Terminal X

French officers training Syrian rebels in Jordan and Turkey, says Israel Army Radio

2013-06-19T17:00:00.000+05:00

by Yori Yanover
[The Jewish Press]

Sources familiar with the events in Syria have told Israel Army Radio on Wednesday morning that military officers from France have been training Syrian rebels in Jordan and Turkey. The information reveals a picture whereby the government in Paris is the most active among Western nations in attempting to topple Assad

The French military officers are instructing the Syrian rebels on the use of the advanced weapons with which they’ve been supplied, in Jordanian and Turkish territories.

The information indicates that Paris is the life and soul of the Western campaign to topple the Assad regime. The French also work hard at the “Geneva Conference 2″ to resolve the situation in Syria, although chances are low that it will indeed take place.

French intelligence officers are coordinating their activities with their Saudi counterparts, who invested large sums of money in funding the rebels. Over the past two weeks, since the fall of the city of Kosiir into the hands of President Bashar Assad’s army, the French have held several meetings with representatives of Saudi intelligence and Turkish security systems executives, to coordinate their actions, especially in light of the approaching battle over control of Aleppo.

A frequent participant in these coordination meetings is Brigadier General Salim Idriss, commander of the largest rebel army, the Free Syrian Army.

France and Saudi Arabia have marked Brigadier General Idriss as their Man among the rebels, and he is provided with the bulk of arms and ammunition coming in from the west.

Brigadier General Idris is a former Syrian army officer, originally from the city of Homs, who was given the top position only six months ago. He is known for his opposition to the Jihadist organizations that are currently fighting in Syria.

Two Pakistani students injured by unprovoked firing from India

2013-06-19T16:47:00.000+05:00

[Terminal X Desk]

Pakistani military authorities report that 2 students were injured during unprovoked shelling by the Indian Army near Battal sector (Line of Control) on Wednesday.

UK lays off 4400 soldiers as army downsizes

2013-06-19T16:38:00.003+05:00

[Agence France Presse]

LONDON : Britain laid off more 4,400 soldiers on Tuesday in a third wave of military job cuts intended to help tackle a budget deficit, the Ministry of Defence said.

The soldiers, 84 percent of whom had applied for voluntary redundancy, were informed in person by their commanding officers, the ministry said in a statement. The redundancies came on the same day that Afghan forces took charge of security in their country from British, US and other foreign troops, who are due to pull out by the end of 2014. The 4,480 job losses will bring Britain’s army numbers down to between 89,000 and 90,000, a ministry spokeswoman said. Some 3,800 soldiers have already been laid off. A fourth and final wave of military cuts - like the first two, drawn from across the army, navy and air force - should see the army shrink to the target size of 82,000 by 2018.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said: “It is with great regret that we have had to make redundancies to deliver the reduction in the size of the armed forces.

“But unfortunately they were unavoidable due to the size of the defence deficit that this government inherited".

“Although smaller, our armed forces will be more flexible and agile to reflect the challenges of the future with the protection and equipment they need.”

The latest round of cuts is the biggest since the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government came to power in 2010, and reflects its deficit reduction policies as well as the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The 8,000 British troops currently serving in Afghanistan are exempt from the redundancies, as are those who were recently deployed or who are recovering from serious injuries.

Soldiers voluntarily quitting will leave by December 17, while those facing compulsory redundancy will be out within 12 months.

Italian intelligence monitoring 'dozens' of radicalized Muslim converts

2013-06-19T16:28:00.001+05:00

Rome, 18 June (AKI) - Radicalised Italian converts to Islam like 20-year-old Giuliano Delnevo, who allegedly died in Syria fighting alongside rebels, have been under close surveillance for some time, anti-terrorism sources told Adnkronos.

"There are several dozen such individuals," the sources said.

"They are generally Muslim converts who use the internet to spread propaganda and communicate with other fundamentalists".

"In some cases, they decide to take direct action and join jihadist fighters."

Most of the jihadists in Italy who are being monitored by secret services are Muslim immigrants from North Africa and have been to Syria at lest once to fight alongside rebels forces, according to sources cited by Il Giornale daily.

Il Giornale on Tuesday reported Delnevo's death, citing unnamed intelligence and interior ministry sources.

The daily did not say when or where in Syria Delnevo was killed, or for which rebel group he was allegedly fighting, stating only that it had learned of his death last Friday and that he had been identified from his Italian passport.

European Union terrorism experts believe around 500 Europeans have fought against pro-Assad forces in Syria.

Chaos in Arab world favors Israel, says Military Intelligence Chief

2013-06-19T15:45:00.000+05:00

[middleeastmonitor.com]

The chief of Israel’s military intelligence, General Aviv Kochav, has said that the chaos in the Arab world favours Israel and is something that he believes should continue. Speaking at the Herzliya Conference for Intelligence Studies, Gen. Kochav pointed out that the changes around Israel have fundamental implications for its security.

“The current shake up will continue to change the face of the Middle East,” he is quoted on the Ministry of Defence website. “The tremors are getting more violent every day and will produce a vacuum which will be filled by political, Islamist and jihadist elements.”

The intelligence chief asserted that the rise of the Islamists will also have a significant impact on the map of the alliances in the Middle East, adding: “We divided the region in the past into the radical bloc and the moderate bloc, today these two blocs have disappeared.”

GCC armed forces must share more intelligence, say experts

2013-06-19T15:38:00.000+05:00

by Awad Mustafa
[TheNational.ae]

ABU DHABI: Defence and security experts have joined the GCC secretary general in voicing their support for the region to develop its military strategies on information collection and analysis.

Earlier this year, Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani said the GCC was politically united and called for the military to follow suit to achieve an advanced level of command and control, communications, cyber defence, intelligence gathering and surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.

"GCC countries have to be able to be integrated to share intelligence and information and be ready to work together at a higher and more complete level," he said.

Experts from the strategic advisory firm, Booz & Company, who are working with various GCC armed forces, say a paradigm shift in how information is collected and used in the GCC is needed to enable "information superiority".

"The ability to gain, analyse, share and act on information that is trusted, timely and relevant has become vital to modern combat," said Andrew Suddards, security expert at Booz & Company.

"Many nations have responded by recognising that it is crucial to improve their armed forces ability to gain and retain the information advantage'," he added. "It means having the right information, at the right time, so the right decision can be made faster than any adversary."

Mr Suddards said there was a need to continuously review military structures to meet the ever-changing nature of threats.

Mr Suddards said there was a need to continuously review military structures to meet the ever-changing nature of threats.

"The importance of gaining information superiority has never been so great and so a new approach needs to be adopted to meet modern day challenges," he said.

GCC forces have invested in technology to gain information superiority, the experts said. However, a strategy and mode of governance of the information is lacking and so they are not reaping all the potential benefits.

"We do not know the exact status of specific GCC capabilities but we do know that there has been significant investments in information gathering, command and control, situational awareness and other information superiority tools," said retired Col Christopher Ford, a strategic change manager for information and communications technology.

He added that there was much anecdotal evidence that these systems were often not inter-operable and information could not be shared between countries and even forces.

"GCC countries could significantly improve their operational capabilities and chances of success by taking such an information superiority approach, which includes doctrine, training and the other elements that make up an effective capability," he said.

Abdulkader Lamaa, defence and security expert at Booz & Company, called for a position of a Chief Information Officer within GCC military structures. "Information must be under centralised governance," he said.

And Col Ford added: "Nato's operations in Afghanistan have benefited greatly from nations improving their information capabilities through interoperable multi-national command and control networks".

"GCC countries could also greatly benefit from such an approach."

Aerial drills 'Anatolian Eagle 3' conclude in Turkey

2013-06-19T14:09:00.000+05:00

RIYADH, June 19 2013 (SPA) - The Saudi-Turkish joint air drills, named Anatolia Eagle, that took place in Turkey over the past few days, in the presence of the Commander of the Saudi Air Force Lt. Gen. Fayyad bin Hamid Al-Ruwaili concluded today.

The Saudi dispatch taking place in the drill, carried out a number of trainings and air operations, in simulation of the real warfare theatre conditions, and scored the best of standards in performance and implementation.

Russia shipping arms to Azerbaijan worth $1 billion

2013-06-19T13:57:00.000+05:00

MOSCOW, June 18 (RIA Novosti) – Russia is currently delivering up to $1 billion worth of military equipment to Azerbaijan including tanks, artillery systems and infantry fighting vehicles, Vedomosti newspaper reported Tuesday.

The shipments are the result of contracts signed in 2011 and 2012, unnamed Russian Defense Ministry sources told the business daily, which also cited photographs posted on milkavkaz.net, a website analyzing the military situation in the Southern Caucasus, to prove the deliveries were underway.

The military hardware being supplied to Baku is worth between $700 million and $1 billion and includes 94 T-90S tanks, about 100 BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, 18 Msta-S howitzers, 18 Smerch rocket launchers, 18 Vena “floating mortars,” and six TOS-1A Solntsepek multiple launch rocket systems, according to Vedomosti.

Reached by phone, a spokesman for Rosoboronexport, the state-controlled arms trader, declined to comment on the report.

Large-scale Russian military support for Azerbaijan is likely to provoke unease in neighboring Armenia, which traditionally enjoys a close relationship with Moscow. Armenia and Azerbaijan are still locked in a dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous enclave populated mostly by ethnic Armenians but located within Azerbaijan's internationally recognized borders, where a bloody war erupted in the late 1980s and went on to claim tens of thousands lives.

Russia to adopt new ICBM targeting system by 2020

2013-06-19T13:51:00.002+05:00

MOSCOW, June 18 (RIA Novosti) – By 2020, all units of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) will be equipped with an advanced targeting system capable of guiding ballistic missiles through US missile defenses, a Defense Ministry source said Tuesday.

Some media outlets earlier reported that Russia had been developing a third-generation command-and-control system to improve the launch and targeting procedures for ballistic missiles. The project, dubbed Vozzvaniye (Proclamation), will allow rapid retargeting of missiles in real time after the launch.

“These reports are correct: all SMF units will be equipped with this system by 2020,” the source, who asked to remain anonymous due to the confidential nature of the subject, told RIA Novosti.

The officials said the new system would be compatible with existing Topol-M and Yars ballistic missiles, as well as with the future heavy liquid-fuel ICBM slated to replace the Voyevoda (SS-18 Satan) missile.

The Voyevoda, in service since 1967, is equipped with outdated electronic components and cannot be integrated into the new system, the source said.

According to open sources, the SMF currently operates at least 58 silo-based SS-18 Satan ballistic missiles, 160 road-mobile Topol (SS-25 Sickle) missile systems, 50 silo-based and 18 road-mobile Topol-M (SS-27 Sickle B) systems, and 18 RS-24 Yars systems.

Russia to start building prototype of new heavy ICBM in 2014

2013-06-19T13:38:00.002+05:00

MOSCOW, June 18 (RIA Novosti) – Russia will begin construction of a prototype of a heavy liquid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in 2014, a Defense Ministry source said Tuesday.

In 2011, the Russian military announced plans to build the missile by 2018. It is expected to replace the Voyevoda (SS-18 Satan) ICBM, which has been in service since 1967.

“The construction of a full-size prototype of this missile will begin next year,” the source said, adding that the design of the missile was approved in 2012.

So far all of Russia’s recent ICBM projects, both sea-launched (Bulava) and ground-based (Topol-M, Yars), have been solid-fuel.

Russia's Strategic Missile Forces commander Col. Gen. Sergei Karakayev said last year that the new ICBM would have a launch mass of about 100 tons with a better payload-to-launch-weight ratio than in a solid-fuel missile. As a result, the missile would carry more powerful warheads, including MIRVs with decoy elements.

Combined with advanced ICBM targeting system, which is currently being developed in Russia, the missile will be able to penetrate the most sophisticated missile defenses anywhere in the world, Russian experts and officials believe.

Thousands evacuated in central Russia ammo depot explosions

2013-06-19T13:35:00.001+05:00

MOSCOW, June 19 (RIA Novosti) - Over 30 people sought medical help, 11 were hospitalized and more than 6,000 local residents were evacuated on Tuesday from a village near an ammunition depot in central Russia where a fire caused massive explosions of stored artillery shells, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said.

The fire at the Volga Federal Ammunition Testing Site in the Samara Region broke out late Tuesday, followed by a series of explosions that continue to rock the area, sending shrapnel to a distance of up to a kilometer from the site, according to the ministry.

A ministry spokesman told RIA Novosti the depot stores some 6,000 122-mm artillery shells as well as other ammunition and explosives, and, in the worst case scenario, the blasts could continue for two or three days.

Prosecutors are conducting a probe into the incident. Investigators said a wildfire could have caused the fire at the testing range.

The Emergencies Ministry said there was no chemical threat to the population.

More than 1,400 personnel and over 220 units of machinery and equipment, including eight aircraft and two firefighting trains, have been deployed to contain the fire and explosions, the ministry said. There are plans to use four helicopters.

The incident is the latest in a string of fires and explosions at munitions storage and disposal sites that have plagued Russia in the past two years.

Journalist Michael Hastings probed the CIA before fatal car crash

2013-06-19T13:24:00.001+05:00

by Dennis Romero
[blogs.laweekly.com]

Michael Hastings, the Buzzfeed writer who appeared to have died in a fiery Hollywood crash early today, had reported extensively on the CIA and was rumored to be continuing work on that beat at the time of his demise.

That Hastings had the Central Intelligence Agency in his sights is no surprise to those who knew his work. In March he gave what could now be seen as an eerie interview to Current TV about his recent Rolling Stone coverage of a CIA operative, Andrew Warren, who grew to believe he was being followed:

He started drinking heavily. He started abusing these drugs, Xanax and Valium, he started hearing voices. He believed he was being followed. He might have actually been being followed. Maybe, probably not, you don't know. It gets into this very strange ...

"Well, he's CIA, he might have been followed," says host Cenk Uygur.

Hastings: "He might have been followed for sure. For sure."

The subject "starts leading this double life," Hastings said. "No one knows he's undercover."

Leon Panetta was asked about Warren at his Senate confirmation as CIA director and said he should be fired. Warren was soon fired.

Hastings said that Warren's career unraveled, in part, because he was the only black officer in the agency. "If he was a white guy from Yale or Harvard," he told Current, "he would not be in jail right now."

Indeed, Hastings suggests in his April 7 Rolling Stone piece about Warren that it was his knowledge of "severe" interrogation techniques used by the CIA in the war on terror that helped lead to his demise.

In 2008 the agent was recalled to the United States to face allegations that he "drugged and raped an Algerian woman while serving there as station chief," reads the piece.
He was fired and jailed, but not without controversy.

Buzzfeed announced in October that Hastings "will bring his hard-hitting reporting on national security and politics to the BuzzFeed Los Angeles Bureau while contributing to entertainment coverage as a Correspondent-at-Large."

Indeed, the shadowy world of intelligence and off-the-record American aggression was a favorite topic of the journalist. Last year he wrote this Rolling Stone story "killer drones" in Afghanistan.

In a tribute to the late writer tonight that says Hastings died in a "high-speed wreck," Buzzfeed Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith notes that he lost his fiance while they were in Baghdad; he was there as a Newsweek correspondent:

His fiancée was killed in Baghdad in January of 2007, when he was a Newsweek reporter there, and her death was still utterly raw to him when he published his first book, I Lost My Love In Baghdad.

This morning's single car crash on North Highland Avenue near Melrose Avenue was reported at 4:25 a.m., police said. Positive ID had yet to be made because the body had been so badly charred, LAPD Officer Christopher No told us. He added:

The vehicle crossed over a median and collided into a tree. The impact caused the vehicle to catch on fire.

That stretch of Highland Avenue is notorious for its late-night crashes involving DUI drivers, though Tuesday at 4:25 a.m. would probably stick out as an unusual time for such a case.
The cause of this fatal accident was still under investigation.

Too much involvement of the RAW, EU and CIA in Nepal

2013-06-19T13:16:00.001+05:00

by Dirgha Raj Prasai
[The International News Magazine]

The Nepalese people must not forget that under king Prithvi Narayan Shah’s leadership 54 separate warring small Hindu states were annexed to form Nepal. Various castes and religious sects came together to form this holy land. Nepal will not be stable in absence of the royal institution. The founder of Nepali Congress Chairman and former PM the late B.P Koirala had a stance in regards royal institution- after 1976, 'If there is no royal institution in Nepal, a nation named Nepal will also not remain in existence. Nepal’s existence is of utmost self-interest of the king. So the kings have saved the country. I want merger of king’s nationalist self-interest and people’s democratic interest.'

Let alone the talks of traitors like NC leader Girija-BP own brother, UML’s Madhav Nepal, Maoists Prachanda and Baburam, the former staunch royalists and Panchas like Surya Bahadur Thapa and Pashupati Shumsher today have become republicans and made everyone laugh. Nepal’s misfortune is the misdeeds of these brokers and traitors.

The new constitution could not format and CA is expired. There are no other options for king Gyanendra to revive the 1990 constitution and take his throne with support of the people and organs of the state. He must protect the nation. And then it is accepted that the king must become more accessible and reach the people. The political agents have already failed to format the new constitution and move the country and then the failed elements have proposed the leadership of current Chief Justice Khilraj Regmi who has been joining his hand with the traitors for his personal benefits. The appointment of the Supreme Court Chief Justice as the Prime Minister is to damage the democratic norms and the system converts as a dictatorial style.

It is point able, in 2001 when NC leader and then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba handed over the governance to the king; all political leaders had hoped to gain a position of PM by the King. NC leader former Girija sent an emissary while UML leader Madhav Nepal wrote an application to the king. But, it was not possible that everyone could have been accommodated in the government. When the desires went unfulfilled power hungry corrupts politicians started accusing the king of dictatorship, which has developed into the current scenario. What can be a bigger crime for politicians than to put all the blame on the king to hide their crimes? They took advantage of the monarch’s compulsion to isolate him. The corrupt Panchas as Surya Bahadur Thapa, Lokendra Bahadur Chand, Pashupati Shumsher, whom had become powerful during the king’s direct rule, but they also accepted the foreign support overnight to betray the palace. However, all Nepalese are not like such traitors.

The Indians reassure us that they will not intervene whenever their previous acts of intervention are revealed. They always have an antagonistic underlying attitude towards Nepal. Maoist leaders Baburam Bhattarai and Prachanda including leaders of Madhesi parties have openly lent their support to Nepal’s foreign enemies. The uprising of 2006 took place with direct Indian support and the fear instilled by the Maoists’ arms. Indian Intelligence Agency- RAW had given assurance to the leaders of Nepali Congress, UML and Maoist party that if they agreed the 12-point agreement, they would find the leadership of the new government. Then, Indian intelligence wing ‘RAW’ itself had an active role in the uprising, providing the economic and other material support. In accordance to the 12-point understanding UNMIN was invited in Nepal. The 12-point agreement and the presence of UNMIN became a matter of crisis. After coming to Nepal UNMIN started to develop a special relation with the Maoist in name of peace treaty. The UNMIN was against the Nepalese identity and unity. These nefarious activities were the result of policy based conspiracy of India and America.

After the uprising 2006, the so called 12-point understanding and the activities of UNMIN and UN's other Org. RAW, EU and CIA became the base of retrogression of this country.

They contrived a design to weaken the national army and intentionally joined the hands with the Maoist army. This was the most dangerous subject faced by Nepal. However, the leaders of Nepali Congress, UML and Maoist did not utter a single word despite the nation’s perilous condition. They had already signed treaties under the protection of Indian intelligence agency and have become slavish with their dependency on India, America and the European nations.

In name of world peace and human rights America has been trying to impose its influence over the world by forwarding UN and NATO. America through its intelligence agency ‘CIA’ has been trying to incite an ethnic and religious conflict in the world so as to disintegrate sovereign nations. UN could have straightened such controversial policy of America. But with its restraint UN has also become controversial by allowing itself to be trapped in the imperialist network. Then, it is requested to all imperialistic nations and their intelligence Agencies should be backed from Nepal for the sake of Nepal's stability.

During the visit of Tarai, King Gyanendra says-- 'I had left the throne in the agreement with the political leaders but it was not implemented. I had left the throne for a purpose but it could not be fulfilled. Now what the people want will happen.' The leaders of NC, UML and Maoist party have not only axed their own heads but dragged the country into crisis. These leaders do not have any moral to speak in national politics. The political situation in the country is not satisfactory and it caused the worry. All are not happy with the political situation in the country. We need to improve the situation in the country. In the contest of national builder King Gyanendra says- 'to remember the good deeds of great man are always worth the efforts.'

King Gyanendra among the Nepalese People

After the overthrow of the royal institution in 1958, Iraq plunged into a civil war among the Kurdish, Sunni and Siya Muslims. Thousands were killed in that holy land. What did Iraq gain? After Iran’s monarch -Reza Shah Pahlavi left his thrown in 1979, an Islamic revolution started during which thousands of Iranian people were killed. Iran fell into a religious dictatorship. In 1979 royal institution was removed in Afghanistan under Soviet pressure.

Now the country is faced with a civil war and the Afghans are swimming in a pool of blood. In 1970 monarchy was removed in Cambodia, after which thousands of Cambodian people died under strict communist rule. In 1993 Cambodian people brought back their king Naroddam Simhanuk to the regime and peace prevailed.

In England monarchy was disposed in 1649 and reestablished in 1661. Spain’s monarch Alfonso III was disposed and Franco took the throne in 1969 after which Spain became stable. In many places monarchy has been reestablished after being disposed. The people’s major concern is to establish peace, good governance and independence in their nation. It is customary to impart a young prince lesson on subjects of nation’s independence, system of rule, and the interest of the people. Due to such lesson in childhood a king develops a special bond towards his royal duties. A great Hindu scholar Chanakya has written before BC- 'If we start to find people without faults we will not have any friends.' So, it is wise for us to study the situation before pointing a finger at king Gyanendra.

There was once a system to which we could appeal at times of distress- 'the monarchy’. The people are orphaned as the king, out of compulsion, was forced to back off. In name of CA Nepal is being drowned. NC leader and former minister P.L Singh has analyzed the current scenario. He writes- 'The political parties are pushing the nation towards destruction by singing hymns of CA and destroying democracy in name of democracy. The people had not thrown away the 1990 constitution. The 1990 constitution is still appropriate for the people.'

The naïve political leaders are keeping the Nepalese society in illusion with promises of constitutional monarchy, parliamentary system, and sometimes republic and People’s Republic. In this way they take power. Now NC, UML and the Maoists are becoming wary. The increasing popularity of the king has concerned Baburam Bhattarai, who became the PM with the Indian support.

The country is a common property of all Nepalese people. It is our duty to save it. This land must be rid of traitors and foreign activity. A sovereign Nepal will not exist by disposing the monarchy. In Vietnam the people show their respect to king by bowing before his statue.

The people of Laos, to parry dangers from Vietnam and Thailand, are showing that they had been a sovereign country from the ancient times with the monarch. They have found a picture of their late king and with it they are constructing a statue. In Thailand king is worshipped like a God. The reasons are that these countries want to prove that they are sovereign and will continue to be in future. However, Nepal has been made a prisoner of indecision.

Let us find a path of solution through 1990 constitution as a medium. History will never forgive anyone but not another Constituent Assembly's election. Let us be proud of becoming sovereign due to the presence of the royal institution. It is the demand of the people of Nepal today that the Nepalese are in need of the protection of the royal institution. The royal institution is the symbol Pillar of Nepal’s unity. Thus, we should learn from our mistakes. In order to increase the prestige of sovereign Nepal we must commit ourselves to save the nation by endorsing the 1990 constitution with the presence of the monarchy.

Dirgha Raj Prasai is a former Member of Parliament in Nepal and a political analyst who writes from Kathmandu

Statement of Afghan Taliban regarding office in Qatar

2013-06-19T12:18:00.001+05:00

[Reproduced from the Afghan Taliban's official website]

Everyone is aware that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has been waging Jihad and working tirelessly to bring an end to the invasion of Afghanistan and establish in it an independent Islamic government and has always utilized every legitimate method to achieve this goal.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has both military as well as political objectives which are confined to Afghanistan. The Islamic Emirate does not wish to harm other countries from its soil and neither will it allow others use Afghan soil to pose a threat to the security of other nations! The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan wants to have cordial relations on basis of mutual respect with all the countries of the world including its neighbors and desires security for its nation as well as security and justice on international level.

Undoubtedly the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan considers it its religious and national obligation to free its country from occupation and has used every legitimate method for this goal which it will keep on doing in the future. Similarly, it considers the struggle of every oppressed nation working for their due rights and independence to be their legitimate right because every nation deserves to secure freedom from imperialism and attain their rights.

It is due to these objectives that the Islamic Emirate considered it necessary to open a political office in the Islamic country of Qatar for the following reasons:

To talk and improve relations with the international community through mutual understanding.
To back such a political and peaceful solution which ends the occupation of Afghanistan, establishes an independent Islamic government and brings true security which is the demand and genuine aspiration of the entire nation.
To have meetings with Afghans in due appropriate time.
To establish contact with the United Nations, international and regional organizations and non-governmental institutions.
To give political statements to the media on the ongoing political situation.

We also thank the government of Qatar and its Emir ‘Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani’ to have agreed with inaugurating the political office of Islamic Emirate and to have made everything easy in this regard.

China's defence university developing world's leading supercomputer 'Tianhe-2'

2013-06-19T11:52:00.000+05:00

CHANGSHA, June 18 (ChinaMil) -- The international TOP 500 Organization formally released the new edition of the TOP 500 list of the world's most powerful supercomputers during the opening session of the 2013 International Supercomputing Conference in Leipzig of Germany on the afternoon of June 17, Beijing time.

The Tianhe-2, a supercomputer developed independently by the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), took the first place in the list with its peak computing speed of 54.9 petaflops per second and sustained computing speed of 33.9 petaflops per second.

The Tianhe-2 supercomputer mainly possesses five major features:

First, the Tianhe-2 has a high performance. It sets the new world records in both peak computing speed and sustained computing speed.

Second, the system boasts low energy-consumption featured with the energy-efficiency ratio of 1900 Mflops/W, reaching the world's advanced level.

Third, the Tianhe-2 has wide applications majoring in scientific engineering calculations, and at the same time, it can also be used in big data processing.

Fourth, the system is easy to use. The innovation of the integrated heterogeneous architectures ensures the improvement of the software's compatibility and programmability.

And fifth, its cost-performance ratio is high, said Liao Xiangke, dean of School of Computing of the NUDT and chief commander and chief designer of the Tianhe-2 project, during an interview with PLA Daily.

He told PLA Daily that when Tianhe-1A, Tianhe-2's predecessor, ranked the first in the list of the world's fastest supercomputers in November 2010, they made the judgment of "three remains" in the world's supercomputing development, namely, the Western World's superior position in the information technology field remained, the dominant position of the United States in the supercomputing field remained, and the situation of the world powers' competing for the leading position in the development of supercomputers remained.

Now, the overall situation is not substantially changed. There are gaps between China and the developed countries, especially the US, in aspects including core electronic devices, high-end general-purpose chips, basic software and software for large industrial applications, Liao said.

Therefore, China still has a long way to go in the application of supercomputers, he stressed.

The Tianhe-2 will be deployed in the National Supercomputer Center in Guangzhou as its host computer in the second half of 2013.

Attack on Bagram air base leaves 4 US soldiers dead

2013-06-19T11:36:00.002+05:00

[Khaama Press]

According to reports at least four US soldiers were killed following militants attack near US-run Bagram air base.

Defense officials said the attack took place on Tuesday after militants launched an indirect fire on coalition security forces.

NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (IASF) following a statement also confirmed the report and said, “We can confirm four International Security Assistance Force service members died following an indirect fire attack in eastern Afghanistan today.”

The statement did not disclose further information regarding the identities of the deceased soldiers saying it is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities.

The report of casualties came hours after the Taliban insurgency announced it would enter into peace talks with the Afghan government and the United States, and after NATO formally handed responsibility for security to the Kabul government.

Journalist who brought down former US Army Chief McChrystal killed in car crash

2013-06-19T11:22:00.000+05:00

[Reuters]

Journalist Michael Hastings, whose 2010 Rolling Stone magazine profile of the U.S. military chief in Afghanistan, Stanley McChrystal, led to the general being relieved of command, died on Tuesday in a car wreck in Los Angeles, his employer said.

A statement from the editor-in-chief of online news outlet BuzzFeed reporting that Hastings, 33, had been killed, gave no details of the accident, and neither Los Angeles police nor the county coroner's office would confirm his death.

But police said a man who had not been identified was killed before dawn on Monday when his car slammed into a tree near Hollywood and burst into flames in what authorities say was the only fatal traffic accident reported in the city during the day.

The driver was the lone occupant of the automobile, police said.

Coroner's Lieutenant Fred Corral said the body of the driver was burned beyond recognition and that further investigation was required to make a positive identification.

Authorities said they had no further information about the circumstances or cause of the accident, which left the trunk of a palm tree at the corner of Melrose and Highland Avenues gouged and charred black.

"We are shocked and devastated by the news that Michael Hastings is gone," BuzzFeed editor-in-chief Ben Smith said in a statement. "Michael was a great, fearless journalist with an incredible instinct for the story, and a gift for finding ways to make his readers care about anything he covered, from wars to politicians."

Hastings was best known for the Rolling Stone feature, headlined "The Runaway General," that brought about the resignation of McChrystal as commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan in June 2010.

Rolling Stone's executive editor, Eric Bates, said at the time that the U.S. military apparently had given the magazine access to the general in hopes that a positive profile reaching its young readers might help boost Army recruitment.

Instead, the article Hastings wrote portrayed McChrystal and his aides making disparaging comments about President Barack Obama and other civilian leaders, prompting the president to relieve the Army general of his command.

Hastings, who remained a contributing editor to Rolling Stone as well as writing for BuzzFeed, covered the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and previously worked for GQ magazine and Newsweek.

Contract dispute leaves 100 Americans stranded on US Army bases in Kuwait

2013-06-19T11:08:00.000+05:00

by Cristina Corbin
[Fox News]

At least 100 American citizens have been trapped for months on two U.S. bases inside Kuwait after local police unjustly issued warrants for their arrest, a U.S. defense contractor told FoxNews.com.

Most of the Americans were working as Arabic translators for Global Linguist Solutions, which ended a lucrative deal with its sponsoring Kuwaiti subcontractor, Al Shora International General Trading & Contracting and signed on with another company. Sources told FoxNews.com Al Shora's managing director is the sister-in-law of the Kuwaiti prime minister.

When the contract ended Feb. 17, Al Shora refused to transfer the employees' visas to the new Kuwaiti subcontractor and falsely accused the Americans of being "runaways and absconders," according to Charles Tolleson, president of Global Linguist Solutions. His company has barred workers from leaving the bases since May 31 to protect them from arrest and imprisonment.

"My biggest concern is the safety and security of my employees in Kuwait," he said.

One of the employees, who contacted FoxNews.com Tuesday morning from Camp Buehring, said, "If we leave the base, we could be arrested by the Kuwaiti authorities, jailed or deported."

"We cannot see the doctor even for an emergency," said the woman, who asked that her name not be used. "Everybody here is under stress because a lot of us here need to go home. Our families are worried about us. We need to see our kids... We don’t see any hope. We’re dealing with a corrupt company in Kuwait that has fabricated charges against us."

She said the Al Shora's managing director "cancelled all of our visas here, so we became illegal."

Camp Buehring is in the Kuwaiti desert, about 25 miles south of the Iraqi border. Other employees of Global Linguistics are similarly stuck at Camp Arifjan, another U.S. Army base inside Kuwait.

Al Shora is demanding $22 million from Global Linguistics in order to transfer the employees' visas to the new company, Kuwaiti Resources House, sources said. Under Kuwaiti law, foreigners cannot work in the country unless they are under the sponsorship of a private Kuwaiti company.

After his company re-bid its contract several months ago and opted to chose the new Kuwaiti company, "Al Shora basically embarked on a campaign to destroy my company," Tolleson said.

"There’s no contract dispute. I don’t even have a contract with them anymore," he said of Al Shora. "If a sponsor is no longer a sponsor, they are required to simply transfer [the visas] to the new sponsor. This happens all the time. They won’t do that, and that violates the terms of their former contract."

A representative from the Kuwaiti prime minister's office said he was not aware of the situation.

"This is the first time I heard about this," the representative, who declined to give his name, told FoxNews.com. "This kind of behavior has never happened."

He had no comment when asked if the Al Shora's managing director was related to Kuwaiti Prime Minister Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah

Tolleson said that when he approached the U.S. military about the situation, "I was told this is my problem."

The office for the U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait referred all inquiries on the matter to the U.S. State Department.

“The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait is aware of the commercial dispute involving a Department of Defense contractor and a local Kuwaiti company," Beth Gosselin, as a State Department spokeswoman, told FoxNews.com. "That dispute has had an impact on a number of private U.S. citizens working in Kuwait".

"The protection of U.S. citizens overseas is one of our highest priorities," Gosselin added.

"The U.S. Embassy is working with the private U.S. citizens and is providing them with appropriate consular assistance. The Embassy continues to monitor the situation closely and is encouraging an immediate resolution to this difficult issue."

At least three of the linguists reportedly spent seven days in a crowded, filthy jail after being caught outside their base. Majdi Abdulghani was detained by police May 9, as he prepared to board a plane on an approved trip to Jordan to visit his sick mother, the military newspaper Stars and Stripes reported. He spent seven days in jail before being flown back to the U.S., according to the newspaper.

US rights group sues NYPD surveillance policy on Muslims

2013-06-19T10:41:00.000+05:00

[Anadolu Agency]

NEW YORK (AA) - Several US-based rights groups led by American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Tuesday filed a legal action against what they said the New York Police Department's "unconstitutional policy and practice of targeting entire Muslim communities for discriminatory and suspicionless surveillance."

"The NYPD's vast religious profiling program has cast an unjustified badge of suspicion and stigma on hundreds of thousands of innocent New Yorkers, based on nothing more than their religious faith and practice. We represent civic and religious leaders, two mosques, and a charitable organization, all of whom were swept up in the police department's dragnet surveillance because they are Muslim," ACLU said in a statement on its wesite.

The group said, "the NYPD's surveillance program would be unthinkable if it targeted churches or synagogues, Christian reading rooms or Jewish community centers. The fact that it maps and sends informants into mosques and Muslim-owned businesses is no different. Like all Americans, our Muslim communities are entitled to protection from discriminatory religious profiling and intrusive police surveillance."

"This discriminatory profiling and the harms it has caused our clients violate the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause, and the First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion and guarantee of government neutrality toward religion".

"Our suit asks the court to end the NYPD's Muslim surveillance program and to prevent future surveillance based solely or predominantly on religion in the absence of individualized suspicion of criminal activity. It also seeks to expunge the records of all of our clients created because of the program, and to appoint a monitor to ensure that New York City truly ends all of the unconstitutional practices inherent in its religious surveillance efforts," ACLU said.

US and Taliban to hold Afghan peace talks in Qatar

2013-06-19T10:35:00.000+05:00

[Anadolu Agency]

WASHINGTON (AA) - The United States and the Taliban will begin talks towards a political resolution for the 12-year-old war in Afghanistan.

US officials said Tuesday that the Taliban has agreed to participate in peace talks based in Qatari capital Doha to start a political resolution of the war in Afghanistan ahead of White House plans to withdraw US-led NATO troops.

Officials stated that direct talks between US officials and Taliban representatives may begin this week in Doha and would be soon followed by a meeting between Taliban and the High Peace Council, which will represent the Afghan government in the talks.

Reminding a Taliban statement issued on Tuesday that rejects using Afghan land to attack other countries and supports Afghan peace process, US officials noted that the US will urge Taliban to break ties with Al Qaeda, end violence, protect the rights of women and minorities and adopt the Afghan constitution, and the parties will possibly discuss prisoner swap.

Officials also pointed out that "Peace is not in our pocket," underlining a possible long process of peace due to the low level of trust of Afghan government and Taliban in each other.

Taliban spokesman Mohammed Naeemat said, "It is an important step towards peace."

Taliban opened a political bureau of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in the Qatar's capital Doha on Tuesday to help resume talks to end the 12-year-old war.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the office in the capital Doha, Taliban spokesman Mohammed Naeemat said "The new bureau aims at a political solution in Afghanistan and the establishment of a fair government for Afghan people. It is an important step towards peace."

"We want to keep good relations with all countries in the world, in particular with our neighboring countries," he said.

Stressing that they aim to keep contact with the neighboring countries for peace talks, to further develop relations and to end the occupation via political and peaceful means.

"The Islamic emirate sees the independence of the nation from the current occupation as a national and religious obligation," he said.

Turkish Finance Minister signals measures against UK on spying claims

2013-06-19T10:22:00.000+05:00

Finance Minister Mehmet Shimshek, one of the officials reportedly spied on during a G20 meeting in London in 2009, indicated on Tuesday that Turkey could take measures against NATO ally Britain if that claim is proven to be true, saying the Foreign Ministry is working on the issue Today`s Zaman reported.

"The necessary reaction has been shown. If there are other steps [that need] to be taken, our Foreign Ministry needs to study them. Our Foreign Ministry is taking necessary steps," Shimshek told reporters in Ankara.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday that the report on spying, published in the UK Guardian earlier in the day, was worrying and that it is clear that this will be a scandal even if the report is partly true. The statement stressed that mutual trust, respect and transparency are essential in international cooperation and added that it is clear that such a behavior from an ally is "unacceptable."

There was no further comment from the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

The Guardian reported that the UK secret wiretapping agency, GCHQ, targeted Şimşek and other foreign officials during a G20 meeting in London in September 2009. The GCHQ, said the Guardian, also considered monitoring the communications of 15 named members of his staff and of Turkey's Central Bank, but it was not clear which if any of the staff members were ultimately placed under surveillance.

The goal was to collect information about the Turkish position on the reform of the global financial infrastructure in the wake of the world banking crisis, said the Guardian.

Shimshek said the spying appeared to have aimed at finding out the Turkish position on international financial inspection and global financial reforms as well as Turkey's dialogue with other G20 partners on these issues. "The necessary reaction will be shown," he said.

In a statement on the Turkish reaction, the British Foreign Office confirmed that the Turkish Foreign Ministry has contacted the British Embassy in Ankara on the alleged spying. It denied that the British ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Ministry, saying the Turkish authorities contacted the embassy by phone.

The Foreign Office echoed an earlier statement by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, saying that it will not comment on intelligence matters. "We never comment on security or intelligence issues and I am not about to start now," Cameron said on Monday during a G8 summit in London. "I don't make comments on security or intelligence issues. That would be breaking something that no government has previously done." GCHQ also declined to comment on the report.

The Guardian report revealed details about the GCHQ spying, stating that the GCHQ had hacked emails stolen passwords and even set up a bugged Internet cafe to monitor foreign officials' communications.

Other countries whose diplomats were spied on during the same meeting also reacted angrily. "It's a scandal! The US and British special services tapped [then President Dmitry] Medvedev's phone at the 2009 G20 summit. The US denies it, but we can't trust them," Alexei Pushkov, the Kremlin-connected chief of foreign affairs committee in the lower house of Russian parliament, wrote on his Twitter feed on Monday.

South African diplomats said in a statement that they were concerned by the report, according to the Associated Press, demanding that London "investigate this matter fully."

Spying on foreign diplomats is an old practice and the AP cited experts as saying that the expressions of shock from Turkey and other countries may be spurious since it's widely known that all nearly all countries spy on one another. But Britain's standing could nevertheless suffer real damage. "The diplomatic fallout from this could be considerable," British academic Richard J. Aldrich, whose book "GCHQ" charts the agency's history, was quoted as saying.

Longbow LLC receives $90 million contract for Saudi Arabia Apache radar systems

2013-06-19T10:17:00.000+05:00

ORLANDO, FLORIDA (BNS): The Longbow LLC, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman Corporation, received a $90.6 million contract to provide Saudi Arabia with LONGBOW Fire Control Radars (FCRs) for the AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter.

The contract award includes AH-64E LONGBOW FCRs, spares and support for the Royal Saudi Land Forces Aviation Command. The contract also includes LONGBOW FCRs for the Saudi Arabia National Guard and LONGBOW Mast Mounted Assemblies for the US Army.

"The AH-64E LONGBOW FCR's new Radar Electronics Unit provides greater processing power and provision for significant growth while reducing weight and maintenance costs," Mike Taylor, Longbow LLC president and director of LONGBOW programmes at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, was quoted as saying in a Lockheed news release.

The LONGBOW FCR has provided Apache aircrews with target detection, location, classification and prioritization. In all weather, over multiple terrains and through any battlefield obscurant, the radar allows automatic and rapid multi-target engagement.

Australia fully acknowledges the role and sacrifices of Pakistan's Armed Forces

2013-06-19T08:48:00.002+05:00

RAWALPINDI, Jun 18 (APP): Deputy Secretary, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Paul Grigson Tuesday said he fully acknowledged the role and sacrifices of the Pakistani Armed Forces in the war against terror. Talking to Secretary Defence, Lt Gen (Retd) Asif Yasin Malik here in Ministry of Defence, he said, "Pakistan is committed to the cause and Australia fully respects and recognizes the stance of Pakistan.”

He said Australia is committed to capacity building of the Afghan forces and lauded Pakistan’s efforts in bringing peace to the region and troubled areas.

During the meeting, the Secretary Defence discussed the post 2014 Afghan situation and shared Pakistan’s concerns regarding the draw down.

Asif Yasin Malik appraised the dignitary about the role of Pakistan in the war on terror.
He highlighted that Pakistan is committed to peace in the region and has sacrificed 15,000 troops in this war.

The two sides discussed important bilateral issues and present state of relations between the two countries.

“We hope that the relations between the two countries will not only continue with the same confidence but grow in multifaceted areas,” the Secretary Defence said.

Australia and Pakistan have good relations as far as defence related training is concerned.

However, the two sides expressed hope that joint ventures in Defence Production and research and development projects will also be worked out in future, he commented.

Asif Yasin Malik also thanked the Australian government for providing timely relief assistance for the establishment of Combined (Civil and Military) Medical Centre in Kot Addu and rehabilitation of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of Swat/Malakand besides providing relief during earthquake and 2010 floods.

He appreciated the support of the Australian government and the dignitary thanked the Secretary for a detailed briefing and expressed hope that the relationship will continue to grow and flourish.

القاعدہ کو پاکستان میں ‘کھلا ہاتھ حاصل ہے'، کینیڈین انٹیلی جنس رپورٹ کا دعویٰ

2013-06-18T22:54:00.000+05:00

رپورٹ: ذکی خالد
ترجمہ: عظمیٰ مشتاق
(ٹرمینل ایکس ڈیسک)

مئی 2013ء میں سی ایس آئی ایس (کینیڈین سیکیورٹی انٹیلی جنس سروس) کی شائع کردہ ایک رپورٹ 'القاعدہ کا مستقبل: مستقبل قریب کے پروجیکٹ کے نتائج' میں مستقبل کی پیشن گوئی کی گئی ہے، جس کو امریکہ اور دوسری جگہوں میں ان تنظیموں اور ان کے ہم منصبوں کے حوالے سے موجود اعداد و شمار کی روشنی میں پائے جانے والے رجحانات پر بحث کی گئی ہے۔

دیگر تفصیلات کے مطابق، رپورٹ میں القاعدہ کی پاکستان، صومالیہ اور یمن میں مبینہ سرگرمیوں پر روشنی ڈالی گئی ہے اور ان کی تحریک کی وجہ سے افغانستان میں اتحادی افواج کی کارروائیوں پر ہونے والے منفی اثرات پربھی بحث کی گئی ہے۔

رپورٹ میں تین ماڈلز کے حوالے سے بحث کی گئی ہے جو القاعدہ اگلے پانچ سالوں میں اپنا سکتے ہیں: ان میں بتدریج کمی، ترقی کی شرح میں اضافہ اور تیز رفتار ترقی شامل ہے۔

ایک قابل ذکر الزام جو کینیڈین انٹیلی جنس نے براہ راست پاکستان پر لگایا ہے، وہ یہ ہے کہ "القاعدہ کور" (یعنی مرکزی القاعدہ) "سب سے زیادہ پاکستان میں اپنے اہم مقام سے لطف اندوز ہو رہا ہے" (صفحہ نمبر22)۔

"القاعدہ کور" عسکریت پسندوں کے اس گروہ کو نام دنا گیا ہے جو جزیرہ عرب میں گوانتاناموب ے کے قیدی القاعدہ کے شیخ شیہری سعید کے مطابق پاکستان اور افغانستان کے درمیان سرحدی علاقے میں سرگرمیوں میں ملوث ہیں؛ یہ انکشاف 8 فروری 2010ء کو اس سعودی دہشت گرد کی طرف سے جاری کردہ ایک پیغام میں کیا گیا تھا۔

لیکن سی ایس آئی ایس یہ بات تسلیم کرتی ہے کہ پاکستان میں "القاعدہ کور" کے اثر و رسوخ میں "کمی واقع ہوئی ہے جس کے نتیجے میں اس کی مختلف شاخوں کے اتحاد میں تناؤ پیدا ہو رہا ہے" (صفحہ نمبر 17)۔

رپورٹ میں پاکستان سے متعلق قابل ذکر اقتباسات درج ذیل ہیں۔

"یہ بات مسلمہ ہے کہ القاعدہ کی مشرقی بحیرہ روم کے علاقوں، شمالی اور مغربی افریقہ میں اپنا آپ قائم کرنے اور تبدیل کرنے کی بھرپور صلاحیت موجود ہے جو کہ پاکستان، افغانستان، یمن اور صومالیہ میں موجود چوکیوں کے لئے اضافی مدد فراہم کر سکتی ہے" (صفحہ نمبر 22)۔

یہ بھی الزامات لگائے گئے ہیں کہ نیو یارک کے میٹروپولیٹن سب وے سسٹم کو دھماکے سے اڑانے کی کوشش کرنے والا افغانی نژاد گرین کارڈ ہولڈر نجیب اللہ زاری اور فیصل شہزاد "دونوں نے پاکستان میں تربیت حاصل کی ہے" (صفحہ نمبر 25)۔

"تاہم سب سے زیادہ قابل ذکر اور حیران کن مواصلاتی رابطہ 27 اگست 2010ء کا ہے۔ اس میں اسامہ بن لادن نے پاکستان میں اپنے جنگجوؤں اور پیروکاروں کی حفاظت کےحوالے سے تشویش کا اظہارکیا ہے۔ اسلئے نہیں کہ انہیں حکام کی طرف سے گرفتار یا حراست میں لیا جا سکتا ہے بلکہ طوفانی بارشوں اور سیلاب کی وجہ سے جس نے ملک کو متاثر کیا ہوا ہے۔ القاعدہ کے لیڈر کو اس بات کا زیادہ اندیشہ تھا کہ اس کے پیروکار موسمی تغیرات سے زیادہ متاثر ہو سکتے ہیں نہ کہ پاکستانی حکام کی جانب سے گرفتاری کے خدشہ کی وجہ سے۔ یہ دعویٰ ہی کافی ہے اس بات کی طرف اشارہ کرنے کیلئے کہ کس طرح اس (اسامہ) نے اور اسکے ساتھیوں نے پاکستان میں محفوظ پناہ حاصل کی" (صفحہ نمبر 28)۔

"دستاویزات میں اس بات کا بہت کم ذکر ہے کہ کس طرح القاعدہ کے جنگجوؤں کو ایران سے پاکستان اور پاکستان اور افغانستان کے درمیان سفری مشکلات درپیش آئی ہیں۔ اس بات کا بھی خدشہ ظاہر نہیں کیا گیا کہ پاکستان میں بلوچستان سے فاٹا کی جانب، جو کہ انکی محبوب شکارگاہ ہے،کی طرف سفر کرتے ہوئے مشکل انہیں پیش آئی۔ پاکستان اور امریکہ کے درمیان ایک دوسرے کیلئے پس پردہ نفرتیں اور اس کے نتیجہ میں پاکستانی حکومت کی بن لادن کی موت کے بعد القاعدہ کی جانب غیر تبدیل شدہ پالیسی یہ ظاہر کرتی ہے کہ اب یقین کرنے کی کوئی وجہ باقی نہیں رہتی، کہ (القاعدہ) کور کی آزادی کو بامعنی طریقے سے کنٹرول کیا گیا ہے" (صفحہ نمبر 28)۔

کینیڈین انٹیلی جنس کے تجزیہ کار اس نتیجے پر پہنچے ہیں کہ "القاعدہ کور" نے پاکستان میں "ایک محفوظ پناہ گاہ قائم کر لی ہے جو کسی بھی رکاوٹ کے بغیر کام کرتی ہے اور سرحد پار افغانستان میں داخلے کے لئے تیار ہے، جب کہ امریکی فوج اور ایساف کا 2014ء تک انخلاء جاری ہے" (صفحہ نمبر 29)۔

رپورٹ میں یہ بھی دعویٰ کیا گیا ہے کہ پاکستان کی امریکیوں کی جانب بڑھتی نفرت نے جنوبی ایشیائی خطے میں دہشت گردی اور اس کے متعلقہ عوامل کے خلاف پیش رفت کو "مزید کمزور کر دیا ہے" (صفحہ نمبر 32)۔

سی ایس آئی ایس کے مطابق، "القاعدہ کور" نے تین ممالک جن میں پاکستان، یمن اور صومالیہ شامل ہیں، میں اہم آپریشنل ماحول اور پناہ گاہوں کی دیکھ بھال برقرار رکھی ہوئی ہے (صفحہ نمبر 38)۔

مکمل رپورٹ کو پڑھنے کیلئے یہاں کلک کریں

Canadian intelligence report says Al Qaeda 'enjoys unmolested existence in Pakistan'

2013-06-18T14:32:00.002+05:00

اس رپورٹ کو اردو میں پڑھنے کیلئے یہاں کلک کریں

by Zaki Khalid
[Terminal X Desk]

A new report published in May 2013 by the CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service), titled 'The Future of Al Qaeda: Results of a Foresight Project', discusses future predictions and trends in light of existing data apparently available with the organization and its counterparts in the US and elsewhere.

Among other details, the report highlights alleged activities of Al Qaeda in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen and also discusses the adverse effects their movement could have for the operations by allied forces in Afghanistan.

The report discusses three model paths which Al Qaeda might adopt over the next five years: gradual decline, incremental growth and rapid growth.

The most notable allegation that the Canadian secret service has made against Pakistan, is that Al Qaeda Core "seems to enjoy an unmolested existence from authorities in Pakistan" (pg. 22).

Al Qaeda Core is the name given to an alleged group of militants who, according to Guantanamo detainee Saeed al-Shihri of the Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, operate in the border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan. This was revealed in a statement by the Saudi terrorist in a message released on 8 February 2010.

But the organization does acknowledge, that the influence of Al Qaeda Core is "declining" in Pakistan (pg. 17), thus causing strain to the unity among the various offshoots.

Following are notable extracts from the report which pertain to Pakistan:

"Al-Qaeda convincingly has the potential to transform toeholds established in the Levant and perhaps in the Sinai and in both North and West Africa into footholds—thus complementing its existing outposts in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Somalia" (pg. 22)
Allegations that Najibullah Zazi, an Afghan-born Green Card holder who lived in who attempted to blow up the metropolitan subway system and Faisal Shahzad were "trained in Pakistan" (pg. 25)
"Perhaps the most remarkable communication, however, is one dated 27 August 2010. In it, bin Laden expresses his concerns for the safety of his fighters and followers in Pakistan: not because they might be arrested or detained by the authorities, but because of the torrential rains and flooding then afflicting that country. The Al-Qaeda leader, accordingly, was more fearful that his men might be affected by the weather than by any effort of the Pakistani government to apprehend them. Th is assertion alone speaks volumes about how amenable he and his minions found their refuge in Pakistan" (pg. 28)
"There is little in the documents that suggests that it was terribly difficult for Al-Qaeda fighters to travel from Iran to Pakistan—or, for that matter, between Afghanistan and Pakistan. And there is no indication that, once in Pakistan, they had any trouble traversing Baluchistan en route to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas or North-West Frontier Province, two of the movement’s favorite haunts. Given the continuing antipathy between Pakistan and the US and the absence of any indication of a change in this laissez-faire policy of the Pakistani government toward Al-Qaeda since bin Laden’s death, there is no reason to believe that the core’s freedom of movement has been inhibited in any meaningful way" (pg. 28)

The analysts at Canadian intelligence arrive at a conclusion that the Core Al Qaeda has "a well-established sanctuary in Pakistan that functions without great hindrance and that is poised to expand across the border into Afghanistan as the US military and ISAF continue to withdraw from that country, until the complete drawdown set for 2014" (pg.29).

The report also claims that the growing antipathy in Pakistan against Americans has "undermined" (pg. 32) the progress against terrorism and its perpetrators in the South Asian region.

According to the CSIS, Al Qaeda Core maintains key operational environments and sanctuaries in 3 countries: Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia (pg. 38).

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