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News archives for the week ending 18th December 2009

Majority in US oppose the surge

Americans like seeing President Barack Obama finally tackle Afghanistan — even if most don't support his plans.

The latest Associated Press-GfK poll shows the president's marks for handling the eight-year-old war have jumped by double digits — more than half now approve — since he capped a three-month strategy review by announcing a big troop increase. He said he would boost U.S. forces in Afghanistan to 100,000 — and begin bringing them home in July 2011.

But despite his prime-time TV speech explaining how he reached his decision, there was no change in the public's resistance to escalation. Just 42 percent favor sending more troops while 56 percent oppose it, essentially unchanged from November.

Associated Press, 16/12/09

US paying protection money to Taliban

A House oversight subcommittee said Wednesday that it has begun a wide-ranging investigation into allegations that private security companies hired to protect Defense Department convoys in Afghanistan are paying off warlords and the Taliban to ensure safe passage.

"If shown to be true, it would mean that the United States is unintentionally engaged in a vast protection racket and, as such, may be indirectly funding the very insurgents we are trying to fight," said Rep. John F. Tierney, chairman of the House oversight subcommittee on national security and foreign affairs.

Two weeks ago, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton described the same situation before a Senate committee while discussing the truck convoys that bring supplies into landlocked Afghanistan.

"You offload a ship in Karachi [Pakistan]. And by the time whatever it is -- you know, muffins for our soldiers' breakfast or anti-IED equipment -- gets to where we're headed, it goes through a lot of hands," she said. "And one of the major sources of funding for the Taliban is the protection money."

Washington Post, 17/12/09

Zardari faces prosecution on $1.5 billion corruption charges

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down an amnesty that had shielded President Asif Ali Zardari from graft charges, a decision that could imperil the political future of a leader regarded by the U.S. as a key ally in the war on terrorism.

Though not unexpected, the ruling deals Pakistan's 54-year-old president a serious blow at a time when his popularity with Pakistanis continues to sink and calls for his resignation mount. The decision also is likely to draw concern in Washington, where Zardari is seen as a reliable partner in the fight against Islamic extremists.

The issuance of the amnesty nullified several corruption cases Zardari had faced, including a charge that he misappropriated $1.5 billion. In all, at least 8,000 people benefited from the amnesty, including scores of government officials and bureaucrats.

In declaring the amnesty unconstitutional, the high court ordered the government to reopen the criminal cases of all who have benefited from the amnesty. That list includes Zardari, Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Defense Minister Ahmed Mukhtar.

Los Angeles Times, 17/12/09

“They don’t want more Americans here”

Parts of the Pakistani military and intelligence services are mounting what American officials here describe as a campaign to harass American diplomats, fraying relations at a critical moment when the Obama administration is demanding more help to fight the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

The campaign includes the refusal to extend or approve visas for more than 100 American officials and the frequent searches of American diplomatic vehicles in major cities, said an American official briefed on the cases. The problems affected military attachés, C.I.A. officers, development experts, junior level diplomats and others, a senior American diplomat said.

Pakistani officials acknowledged the situation but said the menacing atmosphere resulted from American arrogance and provocations, like taking photographs in sensitive areas, and a lack of understanding of how divided Pakistanis were about the alliance with the United States.

The campaign comes after months of rising anti-American sentiment here and complaints by the military that the government of President Asif Ali Zardari has grown too dependent on a new $7.5 billion, five-year aid plan from Washington. It also appears to be an attempt to blunt the planned expansion of the United States Embassy to 800 Americans from 500 in the next 18 months, growth that American officials say is necessary to channel the expanded American assistance.

“They don’t want more Americans here,” another American diplomat said. “They’re not sure what the Americans are doing. It’s pretty pervasive.”

New York Times, 16/12/09

Miliband 'urgently' moving to avoid prosecution for Israeli war crimes

The government is "urgently" looking into reforming the law after a UK court issued an arrest warrant for former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni. The warrant was granted by a London court at the request of Palestinian plaintiffs, provoking Israeli anger.

In a statement on Tuesday evening Mr Miliband said: "Israel is a strategic partner and a close friend of the UK."

It was the first time a UK court had issued a warrant for the arrest of a former Israeli minister. "What needs to be put on trial here is the abuse of the British legal system," Ms Livni told the BBC. She stood by her decisions during the three-week Gaza offensive which began in December last year, she said.

Palestinians and human rights groups say more than 1,400 people were killed during Israel's Cast Lead operation between 27 December 2008 and 16 January 2009, more than half of them civilians.

BBC News, 15/12/09

US steps up death squad missions

The U.S. military command has quietly shifted and intensified the mission of clandestine special operations forces in Afghanistan, senior officials said, targeting key figures within the Taliban, rather than almost exclusively hunting Al Qaeda leaders.

As a result of orders from Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top U.S. and allied commander in Afghanistan, the special operations teams are focusing more on killing militants, capturing them or, whenever possible, persuading them to turn against the Taliban-led insurgency.

The number of raids carried out by such units as the Army's Delta Force and Navy's SEAL Team Six in Afghanistan has more than quadrupled in recent months. The teams carried out 90 raids in November, U.S. officials said, compared with 20 in May. U.S. special operations forces primarily conduct missions in eastern and southern Afghanistan.

Los Angeles Times, 16/12/09

Miliband continues attempted torture cover up

Lawyers for British Foreign Secretary David Miliband accused two senior judges on Monday of being irresponsible for wanting to disclose U.S. intelligence material related to allegations of torture involving the CIA.

Miliband's lawyers accused two of Britain's High Court judges of "charging in" to a diplomatically sensitive area over the case of former Guantanamo Bay detainee Binyam Mohamed. It follows a ruling by the High Court in October that there was an "overwhelming public interest" to release evidence of his alleged torture while in U.S. detention.

Launching an appeal against that ruling, Jonathan Sumption, the foreign secretary's lawyer, said the judges' stance was "both, in many respects, unnecessary and profoundly damaging to the interests of this country".

"I would go so far as to say their views were irresponsible," he told the Court of Appeal.

Malaysia Star, 15/12/09

Al Qaeda shifting tactics in Iraq

The former U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, blames al Qaeda for Tuesday's coordinated bomb attacks in Iraq, saying al Qaeda is now targeting the Iraqi government. The bombings -- the latest in a series of attacks in Iraq -- killed eight people.

Calling al Qaeda in Iraq a "very deadly adversary," Crocker said that al Qaeda was working "to shake popular confidence in the (Iraqi) government, particularly as we move toward elections."

In Tuesday's attacks, insurgents exploded three car bombs close to heavily guarded sites in the Baghdad city center near the fortified "Green Zone" that houses Iraqi government buildings and the U.S. embassy. Four people were killed and 14 others were injured.

CNN, 15/12/09

Surge of mercenaries to Afghanistan...

The surge of 30,000 U.S. troops into Afghanistan could be accompanied by a surge of up to 56,000 contractors, vastly expanding the presence of personnel from the U.S. private sector in a war zone, according to a study by the Congressional Research Service.

CRS, which provides background information to members of Congress on a bipartisan basis, said it expects an additional 26,000 to 56,000 contractors to be sent to Afghanistan. That would bring the number of contractors in the country to anywhere from 130,000 to 160,000.

The CRS study says contractors made up 69 percent of the Pentagon's personnel in Afghanistan last December, a proportion that "apparently represented the highest recorded percentage of contractors used by the Defense Department in any conflict in the history of the United States."

Washington Post, 16/12/09

...as US exploits African poor

A first batch of young, unemployed people from Sierra Leone departed for Afghanistan and Iraq on Tuesday to start jobs in the war-torn countries arranged by a US firm, a government official said.

The 20 young people were the first of 440 to leave the west African state to take up a variety of roles, including as security guards, drivers and mechanics. The rest are due to leave Sierra Leone on Friday to take up the two-year contracts after being recruited by US firm Sabre International.

An official from the Sierra Leone ministry of labour, which coordinated the programme, said those taking up the jobs had undergone "rigorous training" in preparation. They had participated in "security operations in Freetown about two weeks ago to prepare them for the dangerous terrain" they would encounter, the official said.

AFP, 15/12/09

Pakistan rejects US demands, looks to post-US future

Demands by the United States for Pakistan to crack down on the strongest Taliban warrior in Afghanistan, Siraj Haqqani, whose fighters pose the biggest threat to American forces, have been rebuffed by the Pakistani military, according to Pakistani military officials and diplomats.

The core reason for Pakistan’s imperviousness is its scant faith in the Obama troop surge, and what Pakistan sees as the need to position itself for a regional realignment in Afghanistan once American forces begin to leave. It considers Mr. Haqqani and his control of large areas of Afghan territory vital to Pakistan in the jostling for influence that will pit Pakistan, India, Russia, China and Iran against one another in the post-American Afghan arena, the Pakistani officials said.

Pakistan is particularly eager to counter the growing influence of its archenemy, India, which is pouring $1.2 billion in aid into Afghanistan.

“If America walks away, Pakistan is very worried that it will have India on its eastern border and India on its western border in Afghanistan,” said Tariq Fatemi , a former Pakistani ambassador to the United States who is pro-American in his views.

For that reason, Mr. Fatemi said, the Pakistani Army is “very reluctant” to jettison Mr. Haqqani, Pakistan’s strong card in Afghanistan. Moreover, the Pakistanis do not want to alienate Mr. Haqqani because they consider him an important player in reconciliation efforts that they would like to see get under way in Afghanistan immediately, the officials said.

New York Times, 14/12/09

£150 million to tackle roadside bombs

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has announced a £150m package to tackle roadside bombs in Afghanistan. Following his recent visit to the war zone, Mr Brown told MPs there would be an extra £10m for hand-held mine detectors.

In a Commons statement on 14 December 2009, he also confirmed a package of long term investment in dealing with improvised explosive devices (IEDs) through better training and intelligence.

Mr Brown said his trip to the war zone showed him there was "hard fighting ahead" but 36 allies had now promised additional manpower.

BBC News, 14/12/09

40,000 refugees flee Pakistan offensive

The upcoming military operation in northwest Pakistan's Orakzai tribal agency has triggered yet another wave of people fleeing the conflict, local media reported Monday.

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said the operation in the Taliban base of South Waziristan was successful and the security forces will open new front against militants in neighboring Orakzai region, but he did not set any date for the new operation.

More than 40,000 civilians have shifted to nearby Hangu and Kohat districts even before the prime minister's announcement that the government has a full-fledged military operation on its mind in Orakzai to eliminate the fugitive Taliban leaders.

Xinhua, China, 14/12/09

Afghan turbine project stalled by Taliban

An enormous hydroelectric turbine dragged at huge cost by British troops through Taliban heartlands last year may never be installed because Nato has been unable to secure a 30-mile stretch of road leading to an isolated dam in northern Helmand.

The daring mission to deliver 220 tonnes of equipment to the Kajaki dam in Afghanistan in September 2008 was hailed as one of the biggest success stories of the British Army's three-year deployment in Helmand.

Two thousand British troops took part in the five-day convoy through enemy territory, which was launched because the main road leading to the dam was too vulnerable to Taliban attacks.

Senior British officers privately say the enormous diversion of scarce military resources for the operation allowed the Taliban to make major gains in other critical areas of the province, which subsequently saw some of the most intense fighting between British forces and insurgents.

The dam continues to be besieged by Taliban fighters and, 15 months after the mission by the UK troops, the turbine's components remain unassembled because huge amounts of cement that are required to install the equipment cannot be delivered safely.

Now the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the wing of the United States government which has so far pumped $47m (£29m) into the project, intended to electrify much of southern Afghanistan, says it is packing the turbine parts away and looking for other energy projects to invest in across Afghanistan.

John Smith-Sreen, head of energy and water projects for USAID in Kabul said that CMIC, a Chinese company contracted to install the turbine, "left due to security concerns overnight" when it was clear that the road would not be secured. The agency has not been able to find another subcontractor prepared to do the work.

Guardian 14/12/09

US to expand attacks on Pakistan

Senior U.S. officials are pushing to expand CIA drone strikes beyond Pakistan's tribal region and into a major city in an attempt to pressure the Pakistani government to pursue Taliban leaders based in Quetta. The proposal has opened a contentious new front in the clandestine war.

The prospect of Predator aircraft strikes in Quetta, a sprawling city, signals a new U.S. resolve to decapitate the Taliban. But it also risks rupturing Washington's relationship with Islamabad.

"If we don't do this -- at least have a real discussion of it -- Pakistan might not think we are serious," said a senior U.S. official involved in war planning. "What the Pakistanis have to do is tell the Taliban that there is too much pressure from the U.S.; we can't allow you to have sanctuary inside Pakistan anymore."

But others, including high-ranking U.S. intelligence officials, have been more skeptical of employing drone attacks in a place that Pakistanis see as part of their country's core. Pakistani officials have warned that the fallout would be severe.

"We are not a banana republic," said a senior Pakistani official involved in discussions of security issues with the Obama administration. If the United States follows through, the official said, "this might be the end of the road."

Los Angeles Times, 14/12/09

More money for illegal Israeli settlements

The Israeli cabinet has decided to include some West Bank settlements in a national scheme that will entitle them to millions of dollars' worth of funds. They are being designated as national priority zones, meaning they will qualify for grants, tax benefits, and other forms of aid.

The national priority zones plan is designed to funnel money into deprived areas. About two million Israelis live in those areas - approximately 110,000 of them in West Bank settlements. The international community considers all settlements in Israeli-occupied Palestinian land as illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.

BBC News, 13/12/09

US to announce arms sales to Taiwan

The United States will announce new arms sales to Taiwan before the end of this year. According to the US-based Foreign Policy magazine on Saturday, the Obama administration is getting ready to announce a package of arms sales to Taiwan.

The report said the package includes Black Hawk helicopters, but not F-16 fighter jets or submarines. According to the report, the Obama administration has been extremely careful about the issue of arms sales to Taiwan, for fear of complicating the relations between Washington and Beijing. But the Obama administration has also reiterated that it would adhere to the Taiwan Relations Act, which pledges that the US will help Taiwan defend itself.

China opposes any arms sales to Taiwan. Beijing regards Taiwan as part of its territory even though the two sides have been ruled separately for 60 years.

Radio Taiwan International, 12/12/09

Blair admits weapons were only a pretext

Tony Blair has said he would have invaded Iraq even without evidence of weapons of mass destruction and would have found a way to justify the war to parliament and the public.

The former prime minister made the confession during an interview with Fern Britton, to be broadcast on Sunday on BBC1, in which he said he would still have thought it right to remove Saddam Hussein from power.

"If you had known then that there were no WMDs, would you still have gone on?" Blair was asked.

He replied: "I would still have thought it right to remove him [Saddam Hussein]". Significantly, Blair added: "I mean obviously you would have had to use and deploy different arguments about the nature of the threat."

Guardian, 12/12/09

US puppet struggling in Pakistan

Just 15 months into his term, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari is withering under pressure from the country's military, opposition parties and vocal media critics.

Zardari has proved a reliable U.S. partner, even on actions that are unpopular with the Pakistani public, such as the CIA's campaign of airstrikes targeting Al Qaeda leaders and the Taliban in the tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan.

Analysts say that if Zardari loses a measure of control over foreign and defense issues, the winner is likely to be the Pakistani military, which has a long history of tense relations with Washington.

The 54-year-old president already has ceded several of his most important powers, including the chairmanship of the agency that oversees Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, to Prime Minister Yusaf Raza Gillani. He plans this month to give up authority to dissolve parliament, dismiss the prime minister and appoint military chiefs, leaving him little more than a figurehead.

Los Angeles Times, 12/12/09

US struggles to recruit Afghan police

The challenges with recruiting and training Afghan security forces in unstable parts of the country calls into question the ability to draw down international forces in 18 months. Those Afghans willing to step forward to join are often constrained by outsider status, illiteracy, drug use, as well as lure of higher Taliban salaries and the fear of attacks on their families.

Attracting a better breed of recruit – particularly those native to troubled regions – may require intensive efforts by international troops to improve security.

Christian Science Monitor, 11/12/09

Mercenaries worked with CIA on raids and killings

Highly trained personnel employed with the private security firm formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide sometimes operated side by side with CIA field officers in Iraq and Afghanistan as the agency undertook missions to kill or capture members of insurgent groups in those countries, according to a former government official and a source familiar with the operations.

The actions taken by the private personnel went beyond the protective role specified in a classified Blackwater contract with the CIA and included active participation in raids overseen by CIA or special forces personnel, the sources said.

Los Angeles Times, 11/12/09

Push for more sanctions against Iran

The UN no longer has any reason to wait to consider new sanctions on Iran if it does not respond to concerns over its nuclear programme, France says.

If Iran continued to ignore demands, "we must draw all of the necessary conclusions" and move to sanctions, French Ambassador Gerard Araud said. Iran is already subject to UN sanctions over its nuclear programme, which the West suspects is for military purposes.

US ambassador Susan Rice said that while her country still sought a diplomatic solution to the crisis through engagement with Iran, "time is short".

British ambassador Mark Grant said discussions about fresh sanctions would start "at the beginning of the new year" unless Iran responded positively before then.

Russia however reiterated its position that it was not seeking further punitive measures against Iran. Any move towards a new round of sanctions is expected to involve long and arduous negotiations with reluctant Security Council members, such as China, says the BBC's Barbara Plett at the UN. There is also the question about whether or not agreement could be won on significantly tougher restrictions, she adds.

Iran has insisted its nuclear programme is for purely peace purposes and has warned that further sanctions will be ineffective.

BBC News, 10/12/09

Pakistan calls for US backing on Kashmir

Pakistan's president is welcoming increased U.S. assistance for his country, but says the aid alone will not overcome Pakistanis' mistrust of the United States.

In comments published in The New York Times Thursday, Asif Zardari highlighted Pakistani sacrifices in the fight against terrorism, saying 3,000 Pakistani civilians and 2,000 soldiers and police officers have been killed by militants in the last eight years. But he says there are still American suspicions that his country is not doing everything it can against the militants.

Mr. Zardari says Pakistanis are also wary of American involvement in the region after the 1980s, when the United States helped fund militant groups fighting the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. He said the U.S. involvement and its abrupt end after the Soviet pullout resulted in the current militant violence there.

The president said there are also Pakistani suspicions over Washington's ties to India. Mr. Zardari said Washington should demonstrate neutrality and a willingness to help India and Pakistan overcome their own mutual distrust.

He suggested the United States could increase efforts to mediate the long-running dispute over Kashmir.

Voice of America, 10/12/09