I am Abu-Tariq, emir of the al-Layin and al-Mashahdah sector. We were mistreated, cheated and betrayed by some of our brothers.Those people were nothing but hypocrites, liars and traitors and were waiting for the right moment to switch sides with whoever pays those most.

Last year, many ordinary Sunnis in Iraq had showed their unwillingness to fight. The credit of this goes to Awakening movement started by US force that helped 80,000 Sunnis have joined the tribal groups of concerned local citizens (CLCs).

Well, this is certainly good news, though I would suggest caution. A major reason for a lot of these Iraqi born fighters changing sides is pay. They are simply being better paid. Also, as happened in Bosnia, the foreign jihadis are interfering with their daily lives, enforcing Islamic doctrine at a level which causes resentment among the locals. The craziest part of this is that a lot of these men were in the Iraqi army, which was disarmed, disbanded and the troops sent home to no jobs. Many of them have been recruited for the insurgency, giving them an income and a purpose in life. A l-Qaeda in Iraq was always only 1-3% of the resistance in Iraq. What about the Al-Qaeda in Pakistan? Who want to answer this question. Mr. Bush I expect an answer form you.

Source: Times Online

The radical leader came to media spotlight when he publicly supported Al Qaeda and criticised the invasion of Iraq. US prosecutors charged him of providing support to Al Qaeda by setting up a terrorist camp in Oregon between 1998 and 2000. He is also accused of conspiring the kidnapping of 12 foreigners in Yemen in 1998. But the extradition ruling has opened up a debate of whether London has given into American pressures when it could have dealt with the former imam by itself.

Abu Hamza’s solicitor has cast grave doubts on his client’s future at the hands of the Americans. Mudassar Arani, the solicitor, said:

There are grave concerns about what might happen if the extradition goes ahead. The Americans have said he will not face the death penalty or be sent to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp- but how can we be sure?

Many believe that although Abu Hamza is a hate figure in the UK, extraditing him is not the British way of dealing with terrorists or suspects. But Washington was adamant to get him extradited from London and charge him for 11 counts of offences.

Politically, the extradition would again prove the strong ties that exist between the United Kingdom and the United States of America and although some sections of the British community oppose the ruling by the British Home Secretary, there is a growing evidence that British Muslims would be delighted to see the departure of Hamza. Moderate Muslim communities across the country have accused the one-eyed and one-handed Abu Hamza Al Masri of providing a bad name to whole community through his inflammatory speeches during his tenure as the imam of Finsbury Park mosque.

The American charges carry a potential jail sentence of up to 100 years for Al Masri but most British Muslims do not complain.

Image and Source Link: SMH

By announcing this ceasefire, do the rebels want a long-awaited negotiation and peace? It is tough to predict at the moment but the losses the LTTE have suffered over this past week at the hands of the government soldiers might have prompted the rebel leadership to buy some time to regroup and recuperate. By stressing on the fact that Norway should continue as facilitators, the LTTE is looking to regain some international sympathy for their cause. But military analysts say that the call for ceasefire is more to do on battlefield losses rather than diplomatic. In the recent fighting the Sri Lankan forces have killed 200 rebels, including some top LTTE operations leaders. Intelligence sources have suggested(although the report is yet to be verified officially)that the rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran might have been injured in the Sri Lankan army onslaught.

Many analysts think that the move to call for a ceasefire is a way to put Colombo under pressure to reciprocate in a similar fashion. Mahindra Rajapakse’s government was critised in the international community, particularly by the Indian Government, for withdrawing from the ceasefire but the LTTE sharp move would pressurise the government to stop military actions against the rebels and look for ways to usher in peace. Furthermore, the LTTE is being blamed for the killing of the pro-rebel former Sri Lankan MP T.Maheswaran last week which the former has denied and the ceasefire could be the way to force Colombo into launching an independent enquiry into the killing.

It remains to be seen whether the Sri Lankan government reciprocates the ceasefire offer and it looks that the international community would not want Colombo to miss the opportunity given the humanitarian crisis the civilians of the Tamil-dominated North is facing due to the war.

Image and Source Link: CNN

These US ‘allies’ are also called CLCs (Concerned Local Citizens). They are one of the major causes for the recent decrease of violence in Iraq. Their presence in Diyala province has meant a whopping decrease of 40% in violent incidents. No wonder Laden is angry with them.

His followers, the men of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia seem to have got the hint and have started eliminating the men of Awakening Movement. Their strategy to break the backbone of the movement is two-pronged:-

• Kill the leaders. Recently Al Qaeda killed Colonel Riyadh al-Samarrai, the leader of the movement in Adhamiya province. Earlier they had eliminated Sheik Risa who had first joined hands with the US forces in Anbar province.
• Try to terrify the rank and file of the CLCs by beheading a few of them.

About the first tactic; it does not seem to be working as the death of Risa did not ring the death-knell of the movement. One can say it has really caught on.

About the second tactic, Al Qaeda does not seem to be scaring anyone. Iraqis are by now inured to the violence and a few beheadings is not going to make the CLCs to throw down their guns and beg for forgiveness. One of the reasons is sheer survival. A CLC is paid $300 a month. In a country where unemployment is rampant, the money means a lot.

It is not clear whether Laden is directly giving orders to the Iraqi Al Qaeda or that it is killing US collaborators after they heard Laden fuming about the ‘traitors’.

IHT

If women suicide bombers expect respect from their male counterparts, they are sorely mistaken. It appears that women are being inducted into terrorist ranks to mock the masculinity of Muslim men. Professor Mohammad Hafiz, an expert on Islamic terrorism, informed MSNBC about this startling fact. Women, he points out, are just baits for men to join in increasing numbers into jihadi groups.

Traditional Islamic society prohibits unrelated women and men from mixing, leave alone engaging in any physical contact. This taboo is being used by unscrupulous terrorist groups who are arming women with explosives. Guards in the Middle East and especially Iraq are mostly men. They will hardly ever frisk a woman. So women terrorists have an easy entry where male terrorists have hard times entering.

In 2005, Sajida al-Rishawi along with her husband tried to blow up a hotel in Jordan. Her husband succeeded in blowing himself up but she failed. Her case attracted a lot of attention from the international media at that time. Then there was the revengeful attack by a woman belonging to Saddam Hussein’s Baath party. Her two sons were killed by Iraqi security forces while fighting for the al Qaeda.

Women have been known to periodically rise during peak male militancy. In fact, we have global mythology and history replete with references to the power of militant women. Diana and her female warriors, in Greek myths; the Amazons in South America and the matriarchies run by Sappho and Lesbia, all exalt female power. Are our jihadi women too in the same line? And is there anything new about this entry of women into the ranks of the terrorists?

Pundits declare that this increased recruitment of women show a desperation in militant ranks. The female insurgents are a sign that the numbers of male terrorists are declining. This argument is rooted in a naive patriarchal bias. The ferocity and violence which women are capable of are underestimated. The truth is more chilling.

Women are being inducted into terrorist ranks for two reasons. Women are protected by Islam. Terrorists being only hypocritical sado-masochists show their true colors when they disregard every Sharia injunction by admitting women to their ranks. The male terrorists are not decreasing, but they are getting increasingly afraid of dying. In sync with their policy of oppressing women, they are now asking women to even do the dying for them. Terrorism involves big money and no doubt, the men want to live to enjoy that cash. So women are convenient scapegoats forced to pander to perverted passions.

Pope Benedict XVI has responded to the invitation of Islamic scholars for dialogue. He plans to meet Islamic scholars in the spring. MSNBC quotes the head of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, as remarking that the meeting will have a tripartite strategy. Tolerance, inculturation issues and pro-life activities will be stressed. All this has to be contextualized in the light of Pope Benedict’s past comments on the Islam. He had angered Muslims by quoting medieval sources which condemned the violence in Islam.

The main stream media in it characteristic way presents all this inter-faith talks in such a simple manner that it seems that all conflicts can and will be resolved after round-table talks. In fact, history proves otherwise. Long ago, St. Francis of Assisi had met a Moslem Sultan. Though the latter was deeply impressed by the sanctity of the Saint, yet he did not start liking Christianity any the more for it. Often unfortunately such meetings only buttress differences.

The post Vatican II Church has a very definite agenda for evangelisation. And the present Pope is a stickler for continuity and tradition. For him the Catholic Church represents the Body of Christ, albeit mystical Body. He will never budge from this dogma. The Islamic scholars on the other hand consider the Holy Quran as coming down from Heaven and in fact, an extension of Allah Himself. So the Quran’s message cannot be compromised. They too have their own agendas of evangelisation. Then there are the grassroots problems; we have the fundamentalists of both Faiths. The Islamic Jihadis will want to subvert and foil every attempt by religious leaders to compromise. In fact, this meeting will not yield anything substantial. As it were, both parties are under invisible compulsion to sit down for talks. But their ideologies are so hardened and formed that the depth of the conference could only be in the pleasantries.

Then should we not have peace-seeking inter-religious dialogues? Of course, inter-faith dialogues are important but they should never be held as knee-jerk responses to diplomatic crises. This conference is being held as a crisis management exercise by both the Vatican and the Muslims. They may not now realise it, the outcome of such meetings will determine the real living conditions of the people of both Faiths. The Middle East Peace process may become a victim of such rashly held talks.

Via & Image: MSNBC

They have been living in the country for years, even perhaps for generations. They are normal and law abiding American citizens. But Osama bin Laden’s poisonous version of Islam is beginning to affect them. Let us take two examples.

Reza Taheri-azar, 22, a graduate of University of North Carolina and an Iranian jimmigrant, drove a sport utility vehicle into a crowded pedestrian zone. He struck nine people but, fortunately, none were severely injured. Later he told the police that he wanted to kill non-Muslims because he hated what the US was doing to Muslim countries the world over.

Yaser Abdel Said, 50, A Texan taxi driver of Egyptian origin shot and killed his two teenaged daughters only he disapproved of their seemingly un-Islamic ways; they had non-Muslim boyfriends. This so called honour killing is actually a new phenomenon called “Sudden Jihad Syndrome.”

These developments are bad news for the US and may prove even more harmful than 9/11 in the future. I mean there are so many US citizens who follow Islam and they might all become potential threats to national security.

Laden’s jihadist ideology is spreading gradually even amongst some African-Americans. The case of Kevin James shows that these mini-terror outfits are home-grown with no support from Al Qaeda. These outfits are spawned only by Laden’s preaching.

What is disturbing is that mainstream American media is hesitating to report this new phenomenon, perhaps because it does not want to get labeled as anti-Islamic. But merely turning a blind eye to this growing threat (admittedly minor now) is not going to shoo it away.

The evil has to be nipped in the bud. How? There are no easy answers. The only way would be that the rational and liberal Muslims scholars, Imams and people stand up and be counted. They should spread the real message of Islam, which is of love for all and peaceful co-existence. That would be the best deterrent to the spread of jihadism.

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Al Qaeda is being used by Presidents Musharraf and Bush to distract everyone from domestic problems that plague both countries. Pakistan does not know who to blame for Benazir Bhutto’s death and the US has not yet been able to catch Osama Bin Laden. The al Qaeda can thus be used as a scapegoat. It is possible that al Qaeda has a role to play in Benazir’s killing; yet that does not exonerate Musharraf. It has emerged that Benazir had requested President Musharraf for increased and foreign security for herself. Musharraf had declined both requests. Now he is in a fix. Benazir was a key US ally and her death needs to be explained to the world. So the ever elusive al Qaeda is being blamed. The more sinister possibility is that the blame may be true; in case it later emerges that Musharraf’s regime wanted Benazir Bhutto assassinated.

Reuters reports ex-US internal security advisor Fran Townsend remarking that Osama had been rendered powerless by the US. Thus his terrorist group did not matter anymore. A former CIA agent, Michael Scheuer, thinks that the US has all along underestimated the strength of the al Qaeda. This has led to the swelling in numbers of al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists in North-West Pakistan, especially in the Pashtun region. The Taliban and the al Qaeda have regrouped forces, Scheuer points out. Then why on earth is the US or Pakistan not cracking down on these menaces?

The answers are deceptively simple. The US just cannot find Osama because the regions where the latter is hiding may be inaccessible for US troops. The rugged mountain ranges of Afghanistan and North West Frontier Province in Pakistan have only unfriendly foes. They will never help the US. And President Musharraf knows that once al Qaeda leaders are caught, every unsavoury truth about his regime will be public. All his misdeeds will be in the open. I believe al Qaeda operatives have more honor amongst themselves than Musharraf and his cohorts can ever have. For expediency’s sake Musharraf chooses not to hunt down terrorists in Pakistan. We may never know who killed Benazir Bhutto.

Via: Reuters

Image: Business Innovation

The worst that had been expected by Kenya watchers has happened. Many commentators had said that the country was slowly maturing into a real democracy. They were proved to have been too hasty! The mess that occurred during the presidential elections has awakened the sleeping monster of tribal divide in the country.

Though both Kibaki and Odinga had kept clear of sectarian issues and instead focused on national issues, hidden tribal instincts have surfaced and too with a vengeance. The animosity between Kibaki’s Kikuyu tribe and Odingo’s Luo (and its allied tribes) has its root in history. The real cause of friction is, as usual, unequal distribution of wealth and opportunities of Kenya.

Since the country’s independence in 1963, Kikuyus have dominated Kenya’s politics and economy, though they are merely 22 percent of the populace. The other tribes have long resented this. When after the controversial elections, Kibaki was declared the winner, the resentment burst forth.

The non-Kikuyu tribes feel that their candidate, Odinga, has been denied the victory through cheating. The resulting violence is tearing the country apart. Both the major parties, ODM and PNU, will have to come to the table for talks to defuse the volatile situation. The statesmen in both Kibaki and Odinga will have to rise. This is no time for a narrow vision. Sadly both of them seem to be sticking to their respective stands.

The incompetence (or partiality?) of Kenya’s election commission has unknowingly unleashed powerful tribal animosities, which have the capacity of tearing the country apart. Kenya today resembles Rwanda. It had been touted lately as one of the most promising nation of the Dark Continent.

Image

Timesonline

Benazir Bhutto had degrees from Harvard and Oxford. She spoke fluent and unaccented English. Her looks were patrician and she came out as a liberal humanist in a rabidly anti-feminist Pakistan. In other words, Mrs. Bhutto was the only real challenge and alternative to both President Musharraf and the fundamentalist Right Wing. She may have won the upcoming elections in Pakistan.

This ex-prime minister has been assassinated. BBC reports her being first shot in the neck and then in chest. Then her craven shooter blew himself up, killing 20 more. Bhutto was addressing a campaign rally at Rawalpindi. It is common knowledge that the Bhutto family is jinxed like the Gandhi family in India. Bhutto’s father and brothers have all been assassinated.

Naturally, the needle of suspicion now rests on President Musharraf and her opponents. But it is highly unlikely that Musharraf had orchestrated the murder. At this point of time, Benazir’s death would only make public opinion stronger against him. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), which Benazir headed, is now baying for Musharraf’s blood. May be this is exactly what the real killers have in mind. Who are they?

As things look, Pakistan is a country overrun by Islamic zealots. Amongst them are the Pashtun and Taliban terrorists. Benazir posed two problems to the fundamentalists. She was a woman and terrorists, like cowards everywhere, hate women in power. Moreover, with her western education, Mrs. Bhutto would have never tolerated right wing extremism. Simply put, she loved Pakistan and her people too much to bow to fundamentalists. She had to be silenced.

A light in dark Pakistan has gone out. Now out the dogs of war! She is going to be buried in her ancestral Larkana around noon.
Musharraf has been quick to jump into the public mourning bandwagon. He has declared three days’ mourning in Pakistan.

Via: BBC

Image: Solar Navigator

There are two views to the alleged negotiations. Firstly, with the mounting losses among British NATO forces, the government wants to enter into some sort of ceasefires with the Taliban who seem to be growing in numbers and confidence with every passing minute. Harsh terrain and mounting insurgent attacks are having a toll on the British morale. Furthermore, the British public wants to see the troops back home and public opinion suggests that the country is fighting an endless battle with the Taliban and the Al Qaeda which may take a worse turn in the course of time.

Secondly, some analysts within the British government say that the negotiations were a part of the wider strategy to persuade some armed rebels to give up their arms in return for hefty incentives. The British and the Afghan government want to disband the Taliban internally by making conservative Tribal leaders aware of the fundamentalist group’s threats to the country’s various provinces.

But no doubt, London is concerned about the mounting stress on the Royal army due to the bruising war, particularly after the withdrawal of various coalition troops following domestic pressure and Talibani tactics. It would be of no surprise if the reports turn out to be true and there is every chance that the Afghan government would enter into future talks with the Taliban.

Source and Image Link: Telegraph

Somalia is easily one of the toughest places to live today. More than a decade of hard violence coupled with an irresponsible government playing to the arrogant tunes of the clan leaders lobbying for power and pride has left many millions lifeless. Not many even contemplate leading a life with happiness and satisfaction in the near future. Militants, looters, bandits and security forces are to be seen everywhere. Ever since the Somali government fell in 1991, there has been complete chaos in the horn nation. Turned into a battlefield, there is fighting everywhere. Children hear to gunfire almost everyday.

Problems pile up, hunger everywhere

Hunger, poverty, militancy, civil strife, human rights abuses, food-aid delivery, forced displacement and security of aid workers are major issues here. The economy is so battered that feeding the population is an impossible task. Unfortunately, there is hardly any functioning government, which should ideally address these concerns. To make matters worse, the harvest has failed in Somalia’s Shabelle region, the traditional breadbasket. The country is experiencing its worst drought in 13 years. Though aid has been coming from far off regions, it doesn’t reach the hungry on time.

Health and Education

Women and children suffer the worst in any war-affected region. Many children have stopped going to schools for reasons ranging from militant attacks to hunger at home. A decade of war has done enough to promote illiteracy. Quranic schools remain the only accessible educational option to the many displaced people. On the health screen, Somalia has one of the highest child mortality rates in the world. Early childhood care is a dream here. Even the sick do not get adequate medical attention. Sexual violence against women is also widely reported.

Delivering aid after fighting pirates, sharks, bandits and looters

Shipping food from the fields of western countries to Somali camps has become very dangerous. Sea pirates round up WFP (World Food Programme) ships almost regularly and delay delivery. They attack with modern weapons and hold the containers at ransom. Next comes the problem of docking. There is no port in operation for now and ships are forced to stop a few miles before reaching land. Small boats carry food to the shores where people wait in neck deep water, ruled by hungry sharks, to manually transfer them to camps run by aid workers. The food is then repackaged and transported by trucks to the respective destinations. Check points on the way serve as ideal locations for ruthless bandit attacks. Over a dozen workers have been killed trying to defend the aid. At the destination the looters dominate. When some food eventually reaches the hungry population, it is at least a week or two behind time.

Aid workers continue good work

While freelance violence continues in Somalia, the aid workers have not lost hope and continue to work with people in dire straits. Their own security is often put to test, but for the moment it is only these souls who remain for the displaced. The government is a junk spectator and the clan leaders, uncaring rapists of their own country.

Image Credit: MSNBC Media

News Source: MSNBC

But after ignoring all the geopolitical calculations of all the parties involved, namely Morocco, Algeria, Spain and to a lesser extent US and others, one’s attention is drawn to October 1975 judgment of the International Court of Justice. It had then rejected territorial claims by Morocco and Mauritania and recognized the Saharawis’ right to self-determination.

After such a clear verdict by the world’s highest court it is amazing that the Saharawis are still struggling for freedom. Morocco was in the wrong by slicing up the territory between itself and Mauritania when the Spaniards left. Worse still Morocco also gobbled up the part Mauritania let go.

Spain was at fault too as it buckled under pressure of the “Green March” by millions of Moroccans and handed over western Africa to it, totally disregarding the rights of Saharawis. The present mess is largely the result of these original sins.

Blaming Polisario for violence is like blaming the American settlers for fighting the British in America in the 18th century.

The UN too is to be blamed. It has been half-hearted in its attempts to solve the issue. Its approach to it has been confused and directionless. The UN should decide once and for all whether it should stick to its earlier decision of giving full rights of self-determination to the Saharawis or wash its hands of the matter and letting Algeria, Morocco and Polisario to either talk it out or fight it out.

Image Credits: AlJazeera

Via: IHT, BBC

Iraq’s security might have improved over the recent months due to a surge in US troops in the troubled areas and the strength that Iraqis have shown to stand firm in the face of Al-Qaeda-led extremist terrorism. But is it the true reality? Well, violence is low, but sectarian killings are still widespread across the country as the discovery of torture chambers by US forces reveals.

Despite the reconciliation process, the whole country is heavily divided on ethnic terms and to make matters worse, the threat of Al-Qaeda always looms large. The Al-Qaeda’s torture chambers were discovery in the Diyal province, north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

The province, which borders Iran, is a safe haven for the Sunni Islamic radical group. Due to the security improvement of Baghdad, many insurgent have fled to Diyala, which Al-Qaeda considers to be the Caliphate capital.

According to American military sources, the US and Iraqi security forces find this area difficult to tackle for the simple reason, insurgents hide in neighbouring Iran and could easily crossover to Diyala. The neighbouring provinces of Nineveh, Salaheddin and Tameem are hot beds of Sunni, Shia and Baathist extremism.

One thing that has not helped in improving the situation in Diyala is the fact that Sunnis feel extremely deprived by the political importance provided to the majority Shias by the Shia-led government of Nouri-Al-Maliki and so, ordinary people from the minority sect are vulnerable to Al-Qaeda exploitation.

Furthermore, with Diyala being the base of high-profile Al-Qaeda leaders, the province is proving to be extremely difficult to tackle. Revenge attacks are regular with both Shia and Sunni death squads scouting the region to hunt down respective enemies.

Source Link: FOX News

This is not the era of the late Slobodan Milosevic and that Serbia has lost its political might which the erstwhile Yugoslavia used to possess but still Serbs have enough nationalism and pride to desperately prevent the country breaking up further. When it comes to the question of Kosovo’s status, Belgrade cannot afford to accept the war-ravaged province as outside the Serbian jurisdiction. Over the past few months, the issue has attained unwanted importance for the simple fact that Washington and Moscow has taken it up as a matter of regional supremacy. Russia with its traditional ties to Serbia does not want a Kosovo independence which would then mean a victory for American influence near Moscow’s vicinity and vice-versa.

Despite Russian and Serbian efforts to block any independence, it looks as if the EU and the US would make Pristina declare independence early next year. But a host of uncertainties would remain in the event of an independence declaration. What would be the reaction of the minority Serb population after a Kosovo independence? What would be the Serbian action plan? Can poor and impoverished Kosovo be able to handle the rigours of Balkan and international politics? Would the Balkans return to violent days even if there is a strong UN and EU presence in the region? How far Moscow would go in stalling the European and American plans? These critical questions would get answered only in the coming days given the political puzzle that exists in the region.

What is clear at the moment is that the longer the uncertainty over Kosovo remains, there is a growing threat of a regional security crisis. If independence is the ultimate solution, the international community should ensure a peaceful transition with adequate protection for the vulnerable Serbian minority.

Source Link: IHT
Image Link: BBC