Armchair jihadis
The Afghan people's experience of jihad has been far from heroic or honourable, and outsiders should stop glamorising it
by Nushin Arbabzadah
If you are an Afghan who lives in the west you always run the risk of bumping into armchair jihadis - people born and brought up in the west but with the mindset of the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar. When they figure out you are Afghan, they engage you in a conversation, telling you how much they admire the Afghans for their jihad against the infidels. The conversation often ends with a statement along the lines of "You people are the only true Muslims in the world".
Well, thank you. We are flattered, but you are quite wrong. There are thousands of young Afghans who would gladly swap places with you. This is because, as an Afghan saying goes, the sound of the drum is always sweeter when heard from a distance. In other words, there is huge gap between the reality of jihad and fantasising about jihad in the comfort of your bedroom in Bradford or London. Afghans know this because we've been there, done it and are now facing the consequences.
Here are the consequences. The jihadi fighters of Afghanistan were no doubt excellent fighters but they turned out to be incompetent and despotic politicians, incapable of creating a coherent government or bringing peace to their people. Once their common enemy was defeated in 1992, they started fighting each other. In Kabul alone, 60,000 civilians were killed.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Armchair jihadis
Showing posts with label Afghanistan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Afghanistan. Show all posts
Friday, April 11, 2008
Friday, April 04, 2008
DAR AL ISLAM-AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN/IRAN: AL LIBI CLIMBS THE JIHADIST LADDER OF AL QAEDA
From U.S. prison to the heights of Al Qaeda
By Michael Moss and Souad Mekhennet
On the night of July 10, 2005, an obscure militant preacher named Abu Yahya al-Libi escaped from an American prison in Afghanistan and rocketed to fame in the world of jihadists.
The breakout from the Bagram Air Base by Libi and three cellmates - they picked a lock, dodged their guards and traversed the base's vast acreage to freedom - embarrassed U.S. officials as deeply as it delighted the jihadist movement. In the nearly three years since, Libi's meteoric ascent within the leadership of Al Qaeda has proved to be even more troublesome for the authorities.
Libi, a Libyan believed to be in his late 30s, is now considered to be a top strategist for Al Qaeda, as well as one of its most effective promoters of global jihad, appearing in a dozen videos on the Internet in the past year, counterterrorism officials said.
At a time when Al Qaeda seems more inspirational than operational, Libi stands out as a formidable star whose rise to prominence tracks the group's growing emphasis on information in its war with the West.
"I call him a man for all seasons for AQ," said Jarret Brachman, a former analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency who is now research director of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point and whose provocative studies on Al Qaeda have drawn praise from U.S. counterterrorism officials. "He's a warrior. He's a poet. He's a scholar. He's a pundit. He's a military commander. And he's a very charismatic, young, brash rising star within A.Q., and I think he has become the heir apparent to Osama bin Laden in terms of taking over the entire global jihadist movement."
The secrecy that still envelops Al Qaeda's leadership structure makes such estimates speculative, other analysts noted.
But one Islamist insider said that in addition to youth and charisma, Libi had one skill that Al Qaeda's top leadership had been lacking: religious scholarship. Perhaps with this in mind, Al Qaeda is featuring Libi in as many of the videos as the group's two top leaders, bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri.
"Bin Laden is an engineer and Zawahri is a medical doctor," said Muhammad al-Massari, a Saudi dissident who lives in London. "So it is important that they also present someone who has the role of scholar."
The varied roles that Libi plays in these videos, from recruiter to ideological enforcer, also shed light on Al Qaeda's shifting tactics. In recent months, those tactics have come to include defensive maneuvers aimed at defusing the media counteroperations of the United States and its allies.
Astute and comfortable on video, Libi delivers his message with a preacher's cadence. His stylish black turban drapes down his chest, and he alternates between white Arabic robes and camouflage jackets.
"O Muslim youth in the East and West, who listen to God calling you: 'Go forth to war, whether it be easy or difficult for you, and strive hard in God's cause with your possessions and your lives,' " he said in a video sermon released this year.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) From U.S. prison to the heights of Al Qaeda
By Michael Moss and Souad Mekhennet
On the night of July 10, 2005, an obscure militant preacher named Abu Yahya al-Libi escaped from an American prison in Afghanistan and rocketed to fame in the world of jihadists.
The breakout from the Bagram Air Base by Libi and three cellmates - they picked a lock, dodged their guards and traversed the base's vast acreage to freedom - embarrassed U.S. officials as deeply as it delighted the jihadist movement. In the nearly three years since, Libi's meteoric ascent within the leadership of Al Qaeda has proved to be even more troublesome for the authorities.
Libi, a Libyan believed to be in his late 30s, is now considered to be a top strategist for Al Qaeda, as well as one of its most effective promoters of global jihad, appearing in a dozen videos on the Internet in the past year, counterterrorism officials said.
At a time when Al Qaeda seems more inspirational than operational, Libi stands out as a formidable star whose rise to prominence tracks the group's growing emphasis on information in its war with the West.
"I call him a man for all seasons for AQ," said Jarret Brachman, a former analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency who is now research director of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point and whose provocative studies on Al Qaeda have drawn praise from U.S. counterterrorism officials. "He's a warrior. He's a poet. He's a scholar. He's a pundit. He's a military commander. And he's a very charismatic, young, brash rising star within A.Q., and I think he has become the heir apparent to Osama bin Laden in terms of taking over the entire global jihadist movement."
The secrecy that still envelops Al Qaeda's leadership structure makes such estimates speculative, other analysts noted.
But one Islamist insider said that in addition to youth and charisma, Libi had one skill that Al Qaeda's top leadership had been lacking: religious scholarship. Perhaps with this in mind, Al Qaeda is featuring Libi in as many of the videos as the group's two top leaders, bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri.
"Bin Laden is an engineer and Zawahri is a medical doctor," said Muhammad al-Massari, a Saudi dissident who lives in London. "So it is important that they also present someone who has the role of scholar."
The varied roles that Libi plays in these videos, from recruiter to ideological enforcer, also shed light on Al Qaeda's shifting tactics. In recent months, those tactics have come to include defensive maneuvers aimed at defusing the media counteroperations of the United States and its allies.
Astute and comfortable on video, Libi delivers his message with a preacher's cadence. His stylish black turban drapes down his chest, and he alternates between white Arabic robes and camouflage jackets.
"O Muslim youth in the East and West, who listen to God calling you: 'Go forth to war, whether it be easy or difficult for you, and strive hard in God's cause with your possessions and your lives,' " he said in a video sermon released this year.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) From U.S. prison to the heights of Al Qaeda
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
DAR AL ISLAM-AFGHANISTAN/AL QAEDA: "WE SEEK BETTER RELATIONS WITH THE WORLD/IRAN" SAYS MULLAH OMAR - - - AL QAEDA SUPPORTERS ARE PISSED
Al-Qaida supporters lash out at Taliban for straying from global jihad
Al-Qaida supporters on the Web have unleashed an unprecedented flood of criticism of Afghanistan's Taliban, once seen by extremists as the model of an Islamic state.
Now extremists accuse the Taliban of straying from the path of global jihad after its leader Mullah Omar issued a statement saying he seeks good relations with the world and even sympathizes with Shi'ite Iran.
In February, the Taliban announced it wanted to maintain good and "legitimate" relations with neighboring countries. Then, last week online militants were outraged when the movement expressed solidarity with Iran, condemning the latest round of sanctions imposed on Teheran by the UN Security Council over its nuclear enrichment.
The Shi'ite Islamic state of Iran is viewed as anathema by the Sunni militants of the al-Qaida and other extremist movements.
"This is the worst statement I have ever read ... the disaster of defending the (Iranian) regime is on par with the Crusaders in Afghanistan and Iraq," wrote poster Miskeen, whose name translates literally as "the wretched" and who is labeled as one of the more influential writers on an al-Qaida linked Web site.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Al-Qaida supporters lash out at Taliban for straying from global jihad
Al-Qaida supporters on the Web have unleashed an unprecedented flood of criticism of Afghanistan's Taliban, once seen by extremists as the model of an Islamic state.
Now extremists accuse the Taliban of straying from the path of global jihad after its leader Mullah Omar issued a statement saying he seeks good relations with the world and even sympathizes with Shi'ite Iran.
In February, the Taliban announced it wanted to maintain good and "legitimate" relations with neighboring countries. Then, last week online militants were outraged when the movement expressed solidarity with Iran, condemning the latest round of sanctions imposed on Teheran by the UN Security Council over its nuclear enrichment.
The Shi'ite Islamic state of Iran is viewed as anathema by the Sunni militants of the al-Qaida and other extremist movements.
"This is the worst statement I have ever read ... the disaster of defending the (Iranian) regime is on par with the Crusaders in Afghanistan and Iraq," wrote poster Miskeen, whose name translates literally as "the wretched" and who is labeled as one of the more influential writers on an al-Qaida linked Web site.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Al-Qaida supporters lash out at Taliban for straying from global jihad
DAR AL ISLAM-AFGHANISTAN: DENYING SAFE HAVEN TO THE TALIBAN
ROYAL MARINES TRICK TALIBAN
by PETER HARRISON
Hundreds of Royal Marines have been involved in a massive operation across uncharted Afghan territory attacking the Taliban.
More than 600 members of the Taunton-based 40 Commando fought alongside other troops in the area around Sapwan Kala in the Upper Sangin Valley of the Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan.
Under Operation Ghartse Dagger, British forces were responding to intelligence reports which suggested insurgents fleeing Musa Qal'eh after its fall at the end of last year had moved into the area to regroup after their defeat.
Major Dan Cheesman RM, the officer commanding Bravo Company, said: "Our intent was twofold: demonstrate once more to the Taliban that the Government and ISAF are stronger than them; and convince the people that the Government and ISAF are stronger than the Taliban.
"The operation was designed to deny the Taliban a possible safe haven and to prevent them regaining the ability to mount attacks against Sangin, which has seen considerable redevelopment since security improved under the Royal Marines."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) ROYAL MARINES TRICK TALIBAN
by PETER HARRISON
Hundreds of Royal Marines have been involved in a massive operation across uncharted Afghan territory attacking the Taliban.
More than 600 members of the Taunton-based 40 Commando fought alongside other troops in the area around Sapwan Kala in the Upper Sangin Valley of the Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan.
Under Operation Ghartse Dagger, British forces were responding to intelligence reports which suggested insurgents fleeing Musa Qal'eh after its fall at the end of last year had moved into the area to regroup after their defeat.
Major Dan Cheesman RM, the officer commanding Bravo Company, said: "Our intent was twofold: demonstrate once more to the Taliban that the Government and ISAF are stronger than them; and convince the people that the Government and ISAF are stronger than the Taliban.
"The operation was designed to deny the Taliban a possible safe haven and to prevent them regaining the ability to mount attacks against Sangin, which has seen considerable redevelopment since security improved under the Royal Marines."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) ROYAL MARINES TRICK TALIBAN
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
DAR AL ISLAM-AFGHANISTAN: A MOSLEMA FIGHTS FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS, USING THE QUR'AN
Inside Islam, a woman's roar
Wazhma Frogh, an Afghan, uses her religion to press for women's rights – and development agencies take note.
By Jill Carroll
Just hours after Wazhma Frogh arrived in an isolated, conservative district in northeastern Afghanistan in 2002, the local mullah was preaching to his congregation to kill her. Ms. Frogh was meddling with their women with her plan to start a literacy program, he told the assembly.
As she walked past the mosque during noon prayers, his words caught her ear. Shocked, she marched straight into the mosque. In a flowing black chador that left her face uncovered, she strode past the male worshipers and faced the mullah. Trembling inside, she challenged him.
"Mullah, give me five minutes," she recalls saying. "I will tell you something, and after that if you want to say I am an infidel and I am a threat to you, just kill me."
She then rattled off five Koranic verses – in both Arabic and the local Dari language – that extol the virtues of education, tolerance, and not harming others. She criticized local practices of allowing men to use Islam to justify beating their wives, betrothing young girls, and denying women an education.
The room was silent. All eyes were on Frogh and the mullah. Then the mullah rested his hand on her head.
"God bless you, my daughter," he said.
With that, Frogh won permission to start the literacy program that later helped women from Badakhshan Province participate in local government and run for the national assembly.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Inside Islam, a woman's roar
Wazhma Frogh, an Afghan, uses her religion to press for women's rights – and development agencies take note.
By Jill Carroll
Just hours after Wazhma Frogh arrived in an isolated, conservative district in northeastern Afghanistan in 2002, the local mullah was preaching to his congregation to kill her. Ms. Frogh was meddling with their women with her plan to start a literacy program, he told the assembly.
As she walked past the mosque during noon prayers, his words caught her ear. Shocked, she marched straight into the mosque. In a flowing black chador that left her face uncovered, she strode past the male worshipers and faced the mullah. Trembling inside, she challenged him.
"Mullah, give me five minutes," she recalls saying. "I will tell you something, and after that if you want to say I am an infidel and I am a threat to you, just kill me."
She then rattled off five Koranic verses – in both Arabic and the local Dari language – that extol the virtues of education, tolerance, and not harming others. She criticized local practices of allowing men to use Islam to justify beating their wives, betrothing young girls, and denying women an education.
The room was silent. All eyes were on Frogh and the mullah. Then the mullah rested his hand on her head.
"God bless you, my daughter," he said.
With that, Frogh won permission to start the literacy program that later helped women from Badakhshan Province participate in local government and run for the national assembly.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Inside Islam, a woman's roar
DAR AL ISLAM-AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN: AMERICAN COMMANDOS TO BE INVOLVED IN MILITARY OPEATIONS IN THE TRIBAL AREAS OF NW PAKISTAN?!?
US troops to participate in operations in tribal areas, says ex-spy master
Karachi, 4 March (AKI) - (by Syed Saleem Shahzad) - Hundreds of US troops will be involved in military operations in Pakistan's restive tribal areas, according to a former head of the country's powerful intelligence agency, ISI.
“Seven hundred and fifty American commandoes will participate in upcoming military operations in the Pakistani tribal areas," retired General Hamid Gul, former ISI director-general, told Adnkronos International (AKI).
“I confirm this to you on the basis of my information that those American commandoes will be sent [to Pakistan] through private [security] contracting firms like Blackwater and they will supervise the whole operation," said Gul referring to Blackwater, a private security firm that has been at the centre of a controversy over private contractors in Iraq.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) US troops to participate in operations in tribal areas, says ex-spy master
Karachi, 4 March (AKI) - (by Syed Saleem Shahzad) - Hundreds of US troops will be involved in military operations in Pakistan's restive tribal areas, according to a former head of the country's powerful intelligence agency, ISI.
“Seven hundred and fifty American commandoes will participate in upcoming military operations in the Pakistani tribal areas," retired General Hamid Gul, former ISI director-general, told Adnkronos International (AKI).
“I confirm this to you on the basis of my information that those American commandoes will be sent [to Pakistan] through private [security] contracting firms like Blackwater and they will supervise the whole operation," said Gul referring to Blackwater, a private security firm that has been at the centre of a controversy over private contractors in Iraq.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) US troops to participate in operations in tribal areas, says ex-spy master
Sunday, March 02, 2008
DAR AL ISLAM-AFGHANISTAN: PROTESTS AGAINST MOTOONS BY PEOPLE THAT MAY NOT EVEN KNOW WHAT INDOOR PLUMBING IS...ARE WE TO TAKE THEM SERIOUSLY?!?
Afghans protest Danish cartoons, Koran film
Tahir Qadiry
About 1,000 Afghans, incensed by the republication of Prophet Mohammad's caricatures in a Danish paper, marched in a northern city on Sunday demanding withdrawal of Danish and Dutch troops from the country.
The protesters, mostly religious clerics in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, also condemned plans by a right-wing Dutch politician to broadcast a film on the Koran.
Afghanistan's religious affairs ministry has called the reprinting of Prophet Mohammad's cartoons as an attack against Islam. Several other Islamic countries have demanded that the film by the Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders must not be released.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Afghans protest Danish cartoons, Koran film
Tahir Qadiry
About 1,000 Afghans, incensed by the republication of Prophet Mohammad's caricatures in a Danish paper, marched in a northern city on Sunday demanding withdrawal of Danish and Dutch troops from the country.
The protesters, mostly religious clerics in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, also condemned plans by a right-wing Dutch politician to broadcast a film on the Koran.
Afghanistan's religious affairs ministry has called the reprinting of Prophet Mohammad's cartoons as an attack against Islam. Several other Islamic countries have demanded that the film by the Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders must not be released.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Afghans protest Danish cartoons, Koran film
Thursday, February 28, 2008
DAR AL ISLAM-AFGHANISTAN: A SPRING JIHAD IS IN THE CARDS, ANNOUNCES TALIBAN
Taliban threaten spring offensive on Kabul
By Tom Coghlan on the Kabul to Kandahar Highway
Taliban leaders have warned they are planning to strangle Kabul, targeting civilians with dozens of suicide bombings and using thousands of fighters to lay siege to road links to the Afghan capital.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Taliban threaten spring offensive on Kabul
By Tom Coghlan on the Kabul to Kandahar Highway
Taliban leaders have warned they are planning to strangle Kabul, targeting civilians with dozens of suicide bombings and using thousands of fighters to lay siege to road links to the Afghan capital.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Taliban threaten spring offensive on Kabul
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
DAR AL HARB-GERMANY: ARE THE KRAUTS ABOUT TO WAVE THE WHITE FLAG!?!
Germany Mulls Exit from Anti-Terror Mission
The demands on Germany's Afghanistan mission are increasing. But the current parliamentary mandate does not allow for more troops to be sent. Berlin is considering creative solutions, including outsourcing parts of the mission or withdrawing from the anti-terror effort.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Germany Mulls Exit from Anti-Terror Mission
The demands on Germany's Afghanistan mission are increasing. But the current parliamentary mandate does not allow for more troops to be sent. Berlin is considering creative solutions, including outsourcing parts of the mission or withdrawing from the anti-terror effort.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Germany Mulls Exit from Anti-Terror Mission
Friday, February 15, 2008
DAR AL ISLAM-AFGHANISTAN: IT APPEARS THAT TRANSLATING THE QUR'AN IS ALSO ILLEGAL IN AFGHANISTAN...
Afghan Journalist Jailed for Translating Koran
By Nelofer Pazira, The Independent UK.
A popular TV and radio host who survived Soviet tyranny has not been as lucky under Afghanistan's Western-backed "democracy."
In the Soviet-occupied Kabul of the late 1980s, Ahmed Ghous Zalmai was a charismatic television and radio host, the people's favorite enemy of the state. He survived the Soviet tyranny -- but would not be so fortunate under the Western-backed "democracy" of President Hamid Karzai. Since October 2007, he has been in prison for helping to distribute translated copies of the Koran.
Afghanistan in the 1980s was a police state and a generation of intellectuals and educated or influential people was already decaying inside the notorious Puli Charkhi prison.
Mr. Zalmai started the first Afghan open talk radio called "Voice of the People." Callers didn't have to identify themselves and Mr. Zalmai took their complaints to the relevant authorities, demanding a response. The program was eventually brought under control, but the precedent was set; Mr. Zalmai was already hosting other programs.
He found a way of turning the rhetoric of the Communist state on its head -- using the language of propaganda to point out the government's failures, challenging the authorities to answer the people they claimed to serve.
After the fall of the Communist regime in 1992, Mr. Zalmai became a cultural attaché to the mujahedin government at the Afghan embassy in Tajikistan.
Eventually he moved to the Netherlands as a refugee, until he received a formal invitation from the new Afghan government, asking him to return to take up an important post with the official Afghan TV and Radio. Mr. Zalmai moved back to Kabul with his family to return to his profession. He became the president of the Association of Afghan Journalists and spokesman for the Attorney General's department (Saranwal) of the Afghan government.
...
Mr. Zalmai's journalist colleagues claim that the Attorney General himself, Zabar Sabit, an overly religious man, played a significant role in Mr. Zalmai's arrest. Mr. Sabit is widely regarded as sympathetic towards the Taliban; some say he is proving his credentials because he is waiting for the Taliban's return to power. Mr. Zalmai and his friend are accused of distributing a Koran which consists of "mistakes" and "misconceptions".
The Farsi (Persian) edition of the Koran -- Dari, the Afghan version of Persian, is one of Afghanistan's two official languages -- had been published in the United States but appeared in Afghanistan without its original Arabic text alongside. Mr. Zalmai had two other collaborators from the Saranwal with religious credentials to help him with the project, one of whom was also arrested. Small groups of students demonstrated against Mr. Zalmai even though he had no role in the translation.
He has been imprisoned without any formal charges and has been given no access to a lawyer. Whether belonging to the wrong ethnic class -- being a member of a well-known Sufi order -- or because he was regarded as a liberal, Western-thinking intellectual, Mr. Zalmai is paying for a crime he has not committed.
He has five children, and his family has been allowed to see him only once since his arrest. Despite an outcry among Afghans in the West, there has been no interest in his case expressed by Western governments, least of all the United States.
The Koran was translated and published in Farsi decades ago. But in Afghanistan these days, the Taliban's growing influence and the sensitivity of the increasingly delegitimized Karzai government towards anything religious, are reason enough to teach others a lesson in servitude.
Pertinent Links:
1) Afghan Journalist Jailed for Translating Koran
By Nelofer Pazira, The Independent UK.
A popular TV and radio host who survived Soviet tyranny has not been as lucky under Afghanistan's Western-backed "democracy."
In the Soviet-occupied Kabul of the late 1980s, Ahmed Ghous Zalmai was a charismatic television and radio host, the people's favorite enemy of the state. He survived the Soviet tyranny -- but would not be so fortunate under the Western-backed "democracy" of President Hamid Karzai. Since October 2007, he has been in prison for helping to distribute translated copies of the Koran.
Afghanistan in the 1980s was a police state and a generation of intellectuals and educated or influential people was already decaying inside the notorious Puli Charkhi prison.
Mr. Zalmai started the first Afghan open talk radio called "Voice of the People." Callers didn't have to identify themselves and Mr. Zalmai took their complaints to the relevant authorities, demanding a response. The program was eventually brought under control, but the precedent was set; Mr. Zalmai was already hosting other programs.
He found a way of turning the rhetoric of the Communist state on its head -- using the language of propaganda to point out the government's failures, challenging the authorities to answer the people they claimed to serve.
After the fall of the Communist regime in 1992, Mr. Zalmai became a cultural attaché to the mujahedin government at the Afghan embassy in Tajikistan.
Eventually he moved to the Netherlands as a refugee, until he received a formal invitation from the new Afghan government, asking him to return to take up an important post with the official Afghan TV and Radio. Mr. Zalmai moved back to Kabul with his family to return to his profession. He became the president of the Association of Afghan Journalists and spokesman for the Attorney General's department (Saranwal) of the Afghan government.
...
Mr. Zalmai's journalist colleagues claim that the Attorney General himself, Zabar Sabit, an overly religious man, played a significant role in Mr. Zalmai's arrest. Mr. Sabit is widely regarded as sympathetic towards the Taliban; some say he is proving his credentials because he is waiting for the Taliban's return to power. Mr. Zalmai and his friend are accused of distributing a Koran which consists of "mistakes" and "misconceptions".
The Farsi (Persian) edition of the Koran -- Dari, the Afghan version of Persian, is one of Afghanistan's two official languages -- had been published in the United States but appeared in Afghanistan without its original Arabic text alongside. Mr. Zalmai had two other collaborators from the Saranwal with religious credentials to help him with the project, one of whom was also arrested. Small groups of students demonstrated against Mr. Zalmai even though he had no role in the translation.
He has been imprisoned without any formal charges and has been given no access to a lawyer. Whether belonging to the wrong ethnic class -- being a member of a well-known Sufi order -- or because he was regarded as a liberal, Western-thinking intellectual, Mr. Zalmai is paying for a crime he has not committed.
He has five children, and his family has been allowed to see him only once since his arrest. Despite an outcry among Afghans in the West, there has been no interest in his case expressed by Western governments, least of all the United States.
The Koran was translated and published in Farsi decades ago. But in Afghanistan these days, the Taliban's growing influence and the sensitivity of the increasingly delegitimized Karzai government towards anything religious, are reason enough to teach others a lesson in servitude.
Pertinent Links:
1) Afghan Journalist Jailed for Translating Koran
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
DAR AL HARB/ISLAM-U.S.A./AFGHANISTAN/EUROPE: WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF N.A.T.O.?!?
Gates: Europeans underrate Islamic militancy
By KIM MURPHY
MUNICH, Germany For weeks, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has been passing an empty hat among European allies, looking for more troops to bail out the struggling NATO mission in Afghanistan.
On Sunday, he laid out his cards out, offering a stark assessment of the problems U.S. and allied forces face and a dark prediction of what would happen if Afghanistan's "cancer" is allowed to spill into the rest of the world.
Gates told an international security conference here that European nations must, for their own safety, ramp up their battle against Islamic militants on the other side of the globe.
"I am concerned that many people on this continent may not comprehend the magnitude of the direct threat to European security," he said, citing at least 10 recent alleged terrorist plots in Europe.
"Imagine if Islamic terrorists had managed to strike your capitals on the same scale as they struck in New York," he said. "Imagine if they had laid their hands on weapons and materials with even greater destructive capability. ... We forget at our peril that the ambition of Islamic extremists is limited only by opportunity." He warned that the danger would rapidly multiply with the downfall of a moderate government in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq or elsewhere in the Middle East.
The U.S. campaign to ramp up troop levels from other NATO nations has run up against citizenries largely hostile to the war, restrictions from some countries on what their troops are allowed to do, and disagreements over whether military contingents should be focused on fighting the Taliban or rebuilding schools, hospitals and utilities.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Gates: Europeans underrate Islamic militancy
By KIM MURPHY
MUNICH, Germany For weeks, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has been passing an empty hat among European allies, looking for more troops to bail out the struggling NATO mission in Afghanistan.
On Sunday, he laid out his cards out, offering a stark assessment of the problems U.S. and allied forces face and a dark prediction of what would happen if Afghanistan's "cancer" is allowed to spill into the rest of the world.
Gates told an international security conference here that European nations must, for their own safety, ramp up their battle against Islamic militants on the other side of the globe.
"I am concerned that many people on this continent may not comprehend the magnitude of the direct threat to European security," he said, citing at least 10 recent alleged terrorist plots in Europe.
"Imagine if Islamic terrorists had managed to strike your capitals on the same scale as they struck in New York," he said. "Imagine if they had laid their hands on weapons and materials with even greater destructive capability. ... We forget at our peril that the ambition of Islamic extremists is limited only by opportunity." He warned that the danger would rapidly multiply with the downfall of a moderate government in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq or elsewhere in the Middle East.
The U.S. campaign to ramp up troop levels from other NATO nations has run up against citizenries largely hostile to the war, restrictions from some countries on what their troops are allowed to do, and disagreements over whether military contingents should be focused on fighting the Taliban or rebuilding schools, hospitals and utilities.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Gates: Europeans underrate Islamic militancy
DAR AL HARB/ISLAM-THE WEST/AFGHANISTAN: YOOOO DHIMMIS, GIVE US SOME JIZYA FOR MADRASSAS
Afghan President Karzai seeks international help building madrassas, or Islamic schools
AMIR SHAH, Associated Press Writer
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Afghanistan needs more international help to build Islamic schools so fewer students will attend more radical ones outside the country, President Hamid Karzai said Tuesday.
Karzai said parents would not know what their children study in Islamic schools or madrassas outside the country - an apparent reference to neighboring Pakistan, with whom relations have been prickly.
''I wish all international communities, especially Islamic countries, would help us in constructing madrassas,'' Karzai said at an education conference in the capital, Kabul. He did not specify any countries.
''Our students should be inside our country under the control of our religious scholars and clerics,'' he said.
Education Minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar said Afghanistan is building a ''modern system of madrassas'' offering a broad-based Islamic education.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Afghan President Karzai seeks international help building madrassas, or Islamic schools
AMIR SHAH, Associated Press Writer
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Afghanistan needs more international help to build Islamic schools so fewer students will attend more radical ones outside the country, President Hamid Karzai said Tuesday.
Karzai said parents would not know what their children study in Islamic schools or madrassas outside the country - an apparent reference to neighboring Pakistan, with whom relations have been prickly.
''I wish all international communities, especially Islamic countries, would help us in constructing madrassas,'' Karzai said at an education conference in the capital, Kabul. He did not specify any countries.
''Our students should be inside our country under the control of our religious scholars and clerics,'' he said.
Education Minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar said Afghanistan is building a ''modern system of madrassas'' offering a broad-based Islamic education.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Afghan President Karzai seeks international help building madrassas, or Islamic schools
Monday, February 11, 2008
DAR AL HARB/ISLAM-GERMANY/AFGHANISTAN: GERMANY, AFGHANISTAN & NATO
The Coming Afghanistan Showdown
By Konstantin von Hammerstein and Alexander Szandar
For months, NATO has been pressuring Germany to increase its commitment to the Afghanistan mission. Now, the complaints are getting louder. Berlin is doing its best to dodge the demands, but NATO may not be in a mood to listen.
...
and
America's Failure in Afghanistan
US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has been putting pressure on Germany to up its commitment to the NATO mission in Afghanistan. But some in Germany say it is America's violence, not Berlin's reluctance, that is the problem.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) The Coming Afghanistan Showdown
2) America's Failure in Afghanistan
By Konstantin von Hammerstein and Alexander Szandar
For months, NATO has been pressuring Germany to increase its commitment to the Afghanistan mission. Now, the complaints are getting louder. Berlin is doing its best to dodge the demands, but NATO may not be in a mood to listen.
...
and
America's Failure in Afghanistan
US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has been putting pressure on Germany to up its commitment to the NATO mission in Afghanistan. But some in Germany say it is America's violence, not Berlin's reluctance, that is the problem.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) The Coming Afghanistan Showdown
2) America's Failure in Afghanistan
DAR AL ISLAM-AFGHANISTAN: A 'MODERATE' MULLAH IN AFGHANISTAN BLOWS HIMSELF & SONS UP DURING 'MODERATE' RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES
Mullah accidently blows up self, sons
A LANDMINE blew up in the home of a religious cleric in southern Afghanistan, killing the mullah, two of his sons and two other men who had been preparing an attack, police said today.
The cleric's wife was critically wounded in the blast in their compound in the southern province of Helmand late yesterday, and a daughter was hurt, provincial police chief General Mohammad Hussein Andiwal said.
The bodies of the mullah and his two sons, both under 15 years old, remained at the site of the blast, he said.
Other people in the compound said two other men were killed but their bodies had been removed before police arrived, he said.
The group was likely associated with the Taliban, he said. The extremist militants are particular active in Helmand province, where they are said to be tied up with opium and heroin traffickers.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Mullah accidently blows up self, sons
A LANDMINE blew up in the home of a religious cleric in southern Afghanistan, killing the mullah, two of his sons and two other men who had been preparing an attack, police said today.
The cleric's wife was critically wounded in the blast in their compound in the southern province of Helmand late yesterday, and a daughter was hurt, provincial police chief General Mohammad Hussein Andiwal said.
The bodies of the mullah and his two sons, both under 15 years old, remained at the site of the blast, he said.
Other people in the compound said two other men were killed but their bodies had been removed before police arrived, he said.
The group was likely associated with the Taliban, he said. The extremist militants are particular active in Helmand province, where they are said to be tied up with opium and heroin traffickers.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Mullah accidently blows up self, sons
Thursday, February 07, 2008
DAR AL ISLAM - PAKISTAN/AFGHANISTAN: U.S. REACTION TO THE 'DECLARED CEASE-FIRE' BY TALIBAN
Pakistani Militants Declare Cease-Fire
Taliban Militants Declare Cease-Fire in Fighting With Pakistani Forces, the Government Says
By ISHTIAQ MAHSUD and ROBERT H. REID Associated Press WritersDERA ISMAIL KHAN,
Taliban militants declared a cease-fire Wednesday in fighting with Pakistani forces, and the government said it was preparing for peace talks with al-Qaida-linked extremists in the lawless tribal area near the border with Afghanistan.
Any deal that allows armed Islamic extremists to operate on Pakistani soil would run counter to U.S. demands for the government to crack down on militants. The Bush administration contends a failed truce last year allowed al-Qaida to expand its reach into this turbulent, nuclear-armed country, and the U.S. has sounded warnings in recent days about a revival of militant strength.
A spokesman for Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, a militant umbrella group, said the new cease-fire would include not only the tribal belt along the Afghan border but also the restive Swat region to the east where the army has also battled pro-Taliban fighters.
Two local Pakistani security officials told The Associated Press on Thursday that the truce followed secret talks with the militants and tribal elders. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the issue is sensitive.
Tehrik-e-Taliban is led by Baitullah Mehsud, an al-Qaida-linked commander based in South Waziristan whom President Pervez Musharraf's government has blamed for a series of suicide attacks across Pakistan, including the Dec. 27 assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.
A spokeswoman for Bhutto's party condemned the contacts with Mehsud's militants.
"The government is holding talks with the man blamed by it for the killing of Benazir Bhutto. We condemn it," spokeswoman Sherry Rehman said Thursday.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Pakistani Militants Declare Cease-Fire
Taliban Militants Declare Cease-Fire in Fighting With Pakistani Forces, the Government Says
By ISHTIAQ MAHSUD and ROBERT H. REID Associated Press WritersDERA ISMAIL KHAN,
Taliban militants declared a cease-fire Wednesday in fighting with Pakistani forces, and the government said it was preparing for peace talks with al-Qaida-linked extremists in the lawless tribal area near the border with Afghanistan.
Any deal that allows armed Islamic extremists to operate on Pakistani soil would run counter to U.S. demands for the government to crack down on militants. The Bush administration contends a failed truce last year allowed al-Qaida to expand its reach into this turbulent, nuclear-armed country, and the U.S. has sounded warnings in recent days about a revival of militant strength.
A spokesman for Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, a militant umbrella group, said the new cease-fire would include not only the tribal belt along the Afghan border but also the restive Swat region to the east where the army has also battled pro-Taliban fighters.
Two local Pakistani security officials told The Associated Press on Thursday that the truce followed secret talks with the militants and tribal elders. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the issue is sensitive.
Tehrik-e-Taliban is led by Baitullah Mehsud, an al-Qaida-linked commander based in South Waziristan whom President Pervez Musharraf's government has blamed for a series of suicide attacks across Pakistan, including the Dec. 27 assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.
A spokeswoman for Bhutto's party condemned the contacts with Mehsud's militants.
"The government is holding talks with the man blamed by it for the killing of Benazir Bhutto. We condemn it," spokeswoman Sherry Rehman said Thursday.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Pakistani Militants Declare Cease-Fire
DAR AL HARB/ISLAM - U.S.A./IRAN/IRAQ: WE WILL ATTACK AMERICAN TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN, IRAQ & NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES IF IRAN IS ATTACKED
IRGC Commander Gen. Mohammad Ja'fari: If Attacked, Iran Will Target U.S. Forces in Neighboring Countries
The following are excerpts from an interview with the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Gen. Mohammad-Ali Ja'fari. The interview aired on Al-Jazeera TV on January 26, 2008.
"Our Boats Asked the [U.S.] Warship to Identify Itself... The Warship Refrained from Doing So... They [the U.S.] Fabricated This Scenario"
Interviewer: "What exactly happened in [the Strait of Hormuz]?"
General Mohammad-Ali Ja'fari: "There was nothing exceptional about it. Our boats were carrying out their regular duties. What they do with regard to all military and regular vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz is the duty that was entrusted to the IRGC by Iran's navy. This is their mission. Our boats asked the warship to identify itself and declare its status. Since the warship refrained from doing so, the exchange between the two sides took a different course. That is not what the Americans said, of course, but I believe that since this happened on the eve of President Bush's visit, and since they wanted to present Iran as a military threat to the region, they fabricated this scenario in order to make Bush's visit a success, to make it a 'heated' visit."
Interviewer: "But General Ja'fari, we heard the voices of Iranian soldiers threatening the American warships, saying: 'We will blow you up.' We heard those voices. You're saying that it wasn't real?"
General Mohammad-Ali Ja'fari: "No, those voices were fabricated. They are not the voices of Iranian soldiers. We aired part of the real footage of what happened, and the rest of it is in our possession. Those voices were fabricated. That footage was fabricated. The voices that were heard did not belong to our soldiers." [...]
"If America Attacks Iran... We Will Respond in Kind"
"If America attacks Iran, our first step will be to defend ourselves, with all our forces and capabilities. We will respond in kind, with all the might of the Islamic Republic. Of course, one cannot compare the power Iran has today to the power we had at the start of the war imposed on us by Saddam Hussein. Saddam launched his attack less than two years after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, and we were not ready to defend ourselves. Nevertheless, we defeated this enemy, which enjoyed the support of all the world's powers. Today, 30 years after the victory of the Revolution, we have gained war experience, and we have a lot of weapons and military equipment, and the ability for self-[production], and there have been excellent developments in this field, and our forces are better than they were in the days of the war imposed upon us. We can now defend ourselves against an American attack. America enjoys superiority only in the air, as well as in electronics and in military technology. In light of our past experience in wars and in light of the recent wars in the region, and the studies we conducted... They know that our equipment and military capabilities are inferior to theirs, and we do not have the technologically advanced weapons they have. But thanks to our special preparations, we can thwart their aerial attacks - just as has been the case in many countries in recent years. In any event, Iran will defend itself with all its might and will respond in kind. In my opinion, we can make America regret any such initiative." [...]
"I Do Not Expect the American Military Forces or the Politicians in America to Lose Their Minds and Carry Out Such an Attack - Because Such an Operation is Bound to Fail"
General Mohammad-Ali Ja'fari: "It so happens that the military presence of the American forces around Iran... They think that they are besieging Iran militarily, but this presence endangers the Americans themselves, as they know very well."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) IRGC Commander Gen. Mohammad Ja'fari: If Attacked, Iran Will Target U.S. Forces in Neighboring Countries
2) Video Clip of the Interview
The following are excerpts from an interview with the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Gen. Mohammad-Ali Ja'fari. The interview aired on Al-Jazeera TV on January 26, 2008.
"Our Boats Asked the [U.S.] Warship to Identify Itself... The Warship Refrained from Doing So... They [the U.S.] Fabricated This Scenario"
Interviewer: "What exactly happened in [the Strait of Hormuz]?"
General Mohammad-Ali Ja'fari: "There was nothing exceptional about it. Our boats were carrying out their regular duties. What they do with regard to all military and regular vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz is the duty that was entrusted to the IRGC by Iran's navy. This is their mission. Our boats asked the warship to identify itself and declare its status. Since the warship refrained from doing so, the exchange between the two sides took a different course. That is not what the Americans said, of course, but I believe that since this happened on the eve of President Bush's visit, and since they wanted to present Iran as a military threat to the region, they fabricated this scenario in order to make Bush's visit a success, to make it a 'heated' visit."
Interviewer: "But General Ja'fari, we heard the voices of Iranian soldiers threatening the American warships, saying: 'We will blow you up.' We heard those voices. You're saying that it wasn't real?"
General Mohammad-Ali Ja'fari: "No, those voices were fabricated. They are not the voices of Iranian soldiers. We aired part of the real footage of what happened, and the rest of it is in our possession. Those voices were fabricated. That footage was fabricated. The voices that were heard did not belong to our soldiers." [...]
"If America Attacks Iran... We Will Respond in Kind"
"If America attacks Iran, our first step will be to defend ourselves, with all our forces and capabilities. We will respond in kind, with all the might of the Islamic Republic. Of course, one cannot compare the power Iran has today to the power we had at the start of the war imposed on us by Saddam Hussein. Saddam launched his attack less than two years after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, and we were not ready to defend ourselves. Nevertheless, we defeated this enemy, which enjoyed the support of all the world's powers. Today, 30 years after the victory of the Revolution, we have gained war experience, and we have a lot of weapons and military equipment, and the ability for self-[production], and there have been excellent developments in this field, and our forces are better than they were in the days of the war imposed upon us. We can now defend ourselves against an American attack. America enjoys superiority only in the air, as well as in electronics and in military technology. In light of our past experience in wars and in light of the recent wars in the region, and the studies we conducted... They know that our equipment and military capabilities are inferior to theirs, and we do not have the technologically advanced weapons they have. But thanks to our special preparations, we can thwart their aerial attacks - just as has been the case in many countries in recent years. In any event, Iran will defend itself with all its might and will respond in kind. In my opinion, we can make America regret any such initiative." [...]
"I Do Not Expect the American Military Forces or the Politicians in America to Lose Their Minds and Carry Out Such an Attack - Because Such an Operation is Bound to Fail"
General Mohammad-Ali Ja'fari: "It so happens that the military presence of the American forces around Iran... They think that they are besieging Iran militarily, but this presence endangers the Americans themselves, as they know very well."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) IRGC Commander Gen. Mohammad Ja'fari: If Attacked, Iran Will Target U.S. Forces in Neighboring Countries
2) Video Clip of the Interview
DAR AL ISLAM - PAKISTAN/AFGHANISTAN: A UNILATERAL CEASEFIRE DECLARED BY TALIBAN LEADER
Taliban leader declares ceasefire in border area
Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud has declared a unilateral ceasefire in the South Waziristan region of Pakistan on the Afghan border
According to the Pakistani daily Dawn, the ceasefire was declared on Wednesday after security forces started vacating positions in key places.
“Since the army has minimised the scale of operations, the Taliban shura decided to halt activities across the country for an indefinite period,” Maulvi Umar, Mehsud’s spokesman, told Dawn by telephone.
“There is no secret deal with the government. This is our unilateral decision,” the spokesman said in reply to a question whether militants had struck a fresh deal with the security forces.
Umar said the shura (or consultative meeting) that endorsed the truce was held at a secret location.
But Pakistan army spokesman Maj-Gen Athar Abbas said he had not received any formal announcement regarding a ceasefire.
"Troops have not stopped the operation and it will continue till all strategic objectives are achieved," he said. “We are waiting and monitoring the situation. It could be a strategic move by the militants.”
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Taliban leader declares ceasefire in border area
Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud has declared a unilateral ceasefire in the South Waziristan region of Pakistan on the Afghan border
According to the Pakistani daily Dawn, the ceasefire was declared on Wednesday after security forces started vacating positions in key places.
“Since the army has minimised the scale of operations, the Taliban shura decided to halt activities across the country for an indefinite period,” Maulvi Umar, Mehsud’s spokesman, told Dawn by telephone.
“There is no secret deal with the government. This is our unilateral decision,” the spokesman said in reply to a question whether militants had struck a fresh deal with the security forces.
Umar said the shura (or consultative meeting) that endorsed the truce was held at a secret location.
But Pakistan army spokesman Maj-Gen Athar Abbas said he had not received any formal announcement regarding a ceasefire.
"Troops have not stopped the operation and it will continue till all strategic objectives are achieved," he said. “We are waiting and monitoring the situation. It could be a strategic move by the militants.”
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Taliban leader declares ceasefire in border area
DAR AL ISLAM - AFGHANISTAN: AL QAEDA WILL AVENGE THE DEATH OF AL-LIBI
Al-Qaeda leader pledges revenge for death of al-Libi
Amid renewed concern about the security of Afghanistan, a senior al-Qaeda leader has pledged to avenge the death of Pakistani leader, Abu Layth al-Libi.
Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, al-Qaeda's top figure in Afghanistan, has released a new video on Islamist websites threatening fresh attacks against NATO troops in revenge.
Al-Libi was reportedly killed by CIA Predator aircraft in a secret mission in Mir Ali in the Waziristan region of northern Pakistan on January 25.
In the 12 minute video, entitled "Light and Fire", the Egyptian-born terrorist leader threatens revenge for al-Libi's death.
"We now commemorate one of our dead heroes in the land of Jihad, remembered for his martyrdom by all Muslims and in particular by the mujahadeen in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya and the Islamic Maghreb," he said, reading from a prepared text.
"For this we offer our condolences in particular to Mullah Omar, Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri. His death is the realisation of a goal to become a martyr."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Al-Qaeda leader pledges revenge for death of al-Libi
Amid renewed concern about the security of Afghanistan, a senior al-Qaeda leader has pledged to avenge the death of Pakistani leader, Abu Layth al-Libi.
Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, al-Qaeda's top figure in Afghanistan, has released a new video on Islamist websites threatening fresh attacks against NATO troops in revenge.
Al-Libi was reportedly killed by CIA Predator aircraft in a secret mission in Mir Ali in the Waziristan region of northern Pakistan on January 25.
In the 12 minute video, entitled "Light and Fire", the Egyptian-born terrorist leader threatens revenge for al-Libi's death.
"We now commemorate one of our dead heroes in the land of Jihad, remembered for his martyrdom by all Muslims and in particular by the mujahadeen in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya and the Islamic Maghreb," he said, reading from a prepared text.
"For this we offer our condolences in particular to Mullah Omar, Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri. His death is the realisation of a goal to become a martyr."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Al-Qaeda leader pledges revenge for death of al-Libi
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
DAR AL HARB/ISLAM - U.S.A./AFGHANISTAN: U.S. MILITARY IN AFGHANISTAN SPEAKS OUT AGAINST THE GEERT WILDERS ANTI-KORAN FILM...GOOD DHIMMIS
Analysis: U.S. cuts critique of Islam film
...
The U.S. military article was authored by a member of the public affairs team for Coalition Joint Task Force-82, which commands the U.S. troops in the country as part of NATO's International Security Assistance Force.
It was posted on Jan. 21 and taken down on Jan. 30, the author, Master Sgt. Allen Ness, told United Press International. A copy was kept by journalist and blogger Bill Roggio, who shared it with UPI.
"It was being viewed not as a criticism of his position on Islam, but as criticism of his right to free speech," Ness said. "I never had any disagreement with his right to free speech. … What I disagreed with was his blanket condemnation of Islam."
He said he was motivated to write it by his concerns about "what could happen when the fundamentalist supporters of terror get hold of his film" if it was deeply insulting to Islam like the Mohammed cartoons.
"Our most important allies here are the Afghans: the police, the military, the population as a whole -- they are all Muslims," said Ness, pointing out that the country was called the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
He said the riots in Afghanistan over the Mohammed cartoons -- which Wilders' party republished on its Web site -- had "caused great damage and loss of life," but just as importantly had "damaged the trust that we had built up with the Afghans."
The incident shows the difficulties that the U.S. military sometimes has in calibrating the weaponry it uses on the battlefield of ideas, said Roggio, a writer specializing in counter-insurgency who has spent time embedded with U.S. and Afghan forces.
"I understand where they were coming from" with the article, he told UPI. If rioting broke out, Afghan security forces would have to take to the streets to confront angry mobs who would often be attacking Western symbols.
"The military fights alongside these guys. The way they see it is they are fighting extremists … trying to hijack a religion," and provocations like Wilders' film were not helpful.
"It is damaging to the legitimacy" of Afghan security forces if they are "seen as protecting those who have insulted the religion."
Roggio said the article was "well-intentioned but not fully thought through" and was "open to misinterpretation."
John Brennan, the former head of the U.S. government's National Counter-Terrorism Center, said the issue was particularly difficult because the article had appeared on a U.S. military official Web site.
"People will see it as the position of the U.S. government if it is there," he said. "It is different from a private commentary."
"I am not one of those who comb the Web looking for politically correct outrages," said Roggio, "but it read to me like a criticism of his right to free speech."
"He does have the right to free speech," he continued, referring to Wilders, "and I have the right to think he is stupid and irresponsible."
Pertinent Links:
1) Analysis: U.S. cuts critique of Islam film
...
The U.S. military article was authored by a member of the public affairs team for Coalition Joint Task Force-82, which commands the U.S. troops in the country as part of NATO's International Security Assistance Force.
It was posted on Jan. 21 and taken down on Jan. 30, the author, Master Sgt. Allen Ness, told United Press International. A copy was kept by journalist and blogger Bill Roggio, who shared it with UPI.
"It was being viewed not as a criticism of his position on Islam, but as criticism of his right to free speech," Ness said. "I never had any disagreement with his right to free speech. … What I disagreed with was his blanket condemnation of Islam."
He said he was motivated to write it by his concerns about "what could happen when the fundamentalist supporters of terror get hold of his film" if it was deeply insulting to Islam like the Mohammed cartoons.
"Our most important allies here are the Afghans: the police, the military, the population as a whole -- they are all Muslims," said Ness, pointing out that the country was called the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
He said the riots in Afghanistan over the Mohammed cartoons -- which Wilders' party republished on its Web site -- had "caused great damage and loss of life," but just as importantly had "damaged the trust that we had built up with the Afghans."
The incident shows the difficulties that the U.S. military sometimes has in calibrating the weaponry it uses on the battlefield of ideas, said Roggio, a writer specializing in counter-insurgency who has spent time embedded with U.S. and Afghan forces.
"I understand where they were coming from" with the article, he told UPI. If rioting broke out, Afghan security forces would have to take to the streets to confront angry mobs who would often be attacking Western symbols.
"The military fights alongside these guys. The way they see it is they are fighting extremists … trying to hijack a religion," and provocations like Wilders' film were not helpful.
"It is damaging to the legitimacy" of Afghan security forces if they are "seen as protecting those who have insulted the religion."
Roggio said the article was "well-intentioned but not fully thought through" and was "open to misinterpretation."
John Brennan, the former head of the U.S. government's National Counter-Terrorism Center, said the issue was particularly difficult because the article had appeared on a U.S. military official Web site.
"People will see it as the position of the U.S. government if it is there," he said. "It is different from a private commentary."
"I am not one of those who comb the Web looking for politically correct outrages," said Roggio, "but it read to me like a criticism of his right to free speech."
"He does have the right to free speech," he continued, referring to Wilders, "and I have the right to think he is stupid and irresponsible."
Pertinent Links:
1) Analysis: U.S. cuts critique of Islam film
DAR AL HARB/ISLAM: WESTERN RECRUITS STREAMING INTO AL QAEDA CAMPS
Western recruits bolster al-Qaida, pose new threat
A steady stream of Western recruits to al-Qaida camps on the Pakistani border bolsters the group’s ability to strike the United States, the nation’s top intelligence official told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday.
Those camps are preparing recruits to launch terror attacks around the world, and are also a staging ground for assaults on neighboring Afghanistan, said National Intelligence Director Michael McConnell.
“Al-Qaida is improving the last key aspect of its ability to attack the U.S.: the identification, training and positioning of operatives for an attack on the homeland,” McConnell testified.
In addition, radical elements are now a threat to the survival of Pakistan, prompting Pakistani military leaders to recognize that more aggressive efforts are needed to get the elements under control, McConnell said.
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats demanded a criminal investigation into waterboarding by government interrogators after the Bush administration acknowledged for the first time that the tactic was used on three terror suspects.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Western recruits bolster al-Qaida, pose new threat
A steady stream of Western recruits to al-Qaida camps on the Pakistani border bolsters the group’s ability to strike the United States, the nation’s top intelligence official told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday.
Those camps are preparing recruits to launch terror attacks around the world, and are also a staging ground for assaults on neighboring Afghanistan, said National Intelligence Director Michael McConnell.
“Al-Qaida is improving the last key aspect of its ability to attack the U.S.: the identification, training and positioning of operatives for an attack on the homeland,” McConnell testified.
In addition, radical elements are now a threat to the survival of Pakistan, prompting Pakistani military leaders to recognize that more aggressive efforts are needed to get the elements under control, McConnell said.
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats demanded a criminal investigation into waterboarding by government interrogators after the Bush administration acknowledged for the first time that the tactic was used on three terror suspects.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Western recruits bolster al-Qaida, pose new threat
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