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News archives for the week ending 8th October 2010

Refugees do not plan to return to Iraq

Most Iraqi refugees living in Syria are reluctant to permanently return to their home country, a United Nations survey found.

In the survey carried out by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, nearly half of the refugees cited political uncertainty as a reason for not wanting to return while others blamed unstable security conditions, poor educational opportunities and housing shortages, a U.N. release said Friday.

A similar survey on the Iraq-Jordan border among more than 350 families found none were returning to Iraq permanently, citing similar reasons.

Syria is home to the largest number of Iraqi refugees in the region, with the UNHCR office in the country having registered more than 290,000 Iraqis since the start of the war in their country.

UPI, 8/10/10

Violence increases in northern Afghanistan

The governor of a northern Afghan province that has been increasingly beset by violence was killed Friday afternoon, along with at least 19 other people, when a bomb blast tore through prayer services at a mosque in a neighboring province, according to U.S. and Afghan officials.

Mohammad Omar, the governor of Kunduz, was a regular attendee at the Shirkat mosque in Taloqan, the capital of Takhar province, where he was born and kept a home.

Omar recently warned in an interview on Afghan television that 40 percent of his province was under the sway of Taliban insurgents and that al-Qaeda also operated there. He called for more troops to confront the insurgents.

Washington Post, 8/10/10

US drawdown is 'impossible task'

The U.S.-led war in Afghanistan has now entered its 10th year and President Barack Obama is hoping that next July will mark the beginning of its end. That is when, under the administration's Afghan strategy, U.S. troops are scheduled to begin withdrawing from the country.

But the condition always attached to the withdrawal plan is, "conditions permitting." And with less than one year to go before that target date, analysts say getting favorable conditions to begin a troop drawdown will be tough.

The United States wants to get the Afghan army and police trained to the point that they can take over security duties. It also seeks to "degrade" the Taliban to the point that it is no longer a threat. Washington is pushing the government of President Hamid Karzai to clean up corruption. And it also wants Pakistan to clear out the Taliban and al-Qaida sanctuaries in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas along its border with Afghanistan.

"You can't say a bunch more [Afghan-trained] forces, more counterinsurgency, more accountability [by the Afghan government], and do it all in a period of less than a year," says U.S. Army War College professor Larry Goodson. "Everybody knows that is an impossible task."

Voice of America, 8/10/10

Terror alert 'politically motivated'

A US terror alert issued this week about al-Qaida plots to attack targets in western Europe was politically motivated and not based on credible new information, senior Pakistani diplomats and European intelligence officials have told the Guardian.

The non-specific US warning, which despite its vagueness led Britain, France and other countries to raise their overseas terror alert levels, was an attempt to justify a recent escalation in US drone and helicopter attacks inside Pakistan that have "set the country on fire", said Wajid Shamsul Hasan, the high commissioner to Britain.

Hasan, a veteran diplomat who is close to Pakistan's president, suggested the Obama administration was playing politics with the terror threat before next month's midterm congressional elections, in which the Republicans are expected to make big gains.

He also claimed President Obama was reacting to pressure to demonstrate that his Afghan war strategy and this year's troop surge, which are unpopular with the American public, were necessary.

Guardian, 8/10/10

Britain and France close to deal on servicing warheads

Britain and France are close to agreeing a deal under which British nuclear warheads would be serviced in a French laboratory, the Financial Times newspaper reported on Friday.

Such a deal, being negotiated while London and Paris are both trying to make major budget cuts, would break with half a century during which the two countries have never collaborated on their independent nuclear deterrents.

Citing officials in both countries, the FT said that Britain would pay France to service its 160 warheads at the Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique, which maintains French nuclear warheads.

Britain's submarine-launched Trident missiles are based on U.S. technology and such a deal would involve sharing the system's secrets with France. The FT quoted "a person familiar with the negotiations" as saying that Britain had consulted the United States on the proposed agreement.

Reuters, 7/10/10

British Embassy staff attacked in Yemen

Several people were injured in a pair of attacks Wednesday on another dangerous day for foreigners in the Arabian Peninsula nation of Yemen.

Arab media reported that a shell or missile struck a vehicle carrying five British Embassy staff as it headed toward the embassy in Sana, Yemen’s capital, Wednesday morning.

Separately, employees of the Austrian energy giant OMV were shot by a security guard at the company’s office near Sana.

No one claimed responsibility in either attack, but the incidents coincided with worries about the growth of Al Qaeda in the impoverished and overpopulated country on the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula.

British Foreign Minister William Hague called the attack on the diplomats a “shameful” act that will “redouble Britain's determination to work with the government of Yemen,” which has been accused of exacerbating the country’s problems with its corruption, incompetence and dishonesty.

Los Angeles Times, 7/10/10

Yemen poses increasing security threat

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has struck more often at Yemeni and Western targets since Yemen declared "war" on the group, with U.S. support, after it claimed a failed U.S. airliner bombing in December.

Occasional American missile strikes to back the crackdown have sometimes killed civilians as well as militants - an embarrassment to a government aware of the fiercely anti-U.S. sentiments of many Yemenis in a Muslim country awash with guns.

More than two in five of Yemen's 23 million people live on less than $2 a day. A third do not have enough food for their needs, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute.

The "Friends of Yemen", an informal contact group set up by donor countries in London this year, agreed last month on an aid package encompassing political, economic and security aspects.

"There is high-level recognition within the British government that Yemen poses an increasing threat to regional and international security, and an awareness that security conditions are deteriorating," said Ginny Hill, a Yemen analyst at London's Chatham House thinktank.

Reuters India, 7/10/10

US apologises to Pakistan, as more tankers burn

Since Islamabad ordered the closure of the Torkham border crossing in retaliation for a missile strike that killed two Pakistani soldiers, dozens of fuel tankers have been set ablaze across the country. In some of the attacks, militants rode up on motorcycles to clusters of poorly guarded tankers and firebombed the vehicles, filling the sky with massive plumes of fire and black smoke.

In the last seven days, militants have carried out seven attacks on tankers and trucks bearing supplies for North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces, destroying or damaging more than 90 vehicles and killing at least six people.

U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson apologized to Pakistan on Wednesday for the Sept. 30 NATO helicopter incursion that led to the soldiers' deaths, prompting analysts to predict the Islamabad government may soon reopen the crossing.

NATO acknowledged that its helicopters strayed into Pakistani airspace and fired on a border post, apparently after mistaking warning shots for hostile fire from insurgents.

"We extend our deepest apology to Pakistan and the families of the Frontier Scouts who were killed and injured," Patterson said in a statement. "Pakistan's brave security forces are our allies in a war that threatens both Pakistan and the U.S."

Los Angeles Times, 6/10/10

Afghanistan surge leads to increase in amputations

The number of U.S. soldiers who have suffered amputations in Afghanistan has increased sharply over last year as more troops move into Taliban territory, according to Army data.

Amputations rose from 47 in 2009 to 77 through Sept. 23 of this year, or an increase of more than 60%, the Army reports. The vast majority of amputations involve the loss of either an arm or leg, but a dozen soldiers this year have had multiple amputations, twice the number of such cases in 2009.

At the NATO hospital, doctors amputated a major limb — a leg or arm — an average of once every other day in September, according to Navy Capt. Michael Mullins, a hospital spokesman. The operations included not only U.S. troops, but also NATO troops, Afghan soldiers and civilians, Mullins said.

A recent Pentagon report said IEDs are now the "the most serious threat" to coalition forces, killing 6,200 allied and Afghan troops in fiscal year 2009, compared with 3,800 in 2008.

USA Today, 5/10/10

White House report slams Pakistan

A new White House assessment steps up criticism of Pakistan's campaign against militants, stating bluntly that its government and military have been unwilling to take action against al Qaeda and like-minded terrorists.

The aggressive language of the report—which also criticizes the leadership of President Asif Ali Zardari—could further strain difficult relations with a key ally and undercut support in Congress for providing billions of dollars in aid to Islamabad.

The report, viewed by The Wall Street Journal, also raises questions about the U.S.-led coalition's progress battling the Taliban and improving governance in Afghanistan two months before the White House will review its war strategy.

The administration and Pentagon have until now tried to keep their harshest criticisms of Pakistan private to avoid a public rift, but the report shows growing U.S. frustration, officials said.

Wall Street Journal, 6/101/0

Tensions increase between US and Pakistan

Hundreds of U.S. and NATO trucks carrying fuel and other supplies for troops in Afghanistan lie idle. Dramatic images of Taliban attacks on these convoys are splashed across front pages in this anti-American country with a U.S.-allied government.

Pakistan's shutting of a key supply line for coalition troops in Afghanistan and the apparent ease with which militants are attacking the stranded convoys are shaking an already uncomfortable relationship between Washington and Islamabad.

Although they are allies in the war against al-Qaida, the recent events are a reminder that the two countries' long-term strategic interests are not always in synch. As next year's date for the start of the U.S. drawdown from Afghanistan approaches, that gulf is only getting wider.

The U.S. seeks an Afghanistan free of Taliban fighters and wants Pakistan to help attacking them on its side of the border. Pakistan is hedging that when the Americans go home, the Taliban will still be a major power -- and one friendly to its anti-Indian agenda -- so wants to keep them as friends.

Associated Press, 4/10/10

Troops' tour records 'wiped' in UK

Computer records containing details of troops' activities on operations may be wiped when they return to the UK, the Ministry of Defence has admitted.

The news came out as part of the inquiry into the death of Iraqi hotel worker Baha Mousa. The inquiry into the September 2003 death of Mousa is investigating whether accurate records are kept of troops' movements and orders while prisoners are in detention.

In a statement to the inquiry, MoD departmental records officer Katherine De Bourcier said there was a "significant" risk that data on troops returning from tours overseas could be lost or deleted and would not conform to normal records management procedures.

Phil Shiner, from Public Interest Lawyers, said: "This is absolutely reckless. For them to wipe them all just smacks of cover-up. I cannot believe that there is some benign explanation for bringing computers home and then purging them. It's a bit like chucking them off a cross-Channel ferry."

Defence Management Journal, 4/10/10

Kurds ready to talk with Malaki

Kurdish lawmakers said they would begin their quest to play kingmaker in the formation of a new Iraqi government on Monday with a possible alliance with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki at the top of the agenda.

But the Kurds, whose support could give Maliki the seats he needs for a governing majority, said they would press demands that have often put them at odds with the central government in Baghdad, including the right to negotiate oilfield contracts.

The National Alliance (NA), a merger of major Shi'ite blocs, on Friday announced it would nominate the incumbent Maliki for a second term as prime minister, potentially a major breakthrough in a seven-month political impasse since a March election that failed to produce a clear winner.

While Maliki won support from two major factions of the Shi'ite alliance, his own State of Law bloc and the Sadrist movement of anti-U.S. cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, he still needs dozens of seats in the 325-member chamber to form a majority.

Iraq's semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region, with around 56 seats, is an obvious target for Maliki.

Reuters, 3/10/10

'What about the electricity?'

As the U.S. military prepares to leave Iraq, Iraqis are still asking: What about the electricity?

In 2003, they heard President George W. Bush's promise: "We will help them to restore basic services, such as electricity."

Seven years later, the state's inability to provide reliable power to homes remains one of the most striking signs of the dysfunction that persists here and a nagging source of frustration for ordinary Iraqis.

In the absence of dependable central power, generators - from small gasoline-powered models for individual homes to diesel-driven giants that fuel a neighborhood - churn around the clock in Baghdad and across the country. The hum is everywhere, a constant auditory reminder of Iraq's problems and an unfulfilled American promise.

The power shortages have resulted from corruption, failed development policies, insurgent attacks on installations and a government paralyzed by sectarian political infighting.

Washington Post, 3/10/10

Afghanistan bans mercenary firms

Afghanistan has formally banned eight foreign private security firms, including the controversial company formerly called Blackwater, a spokesman for President Hamid Karzai said on Sunday.

The Afghan government announced in August that it was giving security firms working in Afghanistan four months to cease operations, potentially hitting hard efforts by NATO-led troops fighting a nine-year insurgency in the country.

There are fears the measure could create huge problems for the military and other international entities that depend on the estimated 40,000 employees of private security contractors.

The August presidential decree ordered the 52 private security contractors operating in the country, both Afghan and international, to cease operations by January 1, 2011.

Karzai had accused the security companies of running an "economic mafia" based around "corruption contracts" favoured by the international community.

He has said the firms duplicate the work of the Afghan security forces and divert much-needed resources, while Afghans criticise the private guards as overbearing and abusive, particularly on the country's roads.

AFP, 3/10/10

Shi'ite pact prompts security clampdown

Friday's pact with radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr greatly strengthens Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's chances of securing a second term, but the deal between the Shi'ite heavyweights could once again leave the Sunnis out in the cold.

Some fear that could prompt Sunnis to reactivate the dormant insurgency, undoing three years' worth of American efforts to bring the Sunnis into the political process, and bringing Iraq back to the brink of civil war even as U.S. forces prepare to leave the country by the end of next year.

Sunni leaders have responded angrily to what they see as the ganging-up of the Shi'ites, but nobody has as yet called for a return to arms.

With the U.S. presence now greatly reduced, ensuring the Sunnis stay quiescent falls mainly to the Iraqi military. Eyewitnesses in several Anbar cities report an increased military presence in the streets, in the form of Army patrols and checkpoints.

Here in Fallujah, patrols have been increased dramatically since Friday's announcement. "The message is: 'We are here, watching you, so don't get any ideas'," says Mohammed al-Shabib, sheikh of the powerful Issawi tribe in Fallujah.

Time Magazine, 2/10/10

Iraq stalemate worries US military

Iraq officially broke the dubious world record Friday for going the longest stretch of time without a new government.

As the US military warily eyed the approach of this particular milestone in the wake of the country’s parliamentary elections in March, top US commanders issued increasingly dire warnings this week about what the impasse portends for US troops on the ground.

The commander of US forces in Baghdad, Brig. Gen. Rob Baker, told reporters that he has seen an uptick in violence aimed at Iraqi and US troops, including rocket attacks coming from the infamous militia stronghold of Sadr City. He wondered aloud about the impact this violence might have on, for example, the inclination of local Iraqis to help out security forces by phoning in to a tip line used to track insurgent activity.

Top Pentagon leadership has weighed in as well. “I’m increasingly concerned about [Iraq’s] inability to stand up this government,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen said Wednesday during a Monitor breakfast in Washington. “The politics there are, from my perspective, too slow."

“The longer that lasts, the more I and others worry about what does the future hold,” he added.

Christian Science Monitor, 1/10/10

IMF praises Iraq's economic progress

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has praised Iraq for making "good progress" in reconstructing its economy. It commended it for maintaining macroeconomic stability in the face of difficult security conditions.

The IMF also gave the go-ahead for a $741m (£469m) loan to Iraq. The IMF has lent smaller amounts before, loans that came with the conditions of removing subsidies from manufacturers and farmers.

Iraq relies on oil revenues for as much as 90% of its income and needs funds to rebuild after years of conflict and insurgency following the 2003 US-led invasion.

BBC News, 1/10/10