be just

US in Back-channel Talks with Afghan Taliban : Information Clearing House - ICH

2009-11-25T09:45:00.000-06:00

US in Back-channel Talks with Afghan Taliban : Information Clearing House - ICH: "ISLAMABAD: After fighting a bloody war in Afghanistan for more than eight years, the United States appears to have undertaken a re-think of its policy and has started engaging the Taliban in negotiations through Saudi and Pakistani intelligence agencies, highly-placed sources told Dawn here on Monday.

‘We have started ‘engagement’ with the Afghan Taliban and are hopeful that our efforts will bear fruit,’ a source involved in secret negotiations told this correspondent.

He said that four ‘major neutral players’ were engaged with the Afghan Taliban on behalf of the Saudi leadership and the General Intelligence Directorate (GID) of Saudi Arabia and the Pakistani leadership and Inter Services Intelligence (ISI)."

53% Of Israeli's Favor Ethnic Cleansing : Information Clearing House - ICH

2009-11-21T03:31:00.000-06:00

53% Of Israeli's Favor Ethnic Cleansing : Information Clearing House - ICH: "Transfer of Arabs from the Palestinian Authority to actual Arab countries was the most popular solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, according to a poll this week by Israel National News. Of the more than 6,400 people surveyed, 53.2 said 'Transfer of Palestinians to another Arab country' when asked, 'What's the best solution for the Arab-Israeli conflict?'"

Americans OK with Muslims in U.S. Military: Angus Reid Global Monitor

2009-11-18T11:30:00.000-06:00

Americans OK with Muslims in U.S. Military: Angus Reid Global Monitor: "Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in the United States believe Muslims should continue to be allowed to serve in their country’s military, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 53 per cent of respondents agree with this notion, while 33 per cent disagree.

Afghanistan has been the main battleground in the war on terrorism. The conflict began in October 2001, after the Taliban regime refused to hand over Osama bin Laden without evidence of his participation in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked and crashed four airplanes on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people.

About 3,000 of the 2.3 million servicemen and women in the army claim an Islamic religious affiliation.

On Nov. 5, 13 people were killed and 30 more were wounded when a gunman opened fire inside Fort Hood, the most populous U.S. military base in the world. The suspected gunman has been identified as Nidal Malik Hasan, an army psychiatrist and a Muslim."

Al Jazeera English - Africa - Ogaden: Seven Ethiopian towns taken

2009-11-18T11:28:00.000-06:00

Al Jazeera English - Africa - Ogaden: Seven Ethiopian towns taken: "Ethnic Ogaden fighters in Ethiopia have launched an offensive in the southeastern Somali region and claim to have recaptured seven towns from government forces.

In a statement released early on Saturday, the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) said its attacks were launched across a broad front and had begun on November 10."

The U.S. Jew whose Iran views rile Israel intelligence officials - Haaretz - Israel News

2009-11-14T21:34:00.000-06:00

The U.S. Jew whose Iran views rile Israel intelligence officials - Haaretz - Israel News: "WASHINGTON, D.C. - Hillary Mann Leverett and her partner and husband, Flynt Leverett, make the Iran desk staffers in the Israeli intelligence community see red. For the past two years the Leveretts, both of whom are former U.S. National Security Council and State Department officials, have preached relentlessly against using sanctions and threats against Iran.

In late September, a harsh op-ed they wrote condemning the Obama administration appeared in The New York Times. In it they argued that the lofty talk of 'openness' and the promise of 'dialogue' with the Iranians are just empty rhetoric. On their Internet site, in lectures, in interviews and in their journal articles, they present assessments and proposals for action that are different from, and sometimes nearly the opposite of, those that politicians and experts in the West and in Israel present the public. They are critical of the U.S. support of Israel's nuclear ambiguity and are horrified by the possibility of Israel attacking Iran's nuclear installations."

Huge rise in birth defects in Falluja | World news | guardian.co.uk

2009-11-14T21:31:00.000-06:00

Huge rise in birth defects in Falluja | World news | guardian.co.uk: "Doctors in Iraq's war-ravaged enclave of Falluja are dealing with up to 15 times as many chronic deformities in infants and a spike in early life cancers that may be linked to toxic materials left over from the fighting.

The extraordinary rise in birth defects has crystallised over recent months as specialists working in Falluja's over-stretched health system have started compiling detailed clinical records of all babies born.

Neurologists and obstetricians in the city interviewed by the Guardian say the rise in birth defects – which include a baby born with two heads, babies with multiple tumours, and others with nervous system problems - are unprecedented and at present unexplainable.

A group of Iraqi and British officials, including the former Iraqi minister for women's affairs, Dr Nawal Majeed a-Sammarai, and the British doctors David Halpin and Chris Burns-Cox, have petitioned the UN general assembly to ask that an independent committee fully investigate the defects and help clean up toxic materials left over decades of war – including the six years since Saddam Hussein was ousted.

'We are seeing a very significant increase in central nervous system anomalies,' said Falluja general hospital's director and senior specialist, Dr Ayman Qais. 'Before 2003 [the start of the war] I was seeing sporadic numbers of deformities in babies. Now the frequency of deformities has increased dramatically.'

The rise in frequency is stark – from two admissions a fortnight a year ago to two a day now. 'Most are in the head and spinal cord, but there are also many deficiencies in lower limbs,' he said. 'There is also a very marked increase in the number of cases of less than two years [old] with brain tumours. This is now a focus area of multiple tumours.'

After several years of speculation and anecdotal evidence, a picture of a highly disturbing phenomenon in one of Iraq's most battered areas has now taken shape. Previously all miscarried babies, including those with birth defects or infants who were not given ongoing care, were not listed as abnormal cases.

The Guardian asked a paediatrician, Samira Abdul Ghani, to keep precise records over a three-week period. Her records reveal that 37 babies with anomalies, many of them neural tube defects, were born during that period at Falluja general hospital alone.

Dr Bassam Allah, the head of the hospital's children's ward, this week urged international experts to take soil samples across Falluja and for scientists to mount an investigation into the causes of so many ailments, most of which he said had been 'acquired' by mothers before or during pregnancy.

Other health officials are also starting to focus on possible reasons, chief among them potential chemical or radiation poisonings. Abnormal clusters of infant tumours have also been repeatedly cited in Basra and Najaf – areas that have in the past also been intense battle zones where modern munitions have been heavily used.

Falluja's frontline doctors are reluctant to draw a direct link with the fighting. They instead cite multiple factors that could be contributors.

'These include air pollution, radiation, chemicals, drug use during pregnancy, malnutrition, or the psychological status of the mother,' said Dr Qais. 'We simply don't have the answers yet.'

The anomalies are evident all through Falluja's newly opened general hospital and in centres for disabled people across the city. On 2 November alone, there were four cases of neuro-tube defects in the neo-natal ward and several more were in the intensive care ward and an outpatient clinic.

Falluja was the scene of the only two setpiece battles that followed the US-led invasion. Twice in 2004, US marines and infantry units were engaged in heavy fighting with Sunni militia groups who had aligned with former Ba'athists and Iraqi army elements.

The first battle was fought to find those responsible for the deaths of four Blackwater private security contractors working for the US. The city was bombarded heavily by American artillery and fighter jets. Controversial weaponry was used, including white phosphorus, which the US government admitted deploying.

Statistics on infant tumours are not considered as reliable as new data about nervous system anomalies, which are usually evident immediately after birth. Dr Abdul Wahid Salah, a neurosurgeon, said: 'With neuro-tube defects, their heads are often larger than normal, they can have deficiencies in hearts and eyes and their lower limbs are often listless. There has been no orderly registration here in the period after the war and we have suffered from that. But [in relation to the rise in tumours] I can say with certainty that we have noticed a sharp rise in malignancy of the blood and this is not a congenital anomaly – it is an acquired disease.'

Despite fully funding the construction of the new hospital, a well-equipped facility that opened in August, Iraq's health ministry remains largely disfunctional and unable to co-ordinate a response to the city's pressing needs.

The government's lack of capacity has led Falluja officials, who have historically been wary of foreign intervention, to ask for help from the international community. 'Even in the scientific field, there has been a reluctance to reach out to the exterior countries,' said Dr Salah. 'But we have passed that point now. I am doing multiple surgeries every day. I have one assistant and I am obliged to do everything myself.'

Additional reporting: Enas Ibrahim.

Former Ambassador Galbraith’s Kurdistan Millions -- News from Antiwar.com

2009-11-12T12:37:00.000-06:00

Former Ambassador Galbraith’s Kurdistan Millions -- News from Antiwar.com: "Galbraith, an outspoken advocate for Kurdish secession, helped the Kurdistan Regional Government negotiate when Iraq’s constitution was being written in the Summer of 2005, and is now reportedly standing to earn over $100 million for this brief advisory role.

The rub, assuming there needs to be one, is that Galbraith was also evidently on the payroll of a Norwegian oil company called DNO and helped them negotiate an exploration deal with Kurdistan that paid off big, and he stands to share greatly in the profit of a strike he holds interest in largely because of laws regarding oil revenue distribution that he helped put into the constitution."

Al Qaeda declines, Taliban rise in Afghanistan

2009-11-12T12:32:00.000-06:00

Al Qaeda declines, Taliban rise in Afghanistan: "As violence rises in Afghanistan, the power balance between insurgent groups has shifted, with a weakened al Qaeda relying increasingly on the emboldened Taliban for protection and the manpower to carry out deadly attacks, according to U.S. military and intelligence officials."

Afghan Red Crescent Slams NATO Raid -- News from Antiwar.com

2009-11-12T12:28:00.000-06:00

Afghan Red Crescent Slams NATO Raid -- News from Antiwar.com: "NATO reportedly used explosive charges to break into the offices, and captured two of the group’s aid workers. The two were never charged and were released within 24 hours, according to the manager of the group’s media division.

The raid was reported by NATO on Saturday, but under very different circumstances. At the time NATO claimed it had killed a “militant” and arrested others. NATO hasn’t commented since Saturday."

allAfrica.com: Somalia: Civilians Killed in Fresh Mogadishu Clashes (Page 1 of 1)

2009-11-10T12:12:00.000-06:00

allAfrica.com: Somalia: Civilians Killed in Fresh Mogadishu Clashes (Page 1 of 1): "At least 8 people were killed and more than 17 others injured in Heavy fighting between Somali government forces and insurgents in south and northern Somali capital Mogadishu, witnesses said.

The clashes broke out late on Saturday, when the two sides exchanged heavy mortar fire, which killed at least 6 civilians in the districts of Bondhere, Karan, Yaqshid, Hodon and Abdiaziz.

According to eyewitnesses, heavily armed insurgents carried out attacks on government bases in the districts."

China executes 9 suspects over July ethnic riots | Antiwar Newswire

2009-11-10T12:09:00.000-06:00

China executes 9 suspects over July ethnic riots | Antiwar Newswire: "The official China News Service reported that the nine were executed after a final review of the verdicts by the Supreme People's Court as required by law, but gave no specific date or other details. Earlier reports had identified those condemned as eight Uighurs and one Han.

The timing of the executions was not especially fast for China, which puts more people to death than any other country. Politically sensitive cases are often decided in weeks, especially when they involve major unrest."

Al Jazeera English - Focus - Guantanamo conditions 'deteriorate'

2009-11-10T12:05:00.000-06:00

Al Jazeera English - Focus - Guantanamo conditions 'deteriorate': "He remembers the excitement among his fellow prisoners at the prospect of an Obama presidency. 'Everyone was very hopeful; people were saying he was going to change things, that he would close the prison,' Gharani, who was released in June, says.

'Even the guards were telling us that if he won, things would improve for us.'

They were to be disappointed. A year after Obama's election win, Al Jazeera has learnt that despite the new president's pledge to close the prison and improve the conditions of detainees held by the US military, prisoners believe that their treatment has deteriorated on his watch.

Authorities at the prison deny mistreating the inmates, but interviews with former detainees, letters from current prisoners and sworn testimony from independent medical experts who have visited the prison have painted a disturbing picture of psychological and physical abuse very much at odds with White House rhetoric on prisoner treatment.

While no-one is alleging a return to the early days of the prison, when detainees were subjected to 'enhanced interrogation' techniques that are today widely regarded as torture, prisoners say day-to-day life at Guantanamo has become harder under the Obama administration."

Al Jazeera English - Middle East - Palestinians break Israel's wall

2009-11-09T14:54:00.000-06:00

Al Jazeera English - Middle East - Palestinians break Israel's wall: "Palestinians and foreign activists have torn down segments of Israel's separation wall in a demonstration marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

In the town of Qalandiya in the occupied West Bank, a group of masked activists using a lorry pulled down a two-metre cement block before Israeli security forces confronted them with tear gas grenades."

Turkey PM: Israel war crimes worse than Sudan - Haaretz - Israel News

2009-11-09T14:52:00.000-06:00

Turkey PM: Israel war crimes worse than Sudan - Haaretz - Israel News: "Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday accused Israel of committing greater crimes against Palestinians during its war in the Gaza Strip than those for which Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir had been indicted.

Erdogan said he would rather confront Bashir, indicted for orchestrating crimes against humanity in Darfur, than discuss state killings of civilians with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu."

Slain Nazim honoured his word after renouncing militancy

2009-11-09T14:50:00.000-06:00

Slain Nazim honoured his word after renouncing militancy: "PESHAWAR: It was a year back when Nazim of Adezai Union Council Abdul Malik promised in the Badaber Police Station not to support militants against the government, and he honoured his commitment till his death.

Suspected militants attacked a flag march of the Peshawar Police and Frontier Constabulary in Adezai on August 6 last year and the cops launched an operation in the area and arrested Abdul Malik for allegedly supporting the miscreants in carrying out attacks on security forces. It was alleged that the militants had opened fire on the police from the house of the Nazim."

Demolitions Continue in East Jerusalem by Jerrold Kessel and Pierre Klochendler -- Antiwar.com

2009-11-09T14:31:00.000-06:00

Demolitions Continue in East Jerusalem by Jerrold Kessel and Pierre Klochendler -- Antiwar.com: "'This' is a court-approved demolition notice, 'No. 59.' It’s for a house under imminent threat of being torn down by the Israeli authorities because it does not have the requisite building permit.

The demolition notice is headed: 'To Unknown Addressee.'

'Now they refer to me as ‘Unknown.’ But they know my name very well – they address payment orders for all municipal and other taxes to me by name,' says Moussa Oudeh.

Moussa, father of five, is one of 78 householders in al-Bustan whose homes are slated for demolition. Since the election of a new Israeli mayor exactly a year ago, 10 other houses in al-Bustan have been bulldozed."

The Itch in Joe Lieberman’s Gitmo Finger « Antiwar.com Blog

2009-11-09T14:25:00.000-06:00

The Itch in Joe Lieberman’s Gitmo Finger « Antiwar.com Blog: "Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut may be the most destructive politician in the United States. Combining the worst ideas of the right, the left, and the religious, he essentially seeks to punitively tax the world in order to bomb it for the sake of Israel. Despite Lieberman’s “dual” loyalty — in quotes because I suspect he’s truly only loyal to the Jewish State — the voters of Connecticut chose him to represent them in Congress even though his own Democratic Party booted him off their ticket in favor of a pro-peace candidate."

Top US lawmaker sees base attack as 'Islamist extremism' - Yahoo! News

2009-11-09T14:24:00.001-06:00

Top US lawmaker sees base attack as 'Islamist extremism' - Yahoo! News: "WASHINGTON (AFP) – The chairman of the Senate's Homeland Security committee, Joe Lieberman, on Sunday said that the deadly shooting at Texas' Fort Hood military base was an act of 'Islamist extremism.'"

Mass Arrests Reported Around Pakistani Capital -- News from Antiwar.com

2009-11-09T14:24:00.000-06:00

Mass Arrests Reported Around Pakistani Capital -- News from Antiwar.com: "Officials say that around 200 “suspicious persons” have been arrested in what is being portrayed as an anti-terror operation designed to root out members of the Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), who were able to operate in plain sight in Rawalpindi and attack a pair of high profile sites."

Why Americans Gotta Read the "War Crimes Times!" : Information Clearing House - ( ICH ) Keeping track of the empire's crimes

2009-11-04T08:56:00.000-06:00

Why Americans Gotta Read the "War Crimes Times!" : Information Clearing House - ( ICH ) Keeping track of the empire's crimes: "The War Crimes Times Mission Statement

The War Crimes Times provides information to the general public, to law-makers, and to our justice-seeking allies on war crimes, war criminals, and on the necessity and means of prosecuting war criminals. When national leaders initiate hostilities they create the conditions—the extreme use of force coupled with limited accountability—for the war crimes which invariably follow. War crimes are therefore an inherent part of war. The suffering caused and the enmity aroused by war crimes must be regarded as costs of war. Since these and other costs far exceed any benefits of war, we seek to end war as a tool of international policy. Towards this goal, we believe that holding war criminals accountable will send a strong message to those currently in power to very carefully weigh all the consequences of the decision to go to war. While we recognize that United States has long relied on military force to further its foreign policy goals, we feel that the Bush Administration’s blatant and egregious violations of international law demand special attention. The WCT has resolved to see that Bush, Cheney, & Co. are prosecuted for war crimes no matter how long it takes. There is no statute of limitations on war crimes."

Taliban Decline US Offer Of 6 Provinces for 8 Bases : Information Clearing House - ICH

2009-11-04T08:45:00.000-06:00

Taliban Decline US Offer Of 6 Provinces for 8 Bases : Information Clearing House - ICH: "November 02, 2009 'IOL' -- ISLAMABAD – The emboldened Taliban movement in Afghanistan turned down an American offer of power-sharing in exchange for accepting the presence of foreign troops, Afghan government sources confirmed.

'US negotiators had offered the Taliban leadership through Mullah Wakil Ahmed Mutawakkil (former Taliban foreign minister) that if they accept the presence of NATO troops in Afghanistan, they would be given the governorship of six provinces in the south and northeast,' a senior Afghan Foreign Ministry official told IslamOnline.net requesting anonymity for not being authorized to talk about the sensitive issue with the media.

He said the talks, brokered by Saudi Arabia and Turkey, continued for weeks at different locations including the Afghan capital Kabul.

Saudi Arabia, along with Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, were the only states to recognize the Taliban regime which ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.

Turkish Prime Minister Reccap Erodgan has reportedly been active in brokering talks between the two sides.

His emissaries are in contact with Hizb-e-Islami (of former prime minister Gulbadin Hikmatyar) too because he is an important factor in northeastern Afghanistan.'

A Taliban spokesman admitted indirect talks with the US.

'Yes, there were some indirect talks, but they did not work,' Yousaf Ahmedi, the Taliban spokesman in southern Afghanistan, told IOL from an unknown location via satellite phone.

'There are some people who are conveying each others’ (Taliban and US) messages. But there were no direct talks between us and America,' he explained.

Afghan and Taliban sources said Mutawakkil and Mullah Mohammad Zaeef, a former envoy to Pakistan who had taken part in previous talks, represented the Taliban side in the recent talks.

The US Embassy in Kabul denied any such talks.

'No, we are not holding any talks with Taliban,' embassy spokeswoman Cathaline Haydan told IOL from Kabul.

Asked whether the US has offered any power-sharing formula to Taliban, she said she was not aware of any such offer.

'I don't know about any specific talks and the case you are reporting is not true.'

Provinces for Bases

Source say that for the first time the American negotiators did not insist on the 'minus-Mullah Omer' formula, which had been the main hurdle in previous talks between the two sides.

The Americans reportedly offered Taliban a form of power-sharing in return for accepting the presence of foreign troops.

'America wants 8 army and air force bases in different parts of Afghanistan in order to tackle the possible regrouping of Al-Qaeda network,' the senior official said.

He named the possible hosts of the bases as Mazar-e-Sharif and Badakshan in north, Kandahar in south, Kabul, Herat in west, Jalalabad in northeast and Ghazni and Faryab in central Afghanistan.

In exchange, the US offered Taliban the governorship of the southern provinces of Kandahar, Zabul, Hilmand and Orazgan as well as the northeastern provinces of Nooristan and Kunar.

These provinces are the epicenter of resistance against the US-led foreign forces and are considered the strongholds of Taliban.

Orazgan and Hilmand are the home provinces of Taliban Supreme Commander Mullah Omer and Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

'But Taliban did not agree on that,' said the senior official.

'Their demand was that America must give a deadline for its pull out if it wants negotiations to go on.'

Ahmedi, the Taliban spokesman in southern Afghanistan, confirmed their principal position.

'Our point of view is very clear that until and unless foreign forces do not leave Afghanistan, no talks will turn out to be successful.'

The ruling Taliban were ousted by the United States, which invaded Afghanistan shortly after the 9/11 attacks in 2001.

Since then, the Taliban have engaged in protracted guerrilla warfare against the US-led foreign troops and the Karzai government."

Al Jazeera English - Focus - South Africa's legal war over Gaza

2009-11-03T09:41:00.000-06:00

Al Jazeera English - Focus - South Africa's legal war over Gaza: "They want to investigate South African citizens who may have fought for the Israeli army during the war on Gaza in December and January, with a view to prosecuting them on South African soil for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The lawyers are representing two civic organisations, The Media Review Network and the Palestinian Solidarity Alliance. Working from a Johannesburg office, they are building a case known as the Gaza docket which seeks to bring the South African soldiers to justice for their role in the Gaza war."

Al Jazeera English - Focus - The Goldstone report: A Jewish view

2009-11-03T09:14:00.000-06:00

Al Jazeera English - Focus - The Goldstone report: A Jewish view: "I recently spent an evening on a conference call with Judge Richard Goldstone, who headed up the United Nations fact finding mission on the Gaza conflict.

His commission authored the Goldstone report, which has been received with controversy in some quarters of the Jewish community.

On the call were 150 American rabbis and rabbinic students who wanted to hear directly from Goldstone about the process of creating the report and about its findings.

There is an old saying that where there are two Jews, there will be three opinions. This is especially true on the subject of Israel and Palestine, where passions run high on all sides."

Al Jazeera English - Americas - Honduran rivals agree on deal

2009-10-30T05:36:00.000-05:00

Al Jazeera English - Americas - Honduran rivals agree on deal: "Roberto Micheletti, Honduras's de facto leader, has agreed to reinstate Manuel Zelaya, the country's ousted president, as part of a deal aimed at ending a political crisis.

The two sides have been at odds for four months over whether Zelaya should be reinstated as president before presidential elections.

'I am pleased to announce ... my negotiating team signed an agreement that marks the beginning of the end of the country's political situation,' Micheletti said in a statement on Thursday."

Jamestown Foundation: Russia is as a criminal country, just like the Soviet Union - Kavkazcenter.com

2009-10-30T05:29:00.000-05:00

Jamestown Foundation: Russia is as a criminal country, just like the Soviet Union - Kavkazcenter.com: "Russia's neighbors should not take responsibility, trying to change their relations with Moscow, because it is the Kremlin's actions determine the existing tension, says a well-known political expert, Senior Fellow, Jamestown Foundation Vladimir Socor.

The analyst was critical about the statement made by NATO's General Secretary that Russia poses no threat to the Baltic countries.

According to Vladimir Socor, Anders Fogh Rasmussen should have been more accurate, and mention the 'potential threat'.

'I think that the small neighbors of Russia should not take responsibility, trying to improve relations with Russia, because these relations are strained because of Russia itself. Any country - small or big, the United States or the Baltic states - will make a mistake, if they are to deal with Russia as if the improvement of relations depends on them', - said Vladimir Socor in an interview."