Taliban in Pakistan launched horrific suicide bombings at two mosques in Lahore on Friday, killing at least 80 persons and wounding dozens. The mosques belonged to the minority Ahmadiyah community, widely considered non-Muslims by Pakistani Sunnis and Shiites. (Ahmadis consider themselves Muslims). Previous militant bombings linked to the Taliban and kindred groups had targeted mosques […]
Taliban Commander Maulvi Fazlullah Said Killed in Nuristan
Conflicting reports are emerging from the province of Nuristan in Afghanistan, some alleging that Maulvi Fazlullah, a.k.a. ‘Mulla Radio,’ has been killed in fierce fighting along with six companions. On Thursday, a group of insurgents took on Afghanistan National Army troops in Nuristan, with heavy fighting continuing on Friday. Maulvi Fazlullah was one of the […]
Ahmadinejad Blasts Medvedev over UNSC Sanctions;
Brazil still Reaching out to Obama on Nuclear Deal
The Iranian newspaper Tabnak reports that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a speech on Wednesday, took a hard line with Russia and also pressured the US to accept the deal brokered by Turkey and Brazil on Iranian low enriched uranium (the “Tehran Declaration.”) Ahmadinejad, speaking in the city of Kerman, said that Iran and Russia […]
Mercy Flotilla for Gaza About to Set Off
Israelis Threaten to Block it with War Ships
An 8-ship aid flotilla will likely set sail from Turkish ports on Wednesday in an attempt to reach the Occupied Gaza Strip Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu called on the Israelis to lift their siege of Gazan civilians and warned them not to block the aid flotilla. Turkey had for decades been close to Israel, […]
Petraeus Memo Widens scope of US Military Covert Operations in ME
The 7-page memo seen by the NYT and signed by CENTCOM commander Gen. David Petraeus authorizes US troops to engage in clandestine intelligence-gathering in the greater Middle East. The article implies that the memo also authorizes more military teams to go into unconventional conflict situations in both unfriendly and friendly countries. Critics worry that the […]
Israel offered Nukes to Racist South Africa for Use on Black Neighbors
A suppressed historical episode has emerged into the light of day in such a way as to deeply embarrass Israel and the United States in their campaign against Iran’s peaceful nuclear enrichment program at Natanz near Isfahan. In a recent interview, Tzahi Hanegbi, chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in Israel said, […]
Taliban Attack Qandahar Airfield; Parliament goes on Strike
Guerrillas fired mortar shells and used small arms to attack the major US military base in south Afghanistan, Qandahar Airfield, on Saturday. The operation was the third major attack by insurgents during the past week. They had also attacked a NATO convoy in the capital, Kabul, and had attacked Bagram Base north of Kabul. The […]
Pakistan’s Social Media Ban Endangers Economic Growth
The Lahore High Court’s ban on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and some other social media sites was supported on Friday in Pakistan by rallies of students, attorneys and fundamentalists. Blackberry services have also been banned by the Pakistani telecom authority. But these knowledge workers are unwittingly shooting themselves in the foot and raising the question of […]
Iran Threatens to Pull out of Nuclear Deal over new UN Sanctions
Iranian member of parliament Mohammad Reza Bahonar warned Thursday that “If (the West) issues a new resolution against Iran, we will not be committed to Tehran’s statement and dispatching fuel outside Iran will be canceled.” Turkey and Brazil, with full backing from Washington DC and in close cooperation with the Obama administration, had apparently succeeded […]