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News archives for the week ending 30th January 2009

Iraq to rid itself of Blackwater

The Iraqi government has informed the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad that it will not issue a new operating license to Blackwater Worldwide, the embassy's primary security company, which has come under scrutiny for allegedly using excessive force while protecting American diplomats, Iraqi and U.S. officials said Wednesday.

Iraq's Interior Ministry conveyed its decision to U.S. officials in Baghdad on Friday, in one of the boldest moves the government has made since the Jan. 1 implementation of a security agreement with the United States that sharply curbed American power in Iraq.

Washington Post, 28/1/09

Modest goals but more troops for Afghanistan...

Defense Secretary Robert Gates set forth modest goals for Afghanistan on Tuesday, saying that success should be defined as an Afghanistan that is not a safe haven for Al Qaeda, whose people reject the rule of Taliban insurgents and support a legitimate government.

Gates repeated the new administration's pledge to substantially increase the American troop levels there – a near doubling to more than 60,000 U.S. troops is expected – but he said the coordination with allies, development agencies and aid groups needed improvement.

"Coordination of these international efforts has been difficult, to say the least," Gates stated.

International Herald Tribune, 27/1/09

...as puppet government seeks more control

Afghan government said Wednesday that it would seek a 'national decision' on what to be done with international military operations in the country if the NATO-led alliance does not respond to a draft agreement that calls for an end to civilian casualties within the period of one month.

The draft also demands the unilateral operations by international forces to be stopped and the house searches and detentions of the Afghans, which have been so far conducted by NATO-led troops and US soldiers, be shifted to Afghan security forces.

Presidential spokesman Humayun Hamidzada said that if Kabul does not receive any response within one month, it would seek a 'national decision' through a referendum to decide the future role of international forces in the country.

South Asia News, 28/1/09

France prepares to put more troops in Afghanistan

France plans to call home 15 percent of its 13,000 troops overseas, pulling forces out of Chad and Ivory Coast as part of a new doctrine of more selective foreign deployments, Prime Minister Francois Fillon announced Wednesday.

Scaling back will allow France to "regain the needed mobility" for other missions, Fillon said without elaborating. The conservative government's rival Socialists have suggested the reductions are to clear the way to strengthen the French commitment in Afghanistan

Associated Press, 28/1/09

US pays families of Aghan dead

U.S. commanders on Tuesday traveled to a poor Afghan village and distributed $40,000 to relatives of 15 people killed in a U.S. raid, including a known militant commander. The Americans also apologized for any civilians killed in the operation.

The issue of civilian deaths is increasingly sensitive in Afghanistan, with President Hamid Karzai accusing the U.S. of killing civilians in three separate cases over the last month. Karzai has repeatedly warned the U.S. and NATO, saying such deaths undermine his government and the international mission.

As U.S. commanders paid villagers near 15 newly dug graves, Karzai met Tuesday in the capital with relatives of some of those killed. He told the villagers he has given the U.S. and NATO one month to respond to a draft agreement calling for increased Afghan participation in military operations.

Karzai said if he does not receive a response within that time, he would ask Afghans what he should do about international military operations.

Associated Press, 27/1/09

Gates: attacks on Pakistan will continue

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said missile strikes in Pakistan will continue in an effort to root out al Qaeda members. Gates spoke to the Senate Armed Services Committee in his first comments to Congress as President Obama's defense secretary.

In response to a question Gates said the strikes will continue to target terrorists who have based themselves across the border from Afghanistan.

"Let me just say, both President Bush and President Obama have made clear that we will go after al Qaeda wherever al Qaeda is. And we will continue to pursue this," Gates said.

CNN News, 27/1/09

EU removes anti-Iranian group from terror list

The European Union on Monday announced the removal of a high-profile Iranian opposition group from its list of terrorists, a victory for a movement that European governments have described as a dangerous sect and prosecuted on terrorism charges.

The change in the status of the Mujahedin Khalq organization, or MKO, which seeks to overthrow the Iranian government, is likely to complicate attempts by the international community to reach a diplomatic settlement with Tehran over a range of issues.

Analysts said European leaders probably acted out of diplomatic expediency because of the impending expulsion from Iraq of nearly 3,000 members of the opposition group's military wing, who once fought against their homeland on behalf of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Europe may find itself providing refuge for some of those fighters, and could not do so if the terrorist label persisted. The MKO remains on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations, a designation it acquired in 1997.

"The EU plans to use the MKO as leverage against Iran in the nuclear talks," said an editorial Monday in the Iranian daily Politics of the Day. "The EU should tell the world why it blacklists Lebanese and Palestinian resistance groups fighting Israeli aggression but clears the MKO, which has committed countless crimes in Iran and Iraq."

Los Angeles Times, 27/1/09

Netanyahu tells Blair he will expand settlements

The leader of Israel's right-wing Likud party, Binyamin Netanyahu, says he would continue to expand settlements in the West Bank, but not build new ones. The remarks to Mid-East envoy Tony Blair come in the run-up to Israel's general election next month which Likud is favourite to win, polls suggest. Settlements in the West Bank and Golan are considered illegal in international law.

Mr Netanyahu also reiterated his pledge to shift the focus of talks with the Palestinians to economic development rather than statehood. Mr Blair's reaction to Mr Netanyahu's statement is not recorded.

BBC News, 26/1/09

Maliki increasingly authoritarian

Few have as much to gain or lose from the provincial elections on Saturday as Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, whose party is battling rivals across Iraq. The votes will strongly signal how much power Mr. Maliki, an increasingly authoritarian leader, will be able to command. Either the vote will strengthen his party at the local level or it will bolster his rivals, who want to keep more power in the provinces.

For now, Mr. Maliki is trying to reassure Iraqis that while he will be a strong leader, he will also respect local interests. Many Iraqi politicians — even some onetime allies — do not believe him. They fear a return to the sway of a single leader, arbitrary and bloodthirsty, with power concentrated in Baghdad.

Mr. Maliki’s critics have been rattled by his efforts to control the armed forces more directly, a reminder of the days when Saddam Hussein personally controlled a number of special security forces loyal only to him. Mr. Maliki has reshuffled military commanders and created two handpicked military forces that report primarily to him as the commander in chief rather than to the Interior or Defense Ministries.

He has also created tribal councils across the country that are directly linked to his office, which critics fear are stalking-horses to extend the reach of the Dawa Party and make gains in the provincial elections at the expense of his rivals. The councils are often financed by the government and organized by local Dawa members.

ew York Times, 25/1/09

Biden expects more US casualties in Afghanistan...

As the U.S. military under the Obama administration increases efforts in Afghanistan and the surrounding region, there will be more American casualties, Vice President Biden said this morning on CBS' "Face the Nation."

"I hate to say it, but yes, I think there will be," Biden said in response to a question from host Bob Schieffer. "There will be an uptick. Because as the commander in Afghanistan said, he said, 'Joe, we will get this done, but we're going to be engaging the enemy much more.'"

ABC News, 25/1/09

...while Afghanis want US to kill less civilans

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has criticised a US military operation which killed at least 16 people in eastern Afghanistan.

Mr Karzai said most of those killed were civilians, adding that such deadly incidents strengthened Taleban rebels and weakened Afghanistan's government. Women and children were among those killed, Mr Karzai said.

The strike was the first controversy in Afghanistan involving US troops since US President Barack Obama took office.

BBC News, 25/1/09

Council leader will seek prosecution of US troops

U.S. forces killed a couple and wounded their 9-year-old daughter during a raid on their home in Hawija, northern Iraq, early Saturday, U.S. military and Iraqi officials said. The U.S. military said the man was suspected of being part of the militant group Al Qaeda in Iraq, but local officials said he was a retired colonel with no links to insurgent groups.

"I personally know Col. Dhia Hussein; he is one of the former army officers and he was trying to return to the new Iraqi army. He has no affiliations with any armed groups," Hawija Council Chairman Hussein Ali Salih said.

He vowed to seek justice in an Iraqi court for the shootings, in what would amount to a major test of the U.S.-Iraq security agreement that went into effect this month. Iraq regained full sovereignty, including responsibility for security, on Jan. 1. But under the security pact, American troops cannot be brought before the Iraqi judiciary for actions during combat operations.

"We will issue an official complaint to the Iraqi judiciary and demand to try those [involved] according to Iraqi law, since this operation was carried on by a special unit of American forces," Salih said. "It's a hideous crime committed against a family in the Hawija district."

Los Angeles Times, 25/1/09

Elections are test for Iraq

Iraqis vote Saturday in the first nationwide election in three years, choosing provincial leaders in what amounts to a test of Iraq's stability as the U.S. plans to remove its troops. Although the races are local, the stakes are enormous — both for Iraq and the United States.

A credible election without significant violence would show that the security improvements of the past 18 months are taking hold. The outcome will also show which parties stand the best chance of success in parliamentary elections expected by the end of the year.

However, a deeply flawed election, marred by violence and allegations of widespread fraud, would cast doubt over Iraq's future and could influence President Barack Obama's decision on how fast to remove the 142,000 American troops.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, says the Pentagon is closely watching the elections because their outcome "will, I think, be a big indicator for 2009, which is a big year."

Associated Press, 24/1/09

Obama orders Pakistan strikes...

Barack Obama gave the go-ahead for his first military action yesterday, missile strikes against suspected militants in Pakistan which killed at least 18 people. Four days after assuming the presidency, he was consulted by US commanders before they launched the two attacks.

Although Obama has abandoned many of the "war on terror" policies of George Bush while he was president, he is not retreating from the hunt for Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaida leaders. The US believes they are hiding in the tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan, and made 30 strikes last year in which more than 200 people were killed.

In the election, Obama hinted at increased operations in Pakistan, saying he thought Bush had made a mistake in switching to Iraq before completing the job against al-Qaida in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The strikes will help Obama portray himself as a leader who, though ready to shift the balance of American power towards diplomacy, is not afraid of military action.

Guardian, 24/1/09

...as Pakistan calls for change of policy

Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistani president, has called on Barack Obama, his US counterpart, to end American missile attacks in South Asian nation's tribal border regions with Afghanistan.

Zardari's comments were reported in the local media on Saturday, a day after the first US attacks in Pakistan since Obama's inauguration. The foreign ministry said that it had informed US officials of its "great concern".

"We maintain that these attacks are counterproductive and should be discontinued,'' a ministry statement said.

Pakistan has previously criticised their effectiveness and consequent deaths of civilians in such attacks. They also say that the air raids heighten anti-US feeling locally and undermine the government's own attempts at halting opposition groups.

The Pakistani parliament has adopted a unanimous resolution stating that US and Nato attacks would be considered an affront to the country's sovereignty.

Al Jazeera, 25/1/09

Gates: US will be in Afghanistan and Iraq 'for years'

Defense Secretary Robert Gates predicts the U.S. will be in Afghanistan for years to come. In an article in the current issue of Foreign Affairs, Gates laid out the state of the U.S. military -- and how well it is poised to face the future.

Gates, who came to his post under Bush and was asked to stay by Obama, said the ability of the United States to deal with future threats will depend on how it performs in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“To be blunt, to fail -- or to be seen to fail -- in either Iraq or Afghanistan would be a disastrous blow to U.S. credibility, both among friends and allies and among potential adversaries,” Gates wrote.

Gates said the number of U.S. combat units in Iraq will decline over time – “as it was going to do no matter who was elected president in November,” he added. “Still, there will continue to be some kind of U.S. advisory and counterterrorism effort in Iraq for years to come,” he said.

In Afghanistan, however, troop levels will likely continue to increase in the year ahead.

CNS News, 23/1/09