Archives for November 2009

US pours millions into anti-Taliban militias in Afghanistan | World news | The Guardian Didn’t Reagan already try this in the 1980s? End/ (Not Continued)

The government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Sunday aired the confessions of three men, members of the Baath Party, that it captured after the October 25 bombings that killed 125 persons and destroyed several government buildings. Baghdad said that the men had come from Syria, but stopped short of accusing the Baathist government of […]

Reuters reports that the UN Security Council is considering sanctions against the Horn of Africa nation, Eritrea, for its financial, arms and logistic support of the Al Qaeda-allied Al Shabab movement in Somalia. Our guest columnist, Dr. Gregory Alonso Pirio, explains how the “international community” is mounting a major initiative to curb piracy and terrorism […]

William R. Polk writes in a guest editorial for IC, which he wishes someone would pass on to President Obama, quickly: In its war in Afghanistan, the United States has come to a crossroads. President Obama will be forced to choose one of four ways ahead. The choices are cruel, expensive and dangerous for our […]

Reuters reports that Iraq’s parliament failed on Saturday to resolve the crisis produced by the veto of the election bill it had passed by vice president Tariq al-Hashemi, a Sunni Arab who wanted better representation for Iraqi refugees abroad, many of whom are Sunni Arabs. Parliament could amend the bill, but legislators fear that they […]

Afghan insurgents greeted the inauguration of Hamid Karzai as president for another 5 years with a string of attacks and bombings that left 23 dead and dozens wounded on Friday. A motorcycle-driving suicide bomber in the southwestern province of Farah struck near a truck depot, killing 15 and wounding 38, according to AFP. In Kabul, […]

Two bombs rocked the northern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Thursday. The first, in the morning, targeted the city’s courthouse. The suicide bomber, wearing a vest, was stopped by security before he could get into the building. He detonated his payload outside, killing 20 persons and wounding 50. Thursday evening another bomber struck at a […]

Brian Cloughley writes in a guest editorial for IC When the Taliban insurrection in Pakistan began in earnest, in 2005, the Pakistan army did not have enough troops in North-West Frontier Province to combat the growing menace. It was not possible for the army and the paramilitary Frontier Corps to conduct operations without considerable reinforcement. […]

Al-Hayat reports in Arabic that Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, who is a Sunni Arab, has vetoed the election law recently passed by parliament. Iraq has a president (currently a Kurd, Jalal Talabani) and two vice presidents (the other is Adil Abdul Mahdi, a Shiite from the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq). Al-Hashimi reportedly dislikes […]