NewYorkTimes
WASHINGTON — The paratroopers of Chosen Company had plenty to worry about as they began digging in at their new outpost on the fringe of a hostile frontier village in eastern Afghanistan.
Intelligence reports were warning of militants massing in the area. As the paratroopers looked around, the only villagers they could see were men of fighting age idling in the bazaar. There were no women and children, and some houses looked abandoned. Through their night scopes they could see furtive figures on the surrounding mountainsides.
A few days later, they were almost overrun by 200 insurgents.
That firefight, a debacle that cost nine American lives in July 2008, has become the new template for how not to win in Afghanistan. The calamity and its roots have been described in bitter, painstaking detail in an unreleased Army history, a devastating narrative that has begun to circulate in an initial form even as the military opened a formal review this week of decisions made up and down the chain of command.
The 248-page draft history, obtained by The New York Times, helps explain why the new commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, is pressing so hard for a full-fledged commitment to a style of counterinsurgency that rests on winning over the people of Afghanistan even more than killing militants. The military has already incorporated lessons from the battle in the new doctrine for war in Afghanistan.
The history offers stark examples of shortcomings in the unit’s preparation, the style of combat it adopted, its access to intelligence, its disdain for the locals — in short, plenty of blame to go around.
Before the soldiers arrived, commanders negotiated for months with Afghan officials of dubious loyalty over where they could dig in, giving militants plenty of time to prepare for an assault.
Despite the suspicion that the militants were nearby, there were not enough surveillance aircraft over the lonely outpost — a chronic shortage in Afghanistan that frustrated Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates at the time. Commanders may have been distracted from the risky operation by the bureaucratic complexities of handing over responsibility at the brigade level to replacements — and by their urgent investigation of an episode that had enraged the local population, the killing a week earlier in an airstrike of a local medical clinic’s staff as it fled nearby fighting in two pickup trucks.
Above all, the unit and its commanders had an increasingly tense and untrusting relationship with the Afghan people.
The history cited the “absence of cultural awareness and understanding of the specific tribal and governance situation” and the emphasis on combat operations over the development of the local economy and other civil affairs, a reversal of the practices of the unit that had just left the area.
The battle of Wanat is being described as the “Black Hawk Down” of Afghanistan, with the 48 American soldiers and 24 Afghan soldiers outnumbered three to one in a four-hour firefight that left nine Americans dead and 27 wounded in one of the bloodiest days of the eight-year war.
Soldiers who survived the battle described how their automatic weapons turned white hot and jammed from nonstop firing. Mortally wounded troops continued to hand bullet belts to those still able to fire.
The ammunition stockpile was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, igniting a stack of 120-millimeter mortar rounds — and the resulting fireball flung the unit’s antitank missiles into the command post. One insurgent got inside the concertina wire and is believed to have killed three soldiers at close range, including the platoon commander, Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom.
The description of the battle at Wanat — the heroism, the violence and the missteps that may have contributed to the deaths — ends with a judgment that the fight was “as remarkable as any small-unit action in American military history.”
The author, the military historian Douglas R. Cubbison, also included a series of criticisms in his review, sponsored by the Army’s Combat Studies Institute at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., that laid blame on a series of decisions made before the battle.
The draft report criticized the “lack of adequate preparation time” before arriving in Afghanistan, which meant there was little training geared specifically for Afghanistan, and not even a detailed operational plan for the year of combat that lay ahead.
Pentagon and military officials say those initial criticisms are being revised to reflect subsequent interviews with other soldiers and officers who were at Wanat or who served in higher-level command positions. After a round of revisions, the study will go through a formal peer-review process and be published.
The battle stands as proof that the United States is facing off against a far more sophisticated adversary in Afghanistan today, one that can fight anonymously with roadside bombs or stealthily with kidnappings — but also can operate like a disciplined armed force using well-rehearsed small-unit tactics to challenge the American military for dominance on the conventional battlefield.
Official judgment on whether errors were made by the unit on the ground or by any leaders up the chain of command will be determined by a new investigation opened this week by Gen. David H. Petraeus of United States Central Command at the urging of Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The call for such an independent review came from family members of the fallen, including David P. Brostrom, father of the slain platoon commander and himself a retired Army colonel, as well as from a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Jim Webb, Democrat of Virginia.
The history is replete with wrong turns at every point of the unit’s mission, starting with the day it was reassigned to Afghanistan from training for Iraq.
After having served for more than a year in other hot zones of eastern Afghanistan, the platoon arrived in the village at dark on July 8, 2008, just two weeks from the day it was supposed to go home to its base in Italy.
The men wore their adopted unit emblem — skull patches fashioned after Marvel Comics’ antihero, the Punisher. They unloaded their Humvees, packed with weapons, water and the single rucksack each had kept when the rest of his kit was shipped home. They had plenty of ammunition.
But at the end of an intense tour of combat, they had run out of good relations with an increasingly distrustful population.
They named it Outpost Kahler, after a popular sergeant who had been killed by one of their own Afghan guards early that year. His last words as he moved ahead of his comrades to check whether their Afghan partners were asleep while on duty had been, “This might be dangerous.” (The shooting was ruled an accident, but relations between skeptical American troops and Afghan forces deteriorated.)
Although the 173rd Airborne Brigade had been scheduled to return to Iraq from its base in Italy, the need for forces to counter a resurgence of militant violence in eastern Afghanistan prompted new orders for the brigade to switch immediately to preparations for mountain warfare — many of the outposts were linked only by narrow, rutted trails, and some could be reached only be helicopter — and a wholly different culture and language. “Unfortunately, the comparatively late change of mission for the 173rd Airborne B.C.T. from Iraq to Afghanistan did not permit the brigade sufficient time to prepare any form of campaign plan,” the history reports.
The unit arrived at Wanat ill prepared for the hot work of building an outpost in the mountains in July; troops were thirsty from a lack of fresh water, and their one construction vehicle ran out of gas, so the unit was unable to complete basic fortifications. The soldiers had no local currency to buy favor by investing in the village economy, the history makes clear. The soldiers also said they complained up the chain of command about the lack of air surveillance over their dangerous corner of Afghanistan, but no more was provided.
Even as they settled into their spartan command post, the unit’s commanders were insulted to learn that local leaders were meeting together in a “shura,” or council, to which they were not invited — and which might even have been a session used to coordinate the assault on the Americans that began before dawn the very next morning.
The four-hour firefight finally ended when American warplanes and attack helicopters strafed insurgent positions. The paratroopers drove back the insurgents, but ended up abandoning the village 48 hours later.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Friday, October 2, 2009
Pakistan army ready for Waziristan offensive
Pakistan's army is ready to launch a major offensive in the al Qaida and Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan, but is waiting approval from the government and first wants to reach deals with local warlords to support the operation, intelligence officials said on Friday. Earlier this week, scores of people fled the mountainous region close to the Afghan border amid speculation an operation was imminent.
The army said months ago that it was planning an offensive but did not confirm Friday a newspaper report that it would begin within days. Pakistan has won praise in the West over the last year for moving against militants in the frontier region blamed for stoking the Afghan insurgency, but has so far stuck to limited, intelligence-led ground and air strikes in South Waziristan, where local and foreign militants are well dug-in.
Also Friday, intelligence officials said the al Qaida-linked leader of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan is believed to have been killed by a US missile strike in South Waziristan. The Taliban denied the claim. Tahir Yuldash's death would be a significant blow to the militant groups that have wreaked havoc along the Afghan-Pakistan border and the latest victory for the covert American missile program.
Waziristan in three army bases in the region. They said they were awaiting final approval from the government before moving in. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media. Intelligence officials in Waziristan and the nearby town of Dera Ismail Khan said the government was still negotiating with warlords Maulvi Nazir and Hafiz Gul Bahadur. "What the Pakistan army is working on is that if they both do not announce their support, then they should remain impartial," one said.
The army said months ago that it was planning an offensive but did not confirm Friday a newspaper report that it would begin within days. Pakistan has won praise in the West over the last year for moving against militants in the frontier region blamed for stoking the Afghan insurgency, but has so far stuck to limited, intelligence-led ground and air strikes in South Waziristan, where local and foreign militants are well dug-in.
Also Friday, intelligence officials said the al Qaida-linked leader of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan is believed to have been killed by a US missile strike in South Waziristan. The Taliban denied the claim. Tahir Yuldash's death would be a significant blow to the militant groups that have wreaked havoc along the Afghan-Pakistan border and the latest victory for the covert American missile program.
Waziristan in three army bases in the region. They said they were awaiting final approval from the government before moving in. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media. Intelligence officials in Waziristan and the nearby town of Dera Ismail Khan said the government was still negotiating with warlords Maulvi Nazir and Hafiz Gul Bahadur. "What the Pakistan army is working on is that if they both do not announce their support, then they should remain impartial," one said.
Ease loadshedding or we cut off supply:(PUKHTUNKHWA) NWFP PA
PESHAWAR - Both treasury and opposition benches in the Frontier Assembly were unanimous on Friday to
cut-off electricity supply mainly produced by the NWFP to the rest of the country, if hours-long unscheduled
load-shedding was not halted in the province forthwith.
Through an adjournment motion, the attention of the provincial lawmakers was brought to the ongoing merciless
load-shedding, and both treasury and opposition members were one to criticise Wapda for carrying out more
load-shedding in NWFP than its share.
The PPP Parliamentary leader, Abdul Akbar Khan moved the adjournment motion to discuss hours-long
load-shedding and price hike in the province during third day session of the provincial assembly meeting here
with acting speaker Khushdil Khan Advocate in the chair.
The mover informed the house that electricity supply mostly suspended from five to six and 15 to 16 hours in
urban and rural areas respectively, which he termed an injustice and accused the authorities concerned of
carrying out excessive load-shedding in the NWFP - far beyond its share. He suggested discussing the matter
with federal government without any further delay.
Taking part in the debate, opposition leader in the assembly and ex-chief minister Akram Khan Durrani
supported the mover and questioned why there was no loadshedding in the whole month of Ramazan and why it
was now being carried out again. The department concerned couldn’t control losses and that’s why deliberately
disconnected electricity to its consumers for no reason.
He asked the ANP-PPP led provincial government to take a firm stand like it had on the issue of moon sighting
and Eid and hoped it would help to get the desired results, saying the opposition would fully back the
government. “Once I had warned Wapda officials that police would not be deployed at grid stations and other
installations, if it did not co-operate with provincial government and ultimately they came on the track” he
recalled. He said that opposition would outrightly support the provincial government if it decided to cut-off power
supply to the rest of the country.
The PML (N) MPA Javid Abbasi and ANP MPA Saqibullah Khan Chamkani in their turn supported and called for
a unanimous resolution and a meeting with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and Federal Minister for Wapda
Raja Pervez Ashraf over the issue.
The ANP Parliamentary leader Bashir Ahmad Bilour said, “Our province has been producing cheaper electricity.
But unfortunately, it has been sold on expensive rate especially in the NWFP, which is regrettable”. Over 4000
megawatts electricity is being produced in the NWFP, while its total need is just 1000 megawatts, but still we are
facing a severe load-shedding.”
He maintained that Wapda had become a white elephant. Thus, it was demanded of the government to abolish it
soon and must hand over its control to the Frontier province, like it was under its control prior to one-unit. He
appealed to the MNAs and Senators representing the NWFP in the Parliament to raise voice for provincial
rights. He said that electricity should be a provincial subject adding they might have severed power supply to
other parts of the country if it had been in their control.
On his turn, Mian Iftikhar Hussain, provincial Information Minister said that in order to minimise people’s
hardships, the government would have to take certain hard steps, saying that first right on electricity was of the
dwellers of this province. He said that federal government must accept the demands of the people of this
province. He, however, said that if their demands were not met then they would act what was decided by the
provincial lawmakers, he warned.
The PPP Senior Minister Rahim Dad Khan informed the house that at present total electricity shortage in the
province was almost 500 megawatts while about 3500 megawatts in the whole country. Ironically, people of our
province are experiencing more loadshedding as compared to other provinces. PML(Q) MPA Qalandar Khan
Lodi stressed the need for taking the load shedding issues up with federal government and minister concerned.
On this occasion, acting Speaker Khushdil Khan Advocate directed Rahim Dad Khan to wire a letter to the
federal government to discuss the matter and get resolved it on permanent basis.
Bara operation loses intensity as most militants still at large
PESHAWAR: The operation in Bara subdivision of Khyber Agency has lost its intensity with almost all militants and their leadership still at large though the unsettling curfew is in place to the dismay of many dwellers.
The anti-militant swoop was launched with trumpet blast on September 1 by razing houses of those accused of lending military, financial or moral support to militants in the area being controlled by Lashkar-e-Islam (LI), the outlawed group led by Mangal Bagh, over the past several years.
Unofficial figures suggest that nearly 50 houses have been razed, 35 people killed and over 100 arrested by the security forces in the past month. The authorities, however, failed to net or eliminate any of the wanted militants or senior commanders including chief Mangal Bagh who has been recently added to the list of wanted men carrying bounty on their heads.
Official figures released to media over the past one month, however, claimed the killing of nearly 100 militants besides destruction of their several centres and bunkers both in Bara and the remote Tirah Valley where most of the banned LI leaders are believed to be hiding to evade arrest.
Large-scale migration of people, fearing intense fighting between security forces and outlawed LI volunteers and the continued curfew in Bara, are the most disturbing aspects of the Operation ‘Bia Daraghlam’ (Here I Come Again), which is the second against LI since June 2008.
The first operation codenamed ‘Daraghlam’ (Here I Come) was launched in June last year with a promise to root out the militants and secure Bara as well as Peshawar. The action was, however, halted after a few days by pushing the militants, who returned with more force and vigour days after troop withdrawal from the area.
The current operation, launched with much fanfare by the army and Frontier Corps (FC), is going to meet fate of the previous one as army troops were withdrawn from Bara less than 10 days after the launch of the operation wherein the security forces focused more on demolition of houses instead of going after and chasing the militants in their mountainous hideouts outside Bara.
Although the LI is yet to offer any armed resistance, the previous threats from Mangal Bagh on his illegal FM channel terrified the residents to the extent that they started fleeing the area for safer locations in the suburban villages and houses with some even going to the Jalozai makeshift settlement established to house displaced from Bajaur and Swat.
According to locals and some relief organisations, 50,000 to 80,000 people have migrated from Bara after the threat from Mangal Bagh who asked the people to reach to safer locations within three days after Eid.
Locals said they were the ultimate victims both in fighting between LI and Ansarul Islam (AI) and the anti-militant operation by the security forces. “Our businesses have been destroyed due to the curfew for the past one month,” says Said Ayaz, president of the Traders’ Association in Bara bazaar.
First there was fighting between the two groups (LI and AI) and the civilians suffered. “We are again facing the brunt as the security forces are conducting operation in our area,” grumbled the retailer, claiming that majority of those killed in the month-long operation were civilians.
Ayaz said more than 10,000 shops had been closed over the past one month, incurring huge losses on the traders and businessmen. Earlier, some shop owners shifted the merchandise to their houses following relaxation in curfew hours during Eid, he added.
Another resident, who did not want to be named for security reasons, said the LI people had returned to some areas after the pulling out of army from Bara. “We are sandwiched between the government and the militants each time the two sides come face to face,” he lamented.
Talking to reporters, the former political agent of Khyber Agency Tariq Hayat had claimed the operation would be taken to its logical end. He was, however, removed from the office without seeing his pledge fulfilled. Incumbent Political Agent Shafeerullah Khan was contacted both on his office and cell phone numbers, but he was not available for comments.
The anti-militant swoop was launched with trumpet blast on September 1 by razing houses of those accused of lending military, financial or moral support to militants in the area being controlled by Lashkar-e-Islam (LI), the outlawed group led by Mangal Bagh, over the past several years.
Unofficial figures suggest that nearly 50 houses have been razed, 35 people killed and over 100 arrested by the security forces in the past month. The authorities, however, failed to net or eliminate any of the wanted militants or senior commanders including chief Mangal Bagh who has been recently added to the list of wanted men carrying bounty on their heads.
Official figures released to media over the past one month, however, claimed the killing of nearly 100 militants besides destruction of their several centres and bunkers both in Bara and the remote Tirah Valley where most of the banned LI leaders are believed to be hiding to evade arrest.
Large-scale migration of people, fearing intense fighting between security forces and outlawed LI volunteers and the continued curfew in Bara, are the most disturbing aspects of the Operation ‘Bia Daraghlam’ (Here I Come Again), which is the second against LI since June 2008.
The first operation codenamed ‘Daraghlam’ (Here I Come) was launched in June last year with a promise to root out the militants and secure Bara as well as Peshawar. The action was, however, halted after a few days by pushing the militants, who returned with more force and vigour days after troop withdrawal from the area.
The current operation, launched with much fanfare by the army and Frontier Corps (FC), is going to meet fate of the previous one as army troops were withdrawn from Bara less than 10 days after the launch of the operation wherein the security forces focused more on demolition of houses instead of going after and chasing the militants in their mountainous hideouts outside Bara.
Although the LI is yet to offer any armed resistance, the previous threats from Mangal Bagh on his illegal FM channel terrified the residents to the extent that they started fleeing the area for safer locations in the suburban villages and houses with some even going to the Jalozai makeshift settlement established to house displaced from Bajaur and Swat.
According to locals and some relief organisations, 50,000 to 80,000 people have migrated from Bara after the threat from Mangal Bagh who asked the people to reach to safer locations within three days after Eid.
Locals said they were the ultimate victims both in fighting between LI and Ansarul Islam (AI) and the anti-militant operation by the security forces. “Our businesses have been destroyed due to the curfew for the past one month,” says Said Ayaz, president of the Traders’ Association in Bara bazaar.
First there was fighting between the two groups (LI and AI) and the civilians suffered. “We are again facing the brunt as the security forces are conducting operation in our area,” grumbled the retailer, claiming that majority of those killed in the month-long operation were civilians.
Ayaz said more than 10,000 shops had been closed over the past one month, incurring huge losses on the traders and businessmen. Earlier, some shop owners shifted the merchandise to their houses following relaxation in curfew hours during Eid, he added.
Another resident, who did not want to be named for security reasons, said the LI people had returned to some areas after the pulling out of army from Bara. “We are sandwiched between the government and the militants each time the two sides come face to face,” he lamented.
Talking to reporters, the former political agent of Khyber Agency Tariq Hayat had claimed the operation would be taken to its logical end. He was, however, removed from the office without seeing his pledge fulfilled. Incumbent Political Agent Shafeerullah Khan was contacted both on his office and cell phone numbers, but he was not available for comments.
Nawaz failed to fight terrorism effectively: Milam
Daily Times
LAHORE: Former American ambassador to Pakistan William B Milam has said that Nawaz Sharif “failed” to effectively fight terrorism during his second tenure as prime minister, while Pervez Musharraf’s government was “reluctant and unwilling” to root out terrorism.
In an appearance on Daily Times Editor-in-Chief Najam Sethi’s programme ‘Tonight with Najam Sethi’ – aired on Dunaya TV on Friday – the former ambassador said the Kargil war was “a foolish move” that disrupted peace dialogue with India.
Replying to a question, Milam said although Musharraf came to power through unconstitutional means, he was sincere in his efforts to resolve Pakistan’s issues.
Milam said Pakistan was not a failed state, but was facing “national identity problems”. He said former US president Bill Clinton pressured Musharraf to provide a roadmap for returning to a democratic set-up and sign CTBT.
LAHORE: Former American ambassador to Pakistan William B Milam has said that Nawaz Sharif “failed” to effectively fight terrorism during his second tenure as prime minister, while Pervez Musharraf’s government was “reluctant and unwilling” to root out terrorism.
In an appearance on Daily Times Editor-in-Chief Najam Sethi’s programme ‘Tonight with Najam Sethi’ – aired on Dunaya TV on Friday – the former ambassador said the Kargil war was “a foolish move” that disrupted peace dialogue with India.
Replying to a question, Milam said although Musharraf came to power through unconstitutional means, he was sincere in his efforts to resolve Pakistan’s issues.
Milam said Pakistan was not a failed state, but was facing “national identity problems”. He said former US president Bill Clinton pressured Musharraf to provide a roadmap for returning to a democratic set-up and sign CTBT.
Five rockets hit Peshawar
PESHAWAR : Five rockets were fired from Khyber Agency here on late Friday, while, according to Aaj News no casualties has been reported initially.According to details, rockets were fired from Khyber agency which hit Peshawar city and nearby areas. Two rockets hit Nawe Kalayi and two other near Peshawar airport while one rocket hit a school in Pushta Khara.
Gates leaning towards more troops for Afghanistan, sources say
CNN.COM
WASHINGTON-- Defense Secretary Robert Gates is leaning toward the view that a significant number of additional combat forces will be needed for the war in Afghanistan, sources tell CNN.Gates is inclined to back Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top commander in Afghanistan, in pursuing a counterinsurgency strategy, defense and administration officials said Thursday.Both officials stressed that Gates does not necessarily support sending all the additional forces McChrystal would want, which sources have said could be as many as 40,000 troops.But they said Gates will likely agree with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Michael Mullen, who told Congress last week that he expects more troops will be needed.
Another senior military official separately told CNN any final strategy Gates endorses may not be solely a counterinsurgency plan.
President Obama met for 25 minutes Friday with McChrystal aboard Air Force One in Copenhagen, Denmark, according to reporters traveling with the president.
The president wanted to continue the conversation with McChrystal that began Wednesday with a three-hour meeting with his national security team in the White House Situation Room, White House officials saidWhite House spokesman Robert Gibbs described the discussion as "robust," with the president hearing from 17 different people."We had an opportunity to get a fairly in-depth intelligence assessment on what's going on in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and to assess individually where we are in each and what's changed since March" when the president decided to send an additional 21,000 troops, Gibbs said.One senior administration official who attended said the discussions ran the gamut of scenarios. The source did not want to be identified because he was not authorized to speak on the record about the meeting.
There was not a lot of "sniping," the source said, describing it as a "good meeting."
The source said different strategies were aired and participants were able to "shine some daylight" on different plans' assumptions and viability.Vice President Joe Biden's suggestion to pull back from a counterinsurgency strategy of protecting the Afghan population and instead focus on using drones to go after al Qaeda was scrutinized, the source said. Opponents explained their opposition to that strategy, while proponents detailed their support. It was illuminating to see that it was not quite so simple to just pull back and send drones, said the source.McChrystal and others explained their counterinsurgency strategy and answered questions about how additional troops might change the mission and where those additional numbers might be found.In addition, several sources said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she was concerned with having enough troops present in Afghanistan to support the Obama administration's civilian efforts, suggesting she may be leaning toward more additional troops as well. But, the sources said, Clinton made clear that she favors a more detailed examination of the mission before a decision on troop levels is made.
In London on Thursday, McChrystal said he believes the situation in Afghanistan is "serious" and "deteriorating." McChrystal suggested that focusing on al Qaeda would not be enough."I absolutely believe that al Qaeda and the threat of al Qaeda and Taliban senior leadership are critical to stability in the region," McChrystal said in a speech to London's International Institute for Strategic Studies. "But I also believe that a strategy that does not leave Afghanistan in a stable position is probably a shortsighted strategy."Gen. David Petraeus, who as head of U.S. Central Command will make the final military decision on McChrystal's request, said that the strategy is being reassessed and no decision on additional troops has been made.
"I have not yet endorsed the resources" requested by McChrystal, Petraeus said while speaking at an event in Washington.
WASHINGTON-- Defense Secretary Robert Gates is leaning toward the view that a significant number of additional combat forces will be needed for the war in Afghanistan, sources tell CNN.Gates is inclined to back Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top commander in Afghanistan, in pursuing a counterinsurgency strategy, defense and administration officials said Thursday.Both officials stressed that Gates does not necessarily support sending all the additional forces McChrystal would want, which sources have said could be as many as 40,000 troops.But they said Gates will likely agree with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Michael Mullen, who told Congress last week that he expects more troops will be needed.
Another senior military official separately told CNN any final strategy Gates endorses may not be solely a counterinsurgency plan.
President Obama met for 25 minutes Friday with McChrystal aboard Air Force One in Copenhagen, Denmark, according to reporters traveling with the president.
The president wanted to continue the conversation with McChrystal that began Wednesday with a three-hour meeting with his national security team in the White House Situation Room, White House officials saidWhite House spokesman Robert Gibbs described the discussion as "robust," with the president hearing from 17 different people."We had an opportunity to get a fairly in-depth intelligence assessment on what's going on in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and to assess individually where we are in each and what's changed since March" when the president decided to send an additional 21,000 troops, Gibbs said.One senior administration official who attended said the discussions ran the gamut of scenarios. The source did not want to be identified because he was not authorized to speak on the record about the meeting.
There was not a lot of "sniping," the source said, describing it as a "good meeting."
The source said different strategies were aired and participants were able to "shine some daylight" on different plans' assumptions and viability.Vice President Joe Biden's suggestion to pull back from a counterinsurgency strategy of protecting the Afghan population and instead focus on using drones to go after al Qaeda was scrutinized, the source said. Opponents explained their opposition to that strategy, while proponents detailed their support. It was illuminating to see that it was not quite so simple to just pull back and send drones, said the source.McChrystal and others explained their counterinsurgency strategy and answered questions about how additional troops might change the mission and where those additional numbers might be found.In addition, several sources said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she was concerned with having enough troops present in Afghanistan to support the Obama administration's civilian efforts, suggesting she may be leaning toward more additional troops as well. But, the sources said, Clinton made clear that she favors a more detailed examination of the mission before a decision on troop levels is made.
In London on Thursday, McChrystal said he believes the situation in Afghanistan is "serious" and "deteriorating." McChrystal suggested that focusing on al Qaeda would not be enough."I absolutely believe that al Qaeda and the threat of al Qaeda and Taliban senior leadership are critical to stability in the region," McChrystal said in a speech to London's International Institute for Strategic Studies. "But I also believe that a strategy that does not leave Afghanistan in a stable position is probably a shortsighted strategy."Gen. David Petraeus, who as head of U.S. Central Command will make the final military decision on McChrystal's request, said that the strategy is being reassessed and no decision on additional troops has been made.
"I have not yet endorsed the resources" requested by McChrystal, Petraeus said while speaking at an event in Washington.
Suspected US Drone Kills Top Militant in Pakistan
Pakistani authorities say a suspected U.S. drone attack along the Afghan border is believed to have killed an Uzbek militant leader with links to al-Qaida.Pakistani intelligence officials say a U.S. missile strike in South Waziristan in late August wounded Tahir Yuldashev and that he reportedly died a few days later.Yuldashev was the leader of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. He began fighting in the 1990s to topple Uzbekistan's government.A Taliban spokesman has denied the report of Yuldashev's death.The Taliban gave him refuge in northern Afghanistan, but after the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, analysts believe Yuldashev and his fighters fled east into Pakistan's tribal regions.Yuldashev had been involved in insurgencies in Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan with the goal of creating an Islamist state across Central Asia.If authorities are able to confirm Yuldashev's death, security analyst Khalid Aziz tells VOA that this would be a major blow to the militants operating in Pakistan's tribal regions.Aziz says the power vacuum left by Yuldashev's death would provide a good opportunity to strike at his men and those of Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud, whose stronghold is believed to be in South Waziristan."For the last two months, there has been a blockade of this territory and obviously the Mehsouds are feeling the pinch," said Khalid Aziz.
The Pakistani military has already seen success in its prior campaign in and around Swat Valley targeting militants. But Aziz says he expects the military to change its strategy in the mountainous and isolated region of South Waziristan.
"We are going to see the first snowfall in that region, and it becomes even more difficult to fight there," he said. "So one foresees counter-terrorist operations rather than large-scale military operations as in Swat."
He says that type of strategy would drain the militants of their resources and put the military in a better position to respond to any threats that might arise elsewhere in the country.
The government insists it is not launching any major operation in South Waziristan at the moment. But U.N. officials say about 80,000 civilians have fled the tribal area in anticipation of a new military offensive.
Gold tola price rises to Rs32600 in Peshawar
PESHAWAR: The per tola price of gold mounted to Rs32,600 in Peshawar, Geo News reported Friday.According to Sarrafa Association, the gold prices burgeoned in the city, as it was Rs32,200 per tola one week ago here, which went up now by Rs400.
According to Sarrafa Association, the gold prices are expected to further rise in the coming days.
Chicago, Tokyo out of Olympics running
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (CNN) -- The International Olympic Committee on Friday eliminated Chicago and Tokyo as contenders to host the 2016 Games.
Still under consideration to host the two-week sporting spectacle are Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Madrid, Spain.
After the cities made their presentations to the IOC on Friday, the IOC members sat down to cast their votes in a secret ballot.
Ninety-seven of the IOC's 106 members are eligible to vote in the first round; seven must sit out that round because they represent one of the countries bidding for the Games.
A city must receive a majority of votes in order to win. If no city receives a majority, voting moves on to a second round, with the city receiving the lowest number of votes being eliminated, an IOC spokeswoman said.
Friday morning, President Obama urged the IOC to pick his hometown of Chicago, saying the city represents the American dream as well as the Olympic spirit.
Obama's address to the 106 IOC members was the highlight of the Chicago bid committee's final presentation before the vote to choose the host city.
"Chicago is a place where we strive to celebrate what makes us different, just as we celebrate what we have in common," Obama said. Watch Obama makes his pitch to IOC
He pointed out that from hosting the World's Fair in 1893 to hosting World Cup events in 1994, the Illinois city has the experience needed to put on an Olympic Games.
Other cities also have their country's leaders attending the meeting to support their bids.
Spain's King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia and Spanish President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero are planning to push the case for Madrid, according to the Madrid 2016 bid committee.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was expected to be joined by soccer legend and Brazilian native Pele as they advertise the benefits of a Rio Games.
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, just two weeks into the job, also planned to be at the vote to demonstrate the government's full backing of the Tokyo bid, the bid committee said.
"It's not a requirement for heads of state to come to our session," said the IOC spokeswoman, who asked not to be named. "We are obviously very honored if they decide to come, but there's no particular requirement."
Still under consideration to host the two-week sporting spectacle are Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Madrid, Spain.
After the cities made their presentations to the IOC on Friday, the IOC members sat down to cast their votes in a secret ballot.
Ninety-seven of the IOC's 106 members are eligible to vote in the first round; seven must sit out that round because they represent one of the countries bidding for the Games.
A city must receive a majority of votes in order to win. If no city receives a majority, voting moves on to a second round, with the city receiving the lowest number of votes being eliminated, an IOC spokeswoman said.
Friday morning, President Obama urged the IOC to pick his hometown of Chicago, saying the city represents the American dream as well as the Olympic spirit.
Obama's address to the 106 IOC members was the highlight of the Chicago bid committee's final presentation before the vote to choose the host city.
"Chicago is a place where we strive to celebrate what makes us different, just as we celebrate what we have in common," Obama said. Watch Obama makes his pitch to IOC
He pointed out that from hosting the World's Fair in 1893 to hosting World Cup events in 1994, the Illinois city has the experience needed to put on an Olympic Games.
Other cities also have their country's leaders attending the meeting to support their bids.
Spain's King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia and Spanish President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero are planning to push the case for Madrid, according to the Madrid 2016 bid committee.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was expected to be joined by soccer legend and Brazilian native Pele as they advertise the benefits of a Rio Games.
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, just two weeks into the job, also planned to be at the vote to demonstrate the government's full backing of the Tokyo bid, the bid committee said.
"It's not a requirement for heads of state to come to our session," said the IOC spokeswoman, who asked not to be named. "We are obviously very honored if they decide to come, but there's no particular requirement."
Chicago Pleads Its Case to Host Olympic Games in 2016
NewYorkTimes
COPENHAGEN — Delivering a final presentation that was heavy on emotion and light on technical issues Friday morning, officials from Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 Olympics have only one thing left to do: wait.
A 10-person team, led by President Obama and the first lady, Michelle Obama, were the first of four bid delegations — including Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, Chicago and Tokyo — to address the International Olympic Committee, which will vote on a host city for the Summer Games this evening in Denmark, or about lunchtime in Chicago.
“To host athletes and visitors from every corner of the globe is a high honor and a great responsibility,” said Mr. Obama, whose Chicago home is just a short walk from the prospective Olympic Stadium. “And America is ready and eager to assume that sacred trust.”
“So I’ve come here today to urge you to choose Chicago for the same reasons I chose Chicago nearly twenty-five years ago — the reasons I fell in love with the city I still call home,” he said.
Mr. Obama is the first American president to attend the I.O.C. vote to promote a bid.
As the last speaker for the United States, Mr. Obama emphasized Chicago’s diversity, looking out into the crowd of I.O.C. members and saying, “This could be a meeting in Chicago. Because we look like the world.”
Chicago, which spent nearly $50 million preparing its bid, is trying to bring the Summer Games to the United States for the first time since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The last time a United States city hosted any Olympics was in 2002, when Salt Lake City had the Winter Games.
Madrid is bidding on it fourth consecutive Summer Games after losing out to London for the 2012 Games. They were voted out of the competition in the third round after gathering the most votes in the previous round. This will be the fourth consecutive time Spain has submitted a bid for the Summer Games.
Tokyo is hoping to win the bid and host the first Summer Games there since the 1964 Summer Games. Rio de Janeiro is pushing to host the Games in South America for the first time.
“The final word we want to take to the I.O.C. members is that we want to talk about the future of Brazil and Rio,” President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva told reporters here this week. “Brazil today is experiencing a much more favorable situation than many developed countries. Brazil is experiencing a magical moment in terms of growth.”
“The only thing I’m upset about is that they arranged me to follow Michelle. That’s always bad,” he said afterward, smiling as he waved to the crowd.
The United States Olympic Committee chairman, Larry Probst, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and two athletes — Olympic champion decathlete Bryan Clay and former Paralympian Linda Mastandrea — also spoke during the 45-minute presentation that was designed not to be too flashy.
““Our intent was to demonstrate to them we will be good partners and that we are people they could trust,” Doug Arnot, director of sports and operations for Chicago 2016.
The delegation’s presentation started with a video montage of the Chicago — including bikini-wearing volleyball players on Lake Michigan beaches. The song, “Sweet Home Chicago” played in the background.
“It made me miss home,” Mr. Obama said of the videos, as he left the convention center outside of downtown. “I think Chicago couldn’t have made a better presentation. Obviously, now it’s up to the I.O.C. members.”
By dinner time in Copenhagen, and 12:30 in New York, , the world will know whether Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro or Tokyo will host the 2016 Games. Olympic insiders have said Rio and Chicago are the front runners. Tokyo’s presentation went next, followed by Rio de Janeiro and then Madrid. At 10 a.m., Eastern time, the I.O.C. will meet to vote. The eligible voters will cast their votes electronically – and secretly — by pressing a button. The members from a country with a city in the vote must sit out until that country is eliminated. (The United States has two I.O.C. members.)
If no city receives a majority of the votes in the first round, the city with the lowest number of votes is dropped from the ballot. If there is a tie in the final round, I.O.C. President Jacques Rogge steps in to vote or asks the I.O.C. executive board to break the deadlock. The United States does not have a member on that board.
The last time around, in the competition to become host city for the 2012 Games, London beat Paris by the slim margin of 54-50. New York City’s bid was eliminated in the second round of voting.
At 12:30 p.m., Eastern time — 6:30 p.m. here — a winner will be announced and one city will begin its celebration. Three other teams will leave here in disappointment.
The Brazilian bid — thought to be a frontrunner with Chicago — has been the target of criticism over the last few days, causing tension among the delegations as the vote grew near.
Mayor Daley raised the ire of the Rio de Janeiro bid when he said that hosting the 2014 World Cup was not the same as hosting the Games. Bid leader Patrick G. Ryan said Mr. Daley’s remarks were misinterpreted.
The Spanish Olympic Committee vice president, José María Odriozola, who is not an official member of the Madrid bid team, called Rio de Janeiro’s bid “the worst bid” and said it had security issues.
Because I.O.C rules forbid bid teams from criticizing one another, Brazil lodged a formal complaint with the he I.O.C. ethics commission against Mr. Odriozola.
After the Salt Lake City bribery scandal, I.O.C. members were barred from meeting with bid officials of cities in the running to host the Games. So over the past several years, those bid cities have reached out to I.O.C. members as much as they could — especially in the final few days before the vote.
Every bid team brought distinguished leaders, including King Juan Carlos for Spain and Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama for Japan.
Dozens of Olympians have flooded the city to lobby for their city’s cause, including the Brazilian soccer legend Pelé.
“In these last few days, it’s all about momentum,” one I.O.C. member, Dick Pound, of Canada, said. “Every city knows that.”
With Mrs. Obama and Oprah Winfrey headlining the delegation, the Chicago team met has been reminding I.O.C. members of their Olympic plan, which would hold the Games along the shoreline of Lake Michigan and in century-old city parks, with Chicago’s dramatic skyline as the backdrop. The Chicago City Council also voted 49-0 to cover any financial shortfalls, which is a first for a U.S. bid.
“Some of what the I.O.C. considers has nothing to do with the strength of the bids themselves,” said Frank Lavin, the former U.S. ambassador to Singapore, who worked on New York City’s failed bid to host the 2012 Games.
“A lot of it is political and that encompasses different levels: international politics, personalities, internal I.O.C. politics,” he said. “Inside the I.O.C., they’re saying, ‘Look can we snub the U.S. because they haven’t had the Games since Atlanta? Can we risk losing some of the television audience if we go somewhere else?’ The process is complicated.”
But every city has its potential downsides. Rio de Janeiro’s high crime rate could damage its chances. The country has secured rights to host the 2014 World Cup, which may mean advertisers might not have enough money to spread between the two events.
Madrid’s geography works against it. Awarding the Games to Madrid would mean that back-to-back Summer Games would be held in Europe, and the I.O.C. often seeks to hold the Games in different parts of the world.
Tokyo’s bid has the same problem, with the 2008 Beijing Games still fresh in people’s minds.
COPENHAGEN — Delivering a final presentation that was heavy on emotion and light on technical issues Friday morning, officials from Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 Olympics have only one thing left to do: wait.
A 10-person team, led by President Obama and the first lady, Michelle Obama, were the first of four bid delegations — including Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, Chicago and Tokyo — to address the International Olympic Committee, which will vote on a host city for the Summer Games this evening in Denmark, or about lunchtime in Chicago.
“To host athletes and visitors from every corner of the globe is a high honor and a great responsibility,” said Mr. Obama, whose Chicago home is just a short walk from the prospective Olympic Stadium. “And America is ready and eager to assume that sacred trust.”
“So I’ve come here today to urge you to choose Chicago for the same reasons I chose Chicago nearly twenty-five years ago — the reasons I fell in love with the city I still call home,” he said.
Mr. Obama is the first American president to attend the I.O.C. vote to promote a bid.
As the last speaker for the United States, Mr. Obama emphasized Chicago’s diversity, looking out into the crowd of I.O.C. members and saying, “This could be a meeting in Chicago. Because we look like the world.”
Chicago, which spent nearly $50 million preparing its bid, is trying to bring the Summer Games to the United States for the first time since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The last time a United States city hosted any Olympics was in 2002, when Salt Lake City had the Winter Games.
Madrid is bidding on it fourth consecutive Summer Games after losing out to London for the 2012 Games. They were voted out of the competition in the third round after gathering the most votes in the previous round. This will be the fourth consecutive time Spain has submitted a bid for the Summer Games.
Tokyo is hoping to win the bid and host the first Summer Games there since the 1964 Summer Games. Rio de Janeiro is pushing to host the Games in South America for the first time.
“The final word we want to take to the I.O.C. members is that we want to talk about the future of Brazil and Rio,” President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva told reporters here this week. “Brazil today is experiencing a much more favorable situation than many developed countries. Brazil is experiencing a magical moment in terms of growth.”
“The only thing I’m upset about is that they arranged me to follow Michelle. That’s always bad,” he said afterward, smiling as he waved to the crowd.
The United States Olympic Committee chairman, Larry Probst, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and two athletes — Olympic champion decathlete Bryan Clay and former Paralympian Linda Mastandrea — also spoke during the 45-minute presentation that was designed not to be too flashy.
““Our intent was to demonstrate to them we will be good partners and that we are people they could trust,” Doug Arnot, director of sports and operations for Chicago 2016.
The delegation’s presentation started with a video montage of the Chicago — including bikini-wearing volleyball players on Lake Michigan beaches. The song, “Sweet Home Chicago” played in the background.
“It made me miss home,” Mr. Obama said of the videos, as he left the convention center outside of downtown. “I think Chicago couldn’t have made a better presentation. Obviously, now it’s up to the I.O.C. members.”
By dinner time in Copenhagen, and 12:30 in New York, , the world will know whether Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro or Tokyo will host the 2016 Games. Olympic insiders have said Rio and Chicago are the front runners. Tokyo’s presentation went next, followed by Rio de Janeiro and then Madrid. At 10 a.m., Eastern time, the I.O.C. will meet to vote. The eligible voters will cast their votes electronically – and secretly — by pressing a button. The members from a country with a city in the vote must sit out until that country is eliminated. (The United States has two I.O.C. members.)
If no city receives a majority of the votes in the first round, the city with the lowest number of votes is dropped from the ballot. If there is a tie in the final round, I.O.C. President Jacques Rogge steps in to vote or asks the I.O.C. executive board to break the deadlock. The United States does not have a member on that board.
The last time around, in the competition to become host city for the 2012 Games, London beat Paris by the slim margin of 54-50. New York City’s bid was eliminated in the second round of voting.
At 12:30 p.m., Eastern time — 6:30 p.m. here — a winner will be announced and one city will begin its celebration. Three other teams will leave here in disappointment.
The Brazilian bid — thought to be a frontrunner with Chicago — has been the target of criticism over the last few days, causing tension among the delegations as the vote grew near.
Mayor Daley raised the ire of the Rio de Janeiro bid when he said that hosting the 2014 World Cup was not the same as hosting the Games. Bid leader Patrick G. Ryan said Mr. Daley’s remarks were misinterpreted.
The Spanish Olympic Committee vice president, José María Odriozola, who is not an official member of the Madrid bid team, called Rio de Janeiro’s bid “the worst bid” and said it had security issues.
Because I.O.C rules forbid bid teams from criticizing one another, Brazil lodged a formal complaint with the he I.O.C. ethics commission against Mr. Odriozola.
After the Salt Lake City bribery scandal, I.O.C. members were barred from meeting with bid officials of cities in the running to host the Games. So over the past several years, those bid cities have reached out to I.O.C. members as much as they could — especially in the final few days before the vote.
Every bid team brought distinguished leaders, including King Juan Carlos for Spain and Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama for Japan.
Dozens of Olympians have flooded the city to lobby for their city’s cause, including the Brazilian soccer legend Pelé.
“In these last few days, it’s all about momentum,” one I.O.C. member, Dick Pound, of Canada, said. “Every city knows that.”
With Mrs. Obama and Oprah Winfrey headlining the delegation, the Chicago team met has been reminding I.O.C. members of their Olympic plan, which would hold the Games along the shoreline of Lake Michigan and in century-old city parks, with Chicago’s dramatic skyline as the backdrop. The Chicago City Council also voted 49-0 to cover any financial shortfalls, which is a first for a U.S. bid.
“Some of what the I.O.C. considers has nothing to do with the strength of the bids themselves,” said Frank Lavin, the former U.S. ambassador to Singapore, who worked on New York City’s failed bid to host the 2012 Games.
“A lot of it is political and that encompasses different levels: international politics, personalities, internal I.O.C. politics,” he said. “Inside the I.O.C., they’re saying, ‘Look can we snub the U.S. because they haven’t had the Games since Atlanta? Can we risk losing some of the television audience if we go somewhere else?’ The process is complicated.”
But every city has its potential downsides. Rio de Janeiro’s high crime rate could damage its chances. The country has secured rights to host the 2014 World Cup, which may mean advertisers might not have enough money to spread between the two events.
Madrid’s geography works against it. Awarding the Games to Madrid would mean that back-to-back Summer Games would be held in Europe, and the I.O.C. often seeks to hold the Games in different parts of the world.
Tokyo’s bid has the same problem, with the 2008 Beijing Games still fresh in people’s minds.
Pakistan amends anti-terror laws
The government of Pakistan has amended its anti-terrorism laws to increase the remand period for the interrogation of terror suspects from 30 to 90 days.
Correspondents say that the move is one of the conditions of a recent bill passed by the US Congress which triples non-military aid to Pakistan.
The Kerry-Lugar bill provides an annual outlay of $1.5bn for five years.
Under the bill, the US will certify that Pakistan is working to dismantle its nuclear proliferation networks.
According to Pakistani media reports, several conditions were imposed on Pakistan to ensure the aid goes where it is intended - including a stipulation that Pakistan strengthen its counter-terrorism and anti-money laundering laws.
Correspondents say that the move is one of the conditions of a recent bill passed by the US Congress which triples non-military aid to Pakistan.
The Kerry-Lugar bill provides an annual outlay of $1.5bn for five years.
Under the bill, the US will certify that Pakistan is working to dismantle its nuclear proliferation networks.
According to Pakistani media reports, several conditions were imposed on Pakistan to ensure the aid goes where it is intended - including a stipulation that Pakistan strengthen its counter-terrorism and anti-money laundering laws.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
China turns 60!!!
Hu, wearing a high-collared dark Mao suit and riding in a black open-roof Red Flag limousine, passed by tens of thousands of soldiers and militia and ranks of camouflaged tanks and missiles.
"Greetings, comrades," Hu said as he saluted the troops, according to state-run Xinhua news agency."Greetings, leader," the soldiers responded.Hu's inspection of the troops was the first in a decade, according to Xinhua.At a rally in Tiananmen Square, Hu urged the Chinese people to unite to build a "rich, strong, democratic, civilized, harmonious and modernized socialist country," Xinhua reported.
About 200,000 soldiers and civilians -- from veterans and athletes to space heroes and young people -- gathered in Tiananmen Square for the National Day military and mass parade showcasing achievements of the last 60 years, Xinhua reported.
The packed square resembled a carnival as colorful crowds marched, cheered and waved. A 60-cannon salute rang out as the nation's flag swept over the square.
The army showed off its latest weapons, which officials touted as made in China. Weapons on display included China's new generation of tanks, unmanned aerial vehicles and satellite communication devices, Xinhua said.
More than 150 fighter jets, bombers, helicopters and other aircraft were to fly over the square, including a fly-past by China's first batch of female fighter pilots, state-run media said.A 1,300-member military band were also to make an appearance, according to Xinhua.Rain-dispersal rockets fired into the area in surrounding provinces and regions to induce rain before it reaches the capital in the largest weather-intervention effort since the opening ceremony of the Olympics last year, Xinhua reported.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Peshawar, Bannu blasts
EDITORIAL:THE STATESMAN
Unfortunate were the incidents on Saturday in which suicide car bombers struck separately in Bannu and Peshawar killing collectively 21 persons and injuring more than 200 persons, most of them critically. The injured were rushed to District Headquarters Hospital, Bannu while in Peshawar to Combined Military Hospital, Fauji Foundation Hospital and the Lady Reading Hospital. In Bannu, the suicide bomber rammed at 7-20am a pick-up van loaded with explosives into the building of Mandan police station located some eight kilometres to the south of the city. At the time of the explosion, about 150 to 200 persons, including the jawans of Frontier Constabulary, were present in the police station. Minutes after the Bannu blast, Qari Hussain, said to be the mastermind of suicide bombings belonging to Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, phoned up BBC’s Peshawar office to accept the responsibility for blowing up the police station. He also threatened to soon conduct similar attacks in other cities. Intelligence agencies were still busy focusing on the implications of the TTP threat when a powerful car bomb blast shortly before midday – five hours after the Bannu incident – rocked the busiest part of the shopping district in Peshawar Cantonment. AIG bomb disposal squad Shafqat Khan told media persons that the bomber lobbed a hand grenade on to the road to scare away the crowd in order to take his vehicle, loaded with 100 kgs of explosives, near a seven-storey building opposite the Greens Wedding Hall where several banks have their branches. Eyewitnesses told camera teams that the branch managers had been receiving threatening letters against the presence of women as employees or as customers. The blast destroyed at least 20 cars, some of them brand new parked for sale by the dealers in the neighbouring showroom. Senior minister visited the place and promised to pay Rs300,000 to the affected families per every killed person and Rs100,000 for every injured citizen. Similarly, talking to newsmen the Minister of Information Mian Iftikhar Hussain described the cowardly attack as part of the ongoing war between the forces of good and evil. He said that militants and suicide bombers did not deserve any sympathy from anyone in the world. The entire humanity hated them and resented their misdeeds.
Newly-appointed chief of the Capital City Police DIG Liaquat Ali was not prepared to accept that the devastating blast in the heart of NWFP’s biggest cantonment was the result of a security lapse. When media persons insisted on this being a security lapse, police tried to cover up its inefficiency by hurriedly taking into custody a couple of individuals wearing long flowing Arabic robes. The trained saboteurs would obviously not be naïve enough to loiter about the site of the blast in full public view where members of half a dozen of law enforcing agencies were examining the scene of the explosion with hands on the leash of supposedly sniffer dogs. It is indeed amazing how the suicide bomber managed to take his vehicle almost to the boundary wall of the well-guarded and high security CMH. Every road and lane in the cantonment has prominent signboards that warn the pedestrians and the motorists alike to beware as secret cameras are monitoring their movements. On entry points, police notes down the registration numbers of the cars that enter the Saddar proper and issue a chit to the drivers who return it to the staff on duty on the exit point. Similarly, jawans of army and military police guarding the main cantonment roads do not allow any taxi-cab driver to ply his vehicle unless he has a special sticker issued by the Army House pasted on to his windscreen. Whatever the cause of the blasts in Bannu and Peshawar, the killers of innocent lives should not go scot free.
Unfortunate were the incidents on Saturday in which suicide car bombers struck separately in Bannu and Peshawar killing collectively 21 persons and injuring more than 200 persons, most of them critically. The injured were rushed to District Headquarters Hospital, Bannu while in Peshawar to Combined Military Hospital, Fauji Foundation Hospital and the Lady Reading Hospital. In Bannu, the suicide bomber rammed at 7-20am a pick-up van loaded with explosives into the building of Mandan police station located some eight kilometres to the south of the city. At the time of the explosion, about 150 to 200 persons, including the jawans of Frontier Constabulary, were present in the police station. Minutes after the Bannu blast, Qari Hussain, said to be the mastermind of suicide bombings belonging to Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, phoned up BBC’s Peshawar office to accept the responsibility for blowing up the police station. He also threatened to soon conduct similar attacks in other cities. Intelligence agencies were still busy focusing on the implications of the TTP threat when a powerful car bomb blast shortly before midday – five hours after the Bannu incident – rocked the busiest part of the shopping district in Peshawar Cantonment. AIG bomb disposal squad Shafqat Khan told media persons that the bomber lobbed a hand grenade on to the road to scare away the crowd in order to take his vehicle, loaded with 100 kgs of explosives, near a seven-storey building opposite the Greens Wedding Hall where several banks have their branches. Eyewitnesses told camera teams that the branch managers had been receiving threatening letters against the presence of women as employees or as customers. The blast destroyed at least 20 cars, some of them brand new parked for sale by the dealers in the neighbouring showroom. Senior minister visited the place and promised to pay Rs300,000 to the affected families per every killed person and Rs100,000 for every injured citizen. Similarly, talking to newsmen the Minister of Information Mian Iftikhar Hussain described the cowardly attack as part of the ongoing war between the forces of good and evil. He said that militants and suicide bombers did not deserve any sympathy from anyone in the world. The entire humanity hated them and resented their misdeeds.
Newly-appointed chief of the Capital City Police DIG Liaquat Ali was not prepared to accept that the devastating blast in the heart of NWFP’s biggest cantonment was the result of a security lapse. When media persons insisted on this being a security lapse, police tried to cover up its inefficiency by hurriedly taking into custody a couple of individuals wearing long flowing Arabic robes. The trained saboteurs would obviously not be naïve enough to loiter about the site of the blast in full public view where members of half a dozen of law enforcing agencies were examining the scene of the explosion with hands on the leash of supposedly sniffer dogs. It is indeed amazing how the suicide bomber managed to take his vehicle almost to the boundary wall of the well-guarded and high security CMH. Every road and lane in the cantonment has prominent signboards that warn the pedestrians and the motorists alike to beware as secret cameras are monitoring their movements. On entry points, police notes down the registration numbers of the cars that enter the Saddar proper and issue a chit to the drivers who return it to the staff on duty on the exit point. Similarly, jawans of army and military police guarding the main cantonment roads do not allow any taxi-cab driver to ply his vehicle unless he has a special sticker issued by the Army House pasted on to his windscreen. Whatever the cause of the blasts in Bannu and Peshawar, the killers of innocent lives should not go scot free.
Beijing ready for National Day celebration
Clean streets replete with national flags, major road intersections adorned with ornate potted plants, Beijing is in gala attire early Thursday for the massive celebration commemorating the 60th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China.The event will showcase how the country explores the road of building socialism with Chinese characteristic in the past decades, and what great achievements it has attained.Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to gather on Tian'anmen Square and along Chang'an Avenue in central Beijing for hours to experience the grandiose celebration that will boost their national pride.Many people may have an early rise Thursday morning to get prepared to watch the much-anticipated military and civilian parade either alongside the parade route or on TV.
3 Missile Strikes Hit Northwest Pakistan
Pakistani officials say three suspected U.S. missile strikes have hit the country's Waziristan tribal regions since late Tuesday, reportedly killing at least 18 militants. But such attacks may in fact hurt public perception ahead of an anticipated Pakistani military offensive in the area.
The latest missile strike occurred Wednesday in the North Waziristan tribal region.
It was the third strike in 24 hours allegedly by unmanned U.S. planes that targeted suspected Taliban and al-Qaida militants along the Afghan border.
A similar strike late Tuesday hit an alleged Taliban compound in North Waziristan.
Analysts believe this area is a stronghold for Afghan Taliban commander Jalaluddin Haqqani, who is blamed for attacks in Afghanistan against the Afghan government and foreign troops.
Hours earlier, another suspected U.S. drone fired two missiles that reportedly struck a Pakistani Taliban commander's house in South Waziristan.
Also Wednesday, the British Broadcasting Corporation's Urdu-language service received video allegedly showing the body of former Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud. The video showed minor injuries to the right side of his face and his body was covered with a white sheet.
Officials believe Mehsud died in an earlier U.S. missile strike.
U.S. and international intelligence officials say such strikes have helped to significantly reduce the al-Qaida network's effectiveness.
But the former security chief of Pakistan's tribal regions, Mahmood Shah, tells VOA that these strikes ultimately hurt Pakistan.
"[The] elimination of certain individuals, yes it is to the advantage of Pakistan. But destabilization, it is injurious to Pakistan," he said.
Analysts believe the Pakistani military is on the verge of launching a major campaign in South Waziristan, following the success of its operation in and around Swat Valley.
Shah says the United States appeared to have no involvement in the Swat offensive. He says he believes that played a key role in the Pakistani military's success.
"If it had some sort of assistance from the U.S., I think the support from the people of Pakistan would not have been there. So I think it was hugely successful because it was through an indigenous plan, and that it was without U.S. support," he said.
While most of the focus has been on militancy in Pakistan's northwest, U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, Anne Patterson, reportedly said U.S. forces are turning their gaze on the country's southwestern province of Baluchistan. U.S. officials say they believe fugitive Taliban leader Mohammad Omar is based around the province's capital of Quetta.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Patterson expressed concern about Omar and his council of lieutenants, who reportedly plan and launch cross-border strikes from their Pakistani safe havens.
But days earlier, senior Pakistani military officials spoke in Quetta, denying that Omar or his commanders where operating in the area.
Peshawar police declares 10-bazaars sensitive
PESHAWAR: After Monday’s car Bomb explosion at CMH road in Provincial Capital Peshawar Law Enforcement Agencies has declared Ten-Bazaars of the city sensitive owing to security concerns.
While City Administration has also decided to launch an operation clean-up to eliminate encroachments and illegal car parking slots from the declared sensitive bazaars of the city and the law enforcement agencies has also submitted their security reports to the Provincial Government.
It was pertinent to mention that after the ongoing successful operation of security forces against militants two bomb-blasts were carried out by the terrorists in Peshawar and Bannu as retaliation of the military action and to avert any further terrorist bid Law Enforcement Agencies has formulated a new security plan.
Peshawar Police has also tightened security of provincial Ministers, officials and directed VVIPs to inform Police before any sort of movement in the city.
Police has also eliminated illegal car parking and encroachments in Qissa-Khawani Bazar, Ramdas, University road, Karkhano Market, Dubgari garden and in the premises of police stations of the provincial capital.
While City Administration has also decided to launch an operation clean-up to eliminate encroachments and illegal car parking slots from the declared sensitive bazaars of the city and the law enforcement agencies has also submitted their security reports to the Provincial Government.
It was pertinent to mention that after the ongoing successful operation of security forces against militants two bomb-blasts were carried out by the terrorists in Peshawar and Bannu as retaliation of the military action and to avert any further terrorist bid Law Enforcement Agencies has formulated a new security plan.
Peshawar Police has also tightened security of provincial Ministers, officials and directed VVIPs to inform Police before any sort of movement in the city.
Police has also eliminated illegal car parking and encroachments in Qissa-Khawani Bazar, Ramdas, University road, Karkhano Market, Dubgari garden and in the premises of police stations of the provincial capital.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
American Samoa hit by tsunami after earthquake in Pacific
A powerful 8.3-magnitude earthquake struck in the South Pacific between Samoa and American Samoa around dawn today, sending terrified residents fleeing for higher ground as a tsunami swept ashore, flattening at least one village. There were no immediate reports of fatalities.
The quake hit at 6.48am local time midway between the two island groups. In Apia, families reported shaking that lasted for up to three minutes. The US Geological Survey said the quake struck 20 miles (35 km) below the ocean floor, 120 miles from American Samoa and 125 miles from Samoa.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Honolulu, Hawaii issued a general alert for the South Pacific region, from American Samoa to New Zealand. It said there were indications a tsunami wave could be "destructive" along some coastlines.
The centre issued a tsunami warning for numerous islands in the Pacific, including the Samoas, the Cook Islands, Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand, French Polynesia and Palmyra Island.
A tsunami watch was issued for Hawaii, Vanuatu, the Marshall Islands, Solomon Island, Johnston Island, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Wake Island, Midway Island and Pitcairn.
New Zealander Graeme Ansell said the beach village of Sau Sau Beach Fale was levelled.
"It was very quick. The whole village has been wiped out," Ansell told New Zealand's National Radio from a hill near Samoa's capital, Apia. "There's not a building standing. We've all clambered up hills, and one of our party has a broken leg. There will be people in a great lot of need round here."
A tsunami swept into Pago Pago, capital of American Samoa, shortly after the earthquake, sending sea water surging inland about 91 metres (100 yards) before receding, leaving some cars stuck in mud.
The staff of the port ran to higher ground, and police soon came by, telling residents to get inland.
In Fagatogo, water reached the waterfront town's meeting field and covered portions of the main highway, which also was plagued by rock slides.
In Samoa, the powerful quake jolted people awake.
"It was pretty strong; it was long and lasted at least two minutes," one resident told local radio.
"It's the strongest I have felt, and we ran outside. You could see all the trees and houses were shaking," he said.
Sulili Dusi told National Radio that "everything dropped on the floor and we thought the house was going to go down as well. Thank God, it didn't". Along with neighbours, they fled to high ground.
She said the tsunami hit the south side of the island, and some "cars have been taken". She did not elaborate, but added "we just thank God no life has been taken yet".
Another resident, Dean Phillips, said the southern coast of Upolu island had been struck by the tsunami.
"The police are sending everybody up to high ground," he said.
Local media said they had reports of some landslides in the Solosolo region of the main Samoan island of Upolu and damage to plantations in the countryside outside Apia.
There were no immediate reports of injury or serious damage from local emergency services, but people reported cracks in some homes and items tossed from shelves.
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The quake hit at 6.48am local time midway between the two island groups. In Apia, families reported shaking that lasted for up to three minutes. The US Geological Survey said the quake struck 20 miles (35 km) below the ocean floor, 120 miles from American Samoa and 125 miles from Samoa.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Honolulu, Hawaii issued a general alert for the South Pacific region, from American Samoa to New Zealand. It said there were indications a tsunami wave could be "destructive" along some coastlines.
The centre issued a tsunami warning for numerous islands in the Pacific, including the Samoas, the Cook Islands, Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand, French Polynesia and Palmyra Island.
A tsunami watch was issued for Hawaii, Vanuatu, the Marshall Islands, Solomon Island, Johnston Island, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Wake Island, Midway Island and Pitcairn.
New Zealander Graeme Ansell said the beach village of Sau Sau Beach Fale was levelled.
"It was very quick. The whole village has been wiped out," Ansell told New Zealand's National Radio from a hill near Samoa's capital, Apia. "There's not a building standing. We've all clambered up hills, and one of our party has a broken leg. There will be people in a great lot of need round here."
A tsunami swept into Pago Pago, capital of American Samoa, shortly after the earthquake, sending sea water surging inland about 91 metres (100 yards) before receding, leaving some cars stuck in mud.
The staff of the port ran to higher ground, and police soon came by, telling residents to get inland.
In Fagatogo, water reached the waterfront town's meeting field and covered portions of the main highway, which also was plagued by rock slides.
In Samoa, the powerful quake jolted people awake.
"It was pretty strong; it was long and lasted at least two minutes," one resident told local radio.
"It's the strongest I have felt, and we ran outside. You could see all the trees and houses were shaking," he said.
Sulili Dusi told National Radio that "everything dropped on the floor and we thought the house was going to go down as well. Thank God, it didn't". Along with neighbours, they fled to high ground.
She said the tsunami hit the south side of the island, and some "cars have been taken". She did not elaborate, but added "we just thank God no life has been taken yet".
Another resident, Dean Phillips, said the southern coast of Upolu island had been struck by the tsunami.
"The police are sending everybody up to high ground," he said.
Local media said they had reports of some landslides in the Solosolo region of the main Samoan island of Upolu and damage to plantations in the countryside outside Apia.
There were no immediate reports of injury or serious damage from local emergency services, but people reported cracks in some homes and items tossed from shelves.
Peshawar blast security failure of provincial govt.
PESHAWAR: The City is still tense and people were in state of insecurity after the Saturday’s car-bomb blast which caused not only human loss but also damaged scores of buildings on Fakher-e-Alam road. The blast at front of the Askari Bank in Peshawar was, of course, meant to do damage. But on top of the immediate casualties, it was the psychological blow to Peshawarites. The people prefer to remain inside their homes rather to go out for shopping at busy areas. The normal rush at the weekly Sunday bazaar was also not seen this week where usually people go for their kitchen shopping. The shopping malls, markets and bazaar in different localities of the city were giving deserted look even after the five days of Saddar blast. Peshawar suicide car-bomb attack was alleged the establishment for failing to provide security to common man.It is also important that no close-circuit camera was installed there even it was in a highly security zone. It occurred due to the absence of an intelligence framework, poor planning and a failure to devise a responsive deployment pattern in order to counter the challenge of suicide attacks, keeping in view this was a second blast at the same place, the security experts were opined. It merits mentioning here that the spokesman of the provincial government in a press briefing had confessed that the miscreants have managed a safe route to achieve their target as twice they have crossed all security checks in the same vicinity. The place where the car-bomb went off, was in a highly security zone as number of sensitive buildings and offices were situated. Besides, Askari Bank which badly damaged after it was been targeted where mostly the security forces personnel visit for their bank accounts, the State Bank also situated near there, Combined Military Hospital which is just few yards away, the Corp. Headquarter and US Consulate were at the distance of few hundred yards, private Radio Station and other important offices were also situated on the Fakher-e-Alam Road. It is high time that the law enforcing agencies should revise their security deployment paradigm and modify their standard operating procedures for deployment of the force which has become a soft target ‘in the form of sitting ducks’ for the potential attacks. The police can also make different security rings inner, outer and outer most ones that may provide security coverage to much larger area and can also save human resources. Experienced police officers opine that this is the time, that smart deployment instead of heavy deployment should become the norm and not the exception in current environment for deployment of Reserves or Platoons. Further these reserves or platoons should always be kept at a safe distance from the venue in order to provide quick response in times of an emergency. The citizens have termed the recent blast a security lapse and have directed the government to ensure installation of security cameras in important buildings and chowks besides raising a special security force to avert such incidents in future. People termed it a failure of intelligence agencies while condemning the incident. It was a clear proof of security lapse as provincial government no longer capable of protecting the citizens, they remarked. Almost all the promises of provincial government have been proved false, and they have disappointed everyone in every way and nothing has been achieved in these months. Whatever it is, the ANP provincial government has failed to fulfill its duties and they seem to be in total loss and chaos, they added. The traders also worried what they call the government's failure to curb the increasing incidents of abduction. They said suicide attack, bomb blasts, rockets attacks and several kidnappings for ransom have ruined their business and business community badly suffered by the deteriorating law and order situation in the provincial metropolis.
Five killed' in US missile strike in Pakistan
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Missiles fired from a US drone aircraft Tuesday killed five suspected Taliban in a strike on a militant hideout in Pakistan's northwest tribal belt, local officials said.
The attack hit in the lawless region of South Waziristan, a Taliban bolthole where Washington says Islamist fighters are hiding out and planning attacks on Western troops stationed in neighbouring Afghanistan.
"A missile from a US drone fired on a compound of local Taliban commander Irfan Mehsud and killed five militants and injured six," said a security official in the area. A local administration official confirmed the toll.
The missiles targeted Sara Rogha, a village northeast of regional hub Wana and a stronghold of former Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, who was himself killed in a US drone strike in August.
The security official said the spy plane fired two missiles on the compound, adding that reports suggested three of the dead could be Uzbeks.
"The death toll may rise," he told AFP. "The compound is completely destroyed and militants have surrounded the area."
The fatalities are impossible to verify independently, as the US does not confirm the strikes and the targets are deep in Taliban-controlled territory.
An intelligence official, who also refused to be named, said militants were pulling their dead from the debris. He said his reports suggested low-level insurgent commander Irfan Mehsud had survived.
US drone attacks are hitting the tribal belt with increasing frequency, as the United States tries to stem the flow of militants waging a deadly insurgency against some 100,000 foreign troops stationed in Afghanistan.
Taliban and Al-Qaeda rebels fled Afghanistan after the 2001 US-led invasion, carving out boltholes and training camps in the remote Pakistani mountains.
Late last Thursday, a US drone attack in North Waziristan killed 10 militants from an Al-Qaeda-linked network, and Tuesday's attack is the fifth such strike in the semi-autonomous tribal area this month.
The US military does not, as a rule, confirm drone attacks, but its armed forces and the Central Intelligence Agency operating in Afghanistan are the only forces that deploy pilotless drones in the region.
Islamabad publicly opposes the US missile strikes, saying they violate its territorial sovereignty and deepen resentment among the populace.
Since August 2008, nearly 60 such strikes have killed more than 550 people.
But the government welcomed the death of Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud, who was killed in a US drone attack on August 5.
Pakistan's security forces are also engaged in a fierce offensive against Taliban fighters in the northwest whom they blame for a wave of attacks across Pakistan that has killed more than 2,100 people in the last two years.
The military launched a fierce offensive against insurgents in Swat valley in April, and is now engaged in a similar push in tribal Khyber district.
Pakistani air strikes have also hit South Waziristan, ahead of an expected ground offensive into the Pakistani Taliban's heartland, although the army is keeping silent on when such an assault would begin.
Swat is beset by outbreaks of violence as authorities try and round up all the Islamist fighters, with the military announcing Tuesday that they had arrested 43 insurgents in the district in the past 24 hours.
The attack hit in the lawless region of South Waziristan, a Taliban bolthole where Washington says Islamist fighters are hiding out and planning attacks on Western troops stationed in neighbouring Afghanistan.
"A missile from a US drone fired on a compound of local Taliban commander Irfan Mehsud and killed five militants and injured six," said a security official in the area. A local administration official confirmed the toll.
The missiles targeted Sara Rogha, a village northeast of regional hub Wana and a stronghold of former Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, who was himself killed in a US drone strike in August.
The security official said the spy plane fired two missiles on the compound, adding that reports suggested three of the dead could be Uzbeks.
"The death toll may rise," he told AFP. "The compound is completely destroyed and militants have surrounded the area."
The fatalities are impossible to verify independently, as the US does not confirm the strikes and the targets are deep in Taliban-controlled territory.
An intelligence official, who also refused to be named, said militants were pulling their dead from the debris. He said his reports suggested low-level insurgent commander Irfan Mehsud had survived.
US drone attacks are hitting the tribal belt with increasing frequency, as the United States tries to stem the flow of militants waging a deadly insurgency against some 100,000 foreign troops stationed in Afghanistan.
Taliban and Al-Qaeda rebels fled Afghanistan after the 2001 US-led invasion, carving out boltholes and training camps in the remote Pakistani mountains.
Late last Thursday, a US drone attack in North Waziristan killed 10 militants from an Al-Qaeda-linked network, and Tuesday's attack is the fifth such strike in the semi-autonomous tribal area this month.
The US military does not, as a rule, confirm drone attacks, but its armed forces and the Central Intelligence Agency operating in Afghanistan are the only forces that deploy pilotless drones in the region.
Islamabad publicly opposes the US missile strikes, saying they violate its territorial sovereignty and deepen resentment among the populace.
Since August 2008, nearly 60 such strikes have killed more than 550 people.
But the government welcomed the death of Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud, who was killed in a US drone attack on August 5.
Pakistan's security forces are also engaged in a fierce offensive against Taliban fighters in the northwest whom they blame for a wave of attacks across Pakistan that has killed more than 2,100 people in the last two years.
The military launched a fierce offensive against insurgents in Swat valley in April, and is now engaged in a similar push in tribal Khyber district.
Pakistani air strikes have also hit South Waziristan, ahead of an expected ground offensive into the Pakistani Taliban's heartland, although the army is keeping silent on when such an assault would begin.
Swat is beset by outbreaks of violence as authorities try and round up all the Islamist fighters, with the military announcing Tuesday that they had arrested 43 insurgents in the district in the past 24 hours.
Trust to be set up for utilising US funding
PESHAWAR: The federal government has decided to set up a trust fund for development of the NWFP and Fata with the financial assistance of the United States as approved under the Kerry-Lugar bill.
The proposed ‘Trust Fund for Development of NWFP and Fata’ would be governed through a board of trustees that would decide projects and look after all their financial affairs, said NWFP Governor Awais Ahmad Ghani here on Monday.
The US Senate last week passed the Kerry-Lugar bill to authorise $1.5 billion in economic assistance annually for Pakistan over five years to offset the impact of ongoing war on terror on its economy and social service delivery.
The board of trustees will comprise representatives of federal and provincial governments and donor agencies, and inclusion of two representatives from the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry has also been recommended. The main office of the trust will be based in Peshawar.
The idea behind creation of the trust, the governor explained, was to ensure maximum utilisation of funds in the conflict-hit NWFP and Fata by avoiding lengthy process of project designing and funds disbursement.
‘Under this arrangement, at least 75 per cent of the funds will go to development projects of the NWFP and Fata,’ the governor said.
Mr Ghani was speaking at the launching ceremony of SCCI’s Trade and Industry Directory, which contains contact details of 3,000 entrepreneurs of Peshawar.
Besides others, Senator Ilays Ahmad Bilour, leader of Businessman Forum Pakistan, SCCI president Sharafat Ali Mubarik and vice-president Mohammad Ishaq were also present.
The governor, while responding to identical points raised by the participants, endorsed the SCCI demand of declaring NWFP as a war-affected province, urging the federal government to immediately announce a relief package for its economic revival.
‘The province and adjoining tribal belt has suffered because of militancy and now it is time for the federal government to allocate adequate resources for the reconstruction,’ he said.
Mr Ghani told the meeting that the federal government was serious in reconstruction of conflict-hit areas, particularly the Malakand division, and focus also was on initiating uplift schemes in Peshawar.
According to him, a project for extension of the Peshawar airport had been approved and the Civil Aviation Authority had released funds for land acquisition. The project would increase parking capacity of aircrafts from four to 10.
Likewise, three different sites had been identified in the Peshawar valley for establishment of a housing project under the Defence Housing Authority and steps were being taken for setting up Peshawar Business City at Katcha Garhi and a modern bus terminal, he said.
Mr Ghani said a committee under the chairmanship of federal finance minister with the NWFP governor and chief minister as its members had been constituted to dispose of financial affairs of the province on a war footing.
He also endorsed the SCCI viewpoint on Reconstruction Opportunity Zones and made it clear that the government would not approve the initiative unless the chamber’s reservations were addressed.
Earlier, Senator Ilyas Bilour, SCCI president Mubarik and vice-president Ishaq apprised the governor about the problems being faced by local businessmen.
The proposed ‘Trust Fund for Development of NWFP and Fata’ would be governed through a board of trustees that would decide projects and look after all their financial affairs, said NWFP Governor Awais Ahmad Ghani here on Monday.
The US Senate last week passed the Kerry-Lugar bill to authorise $1.5 billion in economic assistance annually for Pakistan over five years to offset the impact of ongoing war on terror on its economy and social service delivery.
The board of trustees will comprise representatives of federal and provincial governments and donor agencies, and inclusion of two representatives from the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry has also been recommended. The main office of the trust will be based in Peshawar.
The idea behind creation of the trust, the governor explained, was to ensure maximum utilisation of funds in the conflict-hit NWFP and Fata by avoiding lengthy process of project designing and funds disbursement.
‘Under this arrangement, at least 75 per cent of the funds will go to development projects of the NWFP and Fata,’ the governor said.
Mr Ghani was speaking at the launching ceremony of SCCI’s Trade and Industry Directory, which contains contact details of 3,000 entrepreneurs of Peshawar.
Besides others, Senator Ilays Ahmad Bilour, leader of Businessman Forum Pakistan, SCCI president Sharafat Ali Mubarik and vice-president Mohammad Ishaq were also present.
The governor, while responding to identical points raised by the participants, endorsed the SCCI demand of declaring NWFP as a war-affected province, urging the federal government to immediately announce a relief package for its economic revival.
‘The province and adjoining tribal belt has suffered because of militancy and now it is time for the federal government to allocate adequate resources for the reconstruction,’ he said.
Mr Ghani told the meeting that the federal government was serious in reconstruction of conflict-hit areas, particularly the Malakand division, and focus also was on initiating uplift schemes in Peshawar.
According to him, a project for extension of the Peshawar airport had been approved and the Civil Aviation Authority had released funds for land acquisition. The project would increase parking capacity of aircrafts from four to 10.
Likewise, three different sites had been identified in the Peshawar valley for establishment of a housing project under the Defence Housing Authority and steps were being taken for setting up Peshawar Business City at Katcha Garhi and a modern bus terminal, he said.
Mr Ghani said a committee under the chairmanship of federal finance minister with the NWFP governor and chief minister as its members had been constituted to dispose of financial affairs of the province on a war footing.
He also endorsed the SCCI viewpoint on Reconstruction Opportunity Zones and made it clear that the government would not approve the initiative unless the chamber’s reservations were addressed.
Earlier, Senator Ilyas Bilour, SCCI president Mubarik and vice-president Ishaq apprised the governor about the problems being faced by local businessmen.
Monday, September 28, 2009
US accepts Hamid Karzai as Afghan leader
The White House has ended weeks of hesitation over how to respond to the Afghan election by accepting President Karzai as the winner despite evidence that up to 20 per cent of ballots cast may have been fraudulent.
Abandoning its previous policy of not prejudging investigations of vote rigging, the Obama Administration has conceded that Mr Karzai will be President for another five years on the basis that even if he were forced into a second round of voting he would almost certainly win it.
The decision will increase pressure on President Obama to justify further US troop deployments to Afghanistan to prop up a regime now regarded as systemically corrupt.
The acceptance was conveyed by Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State, in a meeting with her Afghan counterpart hours before Mr Obama received a formal request from General Stanley McChrystal, the commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, for up to 40,000 more troops.
Mrs Clinton told Rangin Dadfar Spanta, the Afghan Foreign Minister, that she and her Nato colleagues — including David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary — had reached a consensus that Mr Karzai would remain President even if investigations now under way cut his share of the first-round vote to below 50 per cent. The meeting took place last Friday but details emerged yesterday.
The Administration has also told Kabul that it will support what Mr Karzai calls a policy of “reconciliation”, which is intended to induce low and mid-ranking Taleban fighters into swapping sides or at least to lay down their arms. The same tactic, which boils down to paying fighters to leave the insurgency, is central to a new counter-insurgency strategy recommended by General McChrystal in a bleak assessment of Afghan security leaked last week to the journalist Bob Woodward.
The effort, modelled on the “Sons of Iraq” movement that proved critical to the success of the US-led surge in Iraq two years ago, is to be led by the British general Sir Graeme Lamb, according to Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Discussions on whether to grant General McChrystal’s troop request will dominate a meeting of the National Security Council today. It will be the first of a series that Mr Obama will chair as he chooses between the advice of his military to flood Afghanistan’s towns and cities with fresh troops, and that of his Vice-President and others to tear up his strategy lest it drag him into a Vietnam-style quagmire.
Publicly Mr Obama has insisted that General McChrystal, whom he handpicked in March, retains his full confidence. Reports of tension gained credibility, though, with the disclosure by the general on Sunday that they had spoken only once since he took up his post in Kabul. “I’ve talked to the President, since I’ve been here, once on a VTC [video teleconference],” he told the CBS programme 60 Minutes.
British officials said yesterday that accepting Mr Karzai as winner of the election was “a recognition of the facts on the ground”. The British preference had been for Mr Karzai to form a national unity government taking in his main rival, Abdullah Abdullah — a scenario that the White House would also have welcomed — but Dr Abdullah appears to have ruled it out.
Abandoning its previous policy of not prejudging investigations of vote rigging, the Obama Administration has conceded that Mr Karzai will be President for another five years on the basis that even if he were forced into a second round of voting he would almost certainly win it.
The decision will increase pressure on President Obama to justify further US troop deployments to Afghanistan to prop up a regime now regarded as systemically corrupt.
The acceptance was conveyed by Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State, in a meeting with her Afghan counterpart hours before Mr Obama received a formal request from General Stanley McChrystal, the commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, for up to 40,000 more troops.
Mrs Clinton told Rangin Dadfar Spanta, the Afghan Foreign Minister, that she and her Nato colleagues — including David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary — had reached a consensus that Mr Karzai would remain President even if investigations now under way cut his share of the first-round vote to below 50 per cent. The meeting took place last Friday but details emerged yesterday.
The Administration has also told Kabul that it will support what Mr Karzai calls a policy of “reconciliation”, which is intended to induce low and mid-ranking Taleban fighters into swapping sides or at least to lay down their arms. The same tactic, which boils down to paying fighters to leave the insurgency, is central to a new counter-insurgency strategy recommended by General McChrystal in a bleak assessment of Afghan security leaked last week to the journalist Bob Woodward.
The effort, modelled on the “Sons of Iraq” movement that proved critical to the success of the US-led surge in Iraq two years ago, is to be led by the British general Sir Graeme Lamb, according to Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Discussions on whether to grant General McChrystal’s troop request will dominate a meeting of the National Security Council today. It will be the first of a series that Mr Obama will chair as he chooses between the advice of his military to flood Afghanistan’s towns and cities with fresh troops, and that of his Vice-President and others to tear up his strategy lest it drag him into a Vietnam-style quagmire.
Publicly Mr Obama has insisted that General McChrystal, whom he handpicked in March, retains his full confidence. Reports of tension gained credibility, though, with the disclosure by the general on Sunday that they had spoken only once since he took up his post in Kabul. “I’ve talked to the President, since I’ve been here, once on a VTC [video teleconference],” he told the CBS programme 60 Minutes.
British officials said yesterday that accepting Mr Karzai as winner of the election was “a recognition of the facts on the ground”. The British preference had been for Mr Karzai to form a national unity government taking in his main rival, Abdullah Abdullah — a scenario that the White House would also have welcomed — but Dr Abdullah appears to have ruled it out.
UN Expects S. Waziristan Fighting to Result in Large Influx of Fleeing Civilians
VOA.COM
The head coordinator for the U.N. Humanitarian Affairs office in Pakistan says his agency is ready to handle what is expected to be a large number of families fleeing the South Waziristan tribal region as the government intensifies its fight against the Taliban. At the same time, police say a suicide bomber killed 5 people Monday, include a tribal leader allied with the government.
Authorities say the suicide attack occurred near a police checkpoint outside Bannu, the third bombing in as many days.Officials say the bomber rammed a car filled with explosives into a vehicle carrying tribal leader Maulana Abdul Hakeem, as he traveled to a nearby peace committee meeting.Analysts say Hakeem had been instrumental in brokering deals with the government, allowing security forces access to the nearby Waziristan tribal regions to target Taliban and al-Qaida militants.U.N. Office for Coordinating Humanitarian Affairs head for Pakistan, Manuel Bessler, tells VOA families have been fleeing South Waziristan in anticipation of a new military offensive."We have from South Waziristan already now about roughly 80,000 internally displaced people. That means people that left the district of South Waziristan and are in Dera Ismail Khan or in Tank, looking for shelter, for a safer place to be," Bessler said.
Local media reports say military helicopters have dropped pamphlets in the area, warning residents to leave. The government used a similar strategy before the offensive in and around the Swat Valley that started last April.
The government insists it is not launching any major operation in South Waziristan at the moment, but Bessler says his office is ready.
"We expect indeed more people to leave the district and have accordingly beefed up our readiness for food and non-food items," said Bessler.
He says they rely on Pakistani government agencies, particularly at the district level, to help those displaced.While they are ready in the material sense, Bessler says there are other concerns.
"Security is something that we have to take very serious[ly] in such a volatile environment as southern NWFP [and] we [also] had to look into it in Malakand," Bessler said.South Waziristan is a major stronghold for Taliban and al-Qaida militants. It also boasts treacherous terrain and is expected to get brutally cold in the coming months. On Monday, a message allegedly from al-Qaida's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, appeared on a jihadist Web site praising the former Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud who was killed in a U.S. missile strike in South Waziristan.This is the first public acknowledgment from al-Qaida of Mehsud's death in August.
The head coordinator for the U.N. Humanitarian Affairs office in Pakistan says his agency is ready to handle what is expected to be a large number of families fleeing the South Waziristan tribal region as the government intensifies its fight against the Taliban. At the same time, police say a suicide bomber killed 5 people Monday, include a tribal leader allied with the government.
Authorities say the suicide attack occurred near a police checkpoint outside Bannu, the third bombing in as many days.Officials say the bomber rammed a car filled with explosives into a vehicle carrying tribal leader Maulana Abdul Hakeem, as he traveled to a nearby peace committee meeting.Analysts say Hakeem had been instrumental in brokering deals with the government, allowing security forces access to the nearby Waziristan tribal regions to target Taliban and al-Qaida militants.U.N. Office for Coordinating Humanitarian Affairs head for Pakistan, Manuel Bessler, tells VOA families have been fleeing South Waziristan in anticipation of a new military offensive."We have from South Waziristan already now about roughly 80,000 internally displaced people. That means people that left the district of South Waziristan and are in Dera Ismail Khan or in Tank, looking for shelter, for a safer place to be," Bessler said.
Local media reports say military helicopters have dropped pamphlets in the area, warning residents to leave. The government used a similar strategy before the offensive in and around the Swat Valley that started last April.
The government insists it is not launching any major operation in South Waziristan at the moment, but Bessler says his office is ready.
"We expect indeed more people to leave the district and have accordingly beefed up our readiness for food and non-food items," said Bessler.
He says they rely on Pakistani government agencies, particularly at the district level, to help those displaced.While they are ready in the material sense, Bessler says there are other concerns.
"Security is something that we have to take very serious[ly] in such a volatile environment as southern NWFP [and] we [also] had to look into it in Malakand," Bessler said.South Waziristan is a major stronghold for Taliban and al-Qaida militants. It also boasts treacherous terrain and is expected to get brutally cold in the coming months. On Monday, a message allegedly from al-Qaida's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, appeared on a jihadist Web site praising the former Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud who was killed in a U.S. missile strike in South Waziristan.This is the first public acknowledgment from al-Qaida of Mehsud's death in August.
U.S.-Russia Relations May Yield Little in Action Toward Iran
NewYorkTimes
MOSCOW — The Kremlin has long responded to proposals for tougher sanctions against Iran with arms folded and a scowl. Last week, that attitude began softening, bringing the Obama administration closer to a diplomatic coup in its efforts to contain the Iranian nuclear program.
But the relatively conciliatory statements by Russia’s president, Dmitri A. Medvedev, present an opening to the administration that could turn out to yield little. Russia, a neighbor of Iran, is far more intertwined with it geopolitically than any other world power, and has more concerns about upsetting relations.
Russia is also reluctant to mass the might of the United Nations Security Council against a single country, especially at Washington’s behest. That in part explains why Russia has historically sought to dilute sanctions, as it did in previous rounds against Iran.
Moreover, the Kremlin might go slowly because it senses that in a world where it has less influence than it did during Soviet times, it can use its veto power in the Security Council to ensure attention and respect. If Russia were to accede right away to calls for a crackdown, it would risk becoming just another country lining up behind the United States. The Kremlin’s pride would almost certainly not allow that.
Already, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, appears to be positioning Russia to back away from the supportive stance suggested by Mr. Medvedev’s comments.
Asked about the announcement on Friday by the United States, Britain and France that Iran had failed to disclose a secret uranium enrichment plant, Mr. Lavrov said it was not evident that Iran had done anything wrong. He said it was premature to assert that new sanctions were necessary.
“As I understand it, there is no clarity regarding the legal issues,” Mr. Lavrov said.
He also chided the Western powers for not telling Russia earlier that their intelligence agencies had discovered the Iranian enrichment plant.
Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin, Russia’s paramount leader, who tends to be more hawkish than Mr. Medvedev toward the United States, in recent days has not echoed Mr. Medvedev’s views on sanctions.
Still, Moscow’s overall outlook toward the United States has unquestionably warmed in recent months, largely because of President Obama’s drive to “reset” relations, and that could ultimately be pivotal.
Mr. Obama’s decision this month to cancel an antimissile system in Eastern Europe proposed by the Bush administration has achieved a particularly galvanizing effect. The Kremlin had deemed the antimissile system a direct threat to Russia, though the United States had said it was intended to protect against attacks from countries like Iran.
Mr. Medvedev regularly expressed his appreciation for Mr. Obama last week, drawing a contrast with the tensions between Moscow and Washington in the later Bush years. Obama administration officials cited Mr. Medvedev’s remarks as proof that their attempt to engage Moscow was paying off, and could lead to action against Iran.
“We do have various doubts about what Iran is doing,” Mr. Medvedev said last week. “If all possibilities for influencing the situation have been exhausted, we could consider international sanctions.”
“Sometimes, there is no other option,” he added.
Russia has said that it does not want Iran to obtain nuclear weapons, but it has also articulated misgivings about Western assertions of Iranian nuclear advances. While Russia is not one of Iran’s largest trading partners, it does sell military hardware to Iran and is building a civilian nuclear power plant there.
What is clear is that Russia considers sanctions as not solely an Iranian issue, but one of several that revolve around its dealings with Washington. It is negotiating a treaty to reduce the size of strategic nuclear forces, and remains alarmed by the possible expansion of NATO into former Soviet republics like Ukraine and Georgia.
If those issues are handled to the Kremlin’s liking, then it will be more apt to agree to stiff sanctions.
“For Russia, Iran is a very good bargaining chip,” said Vladimir Sotnikov, a senior research associate at the Center for International Security in Moscow. “And that is why, for now, I don’t think that Russia is going to be ready to wholly support major new sanctions.”
The dynamic is complicated by China, another sanctions opponent with a Security Council veto. The Kremlin can publicly show more leeway toward sanctions — in essence, offering gratitude to Mr. Obama for canceling the antimissile system in Eastern Europe — while knowing that China may continue standing in their way.
China trades heavily with Iran, and its skeptical comments on Friday after the announcement about the new enrichment plant indicated how reluctant it may be on sanctions.
At the same time, though, if China senses that Russia is more amenable, the Chinese may feel that they have to shift because they do not want to be isolated.
And Mr. Medvedev’s criticism of Iran last week has put more pressure on its leadership before nuclear talks on Thursday in Geneva between Iran and the United States and five other powers, including Russia.
Even so, in interviews over the weekend, experts in Moscow were somewhat unconvinced that the Kremlin would back forceful steps against Iran, though they did not rule it out.
Vladimir Sazhin, a commentator at the state-run Voice of Russia radio and one of the nation’s leading Iran analysts, said it was important to understand that Russia considered Iran to be a vital ally on regional issues. After the disputed Iranian presidential election in June, in fact, Mr. Medvedev congratulated President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Both countries are on the Caspian Sea and have territory in the Caucasus Mountains. (The Soviet Union had a border with Iran, but Russia is now about 100 miles away, separated from Iran by another former Soviet republic, Azerbaijan.) Both Russia and Iran want to prevent NATO from setting up bases in the region.
Mr. Sazhin said Russia had been pleased that Iran had not questioned Russia’s actions in Chechnya, a Muslim region in the Caucasus where the federal authorities have fought two brutal civil wars to put down a separatist Muslim insurgency.
“The Kremlin’s politics come down to the fact that they do not want to inflame relations with Iran, because of Russia’s regional interests,” Mr. Sazhin said.
Mr. Sazhin said he would not be surprised if Mr. Medvedev continued to imply that he was open-minded toward sanctions, in large part because the Russian leadership realizes that China may not relent and Iran will find a way to prolong the dispute.
“The Kremlin can play a good game because it knows that nothing will probably come of it,” he said.
MOSCOW — The Kremlin has long responded to proposals for tougher sanctions against Iran with arms folded and a scowl. Last week, that attitude began softening, bringing the Obama administration closer to a diplomatic coup in its efforts to contain the Iranian nuclear program.
But the relatively conciliatory statements by Russia’s president, Dmitri A. Medvedev, present an opening to the administration that could turn out to yield little. Russia, a neighbor of Iran, is far more intertwined with it geopolitically than any other world power, and has more concerns about upsetting relations.
Russia is also reluctant to mass the might of the United Nations Security Council against a single country, especially at Washington’s behest. That in part explains why Russia has historically sought to dilute sanctions, as it did in previous rounds against Iran.
Moreover, the Kremlin might go slowly because it senses that in a world where it has less influence than it did during Soviet times, it can use its veto power in the Security Council to ensure attention and respect. If Russia were to accede right away to calls for a crackdown, it would risk becoming just another country lining up behind the United States. The Kremlin’s pride would almost certainly not allow that.
Already, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, appears to be positioning Russia to back away from the supportive stance suggested by Mr. Medvedev’s comments.
Asked about the announcement on Friday by the United States, Britain and France that Iran had failed to disclose a secret uranium enrichment plant, Mr. Lavrov said it was not evident that Iran had done anything wrong. He said it was premature to assert that new sanctions were necessary.
“As I understand it, there is no clarity regarding the legal issues,” Mr. Lavrov said.
He also chided the Western powers for not telling Russia earlier that their intelligence agencies had discovered the Iranian enrichment plant.
Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin, Russia’s paramount leader, who tends to be more hawkish than Mr. Medvedev toward the United States, in recent days has not echoed Mr. Medvedev’s views on sanctions.
Still, Moscow’s overall outlook toward the United States has unquestionably warmed in recent months, largely because of President Obama’s drive to “reset” relations, and that could ultimately be pivotal.
Mr. Obama’s decision this month to cancel an antimissile system in Eastern Europe proposed by the Bush administration has achieved a particularly galvanizing effect. The Kremlin had deemed the antimissile system a direct threat to Russia, though the United States had said it was intended to protect against attacks from countries like Iran.
Mr. Medvedev regularly expressed his appreciation for Mr. Obama last week, drawing a contrast with the tensions between Moscow and Washington in the later Bush years. Obama administration officials cited Mr. Medvedev’s remarks as proof that their attempt to engage Moscow was paying off, and could lead to action against Iran.
“We do have various doubts about what Iran is doing,” Mr. Medvedev said last week. “If all possibilities for influencing the situation have been exhausted, we could consider international sanctions.”
“Sometimes, there is no other option,” he added.
Russia has said that it does not want Iran to obtain nuclear weapons, but it has also articulated misgivings about Western assertions of Iranian nuclear advances. While Russia is not one of Iran’s largest trading partners, it does sell military hardware to Iran and is building a civilian nuclear power plant there.
What is clear is that Russia considers sanctions as not solely an Iranian issue, but one of several that revolve around its dealings with Washington. It is negotiating a treaty to reduce the size of strategic nuclear forces, and remains alarmed by the possible expansion of NATO into former Soviet republics like Ukraine and Georgia.
If those issues are handled to the Kremlin’s liking, then it will be more apt to agree to stiff sanctions.
“For Russia, Iran is a very good bargaining chip,” said Vladimir Sotnikov, a senior research associate at the Center for International Security in Moscow. “And that is why, for now, I don’t think that Russia is going to be ready to wholly support major new sanctions.”
The dynamic is complicated by China, another sanctions opponent with a Security Council veto. The Kremlin can publicly show more leeway toward sanctions — in essence, offering gratitude to Mr. Obama for canceling the antimissile system in Eastern Europe — while knowing that China may continue standing in their way.
China trades heavily with Iran, and its skeptical comments on Friday after the announcement about the new enrichment plant indicated how reluctant it may be on sanctions.
At the same time, though, if China senses that Russia is more amenable, the Chinese may feel that they have to shift because they do not want to be isolated.
And Mr. Medvedev’s criticism of Iran last week has put more pressure on its leadership before nuclear talks on Thursday in Geneva between Iran and the United States and five other powers, including Russia.
Even so, in interviews over the weekend, experts in Moscow were somewhat unconvinced that the Kremlin would back forceful steps against Iran, though they did not rule it out.
Vladimir Sazhin, a commentator at the state-run Voice of Russia radio and one of the nation’s leading Iran analysts, said it was important to understand that Russia considered Iran to be a vital ally on regional issues. After the disputed Iranian presidential election in June, in fact, Mr. Medvedev congratulated President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Both countries are on the Caspian Sea and have territory in the Caucasus Mountains. (The Soviet Union had a border with Iran, but Russia is now about 100 miles away, separated from Iran by another former Soviet republic, Azerbaijan.) Both Russia and Iran want to prevent NATO from setting up bases in the region.
Mr. Sazhin said Russia had been pleased that Iran had not questioned Russia’s actions in Chechnya, a Muslim region in the Caucasus where the federal authorities have fought two brutal civil wars to put down a separatist Muslim insurgency.
“The Kremlin’s politics come down to the fact that they do not want to inflame relations with Iran, because of Russia’s regional interests,” Mr. Sazhin said.
Mr. Sazhin said he would not be surprised if Mr. Medvedev continued to imply that he was open-minded toward sanctions, in large part because the Russian leadership realizes that China may not relent and Iran will find a way to prolong the dispute.
“The Kremlin can play a good game because it knows that nothing will probably come of it,” he said.
Bill Clinton: 'Vast right-wing conspiracy' as 'virulent' as ever
cnn.com
WASHINGTON -- The "vast right-wing conspiracy" that attacked him during his presidency has been weakened, but continues to operate against President Obama, former President Clinton said Sunday.
On NBC's "Meet the Press," Clinton was asked about the term his wife Hillary Clinton, now secretary of state, famously coined. "Is it still there?" host David Gregory asked.
"Oh, you bet. Sure it is. It's not as strong as it was, because America's changed demographically, but it's as virulent as it was," the former president replied.
"I mean, they're saying things about him [Obama] -- you know, it's like when they accused me of murder and all that stuff they did," Clinton said, in an apparent reference to conspiracy theories surrounding the suicide of White House deputy counsel Vince Foster.
"It's not really good for the Republicans and the country, what's going on now," Clinton said. "I mean, they may be hurting President Obama. They can take his numbers down, they can run his opposition up. But fundamentally, he and his team have a positive agenda for America."
The nation needs "a credible debate about what's the right balance between continuing to expand the economy through stimulus and beginning to move back to fiscal balance," Clinton said. "We need a credible debate about what's the best way to get to universal [health care] coverage."
Clinton was asked whether he is concerned that the 2010 midterm elections could resemble those of 1994, when Republicans took control of the House and Senate two years into his first term.
"There's no way" that could happen, Clinton said, adding that "the country is more diverse and more interested in positive action." Also, he said, Republicans had control of Congress for several years under President George W. Bush, "and they know the results were bad."
And, he said, "the Democrats haven't taken on the gun lobby like I did."
"Whatever happens, it'll be manageable for our president," Clinton said.
WASHINGTON -- The "vast right-wing conspiracy" that attacked him during his presidency has been weakened, but continues to operate against President Obama, former President Clinton said Sunday.
On NBC's "Meet the Press," Clinton was asked about the term his wife Hillary Clinton, now secretary of state, famously coined. "Is it still there?" host David Gregory asked.
"Oh, you bet. Sure it is. It's not as strong as it was, because America's changed demographically, but it's as virulent as it was," the former president replied.
"I mean, they're saying things about him [Obama] -- you know, it's like when they accused me of murder and all that stuff they did," Clinton said, in an apparent reference to conspiracy theories surrounding the suicide of White House deputy counsel Vince Foster.
"It's not really good for the Republicans and the country, what's going on now," Clinton said. "I mean, they may be hurting President Obama. They can take his numbers down, they can run his opposition up. But fundamentally, he and his team have a positive agenda for America."
The nation needs "a credible debate about what's the right balance between continuing to expand the economy through stimulus and beginning to move back to fiscal balance," Clinton said. "We need a credible debate about what's the best way to get to universal [health care] coverage."
Clinton was asked whether he is concerned that the 2010 midterm elections could resemble those of 1994, when Republicans took control of the House and Senate two years into his first term.
"There's no way" that could happen, Clinton said, adding that "the country is more diverse and more interested in positive action." Also, he said, Republicans had control of Congress for several years under President George W. Bush, "and they know the results were bad."
And, he said, "the Democrats haven't taken on the gun lobby like I did."
"Whatever happens, it'll be manageable for our president," Clinton said.
Terror war inflicts $400m loss on tourism
PESHAWAR: Tourism industry of Frontier province suffered a loss worth $400 million since the launch of war on terror, said NWFP Tourism Minister Syed Aqil Shah here on Sunday.
‘Militancy had affected the tourism the most and we have suffered a loss of $50 million annually,’ the minister said while speaking at a function held in connection with World Tourism Day.
Sarhad Tourism Corporation organised the gathering where besides others tour specialists Fidaullah Sehrai, Zahoor Durrani, STC former managing director Ghaffar Mohmand and STC General Manager Mushtaq Ahmad Khan were also present.
The minister said that provincial government was devising a master plan for the development of tourism in the province. He stressed upon the international community and federal government to fully concentrate and cooperate with the provincial government in reviving tourism industry in NWFP, which had the potential of overcoming the losses faced by the province due to militancy.
Mr Shah said that tourists stopped visiting scenic resorts in the province when billboards carrying pictures of women were smashed during the government of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal in NWFP.
‘The wave of insurgency and militancy in Malakand division and other parts of the province and Federally Administered Tribal Areas proved to be the last nail in the coffin of tourism industry in NWFP,’ the minister said.
He said that chairlifts would be installed from Naran to Saiful Maluk Lake while 2-megawatt hydel power stations would be also set up at Saiful Maluk. He said under a special package, people of Japan, Thailand, Sri Lanka and other countries would be given a chance to visit province.
A state of the art Lok Versa Centre was being established at Gorgatri, while a separate directorate had been established in the province which would become functional from October 15 this year, the minister said.
Mr Shah said that a two-day cultural conference would be held in Peshawar at the end of October while 2,500 years celebrations of Peshawar, the oldest living city, would be made in December. He pledged to launch and complete at least two tourism projects in his tenure in the province.
He said that about 70 per cent of tourist sites in the country were located in NWFP and it was the need of the hour to concentrate on development of those sites so that both local and international tourists could be attracted.
‘Pakistan has matchless tourist resorts but due to extremism and militancy, tourists are not visiting the country,’ he added.
The minister urged the media to portray soft image of the country and apprise the world about the hospitality, brotherhood and friendly behaviour of Pakistanis.
Other speakers urged the world as well as Pakistani leadership to spend most of the aid on the rehabilitation, development work as well as promotion of tourism in NWFP.
‘Militancy had affected the tourism the most and we have suffered a loss of $50 million annually,’ the minister said while speaking at a function held in connection with World Tourism Day.
Sarhad Tourism Corporation organised the gathering where besides others tour specialists Fidaullah Sehrai, Zahoor Durrani, STC former managing director Ghaffar Mohmand and STC General Manager Mushtaq Ahmad Khan were also present.
The minister said that provincial government was devising a master plan for the development of tourism in the province. He stressed upon the international community and federal government to fully concentrate and cooperate with the provincial government in reviving tourism industry in NWFP, which had the potential of overcoming the losses faced by the province due to militancy.
Mr Shah said that tourists stopped visiting scenic resorts in the province when billboards carrying pictures of women were smashed during the government of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal in NWFP.
‘The wave of insurgency and militancy in Malakand division and other parts of the province and Federally Administered Tribal Areas proved to be the last nail in the coffin of tourism industry in NWFP,’ the minister said.
He said that chairlifts would be installed from Naran to Saiful Maluk Lake while 2-megawatt hydel power stations would be also set up at Saiful Maluk. He said under a special package, people of Japan, Thailand, Sri Lanka and other countries would be given a chance to visit province.
A state of the art Lok Versa Centre was being established at Gorgatri, while a separate directorate had been established in the province which would become functional from October 15 this year, the minister said.
Mr Shah said that a two-day cultural conference would be held in Peshawar at the end of October while 2,500 years celebrations of Peshawar, the oldest living city, would be made in December. He pledged to launch and complete at least two tourism projects in his tenure in the province.
He said that about 70 per cent of tourist sites in the country were located in NWFP and it was the need of the hour to concentrate on development of those sites so that both local and international tourists could be attracted.
‘Pakistan has matchless tourist resorts but due to extremism and militancy, tourists are not visiting the country,’ he added.
The minister urged the media to portray soft image of the country and apprise the world about the hospitality, brotherhood and friendly behaviour of Pakistanis.
Other speakers urged the world as well as Pakistani leadership to spend most of the aid on the rehabilitation, development work as well as promotion of tourism in NWFP.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Preventive measures for heart disease
The World Heart Day was commemorated on Sunday with a view to encourage people around the globe to adopt a heart-healthy lifestyle to reduce the risk of heart attacks which, together with strokes, kill over 17 million people every year.
To mark the occasion the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) arranged lectures by AKUH health professionals.
Speaking on the occasion, Professor Javaid Khan, Chair, National Alliance for Tobacco Control and Head, Section of Respiratory Diseases, AKUH said that about 80 per cent of deaths from cardiovascular diseases occur in low- and middle-income countries where awareness about heart attacks and strokes is poor.
Premature deaths can be avoided if the main risk factors - tobacco, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity - are controlled, he added.
In several developed countries, heart diseases are declining as governments have taken appropriate measures to control tobacco and promote a healthy diet. Tobacco use is the single most important risk factor not only for heart attack and stroke, but also for at least 30 other serious diseases, including lung cancer. Quoting a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Professor Khan said that the number of admissions for acute heart attack decreased in Scotland after the implementation of smoke-free legislation.
He called for implementation of clean air laws in Pakistan also in order to protect citizens from the serious dangers associated with tobacco smoke pollution.
Dr Fateh Ali Tipoo, Consultant Cardiologist, called for the government to focus on promoting preventive measures as treatment after a heart attack or stroke is unaffordable for the majority of citizens. High blood pressure, high levels of cholesterol and glucose, and smoking all increase a persons risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases.
One billion people globally suffer from high blood pressure, and 70 per cent of them do not have it under control. Emphasizing the importance of a balanced diet in preventing development of cardiovascular diseases, Dr Romaina Iqbal, Consultant Nutritionist, provided guidelines on intake of fruits, vegetables and milk and dairy products.
A healthy diet with five daily servings of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, fish and pulses, and a restricted salt and sugar intake is recommended.
Ms Ghazal Kamran, Senior Physiotherapist pointed out that individuals with sedentary lifestyles who do not exercise have a 40 per cent higher risk of heart disease. She specially advised regular aerobic exercise to reduce such risk and detailed specific kinds of exercises for different age groups and for diabetic and other patients. Ms Khairunnisa Hooda, Nurse Manager Critical Care Areas and Cardiology spoke on promoting healthy habits in the workplace and that workplace wellness programmes can reach a significant proportion of employed adults up to 54 per cent of the world population.
This could include offering information about the risk factors for heart disease and stroke; establishing health policies such as no smoking in buildings; encouraging good eating habits, e.g. offering information about the calorie and fat content of canteen food, adding more whole grain meals, natural products, fruits and vegetables on the menu; and encouraging people to exercise during their breaks. A 2003 study on the economic return of workplace health promotion concluded that workplace programmes can achieve a 25 to 30 per cent reduction in medical and absenteeism costs in an average period of about 3.6 years.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
G20 protesters blasted by sonic cannon
Only a few hundreds protesters took to the streets of Pittsburgh to mark the opening day of the G20 summit of world leaders, but the police were taking no chances.
Sonic weapons or long-range acoustic devices have been used by the US military overseas, notably against Somali pirates and Iraqi insurgents.
But US security forces turned the piercing sound on their own citizens yesterday to widespread outrage. Pittsburgh officials told the New York Times that it was the first time "sound cannon" had been used publicly.
The sonic weapon appear to be more effective than the Metropolitan police's highly contentious kettling tactics used against G20 protesters in London. But it is equally controversial.
It is feared the sounds emitted are loud enough to damage eardrums and even cause fatal aneurysms.
US threatens airstrikes in Pakistan
www.timesonline.co.uk
The United States is threatening to launch airstrikes on Mullah Omar and the Taliban leadership in the Pakistani city of Quetta as frustration mounts about the ease with which they find sanctuary across the border from Afghanistan.
The threat comes amid growing divisions in Washington about whether to deal with the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan by sending more troops or by reducing them and targeting the terrorists.
This weekend the US military was expected to send a request to Robert Gates, the defence secretary, for more troops, as urged by General Stanley McChrystal, the US commander there.
In a leaked strategic assessment of the war, McChrystal warned that he needed extra reinforcements within a year to avert the risk of failure. Although no figure was given, he is believed to be seeking up to 40,000 troops to add to the 68,000 who will be in Afghanistan by the end of this year.
However, with President Barack Obama under pressure from fellow Democrats not to intensify the war, the administration has let it be known that it is rethinking strategy. Vice-President Joe Biden has suggested reducing the number of troops in Afghanistan and focusing on the Taliban and AlQaeda in Pakistan.
Last week McChrystal denied any rift with the administration, saying “a policy debate is warranted”.
According to The New York Times, he flew from Kabul to Ramstein airbase in Germany on Friday for a secret meeting with Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to discuss the request for more troops.
So sensitive is the subject that when Obama addressed the United Nations summit in New York, he barely mentioned Afghanistan. The unspoken problem is that if the priority is to destroy Al-Qaeda and reduce the global terrorist threat, western troops might be fighting on the wrong side of the border.
The Biden camp argues that attacks by unmanned drones on Pakistan’s tribal areas, where Al-Qaeda’s leaders are hiding, have been successful. Sending more troops to Afghanistan has only inflamed tensions. “Pakistan is the nuclear elephant in the room,” said a western diplomat.
It is a view echoed by Richard Barrett, head of the UN Commission on Monitoring Taliban and Al-Qaeda, who believes the presence of foreign troops has increased militant activity and made it easier for the Taliban to recruit.
“If Obama sends more troops it had better be clear what they are to do,” he said.
“A few thousand more boots on the ground may not make much difference except push the fight into areas which are currently quiet because no one is there to challenge the Taliban. I cannot see any number of troops eliminating the Taliban. Obama has a really difficult decision to make.”
The debate has been intensified by the debacle of the Afghan election, which has left many European leaders struggling to justify sending soldiers to support a government that has been fraudulently elected.
According to preliminary results, President Hamid Karzai won 54.6% of the vote, compared with 27.8% for Abdullah Abdullah, his main challenger. But there have been complaints that fraudulent ballots may account for up to 20% of the 5.5m votes cast.
The Electoral Complaints Commission, overseen by a UN watchdog, has begun to recount about 10% of the disputed votes. Final results are not expected for two weeks. If Karzai is left without the 50% needed for outright victory, there must be a second round unless he agrees to form a unity government.
In the meantime, the country is in limbo and the Taliban is taking advantage, opening up new fronts in the north and west.
Al-Qaeda is also trying to capitalise on the uncertainty. Osama Bin Laden issued a call to European nations to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, and threatened reprisals with an allusion to the bombings in Madrid and London. The recording, released on Friday, seemed to be directed at Germany in the run-up to parliamentary elections today.
The Afghan election has strengthened the position of those in Washington who advocate eliminating Taliban leaders in Pakistan.
Senior Pakistani officials in New York revealed that the US had asked to extend the drone attacks into Quetta and the province of Baluchistan.
“It wasn’t so much a threat as an understanding that if you don’t do anything, we’ll take matters into our own hands,” said one.
The problem is that while the government of President Asif Zardari is committed to wiping out terrorism, Pakistan’s powerful military does not entirely share this view.
Earlier this year there was optimism that Pakistan had turned a corner after it confronted a Taliban group that had taken over the Swat valley and moved to within 70 miles of Islamabad.
There has been tacit co-operation over the use of drones. Some are even stationed inside Pakistan, although publicly the government denounces their use.
Suspicions remain among US officials that parts of Pakistan’s military intelligence agency, the ISI, are supporting the Taliban and protecting Mullah Omar and other leaders in Quetta.
It was to shore up Zardari’s domestic standing that Obama attended a Friends of Pakistan summit in New York on Thursday. On the same day, the US Senate tripled non-military aid to Pakistan to $1.5 billion a year.
The Obama administration hopes such moves will reduce anti-American feeling in Pakistan. A survey last month by the Pew Research Centre found that almost two-thirds regarded the US as an enemy.
Drone attacks on Quetta would intensify this sentiment, causing some British officials to argue that such missions would be “unthinkable”.
The Pakistani government is reluctant to take its own action, however. “We need real-time intelligence,” said Rehman Malik, the interior minister. “The Americans have never told us any location.”
Western intelligence officers say Pakistan has been moving Taliban leaders to the volatile city of Karachi, where it would be impossible to strike. US officials have even discussed sending commandos to Quetta to capture or kill the Taliban chiefs before they are moved.
The United States is threatening to launch airstrikes on Mullah Omar and the Taliban leadership in the Pakistani city of Quetta as frustration mounts about the ease with which they find sanctuary across the border from Afghanistan.
The threat comes amid growing divisions in Washington about whether to deal with the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan by sending more troops or by reducing them and targeting the terrorists.
This weekend the US military was expected to send a request to Robert Gates, the defence secretary, for more troops, as urged by General Stanley McChrystal, the US commander there.
In a leaked strategic assessment of the war, McChrystal warned that he needed extra reinforcements within a year to avert the risk of failure. Although no figure was given, he is believed to be seeking up to 40,000 troops to add to the 68,000 who will be in Afghanistan by the end of this year.
However, with President Barack Obama under pressure from fellow Democrats not to intensify the war, the administration has let it be known that it is rethinking strategy. Vice-President Joe Biden has suggested reducing the number of troops in Afghanistan and focusing on the Taliban and AlQaeda in Pakistan.
Last week McChrystal denied any rift with the administration, saying “a policy debate is warranted”.
According to The New York Times, he flew from Kabul to Ramstein airbase in Germany on Friday for a secret meeting with Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to discuss the request for more troops.
So sensitive is the subject that when Obama addressed the United Nations summit in New York, he barely mentioned Afghanistan. The unspoken problem is that if the priority is to destroy Al-Qaeda and reduce the global terrorist threat, western troops might be fighting on the wrong side of the border.
The Biden camp argues that attacks by unmanned drones on Pakistan’s tribal areas, where Al-Qaeda’s leaders are hiding, have been successful. Sending more troops to Afghanistan has only inflamed tensions. “Pakistan is the nuclear elephant in the room,” said a western diplomat.
It is a view echoed by Richard Barrett, head of the UN Commission on Monitoring Taliban and Al-Qaeda, who believes the presence of foreign troops has increased militant activity and made it easier for the Taliban to recruit.
“If Obama sends more troops it had better be clear what they are to do,” he said.
“A few thousand more boots on the ground may not make much difference except push the fight into areas which are currently quiet because no one is there to challenge the Taliban. I cannot see any number of troops eliminating the Taliban. Obama has a really difficult decision to make.”
The debate has been intensified by the debacle of the Afghan election, which has left many European leaders struggling to justify sending soldiers to support a government that has been fraudulently elected.
According to preliminary results, President Hamid Karzai won 54.6% of the vote, compared with 27.8% for Abdullah Abdullah, his main challenger. But there have been complaints that fraudulent ballots may account for up to 20% of the 5.5m votes cast.
The Electoral Complaints Commission, overseen by a UN watchdog, has begun to recount about 10% of the disputed votes. Final results are not expected for two weeks. If Karzai is left without the 50% needed for outright victory, there must be a second round unless he agrees to form a unity government.
In the meantime, the country is in limbo and the Taliban is taking advantage, opening up new fronts in the north and west.
Al-Qaeda is also trying to capitalise on the uncertainty. Osama Bin Laden issued a call to European nations to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, and threatened reprisals with an allusion to the bombings in Madrid and London. The recording, released on Friday, seemed to be directed at Germany in the run-up to parliamentary elections today.
The Afghan election has strengthened the position of those in Washington who advocate eliminating Taliban leaders in Pakistan.
Senior Pakistani officials in New York revealed that the US had asked to extend the drone attacks into Quetta and the province of Baluchistan.
“It wasn’t so much a threat as an understanding that if you don’t do anything, we’ll take matters into our own hands,” said one.
The problem is that while the government of President Asif Zardari is committed to wiping out terrorism, Pakistan’s powerful military does not entirely share this view.
Earlier this year there was optimism that Pakistan had turned a corner after it confronted a Taliban group that had taken over the Swat valley and moved to within 70 miles of Islamabad.
There has been tacit co-operation over the use of drones. Some are even stationed inside Pakistan, although publicly the government denounces their use.
Suspicions remain among US officials that parts of Pakistan’s military intelligence agency, the ISI, are supporting the Taliban and protecting Mullah Omar and other leaders in Quetta.
It was to shore up Zardari’s domestic standing that Obama attended a Friends of Pakistan summit in New York on Thursday. On the same day, the US Senate tripled non-military aid to Pakistan to $1.5 billion a year.
The Obama administration hopes such moves will reduce anti-American feeling in Pakistan. A survey last month by the Pew Research Centre found that almost two-thirds regarded the US as an enemy.
Drone attacks on Quetta would intensify this sentiment, causing some British officials to argue that such missions would be “unthinkable”.
The Pakistani government is reluctant to take its own action, however. “We need real-time intelligence,” said Rehman Malik, the interior minister. “The Americans have never told us any location.”
Western intelligence officers say Pakistan has been moving Taliban leaders to the volatile city of Karachi, where it would be impossible to strike. US officials have even discussed sending commandos to Quetta to capture or kill the Taliban chiefs before they are moved.
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