West Asia News and Discussions

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 04 Sep 2009 23:35

Yemen War Expands
Two New Players Sucked in: US and Iraq

The United States pitched in this week with military aid to save Yemen's Salah government from falling to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Barack Obama made this decision after the shocking discovery that Iraq was sending (US-made) weapons to the rebels

War in Afghanistan

Three Reasons Why a US Victory is No Longer on the Cards

The presidential election was a tactical and political flop, Hamid Karzai will be under the thumb of notorious warlord Qassim Fahim, Pakistan is secretly helping Taliban, and support for the war is sinking fast in Washington.

Al-Qaeda Failed in First Try to Off a Saudi Prince

But the Saudi Counter-Terror Machine Is Fatally Penetrated. So Who's Next?
Saudis want to know how their counter-terror chief came to be suckered into a deal with al Qaeda that nearly cost him his life. The Iran-backed revolt in Yemen and al Qaeda strongholds there are impinging increasingly on the kingdom's security.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 05 Sep 2009 15:35

Al Qaeda's threat brings out extra Hamas security forces in Gaza City

According to DEBKAfile's counter-terror sources, the al Qaeda offshoot has already carried out one attack:

On Aug. 30, bombs were set off at two Hamas security compounds in the Gaza Strip.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or claims of responsibility for the attacks on the Ansar-2 prison where the central Hamas command is situated and its internal security headquarters in the former Gaza residence of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whom Hamas deposed in Gaza in 2007.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 05 Sep 2009 21:39

Bomber had half kilo of explosives inside his body

Suicide bomber Abdullah Asiri had inserted around half a kilogram of explosives into his own body to carry out his failed assassination attempt of Prince Muhammad Bin Naif,

Yogi_G · Post by **Yogi_G** » 06 Sep 2009 10:14

70,000 Arab graduates migrate for overseas jobs annually

Dubai, Sep 6 (IANS) Some 70,000 Arab university graduates migrate annually to foreign countries for jobs, while 54 percent of Arab students studying abroad do not return to their native places, resulting in huge economic losses for governments in the region, WAM news agency reported.

Arab countries, which make substantial investments for educating and training youths, lose over $1.5 billion due to migration of graduates for overseas jobs, while recipient countries exploit the refined talent without having to spend on education, a study conducted by Department of Population and Migration Policies of the 22-member Arab League said.

In light of the present economic realities, an opportunity has therefore opened for talent-exporting countries within the Arab World to introduce policies to reverse the trend of brain drain, the study noted.

It urged the Arab countries to formulate measures to create rewarding work and investment opportunities at home to stop the mass migration of graduates for overseas jobs.

Citing statistics obtained from the Arab League, ILO, UNESCO and other Arab and international organisations, it noted that about 100,000 scientists, doctors and engineers leave Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Tunis, Morocco and Algeria annually.

Seventy percent of the scientists do not return home, while about 50 percent of doctors, 23 percent of engineers and 15 percent of scientists move to Europe, the US and Canada.

The study indicated that it is imperative for the talent-exporting Arab countries to learn from previous experiences such as the Non-Resident Indian programme, which the Indian government introduced during the past few years to attract Indian expatriates back home.

The study also highlighted the need to establish a robust network and communication line with immigrant communities abroad to allow the governments of various Arab countries to disseminate information about new opportunities back home.

The skilled and successful entrepreneurs when they return home would help generate domestic jobs, potentially double the national income, consolidate the economy and even help the country catch up with established international job markets, the study added.

Some of the measures the governments can introduce include simplifying the process to set up businesses, offering relaxed regulations, improving living standards and public services, instituting healthier pension and compensation plans, improving national security measures and investing in new infrastructure and development projects, it said.

The Arab region is expected to register a labour force growth of 3.5-4.0 percent over the next 10-15 years. The World Bank estimates that to keep up with that growth, the region will have to create 55-70 million new jobs, WAM reported Saturday.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 07 Sep 2009 17:17

Defence ministry seeks UAE response on stranded plane

The defence ministry on Monday sought a clarification from the UAE over one of its air force aircraft that had been stopped at the Kolkata airport after it was found to be carrying weapons and explosives.

The ministry got in touch with the UAE embassy to check on the China-bound aircraft. Nine crew members of the plane were interrogated at Kolkata's Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport.

The Indian Air Force (IAF), Kolkata Police and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials interrogated the captain and his eight colleagues. On Sunday evening, the crew was deplaned as the aircraft made an emergency landing for refuelling.

The plane, a C-103 Hercules, was stranded at the Kolkata airport till reports last received and the crew members were awaiting clearance from customs officials before resuming their journey to China.

There was no clarity on how long the customs clearance would take. The aircraft was allegedly carrying arms and explosives in violation of a declaration that allowed them to land for refuelling in the city.

According to reports, the chaos erupted as the plane made an unscheduled stop in Kolkata. The huge cache of explosives was found when the customs officials from Kolkata airport boarded the aircraft for a customary check.

Johann · Post by **Johann** » 09 Sep 2009 04:09

Reports of Hezbollah's acquisition of chemical weapons, and and of an explosion at a Hezbollah dump housing said CW munitions.

http://www.upi.com/Emerging_Threats/200 ... 252436648/

Published: Sept. 8, 2009 at 3:04 PM
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Sept. 8 (UPI)

Hezbollah has maintained an ambiguous silence about the report it has had chemical weapons since December 2008, which have been reportedly stored in the Bekaa Valley in northeastern Lebanon, Hezbollah's heartland, and in the south, the main zone of conflict with Israel.

That report was published Thursday by Kuwait's al-Seyasseh newspaper, which opposes the Shiite organization and its mentors, Iran and Syria.

The daily quoted unnamed Western intelligence sources as saying that a suspected Hezbollah arms dump in the southern village of Khirbet Selim that blew up under mysterious circumstances July 14 contained chemical arms.

At least three Hezbollah members died from chemical contamination caused by the explosion, the sources were quoted as saying.

Al-Seyasseh reported that U.N. peacekeepers in south Lebanon found traces of chemical residue in soil samples taken from the site.

The U.N. force has made no comment. But the Israelis have long suspected that Hezbollah, heavily outnumbered and outgunned by Israel's military, was seeking to acquire chemical weapons, as well as air-defense missiles to challenge Israel's long-held aerial dominance.

Despite the alarming reports, Israeli analysts were skeptical that Hezbollah would actually use chemical weapons against the Jewish state.

"Chemical weapons are a doomsday weapon and I don't think Hezbollah will go there," Mordechai Kedar of Tel Aviv's Begin Sadat Center for Strategic Studies told Israel's Media Line agency.

"I can't see them using chemical weapons against Israel because that would be the end of them. Their objective is to create a state, not eradicate Israel. So the war against Israel is merely a means, not an aim in itself."

It should be noted, however, that Hezbollah calls for the destruction of Israel and the "liberation" of Jerusalem.

Its fighters have conducted suicide attacks in the past and are prepared to do so again. But if Hezbollah used chemical weapons against Israel or its military, that would provoke massive retaliation that could devastate tiny Lebanon.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 09 Sep 2009 14:50

UAE apologises for aircraft row, India assures early release

In a statement released on Tuesday, the ministry said the plane's captain had told Indian customs the plane was carrying arms, ammunition and explosives, but that these had not been mentioned in an initial application.

Authorities at the airport in the country's east held the plane for further investigation.

"The UAE authorities both here and in Abu Dhabi have since formally regretted the omission in clearly indicating items carried by the aircraft and have described it as a 'technical error'," the statement said .

"In the light of the above, the matter will be resolved in the spirit of the close and friendly ties between India and the UAE, and we will facilitate early release of the aircraft."

The detention of the aircraft, that entered its third day on Tuesday, was threatening to turn into a diplomatic row till the UAE authorities apologised.

Emirati Press

The Indian customs authorities found a cache of ‘undeclared’ arms and ammunition on board the plane that has been stranded since Sunday night in the eastern city, where it had landed for refuelling. The aircraft’s crew when questioned by the customs authorities said that the arms consignment was on a ‘schedule transit’ to Hanyang in China from Abu Dhabi.

Earlier, the UAE Foreign Ministry’s Director General Juma Al Junaibi, in a statement issued to the WAM news agency in Abu Dhabi late on Monday said the ministry “is in constant contact with the Indian government to follow up the issue.”

He also stressed the deep-rooted relations between the UAE and India and reiterated UAE’s respect for the  sovereignty of India.

Top government authorities were quoted in Indian media reports as saying the arms consignment was not declared to the customs officers, apparently because of some ‘communication gap’ on the part of the UAE authorities.

India’s customs rules say that if an airplane is carrying such a consignment, and seeks permission to land in India for refueling or any other technical reason, it requires a ‘military clearance’ for transit and  not a ‘civilian clearance’.

“The UAE airplane did not make such a declaration. The plane was undergoing routine check when it was found that there were arms and ammunition on board,” a Ministry of Defence spokesperson was quoted in media reports. Meanwhile, according to an agency report, India’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday it would help bring about the quick release of the UAE air force plane.

Egypt ammo on UAE aircraft?

KOLKATA: Part of the cargo that the UAE Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft, now parked in a remote bay near hangar 14 at Kolkata airport, could be ammunition procured from Egypt. This was allegedly being transported to Xiangyang in China.

This was revealed in a document that the customs department seized from the crew of the aircraft during interrogation. According to this document, an agreement exists between China and UAE through which, the former supplies weapons in return for ammunition from Egypt.

While this may have solved the mystery behind the ammunition in the cargo hold, officials are still not sure about the contents of three metal boxes that were also found. While the crew said that these boxes contained explosives, no details were provided as to their nature. In its report, the customs department has clearly mentioned that the cargo is hot'. This implies that it consists of ammunition and explosives.

In a statement released in Delhi by the external affairs ministry, it has been confirmed that the aircraft is carrying weapons which include "combat" missiles.

The unknown cargo has led to an impass? as India cannot be party to transit or proliferation of any banned material' through its soil. "If the goods in the boxes are illegal, diplomatic immunity will not work despite the friendly relations between the two nations," a source said.

If UAE refuses to disclose the mysterious contents, India may have to cancel the flight plan of the aircraft to China and escort' it back to the edge of Indian airspace over Arabian Sea. Indian Air Force fighter jets may do the escorting through Indian territory. According to defence ministry sources, they have not yet received any instructions to clear the aircraft.

Even as the UAE embassy is trying to pass off the incident as just a faux pas by an inexperienced employee, Indian authorities are trying to find out why the aircraft chose this particular flight path on its way to China.

"The aircraft could easily have flown across Pakistan and the area bordering Afghanistan into China. Did it avoid that route as US forces are active in the area?" an officer wondered.

Indian immigration authorities made it clear on Tuesday that the nine persons who landed in trouble after touching down at Kolkata on Sunday evening could leave if they wished to. But they would have to
take a commercial jet instead of the C-130 Hercules. The team, all confirmed as UAEAF personnel, have
refused to leave the country without the aircraft.

The nine-member team has been stranded in Kolkata for over 60 hours now following the aircraft's seizure by Indian Customs officers on charges of issuing false declaration.

Army intelligence officers are probing the role of a Delhi-based private agency that had made the flight arrangements and organised ground handling by Air India during its touchdown in Kolkata.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 09 Sep 2009 17:26

Rumour has it that Lebanese President Michel Sulaaymaan is co-ordinating every move with KSAintel cheef Muqrin.

shaardula · Post by **shaardula** » 09 Sep 2009 18:51

isn't the direction of movement of goods wrong? isnt taking weapons from uae to china like taking coal to new castle. wonder who was it meant for?

uddu · Post by **uddu** » 09 Sep 2009 19:13

If the aircraft is allowed to leave, then the cargo need to be seized. If the crew has objection, then it's better to jail them.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 09 Sep 2009 19:48

uddu wrote:If the aircraft is allowed to leave, then the cargo need to be seized. If the crew has objection, then it's better to jail them.

Better to jail them? Don't be silly. Besides IB have interrogated the people and the thing is, the customs folks asked the Pilot himself, what was in the cargo, the pilot replied it contains explosives etc. I dont think there was foul play. Pilot wasn't lying, but the forms weren't done correctly. But customswallah said you didn't declare it before. Its just a stupid mistake. Immigration have said that the crew are free to leave. Its a good time to tell Abu Dhabi that as a gesture of good will, they should transfer terror suspects from DXB (subject to HH Sh. Mohd of Dubai).

Johann · Post by **Johann** » 10 Sep 2009 00:11

For those who followed the rumours of Bandar's house arrest -

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cf ... 9090348693

JEDDAH – The tenure of Prince Bandar Bin Sultan as Secretary General of National Security Council was extended by four years Wednesday.

King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, issued a Royal Order for the extension. Prince Bandar holds the rank of minister.

There's no question however that Bandar's father, the Defence Minister Prince Sultan is quite sick, which imperils his ability to succeed King Abdallah.

It is also clear that Prince Nayef the Interior Minister is using both Sultan's illness and the recent assassination attempt on Nayef's son (via perhaps the most spectacular case of indigestion in history) to bolster his candidacy for heir to the throne.

This is not necessarily a good thing for anyone. Abdallah has recognised that it isnt enough to arrest jihadis, but that it is important to curb the power of state-funded theological fanaticism within Saudi society. Moves have included attempting to shift Saudi state support to mainstream Sunni theologians as well instead of solely relying on Salafis. Nayef is against breaking the 300 year old Saud-Wahhab alliance.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 10 Sep 2009 00:26

Johann, hasnt Prince Nayef already been selected as the number 3 in the line?

a_kumar · Post by **a_kumar** » 10 Sep 2009 00:49

shyamd wrote:
uddu wrote:If the aircraft is allowed to leave, then the cargo need to be seized. If the crew has objection, then it's better to jail them.
I dont think there was foul play. Pilot wasn't lying, but the forms weren't done correctly. But customswallah said you didn't declare it before. Its just a stupid mistake. Immigration have said that the crew are free to leave. Its a good time to tell Abu Dhabi that as a gesture of good will, they should transfer terror suspects from DXB (subject to HH Sh. Mohd of Dubai).

Guess very few of us are in the know.. In which case, I would argue that we should err on the side of Indian interests. There is a continuous trickle of these incidents and very little deterrance. Even if in the remote chance that this was innocent, improper handling of this will only send a wrong signal.

I think India needs to set a strong precedent. They shouldn't even publisize such incidents, until all the "illegal" cargo is confiscated instead of waiting for permission to investigate the "unknown cargo".

It would be great if fear of God put in them for the "innocent mistake" that they profusely thank the GoI for letting them go,even without the cargo. Going outside the orbit of civil society, "Goodwill" is often gained by making somebody shit in their pants first and pardoning them, rather than by being nice guys.

Imagine what would happen if somebody was caught with some ganja in UAE!!!!

Johann · Post by **Johann** » 10 Sep 2009 02:08

Significant revelation regarding the MV Arctic Sea incident - the first reports on secret, possibly unauthorised Russian shipments to Iran came from within Russia. This appears to be corroborated by Israeli sources, which also claim Israeli involvement in the interception of the shipment.

This would be in keeping with the heightened levels of covert Israeli preemption seen in Syria, Lebanon and Sudan in recent years.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8247273.stm

Israel was linked to the interception of the missing cargo ship Arctic Sea last month, a senior figure close to Israeli intelligence has told the BBC.

The source said Israel had told Moscow it knew the ship was secretly carrying a Russian air defence system for Iran

...the Israeli source told the BBC that the piracy story was a cover and that Israel told Moscow it was giving officials time to stop the shipment before making the matter public.

...Israeli media are linking the Arctic Sea incident to reports in the Hebrew language daily Yediot Aharonot of a clandestine visit by Mr Netanyahu to Moscow on Monday.

The prime minister's office insisted that he had been visiting a "security installation inside Israel".

Just to look back; http://en.rian.ru/russia/20090810/155776150.html

MOSCOW, August 10 (RIA Novosti) - A Russian maritime expert said on Monday that "something extraordinary" must have happened to a cargo ship that went missing off Portugal's Atlantic coast.

The Russian maritime journal Sovfracht reported on Sunday that the Arctic Sea dry cargo vessel, expected to arrive at the Algerian port of Bejaia on August 4, was missing.

It said "the vessel literally disappeared on July 28: there has been no communication, and neither the ship-owners nor the relatives [of the crewmembers]...have any information about its whereabouts."

...On July 24, people who claimed to be police stopped the Arctic Sea in the Baltic Sea, tied up the crew and searched the vessel for 12 hours. The Arctic Sea resumed its voyage after they left the ship.

***
Shyam, there's nothing official yet. Nayef has been 2nd dy. PM since earlier this year, but right now *no one* has been appointed Crown Prince yet by the 'allegiance council'. That means next in line is up for grabs, so Nayef has every incentive to campaign for the position.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 10 Sep 2009 22:06

Again, people must commend the Mossad for their sophistication and innovative intelligence operations. Its a credit to the management/political leadership that allows their subordinates to come up with creative solutions to protect their country.

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Johann, I thought the fact that Nayef was elected as 2nd deputy was pretty much saying that he was number 3. Didn't the allegiance council appoint him as the 2nd dep PM?

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Watched an interview on Al Jazeera with President Abdullah Al Saleh of Yemen. Very interesting thoughts on the Houthi war that Yemen is fighting. He explained why KSA, Egypt are pointing fingers at Iran for giving weapons to the Houthi's. Saleh was smart(didnt say directly that Iran is responsible) and said Yemen is not blaming the Iranian govt but there are certainly individuals who would like to see the govt support the Houthi. Iran has approached Yemen to mediate. So Saleh said the GCC is suspicious with Iran, because if they are offering to mediate then they must have a connection with the Houthi rebels. He said they have received confirmation from the Arms dealers themselves that the Houthi are receiving weapons via the sea route in the Red sea and nearby. They are looking at Iran. He also said that they are going to Qatar to seek some mediation on the issue.

He also said there has been no support given by neighbouring states. He is trying his best not to point the finger at Iran, probably because Iran is acting friendly.

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Lebanon PM-designate Hariri quits

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Corruption rules in Saudi jails

............A young man from Islamabad, a welder, had been offered a job in Medina but on his arrival was told that the factory had been relocated – some 50km down Tabuk highway. It was the middle of nowhere, the factory was an illegal set-up and this welder was the only worker. The little water and food that was delivered fortnightly he had share with the camels and goats.

He tried to talk things over with his employer but it didn't work out. One moonlit night the welder decided to call it a day, walked through the rugged terrain, reached the highway, hitched a ride and surrendered to the police. For a small fee of 500 riyals the police agreed to deport him. Six months have gone past but the welder is still waiting for a passage to Pakistan............

In Jeddah prison I met hundreds of inmates from Burma (Myanmar). Thousands of Burmese Muslims from Arakan – often called Rohingyas – were offered permanent residence in Saudi Arabia by King Faisal but with the change of rulers in Riyadh the rules underwent a change too. The haven of peace that was offered to these refugess is now nothing less than a chamber of horrors.

Sudanese, Nigerians, Erirteans, Ethiopians and Somalis usually go to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage but with turmoil back home they overstay, do odd jobs, get caught and get deported. African inmates are usually the ones most aware of what's happening around the world. I spotted a number of "Man United for the Cup" graffiti.

Going back to "business" in Saudi prisons, the Burmese Muslims – having been there for around three years – had developed a good working relationship with the guards. They sold soap, shampoo, razors, trousers, shirts, painkillers, toothpaste and other items. Then there were "restaurants" offering biscuits, tea and coffee. Dare-devil young men would recharge mobile phones – for a fee of 10 riyals – by tapping into the electricity wires.

-------------------------------

pgbhat · Post by **pgbhat** » 11 Sep 2009 05:24

660 Chinese workers embrace Islam in KSA AoA!!

MAKKAH: Six hundred and sixty Chinese nationals working on the Haramain train construction project have embraced Islam in a ceremony in Makkah.

Abdul Aziz Al-Khudhairi, Makkah Governorate Undersecretary, who witnessed the declaration of the shahada described the event as a “direct response to critics of the government for contracting Chinese company.”

“We received hundreds of letters opposing the signing of a contract with the Chinese company and demanding that Muslims be contracted,” Al-Khudhairi said. “Six hundred and sixty of them have now embraced Islam.

Now those who were calling for them to be dismissed are happy at their embracing Islam.

The numbers will also go up, as this is only the beginning, and represents around ten percent of the 5,000 working on the Haramain train.”

Al-Khudhairi demanded that “our conduct reflect the teachings of our religion and our words should match our deeds to have an effect on people”. “We must also respect human rights,” he added.

Meanwhile, as many as 2,722 people have embraced Islam at the Cooperative Office for Call, Guidance and Awareness of Communities in Al-Taif Governorate.

The Office’s Director General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Ibrahim Al-Sawat pointed out that the office has also distributed during that period 1,247,694 copies of the Holy Qur’an, religious books and pamphlets as well as 225, 901 religious cassettes.

Johann · Post by **Johann** » 11 Sep 2009 11:34

- Shyam, he has it the day he is appointed Crown Prince, not before.

- Israel's covert action programmes have had many remarkable successes, but they have not been able to stop three major developments
+ The ability of Palestinian tanzims to mobilise Palestinians within areas of Israeli control
+ Hezbollah's emergence as a coherent, well armed military opponent
+ The progress of Iran's uranium enrichment and missile programmes

It isnt because they didnt try hard enough - simply that the resources and will behind each of these three developments were too large for covert action alone to stymie.

kmkraoind · Post by **kmkraoind** » 11 Sep 2009 21:24

Khamenei Says Iran to Combat Opposition If Threatened

Is something brewing or just "Friday sermon" bluff?

Major powers call urgent nuclear talks with Iran

a_kumar · Post by **a_kumar** » 11 Sep 2009 23:12

pgbhat wrote:MAKKAH: Six hundred and sixty Chinese nationals working on the Haramain train construction project have embraced Islam in a ceremony in Makkah.

......

The numbers will also go up, as this is only the beginning, and represents around ten percent of the 5,000 working on the Haramain train.”

Interesting..... Who's using who?

Akshut · Post by **Akshut** » 13 Sep 2009 22:32

Apologizes if already posted...
.
ECO Meet, on 11 March, 2009, in Tehran.
.

.
What's wrong with the map?
.
Paki map does not cover full Kashmir, so IMO it's not a Paki trick. Also the color of Kashmir is different from rest of India(light grey vs. dark grey).
.
Any

about what it signifies, and what is South Block doing when maps are being altered world over?

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 15 Sep 2009 00:17

Lots to report regarding HM Sultan Qaboos's visit to Iran and US policy towards Iran. Will post details when get time.

Arab news is KSA backed and is said to be the mouthpiece of Prince Salman.
GCC ministers call for cementing relations with Iran

Omani Foreign Minister Yousuf Abdullah ibn Alawi chaired the meeting, which was also attended by GCC Secretary-General Abdul Rahman ibn Hamad Al-Attiyah. Established in the early 1980s, the council includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain.

“All countries of the region should be committed to the principles of good neighborliness and the policy of noninterference in the internal affairs of each other,” the council said in a communiqué at the end of the meeting.

The council also praised the positive results of Chairman of the GCC Summit Sultan Qaboos of Oman’s recent visit to Tehran, adding that it would further enhance security and stability in the region.

.....
The council also lent its support to the sovereignty of the United Arab Emirates over three islands that both the UAE and Iran claim and called for a peaceful settlement to the dispute.

Meanwhile, Al-Alawi told reporters at the end of the meeting that the council had decided to dispatch GCC Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah to Yemen for consultations with officials there. The Yemeni government is currently fighting Shiite rebels in the north. The secretary-general will also present a report on the results of his visit to the council.

Asked about the attitude of the GCC countries toward the recent incidence in Iran following the presidential elections, Al-Alawi said what was happening in Iran is an internal affair and that GCC countries would never meddle in Iran’s internal affairs.

Rumours that Prince Saud is quite ill too
Saud undergoes spinal surgery

JEDDAH: Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal has undergone a successful spinal surgery at a hospital in the United States, a Royal Court announcement said on Saturday, adding that the prince would return to the Kingdom shortly after completing the convalescence period. The Saudi Press Agency said Prince Saud had surgery on the vertebrae in his neck. Prince Saud has been the Kingdom’s foreign minister since 1975.

-------------------

A settler tosses wine at a Palestinian woman on Shuhada Street in Hebron. The approach of some settlers towards neighboring Palestinians, especially around Nablus in the north and Hebron in the south, has often been one of contempt and violence.

Posted in NYTimes.

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 15 Sep 2009 01:05

Akshut wrote:
What's wrong with the map?
.
Paki map does not cover full Kashmir, so IMO it's not a Paki trick. Also the color of Kashmir is different from rest of India(light grey vs. dark grey).

The China territory links with Pakistan under Pakistan and also along the border of Pak and India upto Rajastan
http://www.ecosecretariat.org/Countries/map.htm
http://www.danstopicals.com/errors265.htm

SCN 2917

The flags at the top of the stamp are from left to right: top row-Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgysztan; bottom row: Pakistan, Takjikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan. The map appears to have been taken directly from http://www.ecosecretariat.org/Countries/map.htm. The only differences are the color of the small area intruding into Pakistan and titled "Disputed territory of Kashmir," which appears in a light blue on the stamp and a medium brown on the source, and the small print in the light blue area of the map which says "Persian Gulf." The logo in the lower right corner is the symbol of the ECO. The Pakistan value of the stamp is Rs.10 (10 Pakistani Rupees.)

http://www.danstopicals.com/postal_authorities.htm

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 15 Sep 2009 03:42

Quick message: It appears that the US has started to move assets out of Qatar. Probably because Sheikh Hamad hasn't heeded to the US warnings on relations with Tehran. The Al Udeid Airbase equipment is moving to Ali Air base in Iraq. While the US is scaling down forces, looks like Obama is building up his assets in Iraq at the same time.

This is due to the Qatari moves close to Tehran apparently.

This means, Qatari's are going to look to someone to fill that gap. India might be the ones to fill in the gap.

Will post the details and my analysis later.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 15 Sep 2009 23:29

Obama prepares to launch new Middle East program
DEBKA-Net-Weekly Exclusive
September 15, 2009, 8:05 PM (GMT+02:00)
US president Barack Obama's reviewed and revamped policy steps for the Middle East, including Iran - compiled after a series of false starts - are finally ready to go. But will they work?

Still under tight wraps, Obama's revised program for the region's crises gets its first world airing in the coming DEBKA-Net-Weekly - out next Friday.

US commando raid in Somalia kills top al Qaeda terrorist wanted for US embassy bombing

Saleh Ali Nabhan, 28, was sought for 11 years on suspicion of taking part in al Qaeda's 1998 attack on the US embassy in Kenya, in which 300 people were killed including 13 Americans, four years later, orchestrating the 2002 bombings of a Mombasa hotel, which left 12 Kenyans and three Israelis dead, and firing a missile at an Israeli airliner carrying tourists to and from Kenya - and missing.

Accounts of the US raid are still confused. Some Somali sources described six helicopters as Monday, Sept. 14 attacking two vehicles in the southern Somali Barawe district, which is controlled by Islamist al-Shabab rebels fighting Mogadishu. Somalia has had no effective central administration since 1991.

A US official confirmed that special forces were flown in by helicopter from a US Navy ship offshore in the Indian Ocean and fired on a vehicle reported to be carrying Nabhan. The body believed to be his was removed.

DEBKAfile's counter-terror sources confirm that the raid was carried out by special forces of the new US African Command - AFRICOM, commanded by Gen. William Ward. Its main mission now was and remains to capture or kill al Qaeda's senior commander in East Africa and the Horn, Muhammad Fazul, who has come very near to being caught more than once in recent years.

Some witnesses of the raid said the helicopters and commandos were French, although the French military denied any involvement in the helicopter raid. The al-Shaba, which is closely linked with al Qaeda, are holding one of two French agents kidnapped in July. The second managed to escape. The US and France both have troops stationed in neighboring Djibouti.

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OVL, partners drop plan to develop Iran oil field

China interested in IPI, India can rejoin: Iranian envoy

pgbhat · Post by **pgbhat** » 15 Sep 2009 23:32

^^^
I thought they were french spec ops/DGSE off djibouti.....

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 16 Sep 2009 21:05

Sarkozy accuses Iran of hiding nuclear weapons program which threatens Israel

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IOL states that KSA is playing Moscow off Washington. US has done a lot to damage KSA national interest by installing a shi'ite govt in Baghdad. KSA is now going to become less reliant on the US. This is also happening in the education field, they are not going to appoint many americans and send some students to the US. They now prefer the UK, as the Saudi students who are educated in the UK are adding more value. They are also negotiating deals with the Indian govt with regards to higher education.
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Kuwait is also thinking along the same lines as KSA, the royal family feel that they are over reliant on Washington.

India is going to have the biggest opportunity to extend its sphere of influence massively in the ME over the next 5 years and position itself as a powerful power.
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Yemen's leading anti-terrorist agency recently informed several Western foreign ministries and the Gulf countries that the strategy of Jihadists operating in his country is to sneak as many Islamic radicals into Saudi Arabia as possible.
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KSA Defence minister Crown Prince Sultan is keeping a very close eye on operations against the Zaidite rebels from his palace in Agadir, Morocco where he is recuperating.

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Nouri Al Maliki is installing all his friends in high places. Rumour has it that he is setting himself up to become the next Saddam. He is developing his own loyal army group.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 17 Sep 2009 16:21

Distance lessons in terror

Illus: P K Job
M P Prashanth
First Published : 17 Sep 2009 01:19:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 17 Sep 2009 07:58:07 AM IST

KOZHIKODE: The distance education centres of some universities in Kerala, situated in west Asian countries, have become recruiting centres of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

Sources told Express that some of these centres were managed by C A M Basheer, one of the most wanted terrorists operating from the Gulf countries. He recently shifted his base from Sharjah to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia when the intelligence agencies tracked down his hub. Security agencies suspect that Basheer still frequents the state using a Canadian passport. Sources said the SIMI network was very active in West Asia.

Youngsters who join the distance education institutes are lured into the network. They later become modules of the network which operates in India with the active support of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Harkat- ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI).

It may be recalled that the the email message sent to some media organisations in the state from an obscure outfit called Malabar Mujahid had its origin in Sharjah.

The sender, who introdued himself as the commander of the outfit, threatened to orchestrate blasts in Kerala if the demands of the organisation were not met. Sarfaras Nawas, who was picked up from Muscat for his involvement in the Bangalore blasts, has detailed the working of the SIMI network in the Gulf countries. (We really have to thank His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, Lt. General Malek Bin Sulaiman Al Ma'amari (head of the Royal Police in Oman) for shutting down the Lashkar network in Oman and handing over Sarfraz Nawaz)

It was the Malayali SIMI network in the Gulf that enabled him to contact the Lashkar operatives and seek their help for operations in India.

Security agencies have identified another SIMI activist from the State who is a vital figure in the terror network.

A former student of a private college in Malappuram, he was the one who arranged a meeting of bomb expert E T Sainudheen and Indian Mujahideen leader Riyaz Bhatkal at Kuttippuram in Malappuram. It was after the meeting that Sainudheen made the bombs suspectedly used in the Delhi blasts in 2008. The person believed to have shown the path of jihad to Sainudheen is now operating from Dubai. (You will not get this guy arrested. Sheikh Mo is not supportive of India's anti terror drive. Only way I suppose is Gandhi scions speak to him whom he deeply respects.)

The non-cooperation shown by some of the governments in West Asia is proving a major hindrance in busting the SIMI modules there. (i.e KSA, UAE)

Many of the governments are hostile to Indian intelligence agencies, who work through diplomatic channels.

The leaders of the module operate in these countries for years with complete impunity.

I also wanted to bring to the attention to readers, that Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman did not offer congradulations to TSP on its independence day, but gave a big message to Shri Pratibha Patel on India's independence day. This coming from a country that sends cables of congradulations even to Kim Jong Il!

Handing over Sarfraz Nawaz has almost stemmed the flow of money from GCC into India.

CAM Basheer was operating out of Sharjah with fake ID papers. I don't think that the Canadian govt provided Basheer with a passport, many of the gulf nationals especially in the UAE/KSA live and have obtained Permanent residency in Canada and some have citizenship there too. Its easy for someone to alter a passport after a point. Sounds like Sharjah authorities probably told him to leave after India enquired into his presence there. Now MMS is expected in KSA sometime this year I believe. So, perhaps you might see some friendly gestures then.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 18 Sep 2009 00:15

Finally found a bit of time, to give my analysis on Iranian developments. I had remarked that His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman had visited Iran in July - August just after the elections of Ahmadinejad. It appears that His Majesty was on a mission on behalf of the US. His Majesty was sent to ask the Iranians if they would like to openly meet the US. A negative or NO reply would set in place a list of things that Obama had planned.

I had also pointed out the heightened activity between Oman and Iran, with the Iranian FM travelling to Oman 3 times in the space of a few months, vis a versa for Oman FM.

Here is the DNW analysis:

An Iranian rebuff would carry a price

At the same time, the US administration signaled that a rebuff would carry stiff penalties. Sending Sultan Qaboos away empty-handed, namely with a negative reply or no a date for negotiations to begin, would set in motion a negative process consisting of four steps:

First: Last week, a string of top security and intelligence US officials, led by defense secretary Robert Gates and national security adviser James Jones, touched down in Israel for conferences on a coordinated bid to build up the military pressure on Iran.

(More details about US military planning appear in a separate item in this issue.)

The week was capped on Friday, July 31, with the arrival of Saudi foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal in Washington.

Although Saud confined his comments after talking with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to a blunt rejection of the US President's request for ties with Israel, his closed-door meetings with US officials and military and intelligence officers focused on Riyadh's real worry, Iran and its nuclear drive. He was given a briefing on the White House's new three-point policy on Iran, best defined as: First: Political engagement, Second: Sanctions, Third, but not last: Military Confrontation.

Monday, August 3, the Pentagon announced through US Air Force spokesman Andy Bourland: "The Air force and Department of Defense are looking at ways to accelerate" the deployment of the giant bunker buster bomb called Massive Ordnance Penetrator and put it into service by July 2010, which is to say, within a year.

Shortly after this notice, the Times of London citing intelligence sources reported that it would take Iran six months to enrich enough uranium and another six months to assemble the warhead for mounting on its long-range Shehab-3 missile.

The industry was only waiting for supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's go-ahead for the first bomb to be produced.

The estimated target date for the accelerated US bunker buster's deployment tallies closely therefore with the timeline for Iran's prospective nuclear capability.

US could manage tighter sanctions unilaterally

The next development, Tuesday, Aug. 4, was another leaked report, this one to The New York Times, revealing that the US was talking to several European allies about restricting sales of gasoline and other refined petroleum extracts to Iran if it refused to discuss its nuclear program. Israel was briefed on this by Jones. Washington was said to be mulling sanctions against companies which supply Iran with 40 percent of its gasoline, cutting off their exports to the US and freezing their financial and shipping insurance.

Since Iran lacks the refinery capacity for supplying its gasoline needs, these sanctions could cripple its economy and undercut its regime.

The reports did not address the question of whether or not Russia and China would endorse such sanctions - for good reason, DEBKA-Net-Weekly Washington sources report: Administration strategists have concluded that the US can go it alone in the first stages of a gasoline and petrol product embargo, without resorting to the UN Security Council or running the gauntlet of Russian and Chinese vetoes.

In any event, US experts do not believe a total embargo on all Iran's imports to be feasible in its early stages and would hope to cut down no more than around half.

On the plus said, they also estimate that while Russia and China will not want to participate in the embargo, neither would they want to be seen openly busting one at the risk of serious fallout in their diplomatic and economic relations with the US.

Furthermore, if the US decides to raise its sanctions to a full naval blockade of Iran, Russian naval support would suffice without Chinese help. Washington may therefore break dramatically with historic precedent and seek US-Russian naval cooperation in the Persian Gulf for imposing such a blockade. Moscow would then have to choose between siding with the United States and continuing its ties with Iran. (The two articles below are linked to the issue IMO.)

In the second half of his first year in office, President Obama is therefore discerned to have embarked on a frankly independent foreign policy. He appears to be willing to embark on solo action without resorting to the UN Security Council or other nations, be they friendly or not.

Obama's cards on the table for Tehran - and Pyongyang

The US president is not proposing to take unilateralism to the same extremes as did his predecessor George W. Bush when he prepared to fight in Afghanistan and Iraq from 2001-2003, but the go-it-alone tendency is jelling at the core of his external and security policies.

It was noted by the Israelis in last week's conversations with Gates and Jones and also by other Middle East leaders. The two US officials emphasized that Iran and its nuclear program were America's call. Their message was: Leave handling Iran to the US which accepts its responsibility as a world power to solve such problems - up to and including military solutions.

(A separate item in this issue examines Obama's attempts to stop a nuclear arms race in Middle East and Asia).

The heads of the Iranian Islamic Republic now have a full picture of what the Obama administration has in store for them if Sultan Qaboos fails to bring Tehran to the negotiating table on their nuclear program. The penalties have been thrust up front: harsh new sanctions leading to a possible military confrontation - not just with Israel but with the United States.

In the first half of 2009, Iran stood on the sidelines and watched as Washington stood by and let North Korea get away with another nuclear test and multiple ballistic missiles tests. Now, US officials reckon Tehran and Pyongyang will switch roles. The North Koreans will stand by as observers to see how matters shape up between Washington and Tehran. Before determining their own course, they will want to see whether Tehran opts for the path of concessions and accommodation or adopts a hard line at the risk of a diplomatic collision leading to unilateral US sanctions and a possible transition into a limited military showdown?

The cards are now on the table.

Two answers, tough choices

The Obama administration hoped Bill Clinton would have a message to deliver from Pyongyang, along with the two American women he rescued on Wednesday, Aug. 5 from a North Korean jail where they were held for illegally crossing the Chinese-North Korean border. In seeking - and obtaining - a pardon for the women from Kim Jong-Il, Clinton was also after the North Korean leader's consent to his suspend nuclear and missile activity and return to the Six-Party forum with China, the US, South Korea, Japan and Russia to negotiate the termination of this activity. It was restarted at the Yongbyon nuclear facilities when Kim broke off talks in April 2009.

The White House is now on tenterhooks for answers from Pyongyang and Tehran as reported by the former US president and the Omani ruler. Those answers could saddle the Obama administration with some hard options regarding the next stage of US policy on the interlinked Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs.

Less Is More for Military Strike on Iran
US Could Manage to Knock out Iran's Nuclear Sites with Missiles (and a Few Bunker Busters)

In a striking reversal of conventional thinking, US military and intelligence leaders are talking in incredibly minimal terms about the size of the strength required to knock out Iran's nuclear facilities and disable its elite Revolutionary Guards Corps. The dimensions bruited about in Washington today would be unrecognizable to Bush administration strategists.

The main principles of the military doctrine still on the Obama administration's drawing board are outlined here by DEBKA-Net-Weekly's exclusive military and Washington sources:

1. Iran's Arab neighbors and Israel do not need a US defense umbrella against a possible Iranian missile attack because the Islamic Republic's missile arsenal will be destroyed on the ground or immediately after launch.

The Obama administration appears to have gone back on the US secretary of state Hillary Clinton's pledge of a defense umbrella for the Middle East against Iran's nuclear threat, a pledge which was taken to imply US acceptance of a nuclear-armed Iran.

Clinton denied this, saying she adhered to the current policy involving a mix of diplomatic outreach to Iran and sanctions, but suggested that US officials were looking ahead in case this approach failed.

But in the last few days, US officials have pointedly omitted reference to the defense umbrella concept in their briefings to regional leaders.

2. The United States can make do with the ground, air and naval forces already present in the Gulf region for disrupting, scuttling or crippling Iran's nuclear program. They consist of some 15,000 troops backed by a single aircraft carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan, which cruises in the Gulf of Oman, plus the air force and missile strength waiting in bases across the region and in Iraq.

Missiles (and a few bunker busters) could wipe out Iran's nuclear sites

3. Gone are the days, as recent as early 2008, when at least four aircraft carriers were considered essential for an American military strike against Iran. Their restless movements in and out of Gulf waters were the barometer for rising and falling tensions.

Obama administration strategists believe the present US strength centering on the Fifth Fleet, which is headquartered in Bahrain and includes only one carrier, is quite capable of contending with any Iranian military, aerial or naval menace to Gulf nations, the Middle East or the Straits of Hormuz oil routes to West Europe and Japan.

The new doctrine states that at its current strength, the Fifth Fleet would be able to reopen the Straits of Hormuz within 36 to 48 hours after it is blocked by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, whether by ships, deep- sea mines, or both.

4. Very few warplanes - just the B-2 stealth bombers carrying MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator) bunker busters - would be needed to smash Iran's nuclear installations. Most of the work would be left to missiles launched from a distance. There would be no need to land troops on Iranian soil.

Gone and forgotten are the former US estimates that given the dispersion of Iran's nuclear sites across a large country, only vast air capabilities on a scale which only the US can muster, could wipe them all out and even then, it would take a heavy two-to-three week blitz.

Nuclear Chill Is His Top Order of Business

US President Barack Obama's Middle East peace round table project is taking shape. DEBKA-Net-Weekly sources in Washington report that the White House his preparing his winter trip to the Middle East for some time between November 2009 and January 2010 to wind up his first year as president.

Nothing is final, but Obama would like to kick off his tour in Damascus followed by trips to Jerusalem, Ramallah and, then, Amman, Jordan.

Depending on security considerations, he may squeeze Beirut between the Syrian and Israeli capitals. He would become the first US president to visit Syria or Lebanon. A second visit to Cairo would depend on whether Hosni Mubarak is still president by the end of the year.

(See separate article on Mubarak's plans for stepping down.)

The year's-end Obama tour will be billed as the inauguration of a historic process for ushering in peace between Israel and its neighbors, Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinians. It will be launched at a multinational conference, which the US president will ceremonially open (as we reported in the last issue of DEBKA-Net-Weekly, No. 407 of July 31.)

Its agenda will also cover the issues of arms control and water-sharing in the Middle East.

The centrality of the Syrian-Israeli peace track will depend on Syrian president Bashar al-Assad proving he has severed his ties with Tehran and stopped supplying Hizballah with arms. In that case, Washington will move into a more active role.

US calms Middle East concerns: Iran's nuclear program is on hold

Obama's intermediaries on the Syrian track will be special presidential envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell and his staff, headed by Fred Hoff, who for years quietly kept America's backdoor open for contacts with Syria's political and intelligence establishments.

But the US president's top priority is preventing a nuclear arms race from developing in the Middle East and his administration is already working hard towards this goal. Washington hopes that its tough new policy for Iran (as outlined in the previous article) will hold the race in check until the president visits the region.

Their efforts focus on three directions:

1. Allaying worries in Gulf, Middle East and Israeli capitals about the Iranian nuclear threat;
2. Direct pressure on them to refrain from nuclear program start-ups or building atomic reactors;
3. US disincentives for providers of nuclear equipment, especially in Europe, to deter them from selling their wares to any Middle East client.

To ease concerns, US emissaries are hawking around the region intelligence input as evidence that Iran has not accelerated the pace of uranium enrichment either at Natanz or any of the sites under the control of the Iranian Defense ministry's secret agency Amad (Supply in Farsi). This unit is headed by Mohsin Fakhri Zadeh, a physics professor and senior member of the Revolutionary Guards Corps Council.

After enriching 1,010 kilograms of uranium to 3.9 percent, sufficient for 30 kilograms of weapons-grade (95 percent) fuel, the Iranians are able to build "only" one bomb, say the US envoys.

Furthermore, the Americans deduce from two pointers that Tehran is not at present trying to build a stockpile of bombs and warheads:

First: Centrifuge production for speeding uranium enrichment has not increased;

Second: No signs of nuclear collaboration between Iran and Pakistan are visible in Tehran or Islamabad. Therefore, Iran has not turned to Pakistan for aid and advice for expediting its program.

Jimmy Mubarak is determined to bring nuclear power to Egypt

According to DEBKA-Net-Weekly's Middle East sources, Washington has sent out warnings to Arab rulers and Israel in the last fortnight to avoid "sudden and imprudent" actions for acquiring nuclear assets for fear of jerking Tehran into switching its program to fast forward.

We are in a very delicate stage of the nuclear arms race, explained the Americans, and any sudden move could upset the region's nuclear status quo.

In general, Washington is saying that while Iran has mastered the technology for building nuclear bombs and warheads, its rulers have not yet decided to go into production. The US believes this go-ahead will remain in abeyance for a year or two - or more - just as long as no one rocks the boat by redrawing the region's nuclear landscape.

According to DEBKA-Net-Weekly intelligence sources, the US secretly approached Egypt and Jordan with a request to suspend their plans for building nuclear reactors. President Mubarak, in particular was asked to stop work on five nuclear power plants at Inshas, near Alexandria. This placed him in a quandary. The Egyptian president is in the process of retiring and handing the presidency over to his son Gemal (Jimmy), who has made the nuclear power plants project his pet scheme.

(The next article discusses this transition)

Three years ago, in September 2006, Gemal Mubarak told the general convention of the ruling National Democratic Party: "The whole world — I don’t want to say all, but many developing countries — have proposed and started to execute the issue of alternative energy,” he said. “It is time for Egypt to put forth, and the party will put forth, this proposal for discussion about its future energy policies, the issue of alternative energy, including nuclear energy, as one of the alternatives.”

He added a sly dig at the Bush White House: “We do not accept visions from abroad that try to dissolve the Arab identity and the joint Arab efforts within the framework of the so-called Greater Middle East Initiative.”

The incoming Egyptian president is now being asked to conform with President Obama's new Middle East policy, especially on nuclear restraint.

Obama to scrap US missile shield project in E. Europe

.....DEBKAfile reports that Barack Obama's decision prompted Russian president Dmitry Medvedev's surprise comment Monday, Sept. 14, that his government no longer rules out further sanctions against Iran - although the Kremlin has always denied its cooperation with the US on the Iranian nuclear issue was contingent on the removal of the US missile shield plan.

DEBKA-Net-Weekly in its coming issue (out Friday) will reveal how the shared US-Russian wish to avert an Israeli military strike against Iran produced Obama's decision to ditch the missile shield in East Europe.

Our Washington sources report that the decision follows a 60-day assessment of the issue ordered by Obama. "The US will base its decision on a determination that Iran's long-range missile program has not progressed as rapidly as previously estimated, reducing the threat to the continental US and major European capitals," said unnamed current and former US officials.

On Aug. 29, DEBKAfile reported exclusively from East European sources that Washington was considering the transfer of its missile plan from Poland and the Czech Republic possibly to Israel and Turkey. Click HERE

This decision is an important foreign policy step for Obama; it is a prize for Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin, who fought the US shield plan on Russia's doorstep tooth and nail, and a major strategic reversal for Iran.

Moscow's cooperation would remove a key obstacle on the road to harsh sanctions against Iran. Acting in concert with Moscow, Washington could dispense with Beijing's endorsement.

Nonetheless, DEBKAfile's Moscow sources stress, it is not entirely clear how far the Kremlin is willing to go in partnering the US drive against Iran. Russian leaders will take good care not to appear to the Muslim and Arab world as Iran's enemy or a trading and diplomatic partner who reneges on its commitments.

New US anti-missile system in Israel, Azerbaijan to replace scrapped shield in E. Europe

Deputy US army chief, Gen. James Cartwright and defense secretary Robert Gates amplified President Barack Obama's statement on the US missile shield in East Europe in Washington Thursday, Sept. 17, by announcing that a new and better anti-missile missile system would be deployed in Israel and the Caucasus.

DEBKAfile discloses exclusively that the system would be installed at a Russian military base in Azerbaijan. Referring to the Israeli component, he said: "It is already working perfectly."

DEBKAfile's military sources disclose he was referring to the advanced American FBX-T radar system deployed last year in Israel's Negev base at Nevatim, which is capable of tracking a missile launched from the Persian Gulf, the Middle East and beyond. The system, product of Raytheon, is mobile and capable of detecting incoming bodies the size of a baseball from a distance of 4,700 km, determining its speed and angle of flight and transmitting the data to an interceptor at any point on earth.

Stay tuned for what happens next.

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Meanwhile BND (German foreign intel) is brokering the release of Gilad Shalit between Hamas and Israel. People can can expect definet news over the next few weeks about his release. Apparently, Israel have agreed to release 450 prisoners in exchange for Shalit.
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120 Bahraini Special Forces troops will be looking working with US marines in the protection of Kabul.
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shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 18 Sep 2009 01:12

Debka says an attempted coup did take place in Qatar.
If That's Not an Attempted Coup, What Is?

A senior US military official summarily dismissed rumors of a coup in Qatar on Wednesday, Aug. 5, saying: "We have no evidence to corroborate this."

The question was put to him after various Arab news websites reported that senior Qatari military officers had been sacked after failing to overthrow the ruler, Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani.

According to the liberal Saudi Alssiyasi, Qatar's chief of staff Hamad bin Ali Al-Attiya may have been involved in the coup attempt.

The Jordanian online daily Al-Haqiqa Al-Douliya claimed that after the failed putsch, the Emir of Qatar was considering curtailing the powers of senior regime officials, including prime minister and foreign minister Hamad bin Jasem Aal Thani.

The London-based Elaph website reported disagreements on foreign policy among top Qatari officials after its chief of staff's visit to Tehran a month ago.

(Elaph was launched in 2001 by Saudi journalist and businessman Osman el-Omeir, former editor-in-chief of the moderate, pan-Arab, London-based Al-Sharq Al-Awsat daily)

DEBKA-Net-Weekly's intelligence and Gulf sources are able to confirm that an attempt to oust the Qatari ruler did in fact take place in the past two weeks during which mass arrests were staged under his personal supervision. The chief of staff was indeed taken into custody along with about 40 officers loyal to him who took part in the plot. Also arrested were five members of the Emir's personal guard, a measure of how deeply the conspirators had infiltrated his closest circles.

At least 20 princes of the al-Thani family are under house arrest, suspected of involvement to one degree or another in the plot.

Washington: Stop cozying up to Tehran

According to our information, the plotters planned to take advantage of one of the Emir's frequent trips to Switzerland to seize the royal palace in Doha when his plane took off and announce his deposition.

There is nothing new for Qatar in this method of usurping power; in 1995, the incumbent ruler, then Crown Prince, ascended the throne himself by deposing his father.

He has since become notable for introducing some liberal reforms.

Why the tiny principality of no more than 800,000 souls was beset by an attempted coup at this time is not clear. Motives range from a succession struggle to a contest for influence in this strategically important emirate among pro-US, pro-Saudi and pro-Iranian elements.

The emirate's three dominant clans are traditional rivals.

The al-Thani clan has produced the Emir and prime minister. The Emir's influential wife Sheikha Moza bint Nasser belongs to the al-Misnad clan. She is considered one of the most beautiful women in the Gulf region. The al-Attiya family holds senior positions in the Qatari military and security services.

DEBKA-Net-Weekly's Gulf sources say that several motives may have combined to create the conditions for a putsch.

Our military and Washington sources report that in early May, the Obama administration warned Qatar's rulers that if they don't stopping building up their ties with Iran, the US would evacuate its big military headquarters at Al Udeid near the capital.

(A separate article in this issue reveals the transfer has begun of some US military facilities from al-Udeid to Talil in Iraq.)

Court intrigue masquerading as foreign policy

Heeding the US warning, the Emir took Qatar's foreign relations out of the hands of prime minister Hamad bin Jasem al-Thani and passed the portfolio to his son, Misnad, who embarked on steps for placating the Americans, the Saudis and the Egyptians. They were informed that Doha would chill its relations with Tehran and withdraw its cooperation with the Islamic Republic on Lebanese and Palestinian affairs.

Prince Misnad is the son of the beautiful Moza. The concentration of great power in his hands caused the other al-Thani princes to suspect that the pro-Western/Arab shift in the Emir's policy was intended to pave the way for strengthening Prince Misnad's position as heir.

This would account for the house arrests imposed on a large group of princes accused of involvement in the coup attempt.

Despite the Qatari ruler's bid to placate the US, his army chief visited Iran early July, which would indicate that the ruling families of Doha are still in the throes of a power struggle.

None of this stops the heads of this tiny, albeit vastly wealthy, monarchy from behaving like a big power.

In mid-July, the Qatar Investment Authority took control of a 17% stake in Volkswagen AG.

This week, on August 4, Qatar announced plans to build a huge indoor stadium to advance its bid to host the 2022 FIFA Football World Cup.

--------------------------------
What could be waiting for LeT financiers

The next high-profile raid took place in the least likely of places, on the island nation of Madagascar. In January 2007, US commandos struck at Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, one of Osama bin Laden's brother-in-laws with deep roots in al Qaeda as a financier and facilitator, as he visited his home there.

US intelligence had waited for Khalifa to leave the safety of Saudi Arabia and targeted him when he was most vulnerable, US intelligence officials have told The Long War Journal. The raid was made to look like a robbery; Khalifa's computer and other documents were stolen.

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/ ... z0ROsIAGQX

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 18 Sep 2009 01:35

She has her own webpage. Looks like Queen Farah redux.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 20 Sep 2009 21:31

Medvedev: Israeli officials promised they are not planning to attack Iran

In a CNN interview Sunday, Sept. 20, Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said "Israeli colleagues" had told him they are not planning to attack Iran. He confirmed Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu had visited Moscow two weeks ago and had also met with him, but asked to keep the visit secret.

When Israeli President [Shimon] Peres was visiting me in Sochi recently, he said something very important for all of us: 'Israel does not plan any strikes on Iran, we are a peaceful country and we will not do this'," according to Medvedev.
DEBKAfile adds: Unless Medvedev's assertion is denied by Jerusalem, the Israel government has abandoned its military option to pre-empt a nuclear-armed Iran, but neglected to inform the Israeli public of this radical change of policy. For nine months, Prime minister Netanyahu has insisted that halting Iran's attainment of a nuclear weapon, even by military means, was his highest mission as prime minister.

According to the Kremlin transcript, the Russian president said: My Israeli colleagues told me they are not planning to act in this way and I trust them." he said. Although Russia has no defense agreement with Iran, "this does not mean we would be indifferent to such an occurrence…"

These words indicate that the Kremlin is not absolutely sure that Israel has indeed abandoned a possible strike against Iran and is holding an implicit threat of Russian military intervention over Israel's head - just in Regarding the contract Russia signed two years ago to sell Iran S-300 air defense missile systems Medvedev said that "any supplies of any weapons, especially defensive weapons, cannot increase tension; on the contrary, they should ease it." Israel has repeatedly protested this sale as a boost to the defense of Iran's nuclear sites. His words indicate that Moscow intends to go through with the sale to Iran and possibly Syria too.

"Iran must cooperate with the IAEA, this is absolutely obvious, if it wishes to develop its nuclear dimension, its nuclear energy program. This is a duty and not a matter of choice," said the Russian president. He made no mention of possible cooperation with Washington in arresting Iran's nuclear program or imposing harsh sanctions on Tehran.

shravan · Post by **shravan** » 21 Sep 2009 09:34

Yemen army kills 140 Shias during ceasefire
20 Sep 2009

The army has reportedly killed more than 140 Houthis in northern Yemen after declaring a temporary ceasefire on the Shia fighters.

"So far more than 140 bodies have been found," a military official told AFP after a Sunday military operation in the northern city of Saada in response to reported attacks by the fighters.

The army launched a crackdown on the Houthis on August 11 which, according to the Houthi resistance, has largely targeted civilian areas and refugee camps.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 23 Sep 2009 16:34

shyamd wrote: ----------
Kuwait is also thinking along the same lines as KSA, the royal family feel that they are over reliant on Washington.

India is going to have the biggest opportunity to extend its sphere of influence massively in the ME over the next 5 years and position itself as a powerful power.

Kuwait is looking to sign a defence pact with France. They will also purchase a possible 30 Rafales. I think it is a similar to the deal with UAE.

The Kuwaiti's are also talking with Russia on an alliance along with france.

KSA will announce a massive purchase of Russian equipment. Russians may sell S-400 Triumph air defense system. 400km range. This is an attempt to push russia away from Tehran.

Prince Bandar has noticed a distancing between Riyadh and Washington. In 2007, Bandar advised HM King Abdullah to use Russia as a counterweight to Washington. So he entrusted the project to Bandar, who reportedly is camping in Moscow.

Russia may also construct nuclear power plants in the Kingdom. Bandar has been personally offering russian engineers working in Bushehr 3 times the salary they are getting, if they return to Moscow.
------------------------
Added Later: KSA thinks that Iran is helping Zaidites in Yemen because they can infiltrate weapons and manpower to join up with Shi'ites in KSA eastern provinces. CP Sultan has been watching activities closely from his palace in Agadir, Morocco.

Regarding the assassination attempt, Prince Nayef (KSA GSS) met the Saudi jihadi during a summer trip to Yemen. Convinced of the jihadi's sincerety, he charterd an aircraft to pick him up in Yemen. He turned up at the prince's home and blew himself up in a waiting room, missing his target.

The Morocco war is being co-ordinated by 8 security officials from Yemen and KSA. Thanks to Riyadh's help, Yemeni Special forces are on the verge of victory. Al Houti had a strategy of having a war of attrition but offensives by Yemeni army stopped that strategy.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 23 Sep 2009 17:35

shyamd wrote: So he entrusted the project to Bandar, who reportedly is camping in Moscow.

Russia may also construct nuclear power plants in the Kingdom. Bandar has been personally offering russian engineers working in Bushehr 3 times the salary they are getting, if they return to Moscow.

After siphoning off millions of dollars by both father Prince Sultan and son Prince Bandar in deals with Western countries, he has now turned his sights on to Russian mafia. Father being the Defence Minister and son being the Head of the National Security Council helps matters.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 23 Sep 2009 19:48

I am sure, if he read your statement. He would give the famous " SO What!".

joshvajohn · Post by **joshvajohn** » 23 Sep 2009 20:07

It is essential that US involves in this issue in a genuine way. The Palestinians should be given a state. At the same time Israelis should be protected from any terror attacks. Israel and Palestine needs to get a equal and fair share for both. Any conclusion cannot satisfy everyone in both communities. But the leaders should take the good decisions on both and should be given support to contain any violence against compromised decisions that they have taken to bring a life long peace. It is possible with the support of neighbouring Muslim countries and also with the support US and UN and other countries for both sides and their leaders towards a possible settlement of this issue.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 23 Sep 2009 20:21

shyamd wrote:I am sure, if he read your statement. He would give the famous " SO What!".

Sure he will. I have seen at very close quarters all these Royal things.

arun · Post by **arun** » 24 Sep 2009 15:56

X Posted.

Perhaps the cancellation of his room booking by the Tata Group owned Taj Pierre hotel :

NY Taj cancels Gaddafi booking

………. was a cause of Col. Gaddafi’s outburst about Jammu and Kashmir at the UN

:

At UN, Gaddafi drops K-bomb

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 25 Sep 2009 22:42

U.S. had known of covert Iranian nuclear site for years

The Syrians or Iranians doing internal house cleaning. 30 Commanders dead in similar ways?
Mahdi Army members assassinated in Syria?