Al-Qaeda carried out recent blasts in Syrian: report

 

The Iraqi branch of al-Qaeda carried out two recent bombings in Damascus and was likely behind suicide bombings Friday that killed at least 28 people in the Syrian city of Aleppo, McClatchy Newspapers reported.

 

Citing unnamed US officials, the newspaper chain said the incidents appeared to verify Syrian President Bashar Assad s charges of Al-Qaeda involvement in the uprising against his rule.

 

The Syrian opposition has claimed that the Assad regime had staged the bombings to discredit the pro-democracy movement, the report said.

 

The first Damascus attack occurred on December 23, when suicide bombers detonated cars packed with explosives outside intelligence agency compounds, killing at least 44 people.

 

On January 6, at least 26 people were killed and dozens injured in a bombing against a second intelligence agency compound.

 

The Al-Qaeda presence in Syria also raises the possibility that extremists will try to hijack the uprising, McClatchy Newspapers said.

 

US intelligence reports indicate that the bombings came on the orders of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Egyptian who assumed leadership of Al-Qaeda after the last year s death of Osama bin Laden, the newspaper chain noted.

 

US officials said that Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) began pushing to become involved in Syria as Assad s security forces and gangs of loyalists launched a crackdown on opposition demonstrations, igniting large-scale bloodshed, the report said.

 

Zawahiri finally authorized AQI to begin operations in Syria in what s believed to be the first time that the branch has operated outside of Iraq, McClatchy Newspapers pointed out.

 

Extremists cannot escape US reach: Obama

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama brandished Tuesday the deaths of Osama bin Laden and Moamer Kadhafi as an election year show of foreign policy force aimed at disarming his Republican foes.
  
Trumpeting his commander-in-chief credentials in an annual State of the Union address, Obama made it clear that the traditional avenue of attack — Democratic presidents are weak on defense — would not hold in 2012.
  
“For the first time, there are no Americans fighting in Iraq. For the first time, in two decades, Osama bin Laden is not a threat to this country,” the president said in a speech effectively launching his reelection campaign.
  
“Most of Al-Qaeda’s top lieutenants have been defeated. The Taliban’s momentum has been broken, and some troops in Afghanistan have begun to come home,” he said.

“Ending the Iraq war has allowed us to strike decisive blows against our enemies. From Pakistan to Yemen, Al-Qaeda operatives who remain are scrambling, knowing that they can’t escape the reach of the United States of America,” he said.
  
Addressing rows of military men in uniform, including his joint chiefs of staff, Obama praised their achievements as “a testament to the courage, selflessness, and teamwork of America’s Armed Forces.”
  
In a highly symbolic call for unity in a polarized America, Obama said a flag bearing the names of the Navy SEAL team that eliminated bin Laden, the Al-Qaeda mastermind, was one of his “proudest possessions.”
  
“Some may be Democrats. Some may be Republicans. But that doesn’t matter. Just like it didn’t matter that day in the Situation Room…. All that mattered that day was the mission. No one thought about politics.”
  
But beyond the jingoistic military message was a clear challenge to Republican rivals not to come after him on foreign policy, a marker in the sand less than 10 months before the November 6 presidential election.
  
Despite several clear foreign policy successes over the last three years, Republican presidential hopefuls have nonetheless sought to stereotype the Democratic incumbent as weak, continuing a tradition dating back to the Carter administration and the Iran hostage crisis.
  
After winning in South Carolina and surging to the front in the Republican nomination battle, Newt Gingrich issued the ultimate insult: “President Obama is a president so weak that he makes Jimmy Carter look strong.”
  
Gingrich’s main rival for the nomination, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, has repeatedly accused Obama of failing on the greatest threat America faces: Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons.
  
The president, in concert with the European Union, has stepped up sanctions on Iran’s oil and banking sector to try to force it to stop uranium enrichment, which the West fears masks a drive to produce an atomic bomb.
  
In his State of the Union address, Obama insisted that a peaceful resolution was still possible in the high-stakes international showdown with Tehran but vowed he would “take no options off the table.”
  
“The regime is more isolated than ever before; its leaders are faced with crippling sanctions, and as long as they shirk their responsibilities, this pressure will not relent,” he said.
  
In an address focused heavily on domestic economic concerns, Obama also found time to hail the demise of Libya’s Kadhafi and warned Syria’s Bashar al-Assad that his regime’s days were numbered.
 
“A year ago, Kadhafi was one of the world’s longest-serving dictators — a murderer with American blood on his hands. Today, he is gone,” the president said.
  
“And in Syria, I have no doubt that the Assad regime will soon discover that the forces of change cannot be reversed, and that human dignity cannot be denied.”
  
While noting it was unclear how events in the Middle East and North Africa would unfold, Obama said he would continue to “stand against violence and intimidation” and support the Arab Spring’s democratic ideals.
  
“How this incredible transformation will end remains uncertain. But we have a huge stake in the outcome,” he said.
  
“We will support policies that lead to strong and stable democracies and open markets, because tyranny is no match for liberty.” AGENCIES

Iran frees 2 US citizens

Iran today freed two US men it jailed for over two years on espionage charges after $500,000 (€366,000) bail for each was paid by Oman, Reuters witnesses and diplomatic sources said.

Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal had been in Iranian custody since their arrest on July 31, 2009 on the border with Iraq where they say they were hiking. They were jailed for espionage.

The official news agency IRNA then said the two had flown out of the country, only to retract the report, with their lawyer denying they had already departed.

“They have not left Iran yet . . . We are still waiting at the airport for them to fly out of Iran,” Masoud Shafie told Reuters at Mehrabad Airport.

IRNA said Mr Fattal and Mr Bauer expected to go first to Oman, a Gulf Arab kingdom whose officials helped secure their freedom.

Their release was flagged last week by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, saying it would be a “humanitarian” gesture ahead of his annual trip to the United Nations in New York, but their fate remained uncertain until the last minute.

Trying to divert attention from his fading standing in the Islamic Republic, Mr Ahmadinejad told US media last week the two US citizens recently sentenced to eight years in prison for alleged espionage would be let go “in a couple of days”.

But Iran’s judiciary, controlled by rival conservative hardliners, immediately and publicly humiliated Mr Ahmadinejad by ruling out any imminent release of the two men, highlighting the president’s deepening credibility deficit.

They were arrested on July 31st, 2009 near Iran’s border with Iraq along with a third American, Sarah Shourd. The trio, in their late 20s and early 30s, said they were only on a hiking holiday at the time.

The two men were sentenced to eight years in prison last month. Shourd was released on $500,000 bail in September last year and allowed to fly home.

Analysts said Mr Ahmadinejad’s announcement was an attempt to improve his international standing ahead of the UN General Assembly meeting that starts today.

Iraqi president Jalal Talabani helped to mediate the pending release of Mr Fattal and Mr Bauer, according to Iraqi officials.

The US government denies that the three Americans were spies, and their supporters complain that no evidence against them has been made public. Their trial was held behind closed doors.

Kuwait may host US Iraq backup force

The troops will be kept as a backup or rotational training force for Iraq, after the Pentagon completes the scheduled withdrawal of its current 45,000-strong force from Iraq in December, US officials said.

The proposal, not yet announced, is among a number of options the administration is considering for extending its military training role in still-violent Iraq, whose divided government has been reluctant to ask Washington directly to keep troops on its soil beyond this year.

All troops are to leave Iraq by Dec. 31 under a 2008 security agreement, but senior US officials worry that without more training the Iraqi forces may squander hard-won security gains. The Iraqi army, for example, is only now taking delivery of US battle tanks, on which they have yet to be trained.

Iraq s security forces are improving but still lack the capability to defend fully Iraqi air space, borders and territorial waters, US military officers say.

“There are some gaps in their military capabilities, their security capabilities, that we believe we could offer some assistance with,” Navy Capt. John Kirby, a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday. Discussions with the Iraqis on this are in an early stage, Kirby added.

The Obama administration favors a proposal that would leave 3,000 to 5,000 US troops in Iraq next year to train Iraqi forces, US officials said this week. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Iraq has not yet asked for any extension of forces.

It has not previously been reported that staging US forces in Kuwait as a part of that training mission, or possibly along with that mission, is being considered. One of the US officials said the administration would foresee the Kuwait arrangement lasting for three years, starting in 2012, with troops rotating into Iraq for six-month stints. No decisions have been made, and it was not clear whether direct talks with the Kuwaiti government have begun.

Kuwait has played a pivotal role in the Iraq war from its beginning. The bulk of US ground forces launched the invasion from Kuwaiti territory in March 2003, and the tiny Gulf state has served as a transit point for coalition supply convoys and air transport throughout the conflict. The US uses Kuwaiti air and land bases and maintains a small force in the country now. The Iraq backup forces would be besides that contingent.

Gaddafi says protesters are on hallucinogenic drugs

CAIRO: Muammar Gaddafi blamed a revolt against his rule on al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden on Thursday, and said the protesters were fueled by milk and Nescafe spiked with hallucinogenic drugs, in a rambling appeal for calm.

 

Gaddafi, who just two days ago vowed in a televised address to crush the revolt and fight to the last, showed none of the fist-thumping rage of that speech.

This time, he spoke to state television by telephone without appearing in person, and his tone seemed more conciliatory, with much of his country out of government control.

“Their ages are 17. They give them pills at night, they put hallucinatory pills in their drinks, their milk, their coffee, their Nescafe,” said Gaddafi.

“They are criminals … is it logical that you let this phenomenon continue in any city? … We do not see what is happening in Egypt and Tunisia happening in Libya, ever!”

“Those (in Egypt and Tunisia) are people needing their governments and they have demands; our power is in the hands of the people,” he said, a typical reference to his idiosyncratic rule, which he says is based on giving power direct to the people.

Gaddafi, battling to preserve his 41-year rule and his “Third Universal Theory,” outlined in his “Green Book,” offered condolences to those killed in the bloodshed and called for calm among people he said were fighting among themselves. Saying bin Laden was “the real criminal,” Gaddafi urged Libyans not be swayed by the al Qaeda leader.

Libyan authorities tend to group anyone who challenges the ruling system under the umbrella of al Qaeda, and anyone accused of association with the group is likely to face extrajudicial punishment.

“Bin Laden … this is the enemy who is manipulating people,” Gaddafi said, adding: “Do not be swayed by bin Laden.”

“From a national, moral, ethical standpoint … they should stop. I have no authority stemming from laws or decisions or anything else, I just have moral authority. I only have moral authority,” he said.

Gaddafi has long sought to present himself as figurehead of a revolution that is led by the people, rather than a traditional executive head of state.

“No sane person” would join the protests against his rule, Gaddafi said, calling on citizens to disarm those who were protesting.

“Remember in the Iraq war: the United States and Britain said they had reason to intervene. Qaeda and the international terrorists work together … Saddam Hussein had a relationship to al Qaeda … look what America did,” he said.

Referring to violent clashes taking place in the town of Zawiyah, about 50 km (30 miles) from the capital Tripoli, Gaddafi said: “What is happening in Zawiyah is a farce … Sane men don’t enter such a farce.”

“You people of Zawiyah, stop your children, take their weapons, bring them away from Bin Laden, the pills will kill them,” he said. “Leave the country calm.”

Al-Qaeda under most pressure in Pakistan since 2001: Obama

Breaking News

President Barack Obama on Tuesday said the United States had Al-Qaeda on the run and vowed a relentless fight against the militants, from Afghanistan to the Arabian Peninsula.

Nearly a decade since the attacks of September 11, 2001, Obama portrayed Al-Qaeda as the top security threat facing the country in his State of the Union address, touting progress in efforts to counter the network.

But in a speech devoted mainly to reviving the economy, Obama only briefly touched on terror threats and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, where more than 140,000 troops are deployed.He said Al-Qaeda’s leadership was under more pressure in Pakistan now than at any time since the 9/11 attacks and that the US-led war in neighboring Afghanistan would deny the network sanctuary there.Their leaders and operatives are being removed from the battlefield. Their safe-havens are shrinking, Obama said of Al-Qaeda in Pakistan.And we have sent a message from the Afghan border to the Arabian Peninsula to all parts of the globe: we will not relent, we will not waver and we will defeat you.Obama’s reference to the Arabian Peninsula underscored the rising threat posed by Al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen, which has been blamed for recent plots against US targets.His vow to pile pressure on Al-Qaeda comes after a dramatic increase in US unmanned drone strikes in northwest Pakistan near the Afghan border.Missile attacks doubled in the tribal areas last year as the covert campaign was stepped up, with more than 100 drone strikes killing over 670 people in 2010, compared with 45 strikes that killed 420 in 2009.The strikes are deeply unpopular among the Pakistani public, which sees foreign military action on Pakistani soil as a violation of national sovereignty.Obama credited counter-terrorism operatives for foiling Al-Qaeda plots but also sought to reassure American Muslims that there would be no backlash against them.On Afghanistan, Obama said US-led forces were rolling back Al-Qaeda’s Taliban allies but warned of difficult days ahead in the nine-year-old war.Thanks to our heroic troops and civilians, fewer Afghans are under the control of the insurgency. There will be tough fighting ahead, and the Afghan government will need to deliver better governance, he said.Obama renewed his pledge to start withdrawing some of the nearly 100,000 US troops from Afghanistan in July and that NATO-led forces would begin to hand over security duties to Afghan forces in 2011.This year, we will work with nearly 50 countries to begin a transition to an Afghan lead (for security), he said.And this July, we will begin to bring our troops home.Top officials have suggested the mid-2011 withdrawal date could only involve a small number of troops, with NATO leaders aiming to hand over security for to Afghan forces by the end of 2014.As a presidential candidate, Obama had backed more troops for Afghanistan and criticized the war in Iraq as a dangerous distraction.In his speech, Obama said US troops were pulling out of Iraq having fulfilled their mission and could hold their heads high.US combat patrols had ended, violence was down and a new government had been formed, he said.This year, our civilians will forge a lasting partnership with the Iraqi people, while we finish the job of bringing our troops out of Iraq. America’s commitment has been kept; the Iraq War is coming to an end, he said.

Wikileaks — Theft or fabrication?

I am beginning to think that the entire Wiki-leaks premise is a fabrication. It seems that this venue can be used for airing ideas that promote the agenda of the various powerful political powers.

Wikileaks could not be able to leak out such information without prior knowledge or consent of USA. The verbal fight between USA and Wikileaks seems to be cosmetic and artistically deceiving the countries affected by these leaks. It is worth seeing that the prime beneficiary of these leaks is United States because one thing is clearly established in the minds of the people of the nations under discussion that how penetrating and how dangerous the US Intelligence system is and how naked the actions and conversation of the Governments ruling in those countries have become in the present situation. The timing of the release of these documents may be intended to capture news cycle headlines in the most spectacular possible manner, while embarrassing U.S. and, Afghanistan and Pakistani officials as well. Every effected nation of these revelations must understand that US has adopted the policy of hurting itself first to deceive others from its own attempt to inflict compound diplomatic and political losses to the other countries. Publishing secret information by the US is decided only after weighing the risks and and its own interest. It’s very strange such a huge cache of information can be leaked to the media so conveniently

Time-frame of the these leaks was between 2004-2009 before the whole Pak Afghan Policy was laid down by the new administration in the White House and prior to the US-PAK Strategic dialogues in which Gen. Ashfaq Parvaiz Keyani himself gave out a long presentation winning many admirers within the US administration. I wonder exactly what we might find from the leaked documents that would really ‘surprise’ any Pakistani leader, or Pakistani journalist, or any Pakistani for that matter? How can this be a fresh and news story in Pakistan1s perspective- based on a ‘leak’? Things are the same which are already in the knowledge of everyone. It’s well known that the USA supported Pakistan in setting up Taliban to fight the Soviet Union. Pakistan had already, and still have, great interests in meddling in Afghani affairs. In spite of clearly reflecting “mistrust” it is written on wall that without each other both the “allies” US and Pakistan can not win this war and where the Pakistani Military needs the United States has to realize Pakistan has legitimate concerns in Afghanistan and should not have allowed such embarrassing leaks, although there is nothing new in that. Anyhow these are no more than pressure tactics. The Soviet Union during cold war managed to infiltrate the US government many times by adopting such tactics.

Wikileaks first published those “pentagon papers” on the Iraq and Afghanistan war, the reactions from mainstream media and governments were enormous in volumes and indignation. Then another leak was released by Wikileaks; Iran supplying new forms of suicide vests for al-Qaida. Another big revelation was “Pakistan’s spy agency collaborated with the Taliban” What is this trash? These facts reported by Wikileaks sound like those typical daily field intelligence reports produced in the order of the thousands. There are surely entities within US government that are allowing Wikileaks to continue and still we should expect for the same.

Corruption in Afghanistan, dealings with Iran and pressure from Saudi Arabia for military action and much more damaging details are coming out. The creation of deep mistrust between Iran and Saudi Arabia would also see its peak when Wikileaks revealed the dangerous intentions of Saudi King towards Iran. The leaks though interesting but would soon turn into an instrument that can trigger the Third World War suddenly or may be very soon! The remarks or intentions of Saudi King towards Iran can also be seen as a surgical attempt to shift the blame of any future attack on Iran from the shoulders of Israel. This is a very well planned move from the part of America and the Wikileaks that will pay them a long and valuable benefit in playing the game of diplomacy in the Gulf Region. The collapse of relationship between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Iran would be fast and painful if the reports or leaks provided by Wikileaks would be taken negatively and motive behind these leaks are not anticipated properly.

One thing is quite clear that after these leaks, the relationship between many Muslim countries would face a worst period of roll back. Another very important thing to note is that these leaks have very mild and less disturbing revelations against Israel. It is beyond understanding that why the leaks have less igniting revelations or leaks against the problem state of the Middle East? It can be sensed very easily that these leaks are released or orchestrated keeping in view to the fact that sentiments of Israel or the Zionists may not be hurt. Fact remains there that US game of death Muslim vs. Muslims is running and going on as a policy.

Everybody knows it is not a fight of any nation it is the fight started against Muslims by the pronouncement of crusade by Bush and his accomplices engulfing all religions on the advice of the only self proclaimed terrorist nation of the world. Now the fact must be faced and said boldly. It is fault of our leaders that we allowed these criminals like Bush to do what he did. The present move through Wikileaks is a continuation of Bush policies. The release of these documents for Pakistan will do nothing other than to further undermine our already declining standing in the eyes of international community. It is just an attempt to create gross misunderstandings and diplomatic crisis between the Islamic countries; the dangerous dent inflicted to the relations between Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan being the worst part. We must accept, the popularity of our President is extremely worse at home, but recent developments including the embezzlement and peaked corruption with Hajj Pilgrims by Pakistani authorities further fueled and outraged the Saudi high ups. Since President Zardari took Control, things have taken for the worse in Pakistan. Pakistan has to change positively. With so many foreign influences in Pakistan, it has to be strong enough to handle all the foreign and internal influences and it easily can with determined will. Other wise there is no Future for Pakistan. The King may have rightly said about President Zardari, but the question is, after this leak shall the sitting ruling party would be able to rely on this tested friend? Our President has a slippery skin and nothing hurts him or creates any spark in his heart that will motivate him of improving his image, but the impact of the horrendous remarks of the Saudi King can dissipate the existing warm relationship between these most important countries of the Muslim world.

To achieve their personal objectives the Pakistani leaders have really given free hand to the Americans who have never supported our cause or the Kashmir issue. Instead, they have always betrayed us. What is the use of Embassy extension in a country like Pakistan? Apparently they envisage taking Pakistan as a mini colony or American state where they are allowed to move and act freely. What are we doing? Now, after Afghanistan, they would create situation like Iraq or Afghanistan in our country to settle old scores. We, the Pakistanis, should wake up, stop the construction of this new Embassy and grab back the land extended to the Americans which otherwise is against the constitution and the sovereignty of the country. Our leaders are if doing wrongful acts while in power then they should have to admit and confess their demerits and committed mistakes before the nation and should have to create the atmosphere of self-accountability first by showing sincerity and honesty with the nation and especially with beloved Pakistan instead of condemning and refusing or denying the true facts about them. And as far as Wikileaks’ reports about Pakistani leaders are concerned then all the reports are not wrong and false about Pakistani leaders and it may be possible that some reports are wrongful and false. If our leaders are doing wrongful and definitely all the leaders are not doing much the best with the nation and especially with beloved Pakistan they should have to learn the lesson from these reports and remove their committed mistakes themselves by removing and uprooting corruption from all the departments of Pakistan so that no one could target them or any departments of Pakistan in the future in negative sense or in regard of corruption. They should realize that they have put the future of the country at stake. There are no two opinions that US in fact is trying to commandeer the Pakistan’s nuclear deterrent, which they see as its only real defense against India. Pakistan knows the Americans and the Zionists designs to dismantle Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities which are completely unjust because the Indians and Israel’s nuclear arsenal are acknowledged as legitimate but Pakistan’s not. Pakistan needs less foreign interference, not more. But on current trends the opposite is happening. The clear danger, highlighted by the leaked cables, is that the USA’s unwindable war in Afghanistan is spilling over into its weak, ill-led and much put-upon neighbor – and that Pakistan, too, could become a war zone if our leaders remained senseless as ever.

John Harvard makes his place in Shoe-Club

A person with sentiments against the Iraq War threw two shoes onto the ex-prime minister of Australia John Harvard in a live TV show; however the ex-pm remained safe.
The shoes were thrown on John Harvard when he was attending a live TV show in Australia. The incident created chaos in the hall and the administration expelled the person who threw the shoes from the hall. John Harvard smiled and continued with the show after the shoes missed him.
Before the said incident, a shoe was also thrown on John Harvard when he was delivering a lecture at the Cambridge University England. The series of such events started when an Iraqi journalist threw a shoe on the then US President George W. Bush (Jr.).

Shoes thrown at former Australian PM

LONDON: A critic of the Iraq war has thrown two shoes at former Prime Minister John Howard during last night’s live episode of the ABC’s Q&A program.

Neither shoe hit Mr Howard during the program which also saw the former PM blindsided when he was quizzed by David Hicks about why he was left at Guantanamo Bay military prison for five and a half years.

Mr Howard, who was promoting his memoir Lazarus Rising on Q&A, stood by his decision to send troops to Iraq, had no apology for the treatment of Mr Hicks and defended his approach to asylum seekers.

The man criticized Mr Howard about his decision to go to war in Iraq and persistently interrupted the answer before he launched his attack.

“That is for the Iraqi dead,” the man appeared to shout at Mr Howard as he threw the shoes.

A female audience member then shouted: “You’ve got blood on your

U.S. accused of failing to probe Iraqi abuse cases

WASHINGTON: WikiLeaks released nearly 400,000 classified U.S. files on the Iraq war on Friday, some detailing gruesome cases of prisoner abuse by Iraqi forces that the U.S. military knew about but did not seem to investigate.

The Pentagon decried the website’s publication of the secret reports, the largest security breach of its kind in U.S. military history, far surpassing the group’s dump of more than 70,000 Afghan war files in July.

U.S. officials said the leak endangered U.S. troops and threatened to put some 300 Iraqi collaborators at risk by exposing their identities.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said the documents showed evidence of war crimes, but the Pentagon dismissed the files as “ground-level” field reports from a well-chronicled war with no real surprises.

“We deplore WikiLeaks for inducing individuals to break the law, leak

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