July 31, 2012
Army of Islam fighter from Gaza killed in Aleppo, Syria
The death of Nidal al 'Ashi, who was also known Abu Hureira al Maqdisi and Abu Omar al Shami, was announced yesterday by the Army of Islam, in a statement that was translated by the SITE Intelligence Group. His death was also announced by the Qabidun 'Ala al Jamr (Grippers of Embers) Media Foundation, the media arm of the Sinam al Islam forum, according to SITE. Informed jihadists said that 'Ashi was killed during recent fighting in Aleppo, where the Syrian military is pounding rebel forces.
The Army of Islam statement said that 'Ashi became a Salafist and "rose as a mujahid against the Jews and Christians after he had been friendly with them before." He then was imprisoned by Hamas "after he had destroyed the tenets of Christian missionary work, including societies, churches, universities, and schools."
He fled to Syria "when his methods were restricted," and supported "his monotheist brothers in their war against the tyrants."
Excerpts from Manba al-Jihad Video of Haqqani Network Training
Pakistan Army and ISI training Haqqani Network to carry out suicide attacks on Kafirs
ISLAMABAD: Grinning for the camera, the suicide bomber fondly patted his truckload of explosives. “We will defeat these crusader pigs as they have invaded our land,” he declared as he revved the engine.
The camera followed the truck to an American base in southern Afghanistan, where it exploded with a tangerine dust-framed fireball that punched a hole in the perimeter wall. Other suicide bombers leapt from a second vehicle and swarmed through the breach. The crackle and boom of violence filled the air.
The video, documenting a June 1 assault on Camp Salerno near the border with Pakistan, was released in the past week as a publicity blitz by the group behind the attack: the Haqqani network, a Taliban affiliate whose leaders shelter in Pakistan, said a report published in New York Times.
Even as the United States begins a large-scale troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Salerno attack, acknowledged at the time only in terse official statements, and others like it have cemented the Haqqani network’s standing as the most ominous threat to the fragile American-Pakistani relationship, officials from both countries say.
The two countries are just getting back on track, after months of grueling negotiations that finally reopened NATO supply routes through Pakistan. Pakistan’s spy chief, Lt. Gen. Zahir ul-Islam, arrived in Washington for talks with the Central Intelligence Agency, in an early sign of a new reconciliation.
But the relationship still has a tinderbox quality, riven by differences over C.I.A. drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal belt, the Afghan war and, most contentiously, the Haqqani network. The arguments are well worn: American officials say the Pakistani military’s Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency is covertly aiding the insurgents; Pakistani officials deny the accusation and contend the Obama administration is deflecting attention from its own failings in Afghanistan.
But a new boldness from the Haqqanis that aims at mass American casualties, combined with simmering political tension, has reduced the room for ambiguity between the two countries. Inside the administration, it is a commonly held view that the United States is “one major attack” away from unilateral action against Pakistan — diplomatically or perhaps even militarily, one senior official said.
“If 50 U.S. troops were blown to smithereens by the Haqqanis, or they penetrated the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and killed several diplomats — that would be the game changer,” he said.
American officials recently considered what that could mean. Days after the Salerno attack, the White House held a series of interagency meetings to weigh its options in the event of a major success by the Haqqanis against American troops.
Salerno had come uncomfortably close. Although just two Americans were killed, the attackers had penetrated the defenses of a major base to within yards of a dining hall used by hundreds of soldiers.
The meetings yielded a list of about 30 possible responses, according to a senior official who was briefed on the deliberations — everything from withdrawing the Islamabad ambassador, to a flurry of intensified drone attacks on Haqqani targets in Pakistan’s tribal belt, to American or Afghan commando raids on Haqqani hide-outs in the same area.
“We looked at the A to Z of how to get the Pakistanis’ attention,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity, as did other American and Pakistani officials interviewed about the issue.
Yet there were no easy answers. Officials concluded that most options ran the risk of setting off a wider conflict with Pakistan’s nuclear-armed military. “It came down to the fact that there wasn’t much we could do,” the official said. Other senior officials confirmed the broad details of his account; many noted that most contingency plans are never transformed into actions.
At the heart of the conundrum is the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate, or ISI, and its new chief, General Islam.
He is a largely unknown quantity in Washington, and much of this week’s trip is likely to focus on relationship building with American officials, including the director of the C.I.A., David H. Petraeus. But the tone has already been set by Congress: in the past month, both the House and the Senate have passed bills that urge Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to designate the Haqqani network a “foreign terrorist organization.”
“The Haqqani network is engaged in a reign of terror,” said Representative Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican who is chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. “Now is the time for action, not simply paperwork and talk.”
US one major attack away from Pak action..
Last warning issued to Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Grinning for the camera, the suicide bomber fondly patted his truckload of explosives. “We will defeat these crusader pigs as they have invaded our land,” he declared as he revved the engine.
The camera followed the truck to an American base in southern Afghanistan, where it exploded with a tangerine dust-framed fireball that punched a hole in the perimeter wall. Other suicide bombers leapt from a second vehicle and swarmed through the breach. The crackle and boom of violence filled the air.
The video, documenting a June 1 assault on Camp Salerno near the border with Pakistan, was released in the past week as a publicity blitz by the group behind the attack: the Haqqani network, a Taliban affiliate whose leaders shelter in Pakistan, said a report published in New York Times.
Even as the United States begins a large-scale troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Salerno attack, acknowledged at the time only in terse official statements, and others like it have cemented the Haqqani network’s standing as the most ominous threat to the fragile American-Pakistani relationship, officials from both countries say.
The two countries are just getting back on track, after months of grueling negotiations that finally reopened NATO supply routes through Pakistan. Pakistan’s spy chief, Lt. Gen. Zahir ul-Islam, arrived in Washington for talks with the Central Intelligence Agency, in an early sign of a new reconciliation.
But the relationship still has a tinderbox quality, riven by differences over C.I.A. drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal belt, the Afghan war and, most contentiously, the Haqqani network. The arguments are well worn: American officials say the Pakistani military’s Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency is covertly aiding the insurgents; Pakistani officials deny the accusation and contend the Obama administration is deflecting attention from its own failings in Afghanistan.
But a new boldness from the Haqqanis that aims at mass American casualties, combined with simmering political tension, has reduced the room for ambiguity between the two countries. Inside the administration, it is a commonly held view that the United States is “one major attack” away from unilateral action against Pakistan — diplomatically or perhaps even militarily, one senior official said.
“If 50 U.S. troops were blown to smithereens by the Haqqanis, or they penetrated the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and killed several diplomats — that would be the game changer,” he said.
American officials recently considered what that could mean. Days after the Salerno attack, the White House held a series of interagency meetings to weigh its options in the event of a major success by the Haqqanis against American troops.
Salerno had come uncomfortably close. Although just two Americans were killed, the attackers had penetrated the defenses of a major base to within yards of a dining hall used by hundreds of soldiers.
The meetings yielded a list of about 30 possible responses, according to a senior official who was briefed on the deliberations — everything from withdrawing the Islamabad ambassador, to a flurry of intensified drone attacks on Haqqani targets in Pakistan’s tribal belt, to American or Afghan commando raids on Haqqani hide-outs in the same area.
“We looked at the A to Z of how to get the Pakistanis’ attention,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity, as did other American and Pakistani officials interviewed about the issue.
Yet there were no easy answers. Officials concluded that most options ran the risk of setting off a wider conflict with Pakistan’s nuclear-armed military. “It came down to the fact that there wasn’t much we could do,” the official said. Other senior officials confirmed the broad details of his account; many noted that most contingency plans are never transformed into actions.
At the heart of the conundrum is the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate, or ISI, and its new chief, General Islam.
He is a largely unknown quantity in Washington, and much of this week’s trip is likely to focus on relationship building with American officials, including the director of the C.I.A., David H. Petraeus. But the tone has already been set by Congress: in the past month, both the House and the Senate have passed bills that urge Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to designate the Haqqani network a “foreign terrorist organization.”
“The Haqqani network is engaged in a reign of terror,” said Representative Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican who is chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. “Now is the time for action, not simply paperwork and talk.”
July 30, 2012
ISI chief - Zaheer ul Islam- leaves for Washington to beg to money and intelligence
Chacha Pakistani and Pakistan Military Attitude in the face of bankruptcy...perhaps they don't understand that this attitude is exactly what lead to creation of Bangladesh
ISLAMABAD: ISI chief Lt-Gen Zaheer-ul-Islam has left for Washington to hold talks with his CIA counterpart David Petraeus, the first meeting between the spy chiefs amidst persisting tension between the two countries.
Lieutenant General Zaheer-ul-Islam would hold talks in Washington on August 1-3 with his CIA counterpart, a military statement said, with drone strikes expected to be a major issue. It is first time in a year that the chief of the ISI will make the trip, signaling a thaw in relations after US troops found and killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in May 2011. Lt-Gen Zaheer-ul-Islam, who was appointed in March, "will visit USA from 1st to 3rd August. This will be a service-to-service bilateral visit," the statement said.
The short statement gave no other details, but a senior Pakistani security official earlier said that the chiefs of the respective spy agencies would discuss counter-terror cooperation and intelligence sharing.
Mr Islam would also demand an end to US drone attacks against the Taliban and al-Qaeda, and again ask for the means for Pakistan to carry out the attacks instead, the security official said.
Mr Islam is also expected to drive down to the Capitol Hill to meet top Congressmen, in particular the members of the intelligence and foreign affairs committees. He is expected to "strongly articulate" the viewpoint of ISI to the US lawmakers, who, of late, have been strongly critical of the spy agency's role in the war against terror.
Sources familiar with the preparations of the ISI chief's visit told media that Mr Islam would demand an end to drone strikes. "In lieu, he is likely to offer taking action against terrorist networks and "deploying F-16s" in the tribal areas, but would seek greater intelligence sharing from the US," they said.
For the past a few years, the US has been reluctant in sharing intelligence information with Pakistan given its past experience that such information ultimately lands in the lap of the terrorist network or helps them take preventive actions. Pakistan has denied such allegations.
General Pasha gave future roadmap to ISI of confronting the West and harrassing Western Diplomats
US Diplomat being harassed by police in Islamabad
ISLAMABAD: A number of retired army officials and
defence analysts in Islamabad say it is
imperative to look at Pasha’s achievements dispassionately and without
personal bias and prejudices.
These
officials believe that Pasha’s tenure, one of the most difficult ever
for a spymaster, was unprecedented and extraordinary in most respects. A
discourse with
some retired intelligence officials and military analysts has brought
out an intelligent roadmap, cleverly woven by General Pasha for the
agency, to safeguard Pakistan’s present and future interests. It may act
as a pivot to threats of the future.
The
analysts believe that according to the roadmap charted by General
Pasha, the ISI will now stand up to the enormous pressure of CIA and
other world agencies. They
believe that the days when Langley and Pentagon dictated all scripts to
Pakistan have ended.
Moreover,
General Pasha’s legacy is that Pakistan will not accept blunt dictation
from Washington on Afghanistan and Taliban and will take care of its
own national
interests. “I think that General Kayani and
Pasha had seen the endgame in Afghanistan several years back and
formulated a policy which put Pakistan’s interests on top,” said an
intelligence official clearly well-versed with national
policies. “A lot of pressure came on the two but they have persisted
with what is good for Pakistan.” Another direction in which Pasha worked
was the issue of US spies who were operating with impunity in the
country. These spies, as Pasha’s actions show, will
not be tolerated now and each Tom, Dick and Harry will not be granted
Pakistani visas.
Analysts also believe that following the steps taken by General Pasha, operations of CIA clandestine fronts like
Blackwater and DynCorps
will not be allowed to continue in future. They said that the agency
was now keeping a tab on all such organizations and checking their
ingress and operations in Pakistan.
Australia has ‘very real threat’ from extremists says Australia’s Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) chief
SYDNEY: The head of Australia’s Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) Nick Warner, in the first ever-public address in 60-year history, warned of the ‘very real threat’ from extremists.
Warner, on Thursday, said that the security challenges for agents had dramatically changed over the past decade, as he provided a rare glimpse into the agency's work in a speech designed to raise public awareness about the intelligence community.Speaking at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, he said the 9/11 attacks and the Bali bombings a year later in 2002 had redefined how spies worked.
Those events had seen ASIS, Australia's foreign spy agency, to intensify its focus on the ‘very real threat’ posed by organisations like alQaeda and its affiliates.
Warner said that there was a web of links between extremists from Australia to Indonesia, to the southern Philippines, to the FATA , and to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen, and on to Somalia. “We know that the intention to conduct mass casualty attacks against Western countries, including Australia, remains very real," he said.
The threats had seen ASIS to evolve from a small, essentially regional body vitally focused on the Cold War into a larger, geographically dispersed organisation that liases with foreign intelligence services in 70 countries, he added.Warner said ASIS, working with foreign partners, has been closely involved with the arrest and detention of dozens of terrorists in Southeast Asia over the past decade.
"At its heart ASIS has a cadre of highly trained intelligence officers who recruit and run agents," he added.ASIS filed thousands of secret reports each year covering everything from political developments, economic growth, defence modernisation, and social cohesion in a particular country, to terrorist and insurgent planning, he added. "Government departments and agencies, together with corporate Australia, have been subject to concerted efforts by external actors seeking to infiltrate sensitive computer networks," he said. afp
Syrian air force joins battle for Aleppo
Rebels point of view:
"Damascus is the capital, but here we have a fourth of the country's population and the entire force of its economy. Bashar's forces will be buried here."
"Some days we get around 30, 40 people, not including the bodies," said a young medic in one clinic. "A few days ago we got 30 injured and maybe 20 corpses, but half of those bodies were ripped to pieces. We can't figure out who they are."
Outgunned rebel fighters, patrolling in flat-bed trucks flying green-white-and-black "independence" flags, said they were holding out in Salaheddine despite a battering by the army's heavy weapons and helicopter gunships.
The Syrian military stepped up its campaign to drive rebel fighters out of Aleppo on Monday, firing artillery and mortars while a fighter jet flew over a district the army said it had retaken the day before.However, opposition activists denied government forces had entered Salaheddine, in the southwest of Syria's biggest city.
Good job CNN
"Damascus is the capital, but here we have a fourth of the country's population and the entire force of its economy. Bashar's forces will be buried here."
"Some days we get around 30, 40 people, not including the bodies," said a young medic in one clinic. "A few days ago we got 30 injured and maybe 20 corpses, but half of those bodies were ripped to pieces. We can't figure out who they are."
Outgunned rebel fighters, patrolling in flat-bed trucks flying green-white-and-black "independence" flags, said they were holding out in Salaheddine despite a battering by the army's heavy weapons and helicopter gunships.
The Syrian military stepped up its campaign to drive rebel fighters out of Aleppo on Monday, firing artillery and mortars while a fighter jet flew over a district the army said it had retaken the day before.However, opposition activists denied government forces had entered Salaheddine, in the southwest of Syria's biggest city.
Good job CNN
Syrian rebels seize military base outside Aleppo
Rebels captured a government military base Monday on the outskirts of Aleppo, the hotly contested Syrian metropolis that has seen more than a week of bloody clashes. The base had about 200 Syrian troops and appeared to be under attack by rebels from three sides overnight. "The battle lasted around nine hours," said Fazad Abdel Nasr, a rebel commander working in the northern Aleppo suburbs. Nasr said six regime soldiers and four rebel fighters were killed.The rebels also gained heavy equipment to supplement the lesser weapons they had been fighting with.
Faces of Syrian Rebel
Taliban condemn destruction of bases, urge Karzai government to join jihad
In a statement released today on Voice of Jihad,
the Afghan Taliban's official website, the group criticizes the US and
NATO for destroying combat outposts and other bases built over the
years, claiming that the "Afghans hold due right of these installations
because they are built on the land of the Afghans and with money
collected in their name."
The Taliban clearly have an interest in having the bases left behind. They state that "[l]eaving these installations is very beneficial for the persecuted Afghan people," and ask if the dismantling of the bases is the "re-construction of re-destruction." The Taliban call these bases "infrastructure," and want them intact, which is ironic given that the Taliban have blocked and sabotaged the building of schools, medical clinics, roads, dams, and other "infrastructure" projects.
Also of note is the final paragraph, in which the Taliban urge the Afghan government to switch sides. Clearly, the Taliban are beginning to step up their propaganda in an effort to get elements of the Afghan government and military to join them as US and NATO forces begin drawing down at the end of the summer
The Taliban clearly have an interest in having the bases left behind. They state that "[l]eaving these installations is very beneficial for the persecuted Afghan people," and ask if the dismantling of the bases is the "re-construction of re-destruction." The Taliban call these bases "infrastructure," and want them intact, which is ironic given that the Taliban have blocked and sabotaged the building of schools, medical clinics, roads, dams, and other "infrastructure" projects.
Also of note is the final paragraph, in which the Taliban urge the Afghan government to switch sides. Clearly, the Taliban are beginning to step up their propaganda in an effort to get elements of the Afghan government and military to join them as US and NATO forces begin drawing down at the end of the summer
July 29, 2012
Hezbollah silent on reports on why some of its Party members spied for Israel
BERUT: Hezbollah would not comment on a local newspaper report Wednesday that said the resistance party has detained three men, including two members of Hezbollah, for spying for Israel.
“I have no information regarding this issue,” Hezbollah spokesperson Ibrahim Musawi told The Daily Star Wednesday.
An-Nahar daily said Hezbollah’s security apparatus detained two Hezbollah members and a member of a Bekaa village municipal council on the suspicion that they have been collaborating with Israel.
It said the men were detained five days ago.
Earlier this month, An-Nahar said Hezbollah had uncovered a Beirut-based spy network entrusted with gathering information on the resistance party for an unnamed Western country.
In its July 9 report, An-Nahar said the spy network comprised three men and was based in Beirut’s southern suburbs, known as a Hezbollah stronghold.
Qidong - Residents clash with the police in the front of a local government building during a protest against an industrial waste pipeline under construction
Incidents of public-police protests in China are reaching a new peak
Military parade in memory of suicide bombing victims held in Yemen
Soldiers participate in the military
parade in commemoration of the victims of the May 21st suicide bombing
in Sanaa, July 2012. Some 100 soldiers were killed and more than 200
others injured during the suicide attack
Another despot - Inter Services Intelligence Chief - Lieutenant General Zaheerul Islam with family
Lieutenant General Zaheerul Islam working on assignment to start another war with India over water/Kashmir after Pakistani economy fails so that public attention can be diverted from daily load shedding and bombings in Pakistan
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| Begum Zaheer ul Islam |
Secret Turkish clandstine nerve center in Adana City leads aid to Syria rebels with Saudi Arabian and Qatari help
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DOHA/DUBAI: Turkey has set up a secret base with allies Saudi Arabia and Qatar to direct vital military and communications aid to Syria’s rebels from a city near the border, Gulf sources have told Reuters.
News of the clandestine Middle East-run “nerve centre” working to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad underlines the extent to which Western powers – who played a key role in unseating Moammar Gaddafi in Libya – have avoided military involvement so far in Syria.
“It’s the Turks who are militarily controlling it. Turkey is the main co-ordinator/facilitator. Think of a triangle, with Turkey at the top and Saudi Arabia and Qatar at the bottom,” said a Doha-based source.
“The Americans are very hands-off on this. U.S. intel(ligence) are working through middlemen. Middlemen are controlling access to weapons and routes.” The centre in Adana, a city in southern Turkey about 100 km (60 miles) from the Syrian border, was set up after Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Saud visited Turkey and requested it, a source in the Gulf said. The Turks liked the idea of having the base in Adana so that they could supervise its operations, he added. A Saudi foreign ministry official was not immediately available to comment on the operation.
Adana is home to Incirlik, a large Turkish/U.S. air force base which Washington has used in the past for reconnaissance and military logistics operations. It was not clear from the sources whether the anti-Syrian “nerve centre” was located inside Incirlik base or in the city of Adana.
Qatar, the tiny gas-rich Gulf state which played a leading part in supplying weapons to Libyan rebels, has a key role in directing operations at the Adana base, the sources said. Qatari military intelligence and state security officials are involved. “Three governments are supplying weapons: Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia,” said a Doha-based source. Ankara has officially denied supplying weapons.
“All weaponry is Russian. The obvious reason is that these guys (the Syrian rebels) are trained to use Russian weapons, also because the Americans don’t want their hands on it. All weapons are from the black market. The other way they get weapons is to steal them from the Syrian army. They raid weapons stores.”
The source added: “The Turks have been desperate to improve their weak surveillance, and have been begging Washington for drones and surveillance.” The pleas appear to have failed. “So they have hired some private guys come do the job.”President Barack Obama has so far preferred to use diplomatic means to try to oust Assad, although Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signalled this week that Washington plans to step up help to the rebels.The White House’s wariness is shared by other Western powers. It reflects concerns about what might follow Assad in Syria and about the substantial presence of anti-Western Islamists and jihadi fighters among the rebels.
The presence of the secret Middle East-run “nerve centre” may explain how the Syrian rebels, a rag-tag assortment of ill-armed and poorly organised groups, have pulled off major strikes such as the devastating bomb attack on July 18 which killed at least four key Assad aides including the defence minister.
A Turkish diplomat in the region insisted however that his country played no part in the Damascus bombing. “That’s out of the question,” he said. “The Syrian minister of information blamed Turkey and other countries for the killing. Turkey doesn’t do such things. We are not a terrorist country. Turkey condemns such attacks.” However, two former senior U.S. security officials said that Turkey has been playing an increasing role in sheltering and training Syrian rebels who have crossed into its territory.
One of the former officials, who is also an adviser to a government in the region, told Reuters that 20 former Syrian generals are now based in Turkey, from where they are helping shape the rebel forces. Israel believes up to 20,000 Syrian troops may now have defected to the opposition.
Former officials said there is reason to believe the Turks stepped up their support for anti-Assad forces after Syria shot down a Turkish plane which had made several passes over border areas.
Sources in Qatar said the Gulf state is providing training and supplies to the Syrian rebels.
“The Qataris mobilized their special forces team two weeks ago. Their remit is to train and help logistically, not to fight,” said a Doha-based source with ties to the FSA.
Qatar’s military intelligence directorate, Foreign Ministry and State Security Bureau are involved, said the source.
The United States, Israel, France and Britain – traditionally key players in the Middle East – have avoided getting involved so far, largely because they see little chance of a “good outcome” in Syria.
“Israel is not really in the business of trying to ‘shape’ the outcome of the revolt,”, a diplomat in the region said. “The consensus is that you’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t. The risk of identifying with any side is too great”.
A former U.S. official who advises a government in the region and other current and former U.S. and European security officials say that there has been little to zero direct assistance or training from the U.S. or its European allies.
The former official also said that few sophisticated weapons such as shoulder-fired bazookas for destroying tanks or surface-to-air missiles have reached the anti-Assad forces.
While some Gulf officials and conservative American politicians have privately suggested that a supply of surface-to-air missiles would help anti-Assad forces bring the conflict to a close, officials familiar with U.S. policy say they are anxious to keep such weapons out of the hands of Syrian rebels. They fear such weapons could make their way to pro-jihad militants who could use them against Western aircraft.
The CIA and the Israelis’ main concern so far has been that elements of al-Qaeda may attempt to infiltrate the rebels and acquire some of Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons.
Sima Shine, a former chief Mossad analyst who now serves as an adviser to the Israeli government, told Reuters: “It’s a nightmare for the international community, and chiefly the Americans – weapons of mass-destruction falling into the hands of terrorists. In parallel to its foreign contacts, Israel is taking this especially seriously. After all, we are here, and the Americans are over there.”
She envisaged two circumstances under which Hezbollah, the Lebanese Islamist group, could obtain some of the chemical weapons stockpile.
“Assad goes and anarchy ensues, during which Hezbollah gets its hands on the weapons. There is a significant Hezbollah presence in Syria and they are well-ensconced in the military and other national agencies. So they are close enough to make a grab for it.
“Another possibility is that Assad, knowing that he is on his way out, will authorised a handover to Hezbollah, as a message to the world about the price of encouraging his ouster.”
However, British and U.S officials believe there is little or no sign of Assad being toppled imminently.
The situation, one senior European official said, is still likely to veer back and forth, like a tug-of-war between pro- and anti-Assad forces.
There is no indication, the official added, that Assad himself has any intention of doing anything but fighting on until the bitter end.
July 28, 2012
Pakistan Cyber Force makes up a concocted story of arrival of Jesus in Balochistan to go to war with India :)
http://pakistancyberforce.blogspot.in/2012/06/hazrat-eesa-as-arrives-in-balochistan.html
It is said in the Quran that before destroying man ( or country), Allah first makes all the people of that country mad
_________________________
Hazrat Eesa arrives in Balochistan - A divine message
This is admin PCF. Last week, I saw in a dream that me and a lot of
Pakistanis were fighting in Balochistan against foreign insurgents with
guns in our hands. Suddenly, I saw a man who came with one of his
companions and claimed to be Hazrat Eesa a.s (Jesus Christ Peace Be Upon
Him) and as I was looking at him in awe, all of a sudden his head broke
off from his body and his spine got pulled out from his abdomen, falling
onto the ground with flesh and blood dripping from it. His companion ran
off immediately and that was the time when I turned to see the real
Hazrat Eesa (a.s) standing in front of me upon witnessing whom, the
imposter died on the spot. Hazrat Eesa a.s was smiling and had arrived
from Afghanistan side. As he was looking at me and our men, I noticed
his face and found that he had very sharp facial features with thin
erect nose, a vertically long face with curley short hair and dark
wheatish complexion. He was wearing a brownish Kurta Shalwar, the
national dress of Pakistan. As we all were exhausted fighting the battle
in scorching heat, Hazrat Eesa a.s came up to me and put his blessed
hand on my head and gently whispered, *“My son, no use in fighting here.
Turn around from Balochistan.”* He pointed his blessed finger towards
India and said, *“That is where the real trouble is coming from. Let us
go there and everything here will be fine automatically.”*
The entire group of Pakistani fighters including myself, in the
leadership of Hazrat Eesa a.s turned our direction and moved away from
Balochistan towards Indo-Pak border. *As soon as we arrived in the
border area, I witnessed people fighting against each other; killing
each other indiscriminately with guns and small weapons. We however did
not stop there and crossed the Indo-Pak border.* It was then when a
severe battle unfolded and I had never seen a more fierce battle
anywhere else before in my life. We fought and fought for God knows how
long until it was all peace and silence prevailed around us. We looked
back and found Balochistan and Afghanistan returning back to peace and
that was the time when I woke up.
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un becomes Marshal and gets married
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been granted the title of marshal,
state media reported Wednesday, cementing his status as the
authoritarian nation’s top military official as he makes key changes to
the million-man force.
The decision to award Kim, who already serves as supreme commander of
the Korean People’s Army, was made Tuesday by the nation’s top military,
government and political officials, state media said in a special
bulletin. The formal move to bestow the title of marshal to Kim comes seven months
into his rule and follows several days of reshuffling at the highest
levels of the military.
On Monday, North Korea announced that the chief of the army, Ri Yong Ho,
a high-ranking figure in both political and military circles, was
dismissed from all posts due to illness. The following day, a
little-known general, Hyon Yong Chol, was promoted to vice marshal, one
of four named to that position since Kim Jong Un took power.
July 27, 2012
Massive corruption unearthed at Pakistan Army controlled Heavy Industries, Taxila (HIT)
Bullet and bomb proof vehicles used by Karachi, Pakistani police during Lyari operation are fake
HIT Muhafiz Armoured Personel Carrier proves to be a deadly embarrassment. More questions raised about the suitability of Pakistani Tank armor manufactured by HIT
A horrifying case of gross negligence and corruption has come to light,
which not only cost at least 13 lives of Karachi policemen in the
infamous Lyari operation, but also grievously damaged the government
strategy to combat militancy in the troubled Karachi neighbourhood.
It has now been confirmed that the May 2012 Lyari Operation had to be
suspended with an unnecessary loss of police blood, exposing a mega
fraud which was hushed up at the highest level. This fraud relates to
the substandard armoured and tracking cars, the tyre-mounted and
chain-mounted APCs that were provided to the police to enter the
troubled areas with confidence and guaranteed protection and safety. But
these APCs proved to be death traps for those inside.
Several policemen were killed inside these vehicles by low-calibre
bullets though these APCs were supposed to be bullet- and bomb-proof.
At least 18 vehicles launched in the operation were hit by ordinary
bullets which pierced them, making holes and killing or injuring the
policemen inside. One type of APC cost Rs20 million each while the other
was Rs54 million per piece approximately.
The APCs were provided by a Pakistani company, Heavy Industries, Taxila
(HIT), and were demanded by the Sindh government to fight the
heavily-armed terrorists and urban gangs of criminals.
The basic weakness of these APCs, also supplied to the Punjab and Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa police, was that its protective shield was too thin and
fragile and could not even stop low-calibre bullets as experienced
during the Lyari Operation.
Named “Muhafiz,” the APCs proved a deadly embarrassment for the police
and after more than seven were destroyed by the armed gangs, an urgent
joint investigation was launched.
The report of this JIT, obtained by It has been revealed that hundreds
of millions of rupees had been wasted as the manufacturer of the APCs
received the payments for much better quality APCs.
Generals in Egypt eye Turkish model
Now that Egypt has its first freely elected president, Egypt’s powerful generals appear headed toward copying the Turkish model from decades past — retaining overwhelming powers while allowing a civilian regime complete with the trappings of democracy to emerge.
It is not the model that many in today’s Turkey boast about, but rather one dating back to the 1980s and 1990s when civilians ran Turkey’s day-to-day affairs under the watchful eyes of the military.
Egypt’s ruling generals went for a power grab even before the winner of a June 16-17 presidential runoff — Mohammed Morsi of the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood — was announced on Sunday.
The two sides are now thought to be negotiating a power-sharing deal behind closed doors. The military currently retains full legislative powers, controls the process of drafting a new and permanent constitution and has the final say on foreign policy and security.
The seeds for such an arrangement were planted soon after longtime Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in February 2011, when Egypt’s generals ordered an Arabic translation of Turkey’s 1982 constitution, according to Middle East expert Steven Cook of the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations. The document empowered Turkey’s military to police the political arena.
Wahid Abdel-Maguid, a political insider who has been a key player during Egypt’s transition, agrees that Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi and other generals on the ruling military council are seeking to replicate the Turkish model.
“The generals mainly want a unique status in the constitution, to be independent from the executive authority and even stronger than it,” Abdel-Maguid said. The military “will be the one steering the country’s policy in the future directly or indirectly.”
Israel and Italy sign deal for M-346 Master trainers
The Israeli Air Force has known since December 2008 that its fleet of A-4 Skyhawk jet trainers and light attack aircraft would leave service. It took until July 2012 to sign a contract for the Skyhawk’s successor, despite justifiable complaints from South Korea that the process lacked full professional formality. The first M-346 Master trainers should begin arriving in Israel around mid-2014, where they will be operated by the IAI/Elbit “TOR” joint venture as a public-private partnership service to the IAF.
Italy’s M-346 eventually beat KAI’s supersonic T-50, thanks to a combination of air force evaluations, geo-political considerations, and countervailing industrial offers. For most countries, “industrial offsets” mean sub-contracting work in their country, which isn’t always in the defense sector. Israel’s weapons industry is far more developed, however, and so their advanced trainer competition saw “industrial offsets” as the purchase of full-fledged Israeli weapons systems.
Israel will be joining Italy and Singapore as M-346 customers, and the first Israeli M-346 jets are expected to begin arriving in mid-2014. They will be operated by the Israeli TOR consortium, which will then sell flying and training hours to Israel’s Ministry of Defence. On the other hand, TOR itself is a 50/50 joint venture between the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, and Elbit Systems. It’s fair to call TOR a public-private partnership, but there’s more state ownership here than meets the casual eye.
Pakistani Taliban threaten Myanmar
Demanded that the Pakistani government halt all relations with Myanmar and close down its embassy in Islamabad
ISLAMABAD: The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Thursday threatened to attack Myanmar to avenge crimes against the Muslim Rohingya, unless Pakistan halts all relations with the government and shuts its embassy in Islamabad.
In a rare statement focused on the plight of Muslims abroad, the umbrella TTP group sought to present itself as a defender of Muslim men and women in Myanmar, saying “we will take revenge of your blood”.
Spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan demanded that the Pakistani government halt all relations with Myanmar and close down its embassy in Islamabad.“Otherwise we will not only attack Burmese interests anywhere but will also attack the Pakistani fellows of Burma one by one,” he said in a statement.
The TTP frequently claims attacks on security forces in Pakistan but its ability to wage violence in countries further afield has been questioned.
ISLAMABAD: The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Thursday threatened to attack Myanmar to avenge crimes against the Muslim Rohingya, unless Pakistan halts all relations with the government and shuts its embassy in Islamabad.
In a rare statement focused on the plight of Muslims abroad, the umbrella TTP group sought to present itself as a defender of Muslim men and women in Myanmar, saying “we will take revenge of your blood”.
Spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan demanded that the Pakistani government halt all relations with Myanmar and close down its embassy in Islamabad.“Otherwise we will not only attack Burmese interests anywhere but will also attack the Pakistani fellows of Burma one by one,” he said in a statement.
The TTP frequently claims attacks on security forces in Pakistan but its ability to wage violence in countries further afield has been questioned.
Extra Saudi forces deployed with Iran in mind
Riyadh: Saudi Arabia has deployed more troops in the oil-rich
Eastern Province and cancelled some military leave amid worries of fresh
unrest stoked by Iran and regional tensions, Saudi government sources
and diplomats said on Thursday.A Saudi government
source said that top commanders, in a directive issued on June 26,
ordered extra security forces to be stationed in the kingdom’s
crude-producing east, home to a majority of the country’s Shiite
population.
The source said Saudi troops were put on
alert and summer leave was cancelled for some officers but “those
already on holiday are are not being called back.”
Western diplomats confirmed that holidays for troops had been suspended since the end of June.
Speculation
of an Israeli attack on Iran, locked in a stand-off with Western powers
over its disputed nuclear programme, is again on the rise. The West
believes Iran’s nuclear work is aimed at producing nuclear weapons, a
charge Tehran denies.
Israel has hinted it may attack
Iran if diplomacy fails to secure a halt to nuclear enrichment. The
United States has also mooted military action as a last-resort option
but has frequently nudged the Israelis to give time for intensified
economic sanctions to work against Iran.
Iran has
threatened to destroy US military bases across the Middle East and
target Israel within minutes of being attacked, according to Iranian
media reports last week.
Saudi Arabia, a key US ally in
the region, fears that any Israeli attack on Iran could provoke
retaliatory strikes on its territory, or it might ignite protests on its
territory.
The shooting down of a Turkish jet plane by
Iran’s regional ally, Syria, has ratcheted up tensions and increased
worries of an imminent conflict, the sources said.
“It’s been the norm for a long time that the National Guard is ready for back-up for any security threat,” the source added.
July 26, 2012
Respected Pakistani politician Altaf Hussain warns of "Rogue state" status for Pakistan
We already have the distinction of being a Failed state.
He said that it was highly regrettable that instead of thinking about the survival of the country, politicians were busy in power politics, according to a press release issued here.
He went on to call for an end to clashes between the government, judiciary, military and the opposition.
The MQM chief said militant organisations formed during the Cold War had turned into Frankenstein monsters, and turned against our own army officers and men.
Talking about the media in Pakistan, Altaf regretted that Pakistani politicians, intellectuals, anchor persons and columnists were not informing the public over the real facts regarding the national crisis. He cautioned that most international newspapers and magazines had reported that a number of US war fleets had reached Pakistani waters in the Arabian Sea.
LONDON:Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain cautioned
on Thursday that the security, sovereignty and integrity of the country
were under threat.
Talking at the international secretariat of the MQM in London, Altaf
said that the US Congress had recently urged the State department to
designate the Haqqani network as a terrorist organisation and has
demanded action against it from Pakistan. He said that Pakistan could
also be declared a terrorist country if any leader of this militant
organisation was found involved in any terrorist activity outside
Pakistan.He said that it was highly regrettable that instead of thinking about the survival of the country, politicians were busy in power politics, according to a press release issued here.
He went on to call for an end to clashes between the government, judiciary, military and the opposition.
The MQM chief said militant organisations formed during the Cold War had turned into Frankenstein monsters, and turned against our own army officers and men.
Talking about the media in Pakistan, Altaf regretted that Pakistani politicians, intellectuals, anchor persons and columnists were not informing the public over the real facts regarding the national crisis. He cautioned that most international newspapers and magazines had reported that a number of US war fleets had reached Pakistani waters in the Arabian Sea.
Pakistani terrorists bomb poets tomb
NOWSHERA: Three unidentified men bombed the grave and under
construction tomb of poet-politician Ajmal Khattak in his village Akora Khattak
on Wednesday night and a second bomb explosion in the graveyard injured 16
persons including policemen and journalists.
Suspicion immediately fell on militants for organising the attack. Eyewitnesses and police officials said the grave of the late ANP president was also damaged as the roof of the mausoleum fell on it as a result of the blast.
The second blast took place as villagers, cops and media personnel crowded the place. It seems the bomb was planted and exploded later to cause more damage. Of the 16 people who sustained injuries, eyewitnesses said five were shifted to Peshawar, four admitted to the public hospital in Nowshera city and seven sent home after first-aid. Three cops and three journalists were also injured. None of the injuries were life-threatening.
Suspicion immediately fell on militants for organising the attack. Eyewitnesses and police officials said the grave of the late ANP president was also damaged as the roof of the mausoleum fell on it as a result of the blast.
The second blast took place as villagers, cops and media personnel crowded the place. It seems the bomb was planted and exploded later to cause more damage. Of the 16 people who sustained injuries, eyewitnesses said five were shifted to Peshawar, four admitted to the public hospital in Nowshera city and seven sent home after first-aid. Three cops and three journalists were also injured. None of the injuries were life-threatening.
Ajmal Khattak died on February 7, 2010. He was buried in his village, Akora Khattak, in the cemetery located on the main GT Road across the well-known seminary, Darul Uloom Haqqania.
The ANP-led provincial government had sanctioned Rs5 million to build a mausoleum on his grave. The district administration had provided Rs1.9 million for building a road to the tomb and buying some nearby land for it.
The construction work on the tomb was nearing completion when it was attacked.Ashrafuddin Baba, the chowkidar appointed by the building contractor at the tomb, told that three young men including one with a short beard, forced their way there at 8.55 pm and pointed a pistol at him. "They beat me up, tied my hands and put me in the room. After sometime there was a loud explosion and the three men escaped," he recalled. It is apparent that the attackers planted explosives at the tomb and triggered the explosion, which was heard at a distance of some kilometres away from Akora Khattak town.
Police officials and villagers, including family members and relatives of Ajmal Khattak rushed to the site of the blast. The police cordoned off the area and launched search operation. However, no arrest was made.
China's stocks slump to record low in 3 years
BEIJING -- China's stocks on Thursday slumped to record low in more than three years as fears of further economic slowdown still weighed on the market.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index moved down 0.48 percent, or 10.15 points, to close at 2,126, while the Shenzhen Component Index lost 0.8 percent, or 73.45 points, to close at 9,081.9.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index moved down 0.48 percent, or 10.15 points, to close at 2,126, while the Shenzhen Component Index lost 0.8 percent, or 73.45 points, to close at 9,081.9.
China's Three Gorges Dam experiences largest flood peak in 2012
Three Gorges Dam experiences largest flood
Flood water is released from the Three Gorges Dam, a gigantic hydropower project on the Yangtze River, in Yichang City, central China's Hubei Province, July 24, 2012. Due to the downpours in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, China's longest, the Three Gorges Dam experienced its largest flood peak this year on Tuesday, with a peak flow of 70,000 cubic meters of water per second.
Beijing storm insurance losses top 500 mln yuan
Flood water is released from the Three Gorges Dam, a gigantic hydropower project on the Yangtze River, in Yichang City, central China's Hubei Province, July 24, 2012. Due to the downpours in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, China's longest, the Three Gorges Dam experienced its largest flood peak this year on Tuesday, with a peak flow of 70,000 cubic meters of water per second.
Beijing storm insurance losses top 500 mln yuan
Record floods cause traffic chaos in Beijing
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| Cars are submerged in a flooded road in downtown Beijing in the evening on July 21, 2012 |
Iranian Majlis Holds Closed-Door Session on Economy
Iranian
constitution allows closed-door sessions in urgent conditions
During a rare closed-door session of Majlis on Wednesday, top Iranian officials briefed lawmakers on the effects of sanctions on the country’s economy. The ministers of oil, economy, commerce and the director of the central bank addressed the session. The Iranian constitution allows closed-door sessions in urgent conditions affecting the country’s security. IRNA quoted Speaker Ali Larijani as saying the briefing was “to assess the economy and production situation.”
During a rare closed-door session of Majlis on Wednesday, top Iranian officials briefed lawmakers on the effects of sanctions on the country’s economy. The ministers of oil, economy, commerce and the director of the central bank addressed the session. The Iranian constitution allows closed-door sessions in urgent conditions affecting the country’s security. IRNA quoted Speaker Ali Larijani as saying the briefing was “to assess the economy and production situation.”
July 25, 2012
Power struggle in Cairo, Egypt
President Mohammad Mursi vs Egyptian Army
THERE IS a crisis of confidence in Cairo. The wrangling between the judiciary and the executive might plunge the strife-torn country into a renewed phase of power struggle.
Often, it is so mindboggling to interpret as to what each organ of the state means when it comes down with its own diagnosis to overcome the vacuum at work. The military junta that has ruled Egypt de facto since president Hosni Mubarak was overthrown seems to be in a straight-jacket module while asserting its influence. Two of its orders, namely: getting the newly elected parliament dissolved through a constitutional court order and an attempt to curb the presidential powers will go a long way in reshaping the new Egypt’s political dictum. But the point is that the buck hasn’t stopped at the door of the garrison, as President Mohammad Mursi is fighting back to restore, at least, a glimpse of attraction in his high office by negotiating powers back from the powerful army. At this point of time, the presidency at best is described as a signatory office, with the head-and-heart to decide lying with the generals. This is what that has to change, and the recent ruling of an administrative court that it could not interpret or stay the Constitutional Court’s orders is a case in point.
Former Pakistan Army chief Mirza Aslam Baig killed Gen. Zia-ul-Haq
Why did Mirza Aslam Baig not board the same C-130 Hercules plane ? Something similar to operation Valkyrie happened.
Gen Zia-ul-Haq killed by Pakistan Army generals and then the investigation was covered up by Pakistan Army
Read Article to find out the suspicious movements of Gen Mirza Aslam Beg before Gen Zia-ul-Haq
Page 2 states - Gen Mirza Aslam Beg's turbojet circled over burning wreckage of Gen Zia-ul-Haq before heading to Islamabad when actually he had told Haq he had a "scheduled"meeting on his way home.
Gen Zia-ul-Haq killed by Pakistan Army generals and then the investigation was covered up by Pakistan Army
Read Article to find out the suspicious movements of Gen Mirza Aslam Beg before Gen Zia-ul-Haq
Page 2 states - Gen Mirza Aslam Beg's turbojet circled over burning wreckage of Gen Zia-ul-Haq before heading to Islamabad when actually he had told Haq he had a "scheduled"meeting on his way home.
July 24, 2012
Pakistan Army and ISI supported Haqqani network suicide assault on Forward Operating Base Salerno in Khost province, Afghanistan
It is time Pakistan Army and ISI clamped down on the Haqqani network else face consequences
Women serving in the Armed forces of the world
Israeli women soldiers
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| Chinese women soldiers |
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| Vietnamese women soldiers |
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