Tuesday, September 26, 2006 News Update
The 1st Brigade of 1st Armored Division, which is operating in the vicinity of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, will be kept in place for several weeks beyond its scheduled departure, the officials said.
The officials spoke only on condition of anonymity because the decision has not been formally announced by the Pentagon. The brigade's home base is in Germany. The soldiers' families were notified on Monday that instead of going home in early January as scheduled, the brigade would be kept in Iraq until February - an extension of about six weeks, one of the officials said. Army officials also have notified members of Congress. The brigade has about 4,000 soldiers in Iraq.
British forces shot and killed a leading al-Qaida terrorist Monday more than a year after he embarrassed the U.S. military by making an unprecedented escape from a maximum security military prison in Afghanistan, officials said.
Omar al-Farouq was gunned down after he opened fire on British forces during a raid on his home in Basra, 340 miles southeast of Baghdad, British forces spokesman Maj. Charlie Burbridge said. Burbridge said he could not comment on whether it was the same man who allegedly led al-Qaida's Southeast Asia operations, citing British policy not allowing him to link an individual to a specific organization. But a Basra police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said it was the same man. The officer said al-Farouq entered Iraq three months ago, was known to be an expert in bomb making and went by the name Mahmoud Ahmed while in Basra.
Al-Farouq and three other al-Qaida suspects escaped from Bagram, in central Afghanistan, in July 2005, but the Pentagon waited until November to confirm his escape. The delay upset Indonesia, which had arrested al-Farouq in 2002 and turned him over to the United States.
In Indonesia last November, al-Farouq's wife said the U.S. government should have put her husband on trial. "My husband was kidnapped by America but they never officially told us ... for more than three years," Mira Agustina said then. "I don't believe that my husband was a terrorist. He is only an ordinary man who cried when he watched movies about violence." "I was shocked when news broke that my husband was a terrorist wanting to kill many people," she said, adding that she told her two daughters that their father had gone off to America "to work."
But a top security consultant in Indonesia, Ken Conboy, told The Associated Press last year that al-Farouq joined al-Qaida in the early 1990s and trained in Afghanistan for three years before unsuccessfully trying to enroll at a flight school in the Philippines so he could commandeer an airplane on a suicide mission. He later plotted to stage car and truck bombings at U.S. embassies across Southeast Asia on or near the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, but the plan was thwarted and he was captured, Conboy said.
Al-Farouq and the three other escapees boasted about their breakout from Bagram on a video broadcast in October 2005 on Al-Arabiya television. They claimed to have plotted their escape on a Sunday when many Americans on the base were off duty. One of the four, Muhammad Hassan, said to be Libyan, said he picked the lock of their cell.
Some 250 British troops from the Princess of Wales' Royal Regiment took part in the raid on al-Farouq's home Monday. "We had information that a terrorist of considerable significance was hiding in Basra. As a result of that information we conducted an operation in an attempt to arrest him," Burbridge told the AP by telephone from southern Iraq. "During the attempted arrest Omar Farouq was killed, which is regrettable because we wanted to arrest him," Burbridge said.
The plan was simple: Iraqi troops would block escape routes while U.S. soldiers searched for weapons house by house.
But the Iraqi troops didn't show up on time. When they finally did appear, the Iraqis ignored U.S. orders and let dozens of cars -- including an ambulance full of armed militiamen -- pass through checkpoints in eastern Baghdad, American soldiers said in recent interviews. It wasn't an isolated incident, they added.
U.S. commanders have hailed the performance of Iraqi troops in the crackdown on militias and insurgents in Baghdad. But some U.S. soldiers say the Iraqis serving alongside them are among the worst they've ever seen -- seeming more loyal to militias than the government. Some Americans said they had seen much better Iraqi troops in the northern cities of Mosul and Tal-Afar, which have more Kurdish soldiers. They have been disappointed by the performance of units committed to the Baghdad fight.
U.S. officers think the problem has political and sectarian roots: Many of the Iraqi soldiers in the capital are Shi'ites recruited from the Baghdad area. As the security crackdown focuses on Shi'ite neighborhoods, Iraqi troops come in contact with fellow Shi'ites from some of the 23 known militias. That puts great stress on the soldiers, who grew up in a society where respect for religion runs far deeper than for government institutions.
"From my perspective, you can't make a distinction between Iraq army Shi'ites and the religious militias. You have a lot of soldiers and family members swayed and persuaded by the religious leadership," said Lt. Col. Greg Watt, who advises one of two Iraqi divisions in the city. He then pointed to the nearby guards, under an Iraqi army division commander.
"There's no doubt in my mind that he has soldiers who are followers of religious leaders," Col. Watt said. "Are they loyal to the division commander? Yes. But they may be loyal to both." Col. Watt expressed confidence the Iraqi army could win if it came to a pitched battle with militias. "But what the Iraqi army can't do is protect soldiers when they go home, or protect their families," he added. "It's very, very difficult. That's why a solution has to be a political one and not a military one."
One immediate solution would be to bring in more units from outside Baghdad. Although many of those units are largely Shi'ite, too, the soldiers would be less likely to have family living under militia control. But many Iraqi troops refuse to serve away from home. The commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad, Maj. Gen. James Thurman, said his requests for 3,000 more Iraqi soldiers have been refused because the troops won't leave their home areas. That attitude frustrates American soldiers. "They have to step up, make sacrifices. We've made thousands of sacrifices for our own country's freedom," said Staff Sgt. Jeremy Chinnis, 30, of Richmond. "I think they think the Iraqi people don't support them."
Pope Benedict XVI met with Muslim leaders Monday at his summer home outside Rome and called for "inter-religious" dialogue.
The meeting, attended by ambassadors from more than 20 Muslim countries, Italian Muslim leaders and top Vatican officials, took place at Castel Gandolfo, ANSA news agency reported. Sudan was the only country with diplomatic relations with the Vatican that did not attend.
Instead of talking about his speech two weeks ago that sparked Muslim protests, Benedict emphasized the need for to build "bridges of friendship." The Vatican posted the speech on its Web site in Arabic and four other languages, and the pope's speech was carried live by Al-Jazeera.
"Inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue between Christians and Muslims cannot be reduced to an optional extra," Benedict said. "It is, in fact, a vital necessity, on which in large measure our future depends."
Yahya Pallavicini, vice-president of Italy's Islamic Religious Community organization, told the BBC he hoped the meeting would be "the starting point for a new scenario of inter-faith dialogue with knowledge and truly religious Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders and scholars."
IAEA commissioner falls into water tank at Czech nuclear plant Jihlava, South Moravia, Sept 23 (CTK) - A US commissioner from the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) emerged unharmed after falling into a water tank at the Dukovany nuclear power plant on Friday.
The daily Mlada fronta Dnes reported Friday that commissioners training at the facility were moving around the plant in a group. One of them, however, left the group and fell into the tank. The water in the tank was not radioactive.
A spokesman for the plant told MfD that the commissioner admitted he had made a mistake. "The rules say that no one is allowed to leave the group," the spokesman said. The water tank is used in the process of loading and unloading nuclear fuel. Although the water was not in contact with any nuclear fuel during the training, the commissioner was examined to make sure he was not contaminated with radioactivity.
Democrats on Sunday seized on an intelligence assessment that said the Iraq war has increased the terrorist threat, saying it was further evidence that Americans should choose new leadership in the November elections.
The Democrats hoped the report would undermine the GOP's image as the party more capable of handing terrorism as the campaign enters its final six-week stretch. Their criticisms came in a collection of statements sent to reporters Sunday amid the disclosure of a National Intelligence Estimate that concluded the war has helped create a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the Sept. 11 attacks.
The report was completed in April and represented a consensus view of the 16 disparate spy services inside government, according to an intelligence official. The official, confirming accounts first published in Sunday's New York Times and Washington Post, spoke on condition of anonymity on Sunday because the report is classified.
A White House spokesman, Blair Jones, said, "We don't comment on classified documents." But he said the published accounts' "characterization of the NIE is not representative of the complete document." The White House issued a written rebuttal that argued administration officials have been making some of the same arguments as in the intelligence estimate. A White House strategy booklet released this month described the terrorists as more dispersed and less centralized and still a threat to the United States.
A Soldier assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Ft. Bragg, N.C., was presented the German army’s highest for foreign soldiers Sept. 12.
Staff Sgt. Jonathon Zapien, a special forces Soldier assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, N.C., was presented the highest award the German army can grant a foreign soldier Sept. 12. Zapien, 25, from Houston, Texas, was deployed with the German Special Forces Command to Afghanistan from June to October 2005. While there, he acted as the sole liaison between the German unit and other coalition forces in the region. He provided communications support, directed air support, went on regular patrols with the unit and on one occasion played an essential part in saving the life of a German soldier who was injured during an improvised explosive device attack, by calling in air and ground medical support.
German Minister of Defense Gen. Wolfgang Schneiderhan presented the Ehrenmedaille (honor medal) to Zapien on behalf of the German Special Forces Command. This is the first time German Special Forces has presented an award to a foreign soldier. The German general, whose son was serving as a medical officer in Afghanistan during the same period, said that Zapien played a critical role on a strong and decisive team and "displays exemplary dedication and an exceptional sense of duty ... a sensational warrior with a very soldier-like attitude."
Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward, U.S. European Command deputy commander, also attended the ceremony and echoed comments from Schneiderhan, saying that we are all "truly brothers and comrades in arms. I know Staff Sgt. Zapien will display this award proudly on his uniform." Zapien said it was a great honor to receive the award and that he is "accepting it for all the other Soldiers who do amazing things everyday. I'm grateful to receive this on their behalf."
Nationalist Shinzo Abe, a proponent of a robust alliance with the United States and a more assertive military, easily won election in parliament Tuesday as Japan's youngest postwar prime minister.
Abe got 339 votes out of 475 counted in the powerful lower house, and 136 ballots out of 240 in the upper house, handily defeating Ichiro Ozawa, the leader of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan. Abe, at 52 Japan's first prime minister born after World War II, stocked his new government with conservatives such as Taro Aso, who will keep his post as foreign minister, and veteran Fumio Kyuma, appointed to a second stint as defense chief.
The heir apparent to outgoing Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for about a year, Abe came to office as a champion of the security pact with top ally the United States, revision of the pacifist constitution, a more outspoken foreign policy, and more patriotic education. The new prime minister has some big shoes to fill. Koizumi pushed through major economic reforms, backed a groundbreaking dispatch of soldiers to Iraq, and brought Japanese politics into the modern media age in five years at the helm.
His top challenges will be repairing Japan's deteriorating ties with China and South Korea, maintaining the economy's recovery from a decade-long slowdown, and grappling with troubles related to the rapidly aging population. His government immediately declared that the prime minister - not the powerful bureaucracy - would direct policy. "The Prime Minister's Office should be strengthened as the control center for the whole state," said incoming Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki. "The office will put forward policies based on strategic thinking."
Passengers will be able to carry lotions and gels onto airliners again after a six-week ban - but only in tiny containers of 3 ounces or less and only if they're in clear zip-top plastic bags.
Starting Tuesday, air travelers also will be able to buy drinks or other liquids or gels at shops inside airport security checkpoints and carry them on board under partially relaxed anti-terror rules. If a passenger brings a container larger than 3 ounces from outside, it will still have to be put in checked baggage.
Feature article: For Bush, War Anguish Expressed Privately
and
The Hidden Meaning of 9/11; A "What if" for our military planners.
Commentary: The Week's Revelations
Average Gay Joe has a great post with video: Byzantium 2006 - Putting Quotes Back In Context
A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. --George Bernard Shaw
The officials spoke only on condition of anonymity because the decision has not been formally announced by the Pentagon. The brigade's home base is in Germany. The soldiers' families were notified on Monday that instead of going home in early January as scheduled, the brigade would be kept in Iraq until February - an extension of about six weeks, one of the officials said. Army officials also have notified members of Congress. The brigade has about 4,000 soldiers in Iraq.
British forces shot and killed a leading al-Qaida terrorist Monday more than a year after he embarrassed the U.S. military by making an unprecedented escape from a maximum security military prison in Afghanistan, officials said.
Omar al-Farouq was gunned down after he opened fire on British forces during a raid on his home in Basra, 340 miles southeast of Baghdad, British forces spokesman Maj. Charlie Burbridge said. Burbridge said he could not comment on whether it was the same man who allegedly led al-Qaida's Southeast Asia operations, citing British policy not allowing him to link an individual to a specific organization. But a Basra police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said it was the same man. The officer said al-Farouq entered Iraq three months ago, was known to be an expert in bomb making and went by the name Mahmoud Ahmed while in Basra.
Al-Farouq and three other al-Qaida suspects escaped from Bagram, in central Afghanistan, in July 2005, but the Pentagon waited until November to confirm his escape. The delay upset Indonesia, which had arrested al-Farouq in 2002 and turned him over to the United States.
In Indonesia last November, al-Farouq's wife said the U.S. government should have put her husband on trial. "My husband was kidnapped by America but they never officially told us ... for more than three years," Mira Agustina said then. "I don't believe that my husband was a terrorist. He is only an ordinary man who cried when he watched movies about violence." "I was shocked when news broke that my husband was a terrorist wanting to kill many people," she said, adding that she told her two daughters that their father had gone off to America "to work."
But a top security consultant in Indonesia, Ken Conboy, told The Associated Press last year that al-Farouq joined al-Qaida in the early 1990s and trained in Afghanistan for three years before unsuccessfully trying to enroll at a flight school in the Philippines so he could commandeer an airplane on a suicide mission. He later plotted to stage car and truck bombings at U.S. embassies across Southeast Asia on or near the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, but the plan was thwarted and he was captured, Conboy said.
Al-Farouq and the three other escapees boasted about their breakout from Bagram on a video broadcast in October 2005 on Al-Arabiya television. They claimed to have plotted their escape on a Sunday when many Americans on the base were off duty. One of the four, Muhammad Hassan, said to be Libyan, said he picked the lock of their cell.
Some 250 British troops from the Princess of Wales' Royal Regiment took part in the raid on al-Farouq's home Monday. "We had information that a terrorist of considerable significance was hiding in Basra. As a result of that information we conducted an operation in an attempt to arrest him," Burbridge told the AP by telephone from southern Iraq. "During the attempted arrest Omar Farouq was killed, which is regrettable because we wanted to arrest him," Burbridge said.
The plan was simple: Iraqi troops would block escape routes while U.S. soldiers searched for weapons house by house.
But the Iraqi troops didn't show up on time. When they finally did appear, the Iraqis ignored U.S. orders and let dozens of cars -- including an ambulance full of armed militiamen -- pass through checkpoints in eastern Baghdad, American soldiers said in recent interviews. It wasn't an isolated incident, they added.
U.S. commanders have hailed the performance of Iraqi troops in the crackdown on militias and insurgents in Baghdad. But some U.S. soldiers say the Iraqis serving alongside them are among the worst they've ever seen -- seeming more loyal to militias than the government. Some Americans said they had seen much better Iraqi troops in the northern cities of Mosul and Tal-Afar, which have more Kurdish soldiers. They have been disappointed by the performance of units committed to the Baghdad fight.
U.S. officers think the problem has political and sectarian roots: Many of the Iraqi soldiers in the capital are Shi'ites recruited from the Baghdad area. As the security crackdown focuses on Shi'ite neighborhoods, Iraqi troops come in contact with fellow Shi'ites from some of the 23 known militias. That puts great stress on the soldiers, who grew up in a society where respect for religion runs far deeper than for government institutions.
"From my perspective, you can't make a distinction between Iraq army Shi'ites and the religious militias. You have a lot of soldiers and family members swayed and persuaded by the religious leadership," said Lt. Col. Greg Watt, who advises one of two Iraqi divisions in the city. He then pointed to the nearby guards, under an Iraqi army division commander.
"There's no doubt in my mind that he has soldiers who are followers of religious leaders," Col. Watt said. "Are they loyal to the division commander? Yes. But they may be loyal to both." Col. Watt expressed confidence the Iraqi army could win if it came to a pitched battle with militias. "But what the Iraqi army can't do is protect soldiers when they go home, or protect their families," he added. "It's very, very difficult. That's why a solution has to be a political one and not a military one."
One immediate solution would be to bring in more units from outside Baghdad. Although many of those units are largely Shi'ite, too, the soldiers would be less likely to have family living under militia control. But many Iraqi troops refuse to serve away from home. The commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad, Maj. Gen. James Thurman, said his requests for 3,000 more Iraqi soldiers have been refused because the troops won't leave their home areas. That attitude frustrates American soldiers. "They have to step up, make sacrifices. We've made thousands of sacrifices for our own country's freedom," said Staff Sgt. Jeremy Chinnis, 30, of Richmond. "I think they think the Iraqi people don't support them."
Pope Benedict XVI met with Muslim leaders Monday at his summer home outside Rome and called for "inter-religious" dialogue.
The meeting, attended by ambassadors from more than 20 Muslim countries, Italian Muslim leaders and top Vatican officials, took place at Castel Gandolfo, ANSA news agency reported. Sudan was the only country with diplomatic relations with the Vatican that did not attend.
Instead of talking about his speech two weeks ago that sparked Muslim protests, Benedict emphasized the need for to build "bridges of friendship." The Vatican posted the speech on its Web site in Arabic and four other languages, and the pope's speech was carried live by Al-Jazeera.
"Inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue between Christians and Muslims cannot be reduced to an optional extra," Benedict said. "It is, in fact, a vital necessity, on which in large measure our future depends."
Yahya Pallavicini, vice-president of Italy's Islamic Religious Community organization, told the BBC he hoped the meeting would be "the starting point for a new scenario of inter-faith dialogue with knowledge and truly religious Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders and scholars."
IAEA commissioner falls into water tank at Czech nuclear plant Jihlava, South Moravia, Sept 23 (CTK) - A US commissioner from the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) emerged unharmed after falling into a water tank at the Dukovany nuclear power plant on Friday.
The daily Mlada fronta Dnes reported Friday that commissioners training at the facility were moving around the plant in a group. One of them, however, left the group and fell into the tank. The water in the tank was not radioactive.
A spokesman for the plant told MfD that the commissioner admitted he had made a mistake. "The rules say that no one is allowed to leave the group," the spokesman said. The water tank is used in the process of loading and unloading nuclear fuel. Although the water was not in contact with any nuclear fuel during the training, the commissioner was examined to make sure he was not contaminated with radioactivity.
Democrats on Sunday seized on an intelligence assessment that said the Iraq war has increased the terrorist threat, saying it was further evidence that Americans should choose new leadership in the November elections.
The Democrats hoped the report would undermine the GOP's image as the party more capable of handing terrorism as the campaign enters its final six-week stretch. Their criticisms came in a collection of statements sent to reporters Sunday amid the disclosure of a National Intelligence Estimate that concluded the war has helped create a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the Sept. 11 attacks.
The report was completed in April and represented a consensus view of the 16 disparate spy services inside government, according to an intelligence official. The official, confirming accounts first published in Sunday's New York Times and Washington Post, spoke on condition of anonymity on Sunday because the report is classified.
A White House spokesman, Blair Jones, said, "We don't comment on classified documents." But he said the published accounts' "characterization of the NIE is not representative of the complete document." The White House issued a written rebuttal that argued administration officials have been making some of the same arguments as in the intelligence estimate. A White House strategy booklet released this month described the terrorists as more dispersed and less centralized and still a threat to the United States.
A Soldier assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Ft. Bragg, N.C., was presented the German army’s highest for foreign soldiers Sept. 12.
Staff Sgt. Jonathon Zapien, a special forces Soldier assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, N.C., was presented the highest award the German army can grant a foreign soldier Sept. 12. Zapien, 25, from Houston, Texas, was deployed with the German Special Forces Command to Afghanistan from June to October 2005. While there, he acted as the sole liaison between the German unit and other coalition forces in the region. He provided communications support, directed air support, went on regular patrols with the unit and on one occasion played an essential part in saving the life of a German soldier who was injured during an improvised explosive device attack, by calling in air and ground medical support.
German Minister of Defense Gen. Wolfgang Schneiderhan presented the Ehrenmedaille (honor medal) to Zapien on behalf of the German Special Forces Command. This is the first time German Special Forces has presented an award to a foreign soldier. The German general, whose son was serving as a medical officer in Afghanistan during the same period, said that Zapien played a critical role on a strong and decisive team and "displays exemplary dedication and an exceptional sense of duty ... a sensational warrior with a very soldier-like attitude."
Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward, U.S. European Command deputy commander, also attended the ceremony and echoed comments from Schneiderhan, saying that we are all "truly brothers and comrades in arms. I know Staff Sgt. Zapien will display this award proudly on his uniform." Zapien said it was a great honor to receive the award and that he is "accepting it for all the other Soldiers who do amazing things everyday. I'm grateful to receive this on their behalf."
Nationalist Shinzo Abe, a proponent of a robust alliance with the United States and a more assertive military, easily won election in parliament Tuesday as Japan's youngest postwar prime minister.
Abe got 339 votes out of 475 counted in the powerful lower house, and 136 ballots out of 240 in the upper house, handily defeating Ichiro Ozawa, the leader of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan. Abe, at 52 Japan's first prime minister born after World War II, stocked his new government with conservatives such as Taro Aso, who will keep his post as foreign minister, and veteran Fumio Kyuma, appointed to a second stint as defense chief.
The heir apparent to outgoing Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for about a year, Abe came to office as a champion of the security pact with top ally the United States, revision of the pacifist constitution, a more outspoken foreign policy, and more patriotic education. The new prime minister has some big shoes to fill. Koizumi pushed through major economic reforms, backed a groundbreaking dispatch of soldiers to Iraq, and brought Japanese politics into the modern media age in five years at the helm.
His top challenges will be repairing Japan's deteriorating ties with China and South Korea, maintaining the economy's recovery from a decade-long slowdown, and grappling with troubles related to the rapidly aging population. His government immediately declared that the prime minister - not the powerful bureaucracy - would direct policy. "The Prime Minister's Office should be strengthened as the control center for the whole state," said incoming Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki. "The office will put forward policies based on strategic thinking."
Passengers will be able to carry lotions and gels onto airliners again after a six-week ban - but only in tiny containers of 3 ounces or less and only if they're in clear zip-top plastic bags.
Starting Tuesday, air travelers also will be able to buy drinks or other liquids or gels at shops inside airport security checkpoints and carry them on board under partially relaxed anti-terror rules. If a passenger brings a container larger than 3 ounces from outside, it will still have to be put in checked baggage.
Feature article: For Bush, War Anguish Expressed Privately
and
The Hidden Meaning of 9/11; A "What if" for our military planners.
Commentary: The Week's Revelations
Average Gay Joe has a great post with video: Byzantium 2006 - Putting Quotes Back In Context
A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. --George Bernard Shaw