Messages In This Digest (16 Messages)
- 1.
- Societies Cannot Be Reordered By Outside Military Force: Indian PM From: Rick Rozoff
- 2.
- Offshore Bases, Proxy Armies: New U.S. War Strategy From: Rick Rozoff
- 3.
- U.S., Bangladesh In First Major Joint Naval Exercise From: Rick Rozoff
- 4.
- Shooting In Northern Kosovo, Barricades Remain From: Rick Rozoff
- 5.
- Three Italian Soldiers Killed In Afghan Road Accident From: Rick Rozoff
- 6.
- Middle East Headed For Regional Conflict? From: Gary
- 7.
- Eastern Partnership: West's Duplicitous Drive To Absorb Ex-Soviet St From: Rick Rozoff
- 8.
- Troops, F-16s Remain: Dutch Defense Chief In Afghanistan From: Rick Rozoff
- 9.
- Arctic: Russia To Increase Military Presence, Wants NATO To Stay Out From: Rick Rozoff
- 10.
- U.S., NATO Move Missile Shield Toward Russia's Southern Borders From: Rick Rozoff
- 11.
- Canada: Libya War "Success," Extend Mission To End Of Year From: Rick Rozoff
- 12.
- U.S. Missiles In Romania Pose Threat To Serbia, Russia: Professor From: Rick Rozoff
- 13.
- Afghan War: NATO 2011 Death Toll Rises To 440 From: Rick Rozoff
- 14.
- Are U.S. And NATO Forcing Pakistani Army Into A Trap? From: Rick Rozoff
- 15.
- Pakistan Turns To China In Face Of U.S.-NATO Threats From: Rick Rozoff
- 16.
- U.S., NATO Planning Massive Military Onslaught In Northwest Pakistan From: Rick Rozoff
Messages
- 1.
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Societies Cannot Be Reordered By Outside Military Force: Indian PM
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sat Sep 24, 2011 3:12 pm (PDT)
http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?736131
Press Trust of India
September 24, 2011
Societies Cannot be Reordered by Military Force: PM
UNITED NATIONS: In a veiled reference to certain events in the Mideast and North Africa, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said societies cannot be reordered from outside through military force.
Singh also said the international community has a role to play in assisting in the processes of transition and institution building, but the idea that prescriptions have to be imposed from outside is "fraught with danger."
The Prime Minister made these remarks while addressing the United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) session.
"The observance of the rule of law is as important in international affairs as it is within countries. Societies cannot be reordered from outside through military force. People in all countries have the right to choose their own destiny and decide their own future," he said.
Singh further said actions taken under the authority of the United Nations must respect the unity, territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of individual states.
Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai told reporters the Prime Minister's views that societies cannot be reordered from outside through military force was not intended to any one specific situation.
It was a generalised response to a trend that was seen in Libya when the UNSC passed a resolution where there was an intended campaign of extending one-sided support, he added.
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- 2.
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Offshore Bases, Proxy Armies: New U.S. War Strategy
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sat Sep 24, 2011 3:12 pm (PDT)
http://www.adnkronos.com/IGN/Aki/English/Security/Terror-Somalia-Libya-may-be-sign-of-US-military-action-to-come-expert-says_312475544469.html
ADN Kronos International
September 23, 2011
Somalia, Libya may be sign of US military action to come, expert says
The toppling of Muammar Gaddafi's [government] was an apparent victory for rebels who fought together for six months with Nato support. Less obvious is that its success may signal Washington's military strategy of minimising the risk of losing American lives by using naval and air forces in conjunction with "proxy" militaries during global interventions, according to a report by independent military correspondent David Axe published on the website of The Diplomat, a current-affairs magazine.
Dubbed "offshore balancing," the strategy has been used for years in Somalia in the wake of the US withdrawal from the African country after the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu when 19 US and UN troops died during a disastrous humanitarian mission. The televised images of dead American servicemen being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu and the protracted wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has caused the war-fatigued American public to sour on dropping troops into new conflicts.
"Instead, the United States pursued separate air, naval and proxy ground campaigns that, today, have combined into a major demonstration of offshore balancing - but not without some serious hiccups along the way," according to Axe.
...Washington...backed Ethiopia with air cover when it invaded Somalia in 2006. The move radicalised the Islamist movement...
The US shifted tactics. While supporting a coalition of African troops led by Uganda, it used offshore special forces to fly in to Somalia and strike...
"Make no mistake: The United States is at war in Somalia, and will likely only deepen its involvement as the present famine worsens. But that won't mean large troop deployments as in 1992. Today's intervention is unlike anything that was possible 19 years ago."
The use of proxy armies and offshore bases for special forces has cost the US little in terms of its own blood, but that doesn't mean it isn't a protracted conflict.
The US' offshore balancing in Somalia is five years old and "could continue for years," according to Axe. But this is one US conflict that seems like it might never end. As an exercise in offshore balancing, US assistance for Libyan rebels might end up seeming deceptively easy, inexpensive and, at just six months, shockingly brief."
The apparent lesson from Libya is that offshore balancing is easy for Washington. Somalia reminds us that it's not always so - that even wars fought mostly by ships, planes, Special Forces and foreign proxies are still wars. They're ugly, complicated and risky."
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- 3.
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U.S., Bangladesh In First Major Joint Naval Exercise
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sat Sep 24, 2011 3:13 pm (PDT)
http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=62903
Navy NewsStand
September 24, 2011
US, Bangladesh Navies Complete At-Sea Portion of CARAT Bangladesh
By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (SW) Lowell Whitman, Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training
BAY OF BENGAL: U.S. and Bangladesh Sailors completed the at-sea portion of the first Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) held in Bangladesh on Sept. 23.
Guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG 100), guided-missile frigate USS Ford (FFG 54) and mine countermeasures ship USS Defender (MCM 2) participated in exercises at sea with Bangladesh navy ships (BNS) Bangabandhu (F 25), BNS Bijoy (F 35) and BNS Sangu (P 713).
...The at-sea period culminated with a mock naval battle between two surface action groups (SAGs), each composed of U.S. and Bangladesh ships.
"The SAG vs. SAG underway was a highlight," said Capt. William Lovely, deputy commodore, Task Group 73.1. "Two SAGs are competing against each other, trying to 'kill' each other and it became a very competitive event that was very, very special to the group."
...
CARAT Bangladesh began Sept. 18 and is the first dedicated naval exercise between the U.S. and Bangladesh, and represents a milestone between the two countries...
CARAT 2011 is a series of bilateral exercises held annually in Southeast Asia to strengthen relationships and enhance force readiness between the U.S. and partner nations.
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- 4.
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Shooting In Northern Kosovo, Barricades Remain
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sat Sep 24, 2011 3:13 pm (PDT)
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2011&mm=09&dd=24&nav_id=76541
Tanjug News Agency
September 24, 2011
Shooting in Kosovska Mitrovica, barricades remain
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA: A fight broke out in the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica Friday night involving at least six persons, two of whom suffered serious injuries.
The incident also involved shooting and the police qualified the event as a serious violation of public peace and order.
46-year-old A. Đ. was arrested and remanded in 48-hour custody for the use of weapon, while the police are still searching for two more persons.
Kosovo Police Deputy Regional Director Ergin Medić told Tanjug that one of the two persons, who were seriously injured in the fight, was taken in the Kosovska Mitrovica Hospital for treatment.
According to him, the police found six 7.62 mm caliber bullet casings at the scene and the investigation into the incident will continue.
The situation in other parts of northern Kosovo and near the barricades was peaceful during Friday night. The administrative crossings in north Kosovo are still blocked. Besides EULEX, Kosovo customs officers were also deployed at the checkpoints but with no operational role.
Kosovska Mitrovica Municipal Court judge Zehra Vrbovci remanded 13 Serbian truck drivers in a 15-day custody late Friday.
The drivers were arrested under suspicion they entered Kosovo illegally and took part in setting up the barricades.
Vrbovci stated that there was a reasonable suspicion that the 13 suspects had illegally crossed an administrative crossing, and that therefore they were likely to pay a fine not less than EUR 250 or spend up to three months in prison. She said that the main hearing would be held early next week.
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- 5.
-
Three Italian Soldiers Killed In Afghan Road Accident
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sat Sep 24, 2011 3:13 pm (PDT)
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C09%5C24%5Cstory_24-9-2011_pg14_6
Agence France-Presse
September 24, 2011
Three Italian soldiers killed in Afghanistan road accident
KABUL: Three Italian soldiers were killed in a road accident in western Afghanistan Friday, media reports said after Italy's defence ministry announced one dead and two seriously injured.
The accident "took place near their base" in Herat around 0930 GMT and the causes of the incident "were being examined," said General Massimo Fogari, a military spokesman, by telephone from Afghanistan, according to Sky TG24 television.
The names of the soldiers, who were involved in training Afghan forces, would not be released until their families have been notified, the ministry said.
Italy expects to reduce its forces in Afghanistan starting next year. Rome has deployed some 3,800 soldiers as part of NATO's International Security Assistance Force which totals 130,000, two-thirds of them American.
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- 6.
-
Middle East Headed For Regional Conflict?
Posted by: "Gary" garyrumor2@yahoo.com garyrumor2
Sat Sep 24, 2011 3:13 pm (PDT)
Middle East On Edge Of Regional Conflict?
September 24th, 2011
Talk about mixed messages. On the one hand Obama was making noises about stopping the settlements on Palestinian territory and with the other he is selling Israel bunker busters and developing the Stuxnet virus in a not so secret war against Iran. Which do you think trumps, the joint US-Israel security concerns or the plight of the Palestinians? Based on the recent speech before the UN, Obama has decided to back down on any demands upon Israel and will settle for the status quo, making only pretty noises that mean little or nothing to assuage Palestinian hopes.
It is interesting that the Turks planned to support Iran in case of a nuclear strike by Israel. This is beginning to look like a regional war that is ready to happen. We only need to see the Egyptians step up to the plate and Israel has some serious contenders. Never before has Turkey been a player in the regional conflict, and if Iran and Turkey are allied with Egypt, then that is something serious. There is the possible conflict between Turkey and Cypress with Greece and Israel taking the side of the Cypriots, over offshore gas and oil exploration.
Saudi Arabia meantime is threatening not to support the US in its efforts in the region if the USA veto's the Palestinian bid for statehood recognition in the UN. Regional players are preparing to play hard ball as the US and Israeli team goes up against the rest of the regions players.
There is also the issue of Syria. It is becoming more evident that unrest there is being stirred up by western intelligence services attempting to create a breach between Turkey and Iran, Turkey and Syria and Syria and Saudi Arabia. But the example of Egypt has shown that the disruption caused by the Arab Spring there did not aid the cause of the USA and Israel. Rather it seems that anti-Israeli sentiments are rising to a head and Islamicist forces are more likely to win the elections coming up rather than secularists that the west is backing. The military holds the balance and it will be interesting to see which way they tip.
The question remains why did Obama make such hopeful sounds in Cairo a couple of years ago, and make statements supporting the emergence of a Palestinian state only to throw all those supposed policy interests for the sake of winning a few Jewish votes in Florida and New York? Has the supposed statesman succumbed to mere partisan politics? Or does Netanyahu have some hold over US policy that we are not aware of. Certainly Israel has become more and more the American sidekick Tonto in the USA's attempt to play Lone Ranger in the Middle East. Things are going to get more interesting and the ante is upped. What does the USA gain from all this alienating of the Arabs, Iranians, and Turks? Is Obama gambling that enough regimes will be overthrown, like Libya, so that the rest will comply out of fear of the USA and its CIA? It seems that the Islamic nations are waking up to the fact that if they want to survive as more than proxies for NATO and US policy, they will have to unite and organize an effective counterbalance. Perhaps with Russian and Chinese aid, we shall see.
This is from Daily Beast
Obama Sold Israel Bunker-Buster Bombs
Sep 23, 2011 12:28 AM EDT
While Obama publicly pressured Israel to make concessions to the Palestinians over settlements, he secretly sold Jerusalem deep-penetrating bombs it had long sought. Eli Lake previews an exclusive story appearing in Monday's Newsweek.
Obama Sold Israel Bunker-Buster Bombs
Sep 23, 2011 12:28 AM EDT
While Obama publicly pressured Israel to make concessions to the Palestinians over settlements, he secretly sold Jerusalem deep-penetrating bombs it had long sought. Eli Lake previews an exclusive story appearing in Monday's Newsweek.
While publicly pressuring Israel to make deeper concessions to the Palestinians, President Obama has secretly authorized significant new aid to the Israeli military that includes the sale of 55 deep-penetrating bombs known as bunker busters, Newsweek has learned.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/09/23/president-obama-secretly-approved-transfer-of-bunker-buster-bombs-to-israel.html
This is from DEBKAfile
Erdogan promises Iran Turkish intelligence aid against Israel
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report
November 10, 2009, 10:33 AM (GMT+02:00)
Turkish PM and Iranian president: Close friends In the secret part of their talks in Tehran on Oct. 28, DEBKAfile's military sources reveal that Turkish prime minister Tayyep Recep Erdogan and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad struck military cooperation deals which promised Iran Turkish military intelligence and air force assistance against a possible Israeli attack on its nuclear sites.
Their understandings have bound Turkish to pass intelligence data to Tehran on potential Israeli preparations for a strike and on US military movements in the Middle East for providing backup. Our sources report that the details finalized in meetings between the Turkish and Iranian military specialists in Istanbul Monday, Nov. 9, were due to be sealed by presidents Abdullah Gul and Ahmadinejad Tuesday. The Iranian president is to be in Turkey as guest of the Islamic Conference.
http://www.trends2000.net/endtimes/pdf/2010/11-10-09-TurkeyTurnsOnIsrael.pdf
From War Sclerotoc.com
War Fever Mounts as Erdogan Pushes into E. Mediterranean
DEBKAFile: Turkish Warships Sent to Challenge Israel
It is not discussed openly in Washington, Jerusalem or Ankara, but privately, high military and intelligence officials in all three capitals are looking at the possibility of air and naval clashes erupting between Turkey and Israel in the eastern Mediterranean at some future point and their wider impact on the region.
Their attention was first drawn, DEBKA-Net-Weekly's military and intelligence sources report, by the secret transfer of Turkish naval, air and marine units to North Cyprus (the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus – TRNC) Sunday, Sept. 4.
Their concern was fueled further by the sudden and steep decline in Turkey-Israel relations in the past week, persuading US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to shelve her other business and put her back into averting a clash of arms.
http://warsclerotic.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/war-fever-mounts-as-erdogan-pushes-into-e-mediterranean/
From Defense Talk
Military cooperation was at heart of Turkey-Israel ties
By Agence France-Presse on Tuesday, June 1st, 2010
Anarka: Intense military cooperation was the driving force behind a decade-long boom in Turkish-Israeli ties, now in crisis over a deadly raid on aid ships bound for the Gaza Strip, among them Turkish vessels.
Relations have deteriorated since Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip in late 2008, and were poisoned in January when Turkey's envoy to Tel Aviv was given a public dressing down by Israel's deputy foreign minister in a row over a Turkish television series on the plight of the Palestinians.
NATO's sole predominantly Muslim member and the Jewish state signed a landmark military cooperation accord in 1996, much to the ire of Arab countries and Iran, marking the outset of what was called "a strategic partnership."
The pact eased Israel's isolation in a hostile Arab neighborhood, while Turkey gained an ally against Syria, then an arch-foe, and access to advanced military technology.
In the first major projects after the accord, Israeli companies were awarded contracts, worth some 700 million dollars, to modernize about 100 Turkish F-4 and F-5 fighter jets, and sold Turkey rockets and electronic equipment.
In 2002, Israeli Military Industries won a 668-million-dollar tender to upgrade 170 M60 tanks, the delivery of which was completed in April.
Another deal, worth 183 million dollars, involves the manufacture of 10 unmanned aircraft and related surveillance equipment for the Turkish army in a joint venture led by Israel Aerospace Industries.
http://www.defencetalk.com/military-cooperation-was-at-heart-of-turkey-israel-ties-26704/
From Iran Review
An article on potential Egyptian-Turkish-Iranian strategic cooperation
http://www.iranreview.org/content/Documents/Iran_Turkey_Egypt
_Strategic_Cooperation.htm
From Jewish Policy Center
U.S., Israel Increase Military Cooperation
by Samara Greenberg • Aug 16, 2011 at 12:31 pm
http://www.jewishpolicycenter.org/blog/2011/08/us-israel-increase-military-cooperation
The United States Army, interested in increasing cooperation with the IDF, is planning one of the largest joint American-Israeli military exercises for May 2012, according to Lt.-Gen. Mark Hertling, commander of the U.S. Army in Europe. The exercise, called "Austere Challenge," will include establishing U.S. command posts in Israel and IDF command posts at EUCOM (the U.S. European Command), headquartered in Germany.
Austere Challenge is part of an intensified military partnership between Israel and the U.S. under President Obama. And while some analysts suspect ulterior motives - such as the president's desire to keep an eye on Israel or gain leverage in negotiating with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on the Palestinian issue - there's no doubting the expansion in ties. Over the past year, record numbers of Israeli and American soldiers have participated in joint drills, sometimes even working as a coalition force for the first time, and visits by Israeli and American military officials have increased.
http://www.jewishpolicycenter.org/blog/2011/08/us-israel-increase-military-cooperation
From Bloomberg
Christofias Says Turkey's Moves on Cyprus Oil Risk New Conflict
By Bill Varner - Sep 22, 2011 10:16 AM PT .
Cypriot President Demetris Christofias said Turkey's moves to extract oil and gas from waters off the divided Mediterranean Sea island are illegal provocations that risk a renewal of hostilities.
"Turkish naval maneuvers in the region of Cyprus's Exclusive Economic Zone, where exploration is being carried out, are provocative and a real danger for further complications in the region," Christofias said in a speech today to the United Nations General Assembly.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-22/christofias-says-turkey-s-moves-on-cyprus-oil-risk-new-conflict.html
From the Tampa Tribune
U.N. vote may impact Centcom's mission
By HOWARD ALTMAN | The Tampa Tribune
Published: September 24, 2011
In the run-up to the United Nations Security Council vote on a Palestinian state, Saudi Arabia has threatened to oppose the current government of Iraq and pursue other policies at odds with the United States over a likely U.N. Security Council veto of a Palestinian state — including ending cooperation on Afghanistan and Yemen. If that happens, it would greatly complicate the job of U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base.
The command is loath to talk about events in Israel, which is not in the region it controls. But events like the upcoming U.N. vote often play a role in what happens in the region that Centcom does control, a volatile swath of earth including Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Pakistan, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.
http://www2.tbo.com/news/breaking-news/2011/sep/24/t2newso2-un-vote-may-impact-centcoms-mission-ar-260211/
From MENA.FM.Com
Military Chief of staff Anan says elections will not be postponed in Egypt.
http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?storyid=1093443131
- 7.
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Eastern Partnership: West's Duplicitous Drive To Absorb Ex-Soviet St
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sat Sep 24, 2011 7:15 pm (PDT)
http://www.thenews.pl/9/7/Artykul/55695,Belarusian-FM-invited-to-Warsaw-Eastern-Partnership-summit
Polish Radio
September 24, 2011
Belarusian FM invited to Warsaw Eastern Partnership summit
The Belarusian foreign minister, Sergei Martynov has been invited to the Eastern Partnership summit billed for the end of next week in Warsaw, Poland's head of diplomacy Radoslaw Sikorski has announced.
"In leading the [EU Council] rotating presidency, and in agreement with the High Representative for EU External Affairs [Catherine Ashton], I have invited Sergei Martynov," Sikorski told journalists at the close of this week.
Poland's foreign minister underlined, however, that a condition for dialogue with Belarus is the release of all political prisoners. "Poland wants Belarus to join the family of free, European nations," Sikorski underlined.
Ahead of the Eastern Partnership summit, Radoslaw Sikorski met, Friday, with opposition activist Andrzej Poczobut, an ethnically Polish journalist from Grodno.
Poczobut underwent trial in Belarus this year for alleged defamation of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko in a number of articles the journalist had written for Poland's Gazeta Wyborcza daily, among others.
This week, courts in Grodno upheld its sentence of a three-year suspended sentence for Poczobut.
Speaking to journalists, Sikorski said that only the freedom of Andrzej Poczobut and other anti-regime activists would allow for dialogue between Minsk and Brussels.
Summit to create conditions for EU-Belarus round table
The Eastern Partnership summit is billed for 29-30 September, and is one of the chief events of Poland's six-month EU Council presidency, which began in July.
Inaugurated by Poland with the backing of Sweden in the EU arena, the Eastern Partnership was launched in 2009 to bring six ex-Soviet states closer to the workings of the 27-nation bloc.
The countries which are part of the Eastern Partnership – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine – are not slated to become EU members, but are open to integrate with the politics, economy, and law of the EU.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk informed on Wednesday that he had been given the go-ahead from German Chancellor Angela Merkel as to the summit's objective.
"I am persuading European leaders – and convincing Berlin has not been as easy – that in cooperating with the Belarusian [political] opposition we may create the conditions for possible round table talks in Belarus," Tusk declared.
The Prime Minister also added that Poland is best prepared to help in the creation of such a round table forum in the country's eastern neighbour.
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- 8.
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Troops, F-16s Remain: Dutch Defense Chief In Afghanistan
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sat Sep 24, 2011 7:15 pm (PDT)
http://www.rnw.nl/english/bulletin/defence-minister-visits-dutch-troops-kunduz
Radio Netherlands
September 24, 2011
Defence minister visits Dutch troops in Kunduz
Defence Minister Hans Hillen has visited Dutch troops in on a police training mission in the Afghan province of Kunduz. The objective of the visit is to demonstrate his support for the Dutch troops and their work.
Minister Hillen travelled with the Dutch Chief of the Netherlands Defence Staff General Peter van Uhm. It was the first time either of the two men had been in Kunduz.
The minister and general also visited Dutch troops in the Afghan capital Kabul and in Mazar-e-Sharif, from where four Dutch F-16 fighter planes and 120 soldiers will support the training mission.
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- 9.
-
Arctic: Russia To Increase Military Presence, Wants NATO To Stay Out
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sat Sep 24, 2011 7:29 pm (PDT)
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1663947.php/Russia-to-up-military-presence-in-Arctic-wants-EU-to-stay-out
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
September 24, 2011
Russia to up military presence in Arctic, wants EU to stay out
Moscow: Russia will increase its military presence in the Arctic - a region NATO should stay out of, a senior Kremlin official said Tuesday.
'Our northern border used to be closed because of ice and a severe climate,' said Anton Vasilev, a special ambassador for Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
'But the ice is going away we cannot leave 20,000 kilometres unwatched. We can't leave ourselves in a position where we are undefended,' Vasilev said, in an interview with the Interfax news agency.
Global warming and demand for new energy sources make necessary new and clearer international agreements on the division of Arctic region's resources and usage he said.
Only Arctic Council nations - and not outside agencies like NATO or the European Union - should set the groundwork, he said.
'The Arctic should be for the use of all ... but should be up to those of us who live there to establish the rules of the game,' he said.
The Arctic Council is a inter-governmental forum including Canada, Denmark, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the US.
The Kremlin in 2007 asserted a claim to Arctic Ocean mineral exploitation limits extending almost to the North Pole. If approved by the United Nations, Russia would gain exclusive undersea drilling rights to an area roughly the size of the United Kingdom.
The UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf is studying the Russian claim, and counter-claims by non-Arctic nations saying national borders should only extend 200 miles into the Arctic Sea, and that sea bottom northwards should be international waters.
'We are hoping for an early resolution of this,' Vasiliev said. 'We (the world) need these issues settled.'
Russia's government led by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has called developement of the Arctic, particularly its off-shore oil and gas fields, a top national priority. The region is thought to contain more energy resources than Saudi Arabia.
Putin on August 30 presided over the signing of a deal between the Russian state-owned company Rosneft and the international energy giant Exxon on a half-trillion dollar Arctic Ocean oil and gas project.
The Russian Prime Minister was scheduled on Tuesday afternoon to speak at an international forum on Arctic territorial issues in Arkhangelsk, a Russian Arctic Sea port.
Russian army officials in July announced plans to field two brigades of marine infantry to the Arctic, which would become the largest ground force deployed to the region by any nation.
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- 10.
-
U.S., NATO Move Missile Shield Toward Russia's Southern Borders
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sat Sep 24, 2011 7:47 pm (PDT)
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/09/24/56548936.html
Voice of Russia
September 24, 2011
Short-sighted policy
Valentin Zorin
-The recent steps towards the deployment of a missile defense system in Europe and moving it closer to Russian borders meets the needs of the US military-industrial complex, which plans to make a gold mine out of this program, so devastating for the country's economy.
Hopes for reasonable and realistic policies from the Washington big-league are dwindling, despite the "reset" in US-Russian relations and a number of constructive steps in this direction. A few days ago, the United States and Romania signed an agreement to deploy a US missile base on the territory of Romania. Simultaneously, Washington and Ankara signed a memorandum on the deployment of an American radar station in Malatya in the southeast of Turkey. The United States has thereby put finishing touches to the legal procedures behind a considerable expansion of American military presence at the southern approaches to the Russian borders.
Assurances on the part of Washington politicians that a missile defense shield, created despite Russia's objections, poses no threat to Russia don't impress anyone in Moscow. Russia is not so naïve as to doubt the anti-Russian nature of a string of American military bases in close proximity to Russian borders. Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin had good reason to express disappointment about this so-called "reset" recently by saying that after Russia had made its position on missile defense crystal clear several times and the two countries agreed that there would be no anti-missiles in Poland and the Czech Republic, Washington announces the deployment of such missiles in other countries of Europe.
The "reset" declared by the Democratic administration as it took office three years ago was prompted by the demands of the day, rather than Washington's well-wishing intentions towards Russia.
President Obama acted on the assumption that despite years-long efforts, the American missile defense system proved inefficient. The US leader was fully aware of a government report which concluded that missile defense experts had failed to achieve the results they had been paid for and that the missile defense system they had been trying to create was a flop.
The sum paid exceeded 1.5 trillion dollars, which set off government auditors. Judging by the outcome, this money landed in the bank accounts of military and industrial corporations, rather than in outer space. At first, Obama admitted that. Breaking the unwritten rules of the Washington elite, he said openly that the Pentagon's current demands reflected the needs of the military-industrial complex and its lobbyists in the corridors of power, rather than the genuine needs of the country and its people.
He was never forgiven this lapse. Today, he keeps silent on this issue, pressured by the lobbyists. The Republican majority in Congress are forcing him into discarding what he used to proclaim. He had to make hefty concessions to the right-wing Republicans to avoid a financial default at the beginning of August. And his agenda in the run-up to presidential elections in November next year looks defensive.
The recent steps towards the deployment of a missile defense system in Europe and moving it closer to Russian borders meets the needs of the US military-industrial complex, which plans to make a gold mine out of this program, so devastating for the country's economy.
But dropping one's principles and going profit is a short-sighted policy, doomed to failure.
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- 11.
-
Canada: Libya War "Success," Extend Mission To End Of Year
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sat Sep 24, 2011 7:47 pm (PDT)
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Commons+vote+Monday+whether+extend+Libya+mission/5453476/story.html
Vancouver Sun/Postmedia News
September 24, 2011
Commons to vote Monday on whether to extend Libya mission
By Lee Berthiaume
Parliament will vote Monday on whether to grant another extension to Canada's involvement in the NATO-led Libya mission.
Government House leader Peter Van Loan made the extension request in the House of Commons on Friday, asking that "given the current military situation and the success of the National Transitional Council and anti-Gadhafi forces to date," parliamentarians support an extension of up to three months. Approval is considered a foregone conclusion as the Conservatives have a majority in the House and cabinet can approve military deployments without parliamentary approval. In addition, the Liberal party is expected to support the motion.
"We're almost done," Liberal House leader Marc Garneau said Friday.
...
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- 12.
-
U.S. Missiles In Romania Pose Threat To Serbia, Russia: Professor
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sun Sep 25, 2011 7:01 am (PDT)
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2011&mm=09&dd=25&nav_id=76551
Vecernje Novosti
September 25, 2011
NATO shield poses threat to Serbia, expert says
BELGRADE: The U.S. missile bases in Romania could represent a threat to Serbia since it could end up being collateral damage in a possible missile attack.
Only two days after the agreement had been signed to set up the U.S. missile shield in the U.S. Deveselu Air Base, Washington signed an agreement on September 15 to build an identical base in Poland.
Russia has stated it will take reciprocal measures and direct its missiles toward the bases hosting the NATO missiles.
"We are living in a period when a new cold war is being waged. There are numerous reasons to set up the missile shield along Russia's borders, and the most important one is to prove the economic and military power of the U.S. and NATO countries to everybody in the international community. A strategic consequence of the missile shield is to impose a need on Russia to build a new missile defense system which costs a lot, with an aim to economically drain it. The second important goal is an internal polarization of population in Russia," Faculty of Security Studies Professor Slobodan Mišović told daily Večernje novosti.
"Setting up the missile shield less than 200 kilometers from Serbia has a large negative affect on security and increases our country's vulnerability," the professor explained.
"This is especially the case because our antiaircraft defense systems are outdated. The setting up of the missile shield is a provocation to all the countries in Southeast Europe and the Balkans, because it requires far bigger financial expenses if you want to maintain security at the necessary level. It will probably create additional conditions and pressures in our country because of the membership in NATO and in the European collective security and defense system," he pointed out.
Mišović believes that the missile shield in Romania will force Serbia to make a difficult choice – to decide not to invest in defense and additionally reduce security or to increase financial expenses.
"NATO will not pressure Serbia into formally joining the Alliance after the missile shield is set up in Romania," he said, adding that the purpose of the missile shield was to exert psychological and economic pressure on Russia, not to start a nuclear war.
"However, the one that has power has a big problem because it is always tempting them to use it. In case of a large-scale conflict Serbia could easily become collateral damage, not only because of the missile shield in Romania but also because of the U.S. bases in Kosovo. However, much a bigger danger for the entire Southeast Europe in that case would be if the Klozoduy Nuclear Power Plant was hit," the professor was quoted as saying.
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- 13.
-
Afghan War: NATO 2011 Death Toll Rises To 440
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sun Sep 25, 2011 7:01 am (PDT)
http://arabnews.com/world/article506272.ece
Associated Press
September 25, 2011
NATO service member killed in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan: NATO forces say an insurgent attack has killed one service member in Afghanistan.
The alliance says the attack occurred Saturday in the south of the country. NATO did not release other details.
The death brings to 440 the number of international troops killed so far this year in Afghanistan.
Also, Afghan officials say four Afghans were wounded in suicide bombings in eastern and northern Afghanistan.
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- 14.
-
Are U.S. And NATO Forcing Pakistani Army Into A Trap?
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sun Sep 25, 2011 7:49 am (PDT)
http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=69216&Cat=2
News International
September 24, 2011
Is US forcing our army into a trap?
Brig (R) Farooq Hameed Khan
-If after spending billion of dollars that brought the US economy to the verge of collapse and the much-trumpeted Obama's surge strategy, Kabul and Afghan countryside still remain vulnerable to daring Taliban daylight attacks, then Pentagon has a lot to answer for to the angry American public.
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's latest warning that his country will do everything it can to defend US forces from Pakistan-based militants staging attacks in Afghanistan reflects the growing US frustration over its failure to overcome Afghan resistance even after ten years of waging a bloody war in Afghanistan.
Coming in the wake of the September 13 deadly attack by Afghan militants against the heavily fortified US embassy, NATO/ISAF HQ and the country's National Directorate of Security (NDS) in Kabul's high security zone, Panetta's threat pointed towards heightened Pak-US mistrust and the possibility of unilateral US retaliation against the alleged Haqqani Network in North Waziristan.
While Taliban claimed responsibility for Kabul strike, the Americans were quick to blame the Haqqani group. US ambassador Cameron Munter's unprecedented statement about evidence linking the Haqqani network to the Pakistan government, which blamed the ISI indirectly for Kabul attacks, openly violated diplomatic norms.
Admiral Mike Mullen during his meeting with Army Chief General Kayani on the sidelines of a NATO conference in Spain also called for action against the Haqqani Network. In a speech at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington DC, Mullen was more direct in asking the ISI to sever ties with the Haqqani group and said that the presence of Haqqani sanctuaries in North Waziristan potentially jeopardised the outcome of the war.
While Americans basked in the glory of the May 2 Abbottabad strike, the recent spate of militant attacks against US/NATO troops in and around Kabul exposed the poor security situation in the Afghan capital. It also raised questions regarding the ability and effectiveness of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and police to defend Kabul and other parts of the country against Taliban /militant attacks.
The Bagram Air Base, said to be the most secure place for US troops in Afghanistan, was attacked by Taliban on May 19 this year. A day earlier, a suicide bomber targeted a NATO convoy in Kabul, killing five US troops, taking the death toll of American soldiers past the 1,000 mark. A Taliban bomb attack on September 11 against a coalition base in the eastern province of Wardaq left at least 77 American soldiers wounded.
If after spending billion of dollars that brought the US economy to the verge of collapse and the much-trumpeted Obama's surge strategy, Kabul and Afghan countryside still remain vulnerable to daring Taliban daylight attacks, then Pentagon has a lot to answer for to the angry American public.
The US obsession for action against the Haqqani Network is not new. The Pak Army has resisted the US demand for a crackdown on the Haqqanis in North Waziristan for almost two years now. The Army believes that it would decide its operational priorities in FATA keeping in view ground realities, act according to its own timeframe and will not accept US dictation in this respect.
With its resources already overstretched, the Army's emphasis remains on consolidating its operational gains in South Waziristan, Bajaur and other FATA agencies like Mohmand and Orakzai where anti-militant operations and sporadic skirmishes with militants' remnants still continue.
The Army recently completed Operation Koh-e-Sufaid in the Kurram agency aimed at clearing the region of militants involved in kidnapping and suicide attacks on security forces and installations as well as re-opening the strategic Thall-Parachinar road.
The top US military leadership's accusation of Pakistan influencing the Haqqani group's actions is perhaps an exaggeration. It goes against our security interests to guide the Haqqanis to attack US/NATO Headquarters in Kabul at a time when Pakistan seeks earnest efforts to remove obstacles in the complex peace process and help bring stability to war-torn Afghanistan.
It is strange that the US is bent upon blaming the Haqqanis when Taliban claimed responsibility for the latest Kabul strike. If the US drones could kill Al Qaeda militants in North Waziristan, what stops them from targeting Haqqani fighters operating within Afghan territory? It is also incomprehensible that Haqqani fighters could travel all the way to attack US/NATO forces deep within Afghanistan and return to their bases on the Pakistan side without being intercepted or challenged by allied troops.
Sirajuddin Haqqani recently announced his group's willingness to join the Afghan peace process if the Taliban joined the same, which should be a positive signal to the Americans. He also declared that Haqqani fighters no longer operated from North Waziristan and had moved their bases inside Afghanistan. This appears plausible in view of the US drone attacks that reportedly targeted Haqqani leadership in North Waziristan in the past as well as pressure from Pakistan's security establishment to make a total shift.
But Pakistanis are also furious over the 'deliberate failure' of US/NATO and Afghan forces to stop a series of cross-border attacks by Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants into Dir and Chitral, in which dozens of our paramilitary troops, government officials and innocent civilians were killed. The US/NATO forces' withdrawal from Kunar and Nuristan facilitated the TTP militants' regrouping across the Pak-Afghan border. In effect, US/NATO succeeded in activating another front for the Pak Army, forcing it to deploy additional troops in Dir and Chitral.
The Pakistani civil and military leadership appears in no mood to budge under US pressure. Rather, the Americans were warned to refrain from another Abbottabad-style unilateral military action on Pakistan's soil, as it would have disastrous ramifications for the already heavily-strained bilateral ties between Islamabad and Washington. Any US attempt to escalate the situation would neither serve the cause of peace in Afghanistan nor facilitate an honourable US exit from the region.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, too, has rejected US media reports that in her latest meeting with Secretary of State in New York, Hillary Clinton gave an ultimatum to Islamabad to launch an anti-Haqqani offensive. However Pak-US political and diplomatic engagements must continue to restore trust and confidence between the two 'most allied allies.'
If the US desires to bring the Taliban and Haqqanis to the negotiating table, it must weaken or defeat them within Afghanistan to the point that the Americans can deal with them from a position of strength. With the increased intensity of Afghan resistance witnessed in recent months, such a situation seems nowhere visible on the horizon.
Why is the US making Pakistan the scapegoat to cover up its own strategic failures and blunders in Afghanistan? Why should the Pak Army attack and alienate the Haqqanis with whom we have no dispute? Any offensive in North Waziristan could also endanger Pak Army's peace agreements with various tribal groups, thereby disrupting the Army's strategy to isolate the TTP and other hostile militant bodies.
Washington's targets are undoubtedly both the Pak Army and the ISI, its old allies that it now perceives as stumbling blocks in its grand designs. The Haqqani hype provides yet another opportunity to defame both. The Pak Army must not fall into the American trap in North Waziristan, which could get it entangled into a complex situation with heavy blowback in our cities/towns.
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- 15.
-
Pakistan Turns To China In Face Of U.S.-NATO Threats
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sun Sep 25, 2011 7:49 am (PDT)
http://nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Opinions/Editorials/25-Sep-2011/A-friend-indeed
The Nation
September 25, 2011
A friend, indeed!
As always, China, our genuine, age-old friend and a towering world power that does not throw its weight around for the recognition of its status, has asked the US to respect Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Beijing deemed it necessary to remind the US of this basic principle of international law following the steep rise in tension between Washington and Islamabad, which unless defused could give the US an excuse to take an irrational step that could have dangerous consequences.
In utter disregard of Pakistan's role in the fight against terror, Admiral Mike Mullen had levelled the baseless charge of ISI's active support to the Haqqani Network militants, who the US wants the world to believe are operating from North Waziristan against the NATO forces across the border, and Defence Secretary Panetta had warned Pakistan that if it did not take armed action against these 'militants', it would itself do so.
The Chinese are also sending their Deputy Prime Minister, accompanied by a high-level delegation, to express their solidarity with Pakistan at this critical time.
At the same time, it seems quite clear now that, as Prime Minister Gilani had told Iranian President Ahmedinejad in a recent visit to Tehran, the government has finally made a paradigm shift in its policy towards the US.
Recent events have laid bare the American designs in the region that are indisputably against Pakistan's national interests, leaving no room for Islamabad to continue with the policy of a close alliance with the US.
Following Foreign Minister Khar's blunt warning that if accusations against the ISI of waging a proxy war did not stop, the US stood in danger of losing Pakistan as its friend and ally, COAS General Kayani has given vent to his anger and resentment against such statements.
Obviously, recalling the discussions he has had with Admiral Mullen on scores of occasions they had met, the General revealed that the Admiral knew very well which countries had contacts with the Haqqanis. He categorically denied that the ISI was fighting a proxy war against the NATO-led forces as well as the allegation of its support to the Haqqanis, and wished that the blame game came to an end.
We have had enough of the American trickeries – commitments of abiding friendship alternating with threats of aggression and even actual violation of sovereignty. It is high time we changed the course of foreign policy and unhesitatingly committed ourselves to the revival of the spirit of deep understanding and economic and military equation with Beijing that had previously prevailed between the two countries. China has never been found wanting and has invariably lent its support to us. With this message and a nation determined to defend its sovereignty against the US aggressive designs, the present danger will pass off in course of time.
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- 16.
-
U.S., NATO Planning Massive Military Onslaught In Northwest Pakistan
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sun Sep 25, 2011 8:04 am (PDT)
http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=116143
Pakistan Observer
September 25, 2011
Panetta's warning to Pakistan
Column from Dallas
Saeed Qureshi
-It may be instructive to know that Haqqani group was in the lead of the American proxy war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. But when the United States turned against Taliban, they joined the latter to liberate Afghanistan from NATO, branding it as an occupation force.
The newly appointed United States' Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has castigated Pakistan for not taking military action against the so-called Haqqani group now arrayed against NATO military forces in Afghanistan. In his hard-hitting statement, the American defense secretary displayed an overly aggressive posture that was loaded with dire consequences for Pakistan if she did not abide by the dictates of the United States. Leon Panetta in his September 15 stunning dictation has sternly asked Pakistan to cut off ties with the Haqqani network and help eliminate its leaders. He warned that if Pakistan did not comply, the United States would act unilaterally against the group.
Mr. Panetta's assertive statement can be termed as a veiled warning in that he implied that if Pakistan was reluctant to oblige the United States, then NATO would extend its fight to North Waziristan.
They would not mind if it would be a grave infringement of international law and a violation of the territorial integrity of an ally.
Unmindful of the sovereignty and national interests of Pakistan, America seems to be poised to bomb North Waziristan, a sector of FATA that has remained immune so far from the military operations of the Pakistan army.
The Pakistan army is already fighting in South Waziristan to flush out Taliban insurgents. Such a military onslaught by the United States and NATO might drag on for an indefinite period of time. It would, however, result in further undermining the already precarious security situation in Pakistan, because of incessant terrorism on her soil by the militants. Even the Haqqani group might join the militant Taliban in an unmitigated spree of vendetta attacks throughout the length and breadth of Pakistan. In the event of a full-scale war that NATO and United States would launch, terrorist attacks and suicide bombing on Pakistan's mainland would be accentuated. Pakistan is already under unremitting terrorism from anti-Pakistan Taliban, wreaking havoc all over and destroying its social peace and economy.
The United States considers the North Waziristan-based Haqqani network run by Mualvi Jalaluddin Haqqani and his son Sirajuddin Haqqani to be a resilient adversary of United States and at the same time an ally of Taliban and pro-Pakistan. Presumably Pakistan has been reluctant to expand her anti-Taliban military operations to North Waziristan because of the fond hope that in the event of American withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Haqqani group would protect Pakistan's interests in that war-ravaged country. But of late, the group is reported to be operating from Afghanistan as it feels safer there than staying in North Waziristan situated within the so-called FATA (federally administered areas). The Haqqani network is believed to be behind the series of brutal attacks that were launched against the NATO forces including the September 12, 2011 attack on the US Embassy and nearby NATO bases in Kabul that lasted for 19 hours.
...It may be instructive to know that Haqqani group was in the lead of the American proxy war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. But when the United States turned against Taliban, they joined the latter to liberate Afghanistan from NATO, branding it as an occupation force. Instead of resorting to a knee-jerk reaction and punitive retaliation through military means, the United States could cultivate the Haqqani group for liaison, rapport and link with the anti-American Taliban. This has become all the more pressing a need for America after the assassination of Burhanuddin Rabbani on 20 September 2011, by Taliban.
Burhanuddin was trying to bring about a kind of rapprochement between the Taliban and the United States to pave the way for a face-saving exit of NATO and the United States from Afghanistan. The United States should realize that there is a limit to Pakistan obliging the United States and endure pressure from the NATO commanders to keep fighting for the sake of the occupation alliance. If Pakistan cannot expand her anti-Taliban war to North Waziristan and the United States in concert with NATO embarks upon a solo fight, then the exit of the United States from Afghanistan would be stalled indefinitely. It is not the Haqqani group that was responsible for 9/11 attacks on American soil but Al-Qaida that has been considerably mauled by the United States in the aftermath of that horrendous happening. The Haqqani group can be won over and used for forging a link with Taliban and thus end their hostilities against the occupation forces.
It is high time for the United States to use the carrot rather than the stick and try to woo the rival factions of Taliban to get out of the quagmire of Afghanistan well in time. To use Pakistan as a scapegoat for the military failures of NATO and American troops is a fallacious approach and cannot be rewarding in the longer run. Pakistan as a mercenary or ally of the United States against terrorism has already rendered supreme sacrifices by way of its shattered economy, the high death toll of its soldiers and the massive disruption of peace within.
To put more burden on her and harp on the tune to "do more" would be counterproductive. Such a pressure tactic would be tantamount to forcing Pakistan to continue fighting against her own people and making them an eternal enemy that might result in the break-up of Pakistan. Pakistan cannot and must not expand the war theatre beyond South Waziristan. Rather, Pakistan should also withdraw from South Waziristan as a gesture of goodwill and reconciliation towards Taliban and to signal that it was time for the cessation of hostilities. This policy of pacifism would also benefit the United States because a friendly, cohesive and united Afghanistan under a national government would also be friendly towards the United States. Why should Taliban be perpetually punished for a crime that was committed by Al-Qaida? The United States in return can win the people of Afghanistan through aid and by joining reconstruction efforts of that massively ravaged country
like it did in Germany in the post World War II era.
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