RSS Feed (xml)
A Howard W. Trench from the International Herald Tribune wrote some commentary this week on CHAD, noting the demise of France's presence in the Francophone countries, and its replacement by China.
Chinese companies getting the contracts for spend aid money, and major Telecoms investments. Yet France still maintains a military airbase in CHAD, and its presence may be contributing to its fragile stability.
This is another sign of the changing of the guard in Africa. Chinese Imperialism replacing aging European colonialism.
Africa is still the poorer. Why must Africa live on the handouts of Europeans, Arabs, Americans even South Asians run much of the informal sector in many African Countries. Liberian Newspapers have lamented the fact that the only way to buy a car in Liberia, is to buy it from a Lebanese importer.
Even the World Bank and EU Finical organizations treat African nations like small Children, Giving them money like a Rich Father giving money to a drug addicted Son. "Enough to eat, to rebuild again infrastructure, but not enough to buy drugs" seems to be the approach by these governments.
"Africa, you deserve better than this. When will you begin to refuse outside help that makes you dependant on them? Take Charge of your own economy. Kick your best and brightest out of government and into the private sector. When you take help, take help from outside entrepreneurs who are the only providers of self sufficiency.
Though we non-Africans have abused you, some also want to equip you for success."
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Charles Taylor Connections Re-Sanctioned: Liberian Al Qaeda Connection Still Active?
The Office of Foreign Asset Control has lifted sanction sanctions against Liberia that had been imposed since the days of Charles Taylor. However, on 23 May, 2007 the reimplemented targeted sanctions against those connected to the former regime of Charles Taylor.
This is an interesting note, and suggests that the US is still concerned that there are some active terrorist connections still active in Liberia. Douglas Farah wrote extensively about Charles Taylor's al Qaeda diamond & money laundering connections.
Any thoughts about al Qaeda's current activities in Liberia?
Shimron Issachar
This is an interesting note, and suggests that the US is still concerned that there are some active terrorist connections still active in Liberia. Douglas Farah wrote extensively about Charles Taylor's al Qaeda diamond & money laundering connections.
Any thoughts about al Qaeda's current activities in Liberia?
Shimron Issachar
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Turkish troops cross into Northern Iraq
ANKARA: Amid high tension along the Turkish border with northern Iraq, thousands of Turkish troops were reported to have crossed into Iraq on Wednesday to pursue Kurdish guerrillas who shelter there.
But there was no immediate confirmation of the incursion by Turkish forces, which have been greatly reinforced along the border. American officials in Germany for the Group of 8 meeting said there had been "no new activity" in the area.
The Rest @ International Herlad Tribue
But there was no immediate confirmation of the incursion by Turkish forces, which have been greatly reinforced along the border. American officials in Germany for the Group of 8 meeting said there had been "no new activity" in the area.
The Rest @ International Herlad Tribue
al Qaeda in Mesopotamia (AQIM) now Desperate
The following report shows that the New Surge has AQIM on the run. They are increasingly turning to FARC, Che Guevara style tactics. They they still recruit world wide, they have lost their ideological initiative, and now have just become thugs inside Iraq.
-Shimron Issachar
There is evidence that al-Qaeda is being squeezed out of Baghdad by the troop surge and has already been driven out of its traditional stronghold in Anbar province. In response, Al-Qaeda in Iraq has attempted to make Diyala province their new headquarters. Diyala has always been an active area for al-Qaeda, and they have set up training camps in the adjacent Hamrin Mountains and are attempting to turn the province into an Islamic principality under their command. They have forbidden the sale of cigarettes, forced the niqab upon women and closed internet cafes
Residents report that al-Qaeda elements have set up false checkpoints to kidnap men and have broken into residential houses at night. One sheikh said, "They take the men to orchards and farms…where they train them on how to fight and how to plant explosives. Those who don't obey their commands are killed" .According to reports from Diyala's residents, al-Qaeda is forcing families to marry their daughters to its members and requiring their sons to fight on their behalf. They have raided schools and killed teachers in front of their students.
In fact, the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), of which al-Qaeda is a part, has killed and displaced hundreds of civilians who have not cooperated with their demands. They have threatened tribal leaders and tried to prohibit anyone from cooperating with the Iraqi government. These strong-arm tactics have caused a mass exodus of Diyala residents, compounding Iraq's internal refugee problem. The Iraqi Red Crescent Society\nreported that, in one week alone, 700 households abandoned their homes in Diyala. Nevertheless, some Diyala residents are fighting back.
Following the example of the Anbar tribes, Diyala has formed its own salvation council. Despite, and as a result of, its aggressive tactics, al-Qaeda is facing fierce resistance that has resulted in a number of deaths within their ranksT e Diyala Salvation Council is a coalition of tribal leaders, prominent members of the community and their followers. No less than nine major tribes have joined—the Shammar, al-Jabbour, al-Zawba, Duleim, Tamim, Bani Assad, Bani Lam, al-Naime and al-Obeid—and many of them encompass both Shiite and Sunni members.
The Diyala Salvation Council is supported by a Diyala youth paramilitary group called "Top of Diyala" (al-Mada, May 15). According to reports, even indigenous Sunni insurgents such as the 1920 Revolution Brigades and the Islamic Army in Iraq are joining Sunni and Shiite tribesmen in Diyala to defeat al-Qaeda (al-Hayat, May 14). Indigenous Sunni insurgent support of the Diyala Salvation Council has remarkably become a vehicle for negotiations with the Iraqi government. The Islamic Army in particular has begun to negotiate and coordinate with Iraqi government forces in a joint effort to root out al-Qaeda
The grassroots Salvation Council has also forced the hand of the Iraqi government. A "Diyala Support Council" has been formed among Sunni and Shiite provincial leaders and members of parliament to help coordinate military operations and support. MP Muayyid al-Obeid explained the role of the support group: "It will coordinate with the ministries of defense and interior and supervise the military operations of the province…The council also formed subcommittees inside the cities, towns and villages in the province which are witnessing security escalation."
Nevertheless, Diyala residents are not relying on Iraqi government support that has been slow in coming. Judge Wail Abdul Latif, a parliamentarian and former member of the Iraqi Governing Council, has encouraged Diyala's tribes and urged them to continue fighting al-Qaeda and the ISI instead of waiting for government support. He stated, "The creation of a tribal council in Diyala, similar to the Anbar Salvation Council, would be enough to fix the situation
Although a council may not be enough to "fix the situation," it is a positive start that will hopefully mirror the success of the Anbar Salvation Council.Lydia Khalil previously served as governance policy advisor for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad.
Source: Terrorism Focus is a publication of the Jamestown Foundation.
-Shimron Issachar
There is evidence that al-Qaeda is being squeezed out of Baghdad by the troop surge and has already been driven out of its traditional stronghold in Anbar province. In response, Al-Qaeda in Iraq has attempted to make Diyala province their new headquarters. Diyala has always been an active area for al-Qaeda, and they have set up training camps in the adjacent Hamrin Mountains and are attempting to turn the province into an Islamic principality under their command. They have forbidden the sale of cigarettes, forced the niqab upon women and closed internet cafes
Residents report that al-Qaeda elements have set up false checkpoints to kidnap men and have broken into residential houses at night. One sheikh said, "They take the men to orchards and farms…where they train them on how to fight and how to plant explosives. Those who don't obey their commands are killed" .According to reports from Diyala's residents, al-Qaeda is forcing families to marry their daughters to its members and requiring their sons to fight on their behalf. They have raided schools and killed teachers in front of their students.
In fact, the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), of which al-Qaeda is a part, has killed and displaced hundreds of civilians who have not cooperated with their demands. They have threatened tribal leaders and tried to prohibit anyone from cooperating with the Iraqi government. These strong-arm tactics have caused a mass exodus of Diyala residents, compounding Iraq's internal refugee problem. The Iraqi Red Crescent Society\nreported that, in one week alone, 700 households abandoned their homes in Diyala. Nevertheless, some Diyala residents are fighting back.
Following the example of the Anbar tribes, Diyala has formed its own salvation council. Despite, and as a result of, its aggressive tactics, al-Qaeda is facing fierce resistance that has resulted in a number of deaths within their ranksT e Diyala Salvation Council is a coalition of tribal leaders, prominent members of the community and their followers. No less than nine major tribes have joined—the Shammar, al-Jabbour, al-Zawba, Duleim, Tamim, Bani Assad, Bani Lam, al-Naime and al-Obeid—and many of them encompass both Shiite and Sunni members.
The Diyala Salvation Council is supported by a Diyala youth paramilitary group called "Top of Diyala" (al-Mada, May 15). According to reports, even indigenous Sunni insurgents such as the 1920 Revolution Brigades and the Islamic Army in Iraq are joining Sunni and Shiite tribesmen in Diyala to defeat al-Qaeda (al-Hayat, May 14). Indigenous Sunni insurgent support of the Diyala Salvation Council has remarkably become a vehicle for negotiations with the Iraqi government. The Islamic Army in particular has begun to negotiate and coordinate with Iraqi government forces in a joint effort to root out al-Qaeda
The grassroots Salvation Council has also forced the hand of the Iraqi government. A "Diyala Support Council" has been formed among Sunni and Shiite provincial leaders and members of parliament to help coordinate military operations and support. MP Muayyid al-Obeid explained the role of the support group: "It will coordinate with the ministries of defense and interior and supervise the military operations of the province…The council also formed subcommittees inside the cities, towns and villages in the province which are witnessing security escalation."
Nevertheless, Diyala residents are not relying on Iraqi government support that has been slow in coming. Judge Wail Abdul Latif, a parliamentarian and former member of the Iraqi Governing Council, has encouraged Diyala's tribes and urged them to continue fighting al-Qaeda and the ISI instead of waiting for government support. He stated, "The creation of a tribal council in Diyala, similar to the Anbar Salvation Council, would be enough to fix the situation
Although a council may not be enough to "fix the situation," it is a positive start that will hopefully mirror the success of the Anbar Salvation Council.Lydia Khalil previously served as governance policy advisor for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad.
Source: Terrorism Focus is a publication of the Jamestown Foundation.
Turkey and Al Qaeda break the Relative Peace in Kurdistan
On Friday, June 1, the Turkish military announced that plainclothes troops operating inside of northern Iraq were harassed by Kurdish forces in the city of Sulaymaniyah and that, as a result, the acts would receive a response "at the highest level" (Journal of Turkish Weekly, June 4).
The previous day, Turkey's chief of staff, General Yasar Buyukanit, confirmed that the Turkish military was prepared for an offensive in northern Iraq if it received orders to deploy (Journal of Turkish Weekly, June 4).
In response to the continued escalation, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates again cautioned Turkey against conducting military operations in northern Iraq: "We hope there would not be a unilateral military action across the border into Iraq." Separately, Turkish newspapers have criticized the U.S. military's monitoring of Turkish troop formations on the border.
According to a May 27 report in Turkey's Milliyet, columnist Fikret Bila claimed that "U.S. military personnel in Zaho [Iraq] are monitoring the reconnaissance flights of the Turkish military planes in helicopters." Bila pointed out that there are "serious reports that the United States used drones to gather information along the border and that the drones crossed the border into Turkey from time to time."
Turkish concerned over the operations of the U.S. military demonstrate their growing apprehension over the threat from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the possibility of the Kurdistan Regional Government attaining control over the thriving oil city of Kirkuk.
A New Yazidi Militia has been formed, the Angle Peackock Brigade in defensive response to Killings by Sunni Muslim Groups in Northern Iraq, effectively establishing local governmental countrol with the treatened use of force.
Source: Terrorism Focus is a publication of the Jamestown Foundation.
The previous day, Turkey's chief of staff, General Yasar Buyukanit, confirmed that the Turkish military was prepared for an offensive in northern Iraq if it received orders to deploy (Journal of Turkish Weekly, June 4).
In response to the continued escalation, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates again cautioned Turkey against conducting military operations in northern Iraq: "We hope there would not be a unilateral military action across the border into Iraq." Separately, Turkish newspapers have criticized the U.S. military's monitoring of Turkish troop formations on the border.
According to a May 27 report in Turkey's Milliyet, columnist Fikret Bila claimed that "U.S. military personnel in Zaho [Iraq] are monitoring the reconnaissance flights of the Turkish military planes in helicopters." Bila pointed out that there are "serious reports that the United States used drones to gather information along the border and that the drones crossed the border into Turkey from time to time."
Turkish concerned over the operations of the U.S. military demonstrate their growing apprehension over the threat from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the possibility of the Kurdistan Regional Government attaining control over the thriving oil city of Kirkuk.
A New Yazidi Militia has been formed, the Angle Peackock Brigade in defensive response to Killings by Sunni Muslim Groups in Northern Iraq, effectively establishing local governmental countrol with the treatened use of force.
Source: Terrorism Focus is a publication of the Jamestown Foundation.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Iran is Funding Sunni Insurgencies - Why?
Iran, the capital of shiia Islam, is beginning to fund, train or arm Sunni insurgencies.
Yet they are also supplying the Taliban - who are fighting to overthrow Karzi's government, with arms
So Iran is deceptively supplying everybody....Why?
In a nutshell, the Shiite state is looking for legitimacy in Islam. They are a minority, considered a "cult" by most other Muslims. An American similarity is the Mormon (LDS) church and evaglicalism. LDS leaders are constantly marketing the church is just another Christian religion, and they would love to be asked to come to the mainstream party.
Shias and Sunnis have a similar relationship.
The Shiias are happy to talk to the Sunnis
...It shows the desperation of al Qaeda that they are willing to take anything from a Shia
- Funding "Palestinian resistance" reaches across all Islamic lines, so it does not surprise me that they have equipped Hamas and other anti-Israel Groups.
- Recently they have funded or supplied weapons to Taliban forces in Afghanistan. This is surprising , since Iran has always opposed the Taliban in the past.
- They have also supported al Qaeda forces in Iraq, on several occasions, in Somalia and now in Northern Lebanon.
- There is even some suggestion that Iran has been protecting al Qaeda leaders.
Yet they are also supplying the Taliban - who are fighting to overthrow Karzi's government, with arms
So Iran is deceptively supplying everybody....Why?
- al Qaeda in Mesopotamia has been killing Shias, armed with Shia supplied weapons. Iran's only "win" out of this is to destabilize Iraq enough to justify an invasion. (taking a play from the Syrian -Lebanese Handbook.
- They gave arms to al Qaeda in Lebanon so they could gather intelligence on the Lebanese army - you notice Hizbollah is sitting this one out.
- By supplying arms to both sides in Afghanistan, they destabilize the region. and fight Westerners
- They are equipping al Qaeda in Somalia - why? I don't know yet.
In a nutshell, the Shiite state is looking for legitimacy in Islam. They are a minority, considered a "cult" by most other Muslims. An American similarity is the Mormon (LDS) church and evaglicalism. LDS leaders are constantly marketing the church is just another Christian religion, and they would love to be asked to come to the mainstream party.
Shias and Sunnis have a similar relationship.
The Shiias are happy to talk to the Sunnis
...It shows the desperation of al Qaeda that they are willing to take anything from a Shia
Friday, June 01, 2007
Al Qaeda Will lose It's Prestige
I see now that al Qaeda's world wide long term strategy is fatally flawed.
They have failed to deliver an acceptable Salafist message to Sunni Muslims around the world.
The message, that there is another Caliph out there that every Muslim must join, has failed.
They have rediscovered the old barrier, that all politics are local. When America pulls out of Iraq, and they will, They will no longer have money or people recruiting power.
al Qaeda has already moved into the Palestinian territories, and their best efforts will be to try to rally the Jihad to support the Palestinian cause. The problem is that constant Palestinian infighting has already left powerful world wide supporters, like the International Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic Banking system, and Muslims everywhere perplexed as to how best to support the Palestinian cause. Therefore, the only way for al Qaeda to to progress its own agenda, and the Palestinian cause is to unite the Palestinians under an al Qaeda flag.
...and this is the the last thing any Muslim dominated state, Secular or Sacred wants.
Multiple governments, and multinational Islamic groups, Shia and most Sunni alike will step in in their own ways to prevent this from happening.
al Qaeda will try to reignite Jihadist fury by hitting Western targets in some accessible areas, and they may even have some limited success. But al Qaeda's long term efforts to create the next Caliphate will be further than ever from their grasp.
The only remaining strategy for al Qaeda is to spread terror to other Countries, aimed at the West. They will have demonstrated their willingness to kill local Muslims everywhere, and they can promise nothing local for Muslims except killing other Muslims.
And all politics are local, especially in Muslim Countries.
They have failed to deliver an acceptable Salafist message to Sunni Muslims around the world.
The message, that there is another Caliph out there that every Muslim must join, has failed.
They have rediscovered the old barrier, that all politics are local. When America pulls out of Iraq, and they will, They will no longer have money or people recruiting power.
al Qaeda has already moved into the Palestinian territories, and their best efforts will be to try to rally the Jihad to support the Palestinian cause. The problem is that constant Palestinian infighting has already left powerful world wide supporters, like the International Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic Banking system, and Muslims everywhere perplexed as to how best to support the Palestinian cause. Therefore, the only way for al Qaeda to to progress its own agenda, and the Palestinian cause is to unite the Palestinians under an al Qaeda flag.
...and this is the the last thing any Muslim dominated state, Secular or Sacred wants.
Multiple governments, and multinational Islamic groups, Shia and most Sunni alike will step in in their own ways to prevent this from happening.
al Qaeda will try to reignite Jihadist fury by hitting Western targets in some accessible areas, and they may even have some limited success. But al Qaeda's long term efforts to create the next Caliphate will be further than ever from their grasp.
The only remaining strategy for al Qaeda is to spread terror to other Countries, aimed at the West. They will have demonstrated their willingness to kill local Muslims everywhere, and they can promise nothing local for Muslims except killing other Muslims.
And all politics are local, especially in Muslim Countries.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
