I have repeatedly written that the U.S. has tortured children as part of the war on terror (and see this).In an excellent new article, Daily Kos adds the following information:President Jimmy Carter wrote that the Red Cross, Amnesty International and t…
Posts Tagged ‘army’
Army pushes for more helicopters
July 17th, 2009 |
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The deployment of more helicopters to Afghanistan would save soldiers’ lives, the Chief of the Defence Staff, Sir Jock Stirrup, has said.
Following criticism of the government for failing to give troops air support, Sir Jock said more helicopters would "quite patently" prevent casualties.
The government insists that the military has never been so well resourced as it is at present.
Meanwhile, the 185th British death of the conflict has been confirmed.
A soldier from the 2nd Battalion The Rifles died in an explosion while on foot patrol near Gereshk in central Helmand, the Ministry of Defence said.
He was the 16th to die this month, as the Army continues an offensive aimed at increasing security ahead of Afghan elections planned for next month.
‘No panacea’
Prime Minister Gordon Brown spent 40 minutes with Sir Jock Stirrup on Friday morning.
Afterwards, Sir Jock told the BBC he was "busting a gut" to get more helicopters redeployed to Afghanistan.
"I have always said that there’s no such thing as enough helicopters in an operation campaign," he said.
"In a situation where you have lots of improvised explosive devices, the more you can increase your tactical flexibility by moving people by helicopter, then the more uncertain, more unpredictable your movements become to the enemy.
"Therefore, it is quite patently the case that you could save casualties by doing that."
He said operational commanders could always "do more and do things better" with extra helicopters, but acknowledged they were "no panacea".
His comments come after the head of the army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, said he was returning from Afghanistan with a "shopping list" of equipment to protect British troops from roadside bombs.
Sir Jock said he did not know how much this would cost, but said such things were non-discretionary and had to be provided.
BBC political correspondent Carole Walker said his remarks have intensified the pressure on the prime minister, who has insisted the government is providing the equipment and resources that are needed for the current operations.
‘Critical’
The prime minister’s spokesman said Sir Jock would go into further detail about equipment requirements in the future.
"Of course, we will take decisions in the light of that military advice," added the spokesman.
He said there would be a wider review of troop numbers, both at UK and Nato level, in the autumn.
"We will review the position on troops along with our allies after the election," he added.
The government has promised to consider demands for more equipment to protect UK forces in Afghanistan from roadside bombs.
The head of the British army, Gen Sir Richard Dannatt, says he was compiling a "shopping list" including surveillance and intelligence equipment.
More from Today programme Soldier dies in Afghan explosion Military doctor shortage warningDowning Street says the PM will take decisions in "light of military advice" and review troop levels with allies.
Gen Dannatt, who steps down from his role next month, told the BBC it was "critical" to tackle the problem of improvised bombs.
Doing this required more coalition or Afghan personnel to build intelligence, better "overhead surveillance" of Taliban activity and greater technical ability to see where they were planting explosives, he said.
"That will be a shopping list that I’ll bring back," he added.
The BBC’s defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt said: "He’s talking about things like UAVs [or unmanned drones]… that could spot where the Taliban are laying bombs."
However, she said with government budgets shrinking it was unclear whether the Ministry of Defence would be given funding to meet these requests.
Business secretary Lord Mandelson said the general’s views on troops’ equipment requirements would be taken "very seriously".
"They will not go without whatever they need to carry out their very important operations in Afghanistan," he said.
Gen Dannatt had said that, despite reports, the military never made a direct request for 2,000 extra personnel.
But he warned that reducing numbers to 8,300 would be wrong and that Nato might ask for more personnel for a 12 to 18-month period.
Conservative leader David Cameron said the government must listen to military commanders.
"The prime minister has been telling us all week that they have got enough helicopters and actually now we know they don’t," he said.
He refused to say whether his party would spend more on defence if it was in government, claiming it was about "commitment" rather than funding.
With commitment, he said, six Chinook helicopters which had been grounded by computer problems since their purchase at a cost of £250m eight years ago could have been in action.
Earlier, shadow defence secretary Dr Liam Fox had said it was "extremely likely" that a Tory government would agree to a request for more British troops in the short term.
What are your experiences of the equipment used by the British military in the field Are you satisfied that the kit is up to date and fit for purpose Send us your stories using the form below.
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Troops need more, says Army head
July 17th, 2009 |
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The head of the UK Army has said better equipment is needed to protect troops from roadside bombs in Afghanistan.
General Sir Richard Dannatt told the BBC troops "needed more" and added that he would be compiling a shopping list of what was required.
Gordon Brown has repeatedly insisted the Army has enough equipment and denied claims of a helicopter shortage.
The general’s comments will be seen as careful "parting shots", says the BBC’s defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt.
Gen Dannatt gave his interview as he prepared to step down as head of the British Army next month.
"We need more and that will be a shopping list that I’ll bring back"
General Sir Richard Dannatt
Our correspondent says Gen Dannatt has long been "a vocal advocate" of the need for the nation to take care of the welfare of its Armed Forces.
In return for their service, he says more money needs to be spent on equipment for British forces in Afghanistan
The general, who is on his last trip to Afghanistan before he stands down, earlier reportedly angered Downing Street when he made it clear he had been flown in an American helicopter, thus making clear no British alternative had been available.
In response, ministers have pointed out that all coalition helicopters in Afghanistan are available for use by all NATO allies.
Last week the outspoken general drew fire when comments he made about the presence of UK troops in Iraq were interpreted as "unconstitutional".
Now his recent comments about the alleged shortage of equipment in Afghanistan have hit a raw nerve in a month in which 15 British soldiers have died in Helmand – 12 killed by roadside bombs.
Extra troops
The sensitivity of the subject was underlined on Thursday, when the prime minister avoided giving a direct answer to a committee of MPs as to whether he had received or rejected a request for an extra 2000 troops in Helmand.
HAVE YOUR SAY" Helicopters are essential in any war where the enemy is laying mines or IEDs. To say otherwise is a clear signal that Gordon Brown does not value the lives of British servicemen and women"
Roger Hart, Deal
Send us your commentsBut while Gen Dannatt has previously called for more "boots on the ground", he has stressed the extra resources could be British, American or Afghan.
In his latest interview he said that surveillance of the Taliban needed to be improved so that the Army could see where the bombs were being laid.
Gen Dannatt added: "We need more, and that will be a shopping list that I’ll bring back."
The big increase in UK casualties has come as coalition troops conduct a military offensive designed to increase security ahead of Afghan elections next month.
So far, 184 UK service personnel have now died in Afghanistan since 2001 – more than the 179 who were killed during the war in Iraq. </p
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Court in Pakistan acquits Sharif
July 17th, 2009 |
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Pakistan’s Supreme Court has acquitted opposition head Nawaz Sharif of hijacking charges, removing the final ban on him running for public office.
He was banned after being found guilty of hijacking then army chief General Pervez Musharraf’s plane in 1999.
Mr Sharif was prime minster when he sacked Gen Musharraf. He was toppled in an army coup soon afterwards.
Mr Sharif was tried by the Sindh high court. He has always maintained that the charges were politically motivated.
Mr Sharif’s government had ordered officials to divert Gen Musharraf’s plane away from Karachi and to a smaller city in Sindh.
While he was imprisoned, Mr Sharif agreed to go into exile under a deal with Gen Musharraf who had taken over as Pakistan’s president.
Mr Sharif ended his exile ahead of the 2008 elections but was prevented from contesting due to the court conviction.
In its ruling on Friday, the Supreme Court said there was no evidence to support the charge of hijacking and acquitted Mr Sharif.
Prosecutor Shahadat Awan was quoted by news agency Associated Press as saying that the court’s decision was unanimous. </p
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Secret meeting
July 15th, 2009 |
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As the trial of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi continues in Burma, a BBC correspondent assesses the mood of the country’s opposition movement.
For the safety of those we spoke to, we cannot reveal their names or that of our correspondent.
To arrange an interview with the leader of the youth wing of Burma’s National League of Democracy (NLD) was difficult.
It had taken a week to meet him, complicated by the fact that phone calls are routinely tapped and e-mails closely monitored by the military authorities.
But at last we were told to go a secret location.
There we waited, concerned – as an hour ticked by – that he was not coming, or perhaps had been arrested.
Finally there was a knock at the door. We shook hands and sat down together.
This was the man who could tell us if there were going to be any organised protests against the widely expected conviction of jailed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Election concerns
Ms Suu Kyi is on trial on charges of breaking the terms of her house arrest.
"We are preparing for revolution. But the people are scared of being shot by the army, and will not go out on to the streets"
Burmese opposition leader
Burma’s generals have detained her for 13 of the past 19 years, and she has been held in the notorious Insein jail near Rangoon for almost two months.
I asked the NLD activist why the government was delaying the conclusion of Ms Suu Kyi’s trial.
"They cannot let her be free before the elections," was the response.
Everyone I asked said the same.
The Burmese military has pledged to hold elections early next year – the first since 1990, when the NLD won a landslide victory but the army refused to let them take power.
And now the ruling generals still do not wish Ms Suu Kyi – whom locals refer to with reverence as The Lady – to take part.
The opposition activist I was talking to was one of the leaders of pro-democracy protests in 1988, which followed then ruler General Ne Win’s decision to suddenly devalue the currency, wiping out the savings of thousands of Burmese people.
These protests were met with a violent crackdown, in which human rights groups say at least 3,000 people were killed.
Soldiers sprayed automatic rifle fire into crowds of protesters, and other demonstrators were carried away in trucks and never seen again.
The NLD man I met also played a leading role in the protests in 2007, when a fuel price hike triggered anti-government demonstrations.
The protests spread from monks to students, and became an uprising – the most significant challenge to Burma’s generals in almost two decades.
But again there was a crackdown. At least 10 people were confirmed dead in the military’s response to the protests, and many thousands more – including many monks – were reportedly arrested.
Amnesty International estimates that over 2,100 people are still in jail as a result.
Fear of reprisals
The man I spoke was arrested after both protests, and has spent many years in prison – but he’s still not given up.
"We are trying to make a 1988 and 2007 revolution. We are preparing for revolution," he said.
"But the people are scared of being shot by the army, and will not go out on to the streets."
"When the people start their demonstrations, there will be shouting – so people are scared and will not come out."
I asked him what his plans were, if Aung San Suu Kyi was found guilty.
"There will be a small protest outside the prison," he told me. "But we will stay underground. We will keep working, but we cannot do anything."
"One day we will call for a hunger strike outside Insein prison and the government will stop us, but we will keep on going…
"And we will also call for a hunger strike inside the prison. Even she [Aung San Suu Kyi] may go on hunger strike."
Army support
But Burma is a country with a population of 49 million people, where many find it hard to feed their families, where those who rule do not seem to care – so a hunger strike will not bring change.
I had expected to be told that there were plans for mass protests.
If the one group brave enough to go on the streets before was now afraid of what could happen, was there any hope for a free and democratic Burma
"If the Burmese were united, that would change everything," he told me. "If the army’s low ranks combined with the people, there would be change."
"But all the low ranks must join the people."
The government commands a combined armed force estimated to be nearly 400,000-strong.
And those in the military live a separate life from the people, so what made this man think that they would be prepared to join a protest
"I have heard from the low ranks, who see those with the rank of major and above with nice cars and houses – they are unhappy. They want change.
"But whenever anyone speaks out or is thought to show dissent in the army, they are arrested."
It seemed that there was little hope of change, but the man remained optimistic: "I believe that I will see Aung San Suu Kyi free before I die," he said.
He stopped and looked at his hands. Then he slowly nodded and for a moment his eyes seemed to swell.
"I will sacrifice myself for the memory of my friends."
With that, he stood and left.
If Burmese people do take to the streets if Aung San Suu Kyi is found guilty, the man I met might well be leading them.
Watch the full report from Burma on Newsnight on Thursday 16 July at 10.30BST on BBC Two.</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
‘Insurgents killed’ in Swat clash
July 15th, 2009 |
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Pakistani troops have killed six militants in the Swat valley as thousands of people displaced by fighting have begun returning home.
The fighting took place in Kabal on Tuesday, army sources said. Kabal has not yet been opened for returnees.
An estimated 12,000 people left relief camps to return to the Swat valley on Tuesday. About 700 families were expected to return on Wednesday.
Pakistan’s prime minister has said it was safe for people to return home.
The army says it has largely defeated Taliban militants in the area after a two month offensive.
People housed in relief camps were being sent back with a military escort. Many others who have been staying with relatives have been making their own way back.
See a map of the regionFragile security
But many of those returning have expressed uncertainty about the security situation in the area.
"Six militants were killed when troops retaliated and returned fire after a rebel attack on an army checkpost in Kabal town on Tuesday night," news agency AFP quoted an unnamed military official as saying.
Analysis: Dangers for refugees Swat diary: ‘Taliban defeated’
Military sources confirmed to the BBC that six militants were killed in a clash on Tuesday. No exact time was given for the confrontation.
But local journalists were being taken to view the bodies of the insurgents.
Analysts say the clash underscores the fragile security situation in the Swat valley even as refugees displaced by weeks of fighting in the region begin to return home.
More than 2 million residents of Swat and the surrounding areas fled as the army and the Taliban fought for the last two months.
It was said to be one of the biggest human migrations in recent times.
After the authorities said the area was safe, families began returning home.
Officials said the repatriation started slowly on Monday but picked up pace on Tuesday.
SWAT OFFENSIVE- Launched in April after militants took area 100km from Islamabad
- Army says some 1,700 militants killed; but none of their leaders
- One of biggest human migrations of recent times, with 2m displaced
Nevertheless, the volume of people is still far short of the number expected to return in the initial wave. The UN has repeatedly stressed that returns must only be on a voluntary basis.
Displaced people from four relief camps have now chosen to return home, officials say.
Those in the camps are travelling on arranged trucks and buses.
They were escorted by soldiers as helicopters hovered overhead for their journey.
The heavy security showed that despite government claims, the Taliban remains a threat in the region.
The government has said it expects all displaced people to return to Swat by the end of July.
But, relief workers say, that may not be possible as people still have concerns over Swat that are yet to be resolved.
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‘Open fire and don’t ask questions’
July 15th, 2009 |
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Anonymous testimonies collated by human rights group also contain allegations that Palestinians were used as human shields
Israeli soldiers who served in the Gaza Strip during the offensive of December and January have spoken out about being ordered to shoot without hesitation, destroying houses and mosques with a general disregard for Palestinian lives.
In testimony that will fuel international and Arab demands for war crime investigations, 30 combat soldiers report that the army’s priority was to minimise its own casualties to maintain Israeli public support for the three-week Operation Cast Lead.
One specific allegation is that Palestinians were used by the army as “human shields” despite a 2005 Israeli high court ruling outlawing the practice. “Not much was said about the issue of innocent civilians,” a soldier said. “There was no need to use weapons like mortars or phosphorous,” said another. “I have the feeling that the army was looking for the opportunity to show off its strength.”
The 54 anonymous testimonies were collated by Breaking the Silence, a group that collects information on human rights abuses by the Israeli military. Many of the soldiers are still doing their compulsory national service.
Palestinians counted 1,400 dead but Israel put the death toll at 1,166 and estimated 295 fatalities were civilians. Ten soldiers and three Israeli civilians were killed.
Israel launched the attack after the expiry of a ceasefire designed to halt rocket fire from Gaza and crush the Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the coastal strip.
Witnesses described the destruction of hundreds of houses and many mosques without military reason, the firing of phosphorous shells into inhabited areas, the killing of innocents and the indiscriminate destruction of property.
Soldiers describe a “neighbour procedure” in which Palestinian civilians were forced to enter suspect buildings ahead of troops. They cite cases of civilians advancing in front of a soldier resting his rifle on the civilian’s shoulder.
“We did not get instructions to shoot at anything that moved,” said one soldier. “But we were generally instructed: if you feel threatened, shoot. They kept repeating to us that this is war and in war opening fire is not restricted.”
Many testimonies are in line with claims by Amnesty International and other human rights organisations that Israeli actions were indiscriminate and disproportionate.
Another soldier testified: “You feel like a stupid little kid with a magnifying glass looking at ants, burning them. A 20-year-old kid should not have to do these kinds of things to other people.”
The testimonies “expose significant gaps between the official army version of events and what really happened on the ground”, Breaking the Silence said.
“This is an urgent call to Israeli society and its leaders to sober up and investigate anew the results of our actions.”
Ehud Barak, Israel’s defence minister, said: “Criticism directed at the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) by one organisation or another is inappropriate and is directed at the wrong place. The IDF is one of the most ethical armies in the world and acts in accordance with the highest moral code.”
An IDF spokesman told the Ha’aretz newspaper: “The IDF regrets the fact that a human rights organisation would again present to the country and the world a report containing anonymous, generalised testimony without checking the details or their reliability, and without giving the IDF, as a matter of minimal fairness, the opportunity to check the matters and respond to them before publication.”
An internal investigation by the Israeli military said troops fought lawfully although errors did take place, such as the deaths of 21 people in a house that had been wrongly targeted.
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Broken silence
July 15th, 2009 |
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A human rights group founded by Israeli veterans has collected what it says are damning testimonies from soldiers who took part in the offensive in January against Hamas fighters in Gaza. BBC correspondent Paul Wood looks at the anonymous claims presented by Breaking the Silence.
Standing by the ruins of his home in Gaza, Majdi Abed Rabbo explained how Israeli troops had used him as a human shield.
"The Israeli soldiers handcuffed me and pointed the gun at my neck," he said. "They controlled every step."
In this manner, Mr Abed Rabbo said, he was forced to go in ahead of Israeli soldiers as they cleared houses containing Palestinian gunmen.
This same incident was described by one of the Israeli soldiers who spoke to Breaking the Silence.
"A Palestinian neighbour is brought in," he says. "It was procedure. The soldier places his gun barrel on the civilian’s shoulder."
If true, that was a clear breach of the international laws of war – which say soldiers have a duty of care to non-combatants – and of Israeli law.
The Israeli Supreme Court outlawed the so-called "neighbour policy", of using Palestinians to shield advancing troops, in 2005.
Until now, the Israeli army always had a ready answer to allegations that war crimes were committed during its offensive in Gaza.
Such claims were, they said, Palestinian propaganda.
Now, though, the accusations of abuse are being made by Israeli soldiers.
Testimonies collected
The common thread in the almost 30 testimonies collected by Breaking the Silence is that orders were given to prevent Israeli casualties, whatever the cost in Palestinian lives.
Writing the report’s introduction, the Israeli lawyer Michael Sfard says: "All the witnesses agreed that they received a particular order repeatedly, in a way that did not leave much room for doubt, to do everything, everything, so that they – the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) soldiers – would not be harmed.
"The soldiers tell in their testimonies how this unwritten message, which came from brigade, battalion, and company commanders in morale-building conversations before entering Gaza, translated into zero patience for the life of enemy civilians."
The lawyer adds: "Violations of the laws of war are liable to be war crimes."
Here are just a few quotes which give a flavour of the soldiers’ testimony. The accumulation of detail is convincing and, in the eyes of Israel’s critics, damning.
"Things are happening in his battalion of which he (the commander) has no idea. There are people who deserve to go to jail…
"When your company commander and battalion commander tell you, ‘Go on, fire!’ the soldiers will not hold back. They are waiting for this day, the fun of shooting and feeling all that power in your hands…
"Fire power was insane. We went in and the booms were just mad. The minute we got to our starting line, we simply began to fire at suspect places. You see a house, a window, shoot at the window. You don’t see a terrorist there Fire at the window. In urban warfare, anyone is your enemy. No innocents."
Israeli military spokeswoman Lt Col Avital Leibovich dismissed the testimonies as anonymous hearsay, designed to embarrass the army rather than lead to serious investigations.
She questioned why Breaking the Silence had not handed over its findings earlier, before the media were informed.
"We are investigating many of the requests from NGOs and other groups," she said. "But when you have a report that is based on hearsay, with no facts whatsoever, we can’t do anything with it."
In the past, says the Israeli military, some allegations of wrong-doing in Gaza have turned out to be second or third-hand accounts, the result of soldiers recycling rumours in the battalion rather than describing what they themselves witnessed.
Credible record
But Breaking the Silence has a long – and to many, credible – record of getting soldiers to talk about experiences which might not reflect well on the Army.
The group is funded by the British, Dutch and Spanish governments, as well as the EU.
It says the testimony is anonymous because of orders to Israeli soldiers not to speak out publicly.
Some of the collected testimony is highly specific.
In the case of Majdi Abed Rabbo, the Israeli military police have now opened an investigation, lending at least some credibility to the soldier who said the "neighbour policy" was in widespread use.
The military maintains it went to extraordinary lengths to ensure civilians were not harmed in Gaza.
The soldiers’ testimony does describe in detail how leaflets were distributed in areas they were about to enter – warning people to leave.
But it is what happened after that, says Breaking the Silence, which calls into question the morality of the Israeli army’s actions.</p
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Sri Lanka probe ‘clears military’
July 14th, 2009 |
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<img src=”http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/46055000/jpg/_46055240_exhume226ap.jpg” align=”left” width=”226″ height=”170″ alt=”An Action Against Hunger worker watches two of the 17 aid workers’ bodies being exhumed in September” border=”0″ vspace=”4″ hspace=”4″>
Sri Lanka’s top human rights panel has cleared the army of killing 17 people working for a French charity in 2006.
The head of the inquiry commission said he had been unable to find out who was to blame "because he ran out of funds".
The bodies of the Action Against Hunger workers were found in the north-eastern town of Muttur. Truce monitors blamed security forces, who denied the charge.
Heavy fighting had been going on in the area between troops and Tamil rebels fighting for an independent state.
Fifteen of the bodies were found lying down and shot at close range on 7 August 2006, in a case that caused an international outcry. Two other bodies were found later.
The aid staff – all but one ethnic Tamils – were working on tsunami relief projects in the area.
‘Incorrect’
"The evidence that was laid before us is that not a single witness stated before us that they saw the army around the place at the relevant time," the head of the commission, retired Supreme Court Judge Nissanka Udalagama, told the BBC’s Sinhala service.
"The entire town was taken over by the LTTE [Tamil Tiger rebels] at the time. The LTTE said on their website that they had taken over the town of Muttur," he said.
Defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella had earlier claimed that Muttur was under the complete control of the military at the time of the massacre.
Judge Udalagama said he "believed that information to be incorrect".
"We got the army to give evidence. The officer in charge of the contingent which came to Muttur from Jaffna gave evidence. He denied Rambukwella’s statement. We would have liked to have Rambukwella’s evidence, but because of time limits, we were unable to do so."
The report exonerates the army and navy, but says auxiliary police known as home guards could have carried out the killings.
"There was other evidence like the presence of Muslim home guards. They had access to the weapons. And it could have been LTTE," Judge Udalagama said.
The report also found the French charity to be at fault.
"They also have to take a portion of the blame, they have to enhance the compensation given to the people," Judge Udalagama said.
In 2007, a report by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) said there had been "a disturbing lack of impartiality and transparency in the investigation" by the police into the massacre.
The report said official reports indicated that police had decided from the outset that Tamil rebels were responsible for the killing of the aid workers, all but one of whom were ethnic Tamils.
The report said the collection of evidence had been incomplete and inadequate.
Impunity
Critics say Sri Lanka has a long history of failing to prosecute human rights abuses.
The Sri Lankan group University Teachers for Human Rights said the government had to be held to account "to stop this culture of impunity in the country".
"The way in which the government handled the whole investigation – the pressure put on witnesses, the video conferencing through which witnesses tried to bring out information on how it was stopped – all sorts of things basically show that the commission was not interested in finding the true culprits," a spokesman for the group, Gopalasingham Sridharan, told BBC Tamil.
"Unfortunately we are not aware about the full report, from the media we gather that they are absolving the security forces.
"We are now in preparation of another report to try to bring out all the facts again." </p
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Diary from Swat
July 14th, 2009 |
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Munir (not his real name), an administrator in the Swat region of Pakistan, whose family fled the conflict there in early May, spent the last two months living in the outskirts of Mardan. After hearing positive stories from relatives and friends back home, he is now preparing to return to his village hoping for a new beginning.
"Yesterday, on the main road that leads to Swat I saw many people and vehicles preparing to leave. People were saying good bye and were thanking their Mardan hosts for their hospitality.
We will go back to Swat very soon, probably in about 20 days. First we want to make sure it’s safe. My father will go on his own in a couple of days to see how things are in our village.
We are already getting many reports from our villagers and friends back in Swat. Life is still difficult, but things are getting better.
We were told that 45 houses belonging to militants in our village have been destroyed. Our house, which is in the centre of the village, is apparently fine.
I spoke on the phone to someone from our village, who couldn’t manage to escape because of the curfew. Because there were militants in our village his family moved to another one, not far from Mingora.
He told me that the peace committee, which is made up of local elders, is not distributing the aid donated by NGOs to the poor people. Instead it ends up in the hands of the families of the members.
When I spoke to my uncle a few days ago, he said that the biggest problem there is that it is very expensive. The prices of daily necessities are double compared to those in the rest of Pakistan. People are really struggling. Those are poor villagers, they don’t have money. God knows how they survive and what they eat.
A villager from our area came last week to Mardan. He told me that there are some militants in that village and that the army is not taking action against them because there are many innocent people and they don’t want to inflict casualties. Villagers are still not feeling secure because of the presence of militants.
‘Taliban defeated’
I’ve got a friend who works for the police, he is now in Mingora. I bumped into him by chance a few days ago. He had come here to Mardan seven days ago to see his family and went back to Mingora two days later. We talked at length.
He said that the security situation had improved. The army there said that the only way they can defeat the militants is with the support of the ordinary people. So there’s a lot less fear and people feel much more confident.
"In one year’s time, many militants will be killed – not by the army, but by the people of Swat"
He told me that he went to Saidu Sharif one day. The army issued an invitation through loud speakers to residents to go to houses known to belong to militants and help themselves to anything useful they could find there. So people went and took all kinds of things – washing machines and other household items. In the end, the army destroyed those houses.
A different story: someone was arrested in Mingora, accused of being a militant. The army took him to his village and asked three local people to confirm whether he is indeed a militant. Three people confirmed. They shot him on the spot. People were very happy.
People are confident now and they have learnt a lot from their experiences. They know that they need to be more united against the militants. They won’t allow the militants to return again.
They’ll chase them out themselves, they’ll shoot them, they won’t wait for the army to do that. People will take revenge for all the bad things that have happened.
One militant commander was chased by the people here in Mardan. I witnessed the chase. He managed to escaped this time. But what I am saying is that people are taking things into their own hands.
In one year’s time, many militants will be killed – not by the army, but by the people of Swat. The Taliban are defeated. They are not going to come back.
We are very confident. My family are already talking about arranging my wedding within one or two months after our return to Swat. I myself see a wedding in November.
"
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Australia seeks new army robots
July 14th, 2009 |
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By Phil Mercer
BBC News, Sydney
Australia has launched a multi-million dollar competition to build a new generation of military robots.
The winning design must help soldiers fight by remote control in urban combat zones, defence officials say.
The aim is to reduce casualties in urban areas where fighting is unpredictable and treacherous.
The competition is being run by Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Organisation in partnership with the US military.
‘Dirty work’
The government wants to develop an "intelligent and fully autonomous system" capable of carrying out dangerous surveillance missions.
Senior officials in Canberra have said they hope that unarmed robotic vehicles will do some of the army’s "dirty work" in such hazardous theatres.
The ultimate plan is for groups of these sophisticated machines to be sent into battle to help neutralise the enemy.
Research grants of $1.6m (£984,000) have been offered in this joint Australian and American competition. Five shortlisted applicants will be invited to present their ideas at a Land Warfare Conference in Brisbane in November next year.
Before they get to that stage they will have to prove that their prototypes can do the job at a defence base in South Australia, where they will be judged by an international panel of military experts. </p
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PM demands more troops from Kabul in Helmand
July 13th, 2009 |
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PM says Afghan soldiers must hold ground taken by British forces
Gordon Brown has told the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, to put more Afghan troops into Helmand province immediately to make sure the costly territorial gains made by UK forces are not lost and British soldiers do not die in vain.
Amid mounting political pressure on the government over the sharp rise in British fatalities this month, Brown issued his demand to Karzai in a phone conversation on Sunday after talks with the US president, Barack Obama.
Less than 10% of the 80,000-strong Afghan army are stationed in Helmand even though 50% of the fighting is being conducted in the Taliban stronghold.
British forces have been repeatedly frustrated that they capture vital ground only for it to be ceded within months due to the lack of Afghan soldiers to move in and take control. There are only 500 Afghan troops involved in the British Operation Panther’s Claw in Helmand province.
Brown said bluntly he wanted to see “a very substantial increase” in Afghan troop numbers.
He also gave a strong indication that the British presence will remain at the current figure of just over 9,000 troops, or might even increase after the Afghan presidential elections in August and a US-led 60-day review of the entire Nato Afghan strategy. Britain is also temporarily sending an extra 140 soldiers from Cyprus.
The US-led review is likely to see General Stanley A McChrystal, the new senior commander in Afghanistan, recommend that the Afghan army will have to grow even faster than the planned expansion from 85,000 to 134,000, which was initially expected to take five years but now fast-tracked for completion by 2011.
US marines, currently deploying to Helmand, have been struck by the lack of support from the Afghan army.
The Foreign Office minister Lord Malloch Brown recently highlighted the UK’s concern, saying: “We need to look at some slightly out-of-the-box solutions to supplement the numbers we have who are willing to protect communities from Taliban activity.”
There is also a growing worry that the presidential election in August will fall way short of a democratic poll, with some observers fearing ballot rigging that will make the recent Iranian elections look like a model of western democracy.
In a Commons statement today, Brown brushed aside Conservative and Liberal Democrat claims that British troops are dying due to insufficient troop numbers or resources. He said: “It has been a very difficult summer and it is not over yet but if we are to deny Helmand to the Taliban in the long term, if we are to defeat this insurgency, and by doing so make Britain and the world a safer place, then we must persist with our operations in Afghanistan … I am confident that we are right to be in Afghanistan, that we have the strongest possible plan.”
But a Populus poll for ITV’s News at Ten found 75% of the population believe that the troops are inadequately supplied and equipped for the war.
The Tories claim there is a shortage of helicopters and blame Brown for cutting the helicopter budget by £1.4bn in 2004.
It was noticeable that the Tories reined back on some of their rhetoric today, but the Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, said the government strategy was “over-ambitious and under-resourced”.
Brown said the British military had told him that they had sufficient troops for current operational requirements. He also denied that any helicopter shortfall had led to the recent British deaths.
Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson, an army spokesman, offered Downing Street a measure of support, saying: “You could put as many helicopters as you wanted in here, but sadly at the end of the day troops have to go on the ground. You cannot defeat the enemy from a helicopter.”
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Attack fears as Swat valley refugees head home
July 13th, 2009 |
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• Taliban routed after two months of fierce fighting, says Pakistan
• Aid agencies warn 1 million returning refugees still at risk
Two million people displaced by fighting in north-west Pakistan started returning home in military-protected convoys today, triggering warnings from international relief agencies that the reverse exodus was too fast and too soon.
Buses and trucks lined up outside crowded refugee camps to take the first batch of refugees back to their homes in the Swat valley, where the army says it has routed the Taliban after two months of sporadic combat.
Pakistan’s government is keen to reverse the mass migration, which is comparable to that triggered by the Rwandan genocide of 1994, because it has left limited resources severely strained.
At least 1 million people have been displaced from the main battle zone in the valley, with another million or so fleeing neighbouring Dir and Buner. About 300,000 are living in camps; the rest are sheltering with friends or family.
The government is providing the refugees with convoys of buses, military protection and cash payments to help them resettle. Officials say the process will take two weeks.
But some aid workers say the process has been poorly conceived and people are vulnerable to further attack.
“The Pakistani government is sending people home far too early,” said Kristèle Younès, of Refugees International. “Displaced people should be the ones to determine whether it is safe for them to return, and we fear the government is not providing them with clear and accurate information.”
“There are some suspicions that [the return] is not as free as you would like,” said Dorothy Blane of Concern. “They should not be forced back just so the government can say that normal life has returned, because if they have to come out again it will be a disaster.”
The return process got off to a slow and chaotic start. Residents trying to travel to Swat in private cars were turned back at the town of Sher Gur, on the edge of the conflict-affected area.
However, buses carrying people from Jalozai, an old Afghan refugee camp in Nowshera, were allowed through. Army helicopters circled overhead, offering protection from any attack.
Amir Haider Khan Hoti, the chief minister of North West Frontier province, told one group the Taliban would soon be finished. “I assure you that in this war of survival for Pakistan, we – and you – will win,” he said.
The Pakistani army claims to have killed more than 1,700 Taliban fighters in Swat and the neighbouring districts of Buner and Swat. The figure cannot be confirmed. The Taliban have been cleared from the main areas of Swat, including the main city, Mingora, which is believed to have suffered far less damage than had been feared.
But the army has failed to kill the Taliban leadership, igniting concerns that the militants could re-emerge under the cover of the civilian population. Last week the army said the Taliban leader, Maulana Fazlullah, had been badly injured.
In a reminder of how the militant threat is spreading, an explosion at a madrasa religious school in central Punjab province killed 13 people today. The cause was unclear but appeared to be an explosives cache.
Many refugees are also concerned that the government has made inadequate preparations for a return to normal life, according to Muhammad Niyaz, of Islamic Relief. “Crops have been destroyed and businesses damaged [during the fighting]. The majority say they will not go back until they are sure there is something for them on the ground,” he said.
To counter the threat of a Taliban resurgence the authorities are raising a local civilian militia, known as “community police”, to help flush out Taliban infiltrators.
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North Korea Army, Lab 110, Suspected Over Cyber Attacks
July 11th, 2009 |
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SEOUL, South Korea — A North Korean army lab of hackers was ordered to “destroy” South Korean communications networks _ evidence the isolated regime was behind cyberattacks that paralyzed South Korean and American Web sites _ news report…
Town of fear
July 11th, 2009 |
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Pakistan says the army has almost ended operations against the Taliban in the former tourist resort of Swat and nearby districts. Some two million people are being urged to return to their homes in the north-west. The BBC’s Syed Shoaib Hasan reports from Swat’s main town, Mingora.
As we move deeper into the Swat valley, the ravages of war are all around us.
Destroyed buildings and broken roads mark the passage of fighting which was heaviest close to Mingora.
There is also a steady stream of people moving to and from the region.
"We came back to check out whether our house and belongings had survived the fighting," Abdullah, a Mingora resident, told us.
"Thanks to Allah, it has survived intact. Now I am going back to my family, who are in a camp in Mardan."
See a map of the regionAbdullah tells us the situation has improved greatly and the army is largely in control.
"Hopefully, we can come back soon."
He had just one complaint: "The army is still making it very hard for us to get around. We have to stop at every checkpoint and identify ourselves.
"This makes it impossible for most public transport to move about."
Because of such restrictions, most travellers we met, including Abdullah, were on foot.
Curfews can leave people stranded for hours – after nearly three hours of arguments and phone calls with local military and civil authorities, we were able to get a curfew pass.
But even so, it took us nearly four and a half hours to cover a distance which usually takes two. The main reason were security checkpoints lining the road to Mingora.
In addition, bands of soldiers on patrol would also stop anyone they deemed suspicious.
‘Like doomsday’
We pass the village of Qamber, strategically located on a hill outside Mingora guarding the road into town.
"This is where the Taliban made their stand against the army," says Mingora resident Yousuf Khan.
There are no buildings left in Qamber, just ruins, pieces of brick and scorched roads, a testament to the intensity of the fighting that went on here.
But the militants finally had to retreat and Mingora is now in complete control of the army.
Contrary to many reports, most of the town is largely intact.
Fighting has taken place in some quarters of the city, and a number of buildings and premises have been damaged.
But, by and large, the markets and residential areas are still standing.
"Most of the fighting in Mingora took place in the first three days," Yousaf Khan tell us.
"It began after the army moved to seize control of the emerald mines."
Mr Khan stayed behind during the entire conflict and says he still feels shaken when he thinks about those events.
"After all that has happened, this is our greatest fear – the Taliban can still return"
Mingora resident Yousuf Khan
"It was like doomsday. My children were very scared but there was nothing we could do."
Another Mingora resident, Wasif Ali, agrees.
"The gunships were right over the neighbourhood when they shelled the mountainside."
He adds that the exchange of fire went on for three days, after which the Taliban were pushed out of the mines.
"A lot of them were using the tunnels in the mines as cover to fire back at the army."
Mr Ali explains that the army then used aircraft and artillery to target the mountainside, which collapsed.
"Many of the militants were buried alive when that happened.
"But others managed to escape using passages they had dug connecting the mines to wells inside the nearby houses.
The passages were built to take take away the emeralds safely, but ended up providing an unlikely escape route for the Taliban.
"They escaped through the narrow lanes and into the fields," Wasif Ali explains.
Subsequently, the army was able to quickly oust the militants, who did not put up much of a fight.
‘We can hear firing’
Thanks to the curfew, Mingora resembles a ghost town.
Only army patrols moved through the streets.
The only real sign of life was the presence of dozens of locals outside a military-run relief goods distribution centre.
They were waiting to get a bag of wheat, as food supplies remain drastically low.
While some were highly critical of the government, others were hopeful that peace would now be restored.
But almost all were critical of the army, which they say has done little to help residents.
"Their attitude is like we are all supporting the Taliban."
We witness this ourselves when a man is arrested and driven away in a security convoy.
And when we are leaving town, we also encounter another detainee being dragged half naked to a building next to the relief goods office.
As we leave Mingora, we cannot help but wonder at the prime minister’s announcement that refugees can return from 13 July.
"The army may have seized the region, but it still does not control all of it," Yousuf Khan says.
"The Taliban, despite Maulana Fazlullah being seriously injured, are still very strong. At night, we can hear the exchange of fire between them and the army.
"After all that has happened, this is our greatest fear – the Taliban can still return."
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North Korea army behind South web attack: report
July 11th, 2009 |
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North Korea’s military is behind a series of cyber attacks against South Korean and US websites that slowed or disabled access by saturating them with traffic this week, a South Korean news report said on Saturday. The attacks on dozens of US and South Korean government and business sites