.
#4: NATO forces have killed at least five people, including a baby, during a night raid targeting militants in central Afghanistan. Afghan officials say the foreign forces killed the civilians in an attack on a village house in Uruzgan province on Saturday night. The NATO alliance has confirmed the death of the baby and expressed regret for what it called a tragic loss of innocent life.
#5: NATO and Afghan forces also killed seven militants in a gunbattle Sunday in the south of the country, according to the Afghan army. The troops were on patrol in Helmand province when they came under attack and returned fire, said Gen. Sher Mohammad Zazi, the army commander for southern Afghanistan. He said no government or international troops were wounded, and the bodies of seven militants were recovered after the battle. NATO forces did not immediately comment on the incident.
#6: Pakistani forces backed by helicopter gunships have killed 15 Taliban in clashes that erupted after militants attacked a military post and convoy in the northwest of the country, an official said on Monday. The latest fighting broke out on Sunday afternoon in the militant stronghold of Wara Mamoon and lasted until midnight, local government official Bajaur Abdul Malik told Reuters. "The Taliban first attacked our checkpoint and convoy and then we responded with ground and air attacks," he said. Malik said 15 militants and one soldier were killed and 10 militants were wounded.
US drones killed 123 civilians, three al-Qaeda men in January:
US releases names of prisoners at Bagram, Afghanistan :
Reported security incidents
Baghdad:
#1: An Iraqi police official says a female suicide bomber walking among Shiite pilgrims in northern Baghdad has detonated an explosives belt, killing at least 41 people. The official says the bomber struck Monday as the pilgrims were walking near the Shiite neighborhood of Shaab. He says that about 106 people have been wounded. A hospital official also confirmed the casualties. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to the media. Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, Baghdad's top military spokesman, said 19 people were killed and 80 wounded. The bomber, pretending to be a pilgrim, struck as a group of pilgrims made their way through the Shiite-dominated neighborhood of Shaab in northern Baghdad, an Iraqi police official said.
Mosul:
#1: U.S. soldiers killed three suspected insurgents and wounded another who it says were planting roadside bombs near a major road on Saturday south of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
#2: A civilian was wounded when gunmen attacked an Iraqi army checkpoint in western Mosul, police said.
Al Anbar Prv:
#1: A senior Iraqi police officer was killed by gunmen at his home at dawn on Monday, Iraqi security officials said. Security sources told the German Press Agency dpa that gunmen entered the house of Colonel Khalaf al-Dalimi in the outskirts of the city of Ramadi near Baghdad, at around 5 AM (0200 GMT). The gunmen killed al-Dalimi and then fled.
#2: A roadside bomb blew up in central Fallujah, Sunday, killing the insurgent who was planting it.
Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Meanwhile, two would-be suicide bombers targeted a police station Monday in southern Zabul province, but were driven back before they could set off their explosives. Officers opened fire on the two attackers as they approached the police headquarters in Qalat city, killing one, said deputy provincial police chief Ghulam Jalanai Farahi. One officer was wounded in the firefight. The second attacker escaped during the fighting and security forces were searching for him, Farahi said.
#2: an attack on a convoy of commercial trucks contracted by WFP on 30 January. "We believe that eight trucks were destroyed and one truck was damaged. The other 19 trucks in the convoy were undamaged," Challiss McDonough, WFP's information officer in Kabul, said told. One truck driver was injured in the incident and another, along with his truck, was unaccounted for, she said.
#3: A NATO oil tanker was attacked and burned down on Monday morning in the northwest Pakistani city of Peshawar, police said. Police said a couple of unidentified militants opened fire at the tanker that was soon wrapped up in flames. Locals said the militants ordered the driver and his assistant to get down and set the tanker on fire.
#4: NATO forces have killed at least five people, including a baby, during a night raid targeting militants in central Afghanistan. Afghan officials say the foreign forces killed the civilians in an attack on a village house in Uruzgan province on Saturday night. The NATO alliance has confirmed the death of the baby and expressed regret for what it called a tragic loss of innocent life.
#5: NATO and Afghan forces also killed seven militants in a gunbattle Sunday in the south of the country, according to the Afghan army. The troops were on patrol in Helmand province when they came under attack and returned fire, said Gen. Sher Mohammad Zazi, the army commander for southern Afghanistan. He said no government or international troops were wounded, and the bodies of seven militants were recovered after the battle. NATO forces did not immediately comment on the incident.
#6: Pakistani forces backed by helicopter gunships have killed 15 Taliban in clashes that erupted after militants attacked a military post and convoy in the northwest of the country, an official said on Monday. The latest fighting broke out on Sunday afternoon in the militant stronghold of Wara Mamoon and lasted until midnight, local government official Bajaur Abdul Malik told Reuters. "The Taliban first attacked our checkpoint and convoy and then we responded with ground and air attacks," he said. Malik said 15 militants and one soldier were killed and 10 militants were wounded.
JFK: Looking Back to 1963
The assassination of John F. Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, took place on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas, at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time (18:30 UTC) in Dealey Plaza.
Kennedy was fatally shot while riding with his wife Jacqueline in a Presidential motorcade.
source
The ten-month investigation of the Warren Commission of 19631964, the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) of 19761979, and other government investigations concluded that the President was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald, who himself was murdered before he could stand trial.
This conclusion was initially met with support among the American public, but polls conducted from 1966 on show as many as 80% of the American public have held beliefs contrary to these findings.
The assassination is still the subject of widespread debate and has spawned numerous conspiracy theories and alternative scenarios.
In 1979, the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) found both the original FBI investigation and the Warren Commission Report to be seriously flawed.
The HSCA also concluded that there were at least four shots fired and that it was probable that a conspiracy existed. Later studies, including one by the National Academy of Sciences, have called into question the accuracy of the evidence used by the HSCA to support its finding of four shots.
The Event Continues Investigation to the present day.
PHOTOS
COVERUP?
source
Is Zapruder Film Accurate?
source
RUSH TO JUDGMENT - MARK LANE
Watch MARK lANES RUSH TO JUDGEMENT in Entertainment | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
source
Kennedy was fatally shot while riding with his wife Jacqueline in a Presidential motorcade.
source
The ten-month investigation of the Warren Commission of 19631964, the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) of 19761979, and other government investigations concluded that the President was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald, who himself was murdered before he could stand trial.
This conclusion was initially met with support among the American public, but polls conducted from 1966 on show as many as 80% of the American public have held beliefs contrary to these findings.
The assassination is still the subject of widespread debate and has spawned numerous conspiracy theories and alternative scenarios.
In 1979, the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) found both the original FBI investigation and the Warren Commission Report to be seriously flawed.
The HSCA also concluded that there were at least four shots fired and that it was probable that a conspiracy existed. Later studies, including one by the National Academy of Sciences, have called into question the accuracy of the evidence used by the HSCA to support its finding of four shots.
The Event Continues Investigation to the present day.
PHOTOS
COVERUP?
source
Is Zapruder Film Accurate?
source
RUSH TO JUDGMENT - MARK LANE
Watch MARK lANES RUSH TO JUDGEMENT in Entertainment | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
source
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