Jerry Jackson

Posts Tagged ‘Reuters’

Pakistan: US Has Overstayed Welcome

In Military, Pakistan, World Government, World News on May 15, 2011 at 3:18 am


Clickatell Bulk SMS for Business

Taliban in Herat.

Image via Wikipedia



Bulk SMS Gateway – Send SMS’s from your PC; easy integration!

Amidst drone attacks & bombings, Pakistan threatens to strand US forces in Afghanistan
After a double bombing in Pakistan’s north that resulted in over 80 deaths, the Western media was quick to report an unverified phone-call made from an “undisclosed location” to Reuters and AFP claiming the Taliban was responsible.
Reuters stated, “Now Pakistani rulers, President Zardari and the army will be our first targets. America will be our second target,” Ehsanullah Ehsan, a spokesman for Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Taliban Movement of Pakistan, told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location.” AFP reported similarly, “This was the first revenge for Osama’s martyrdom. Wait for bigger attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan,” spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location.” Both Reuthers and AFP never bother explaining who Ehsanullah Ehsan is or verifying their source. Far be it from the corporate-owned media to actually “inform” its audience.
The Mystery Bombing
Ehsanullah Ehsan, the man who supposedly claimed responsibility for the bombings, had been a former Taliban official and had long since left the organization to pursue more constructive efforts for his country’s future. Wikipedia noted this, but was changed overnight, claiming Ehsanullah was now a Taliban spokesman and could potentially take a more “active leadership role.” This all based entirely on a BBC article citing the Reuters “phone-call.”
Wikipedia before May 13, 2011:
Mullah Ehsanullah Ehsan is a former member of the Taliban leadership.[1] Originally, he was the chairman of the Taliban’s Central Bank. Later, Ehsan was the Taliban’s Administrator of Captured Provinces.[2]
Shortly after the Taliban took over major Afghan institutions in December 1996, Ehsan, acting as chair of the Central Bank, declared most Afghani notes in circulation to be worthless and cancelled the contract with the Russian firm that had been printing the currency. Ehsan accused the firm of sending new shipments of Afghani notes to ousted president Burhanuddin Rabbani in northern Takhar province.
Ehsanullah’s name appears in the transcripts of several Guantanamo detainees.”
….
Wikipedia after May 13, 2011:
“Mullah Ehsanullah Ehsan is a current Taliban spokesman[1] and former member of the Taliban leadership.[2] Originally, he was the chairman of the Taliban’s Central Bank. Later, Ehsan was the Taliban’s Administrator of Captured Provinces.[3]
With the recent death of Osama Bin Laden, Ehsanullah Ehasan may once again take a more active leadership role in the Taliban.
Shortly after the Taliban took over major Afghan institutions in December 1996, Ehsan, acting as chair of the Central Bank, declared most Afghani notes in circulation to be worthless and cancelled the contract with the Russian firm that had been printing the currency. Ehsan accused the firm of sending new shipments of Afghani notes to ousted president Burhanuddin Rabbani in northern Takhar province.
Ehsanullah’s name appears in the transcripts of several Guantanamo detainees.”


….
Besides another tremendous torpedo to Wikipedia’s credibility, the poorly cited entry still doesn’t tell us who Ehsanullah is and where he came from. The only other “Ehsanullah” that can be found online is an Ehsanullah Ehsan who has spent his years after the fall of the Taliban in 2001 building schools and teaching. In a 2009 St. Peterburg Times article titled, “Taliban Gaining Unexpected Grounds in Afghanistan,” Ehsan is described as a “a government official in the Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs” who works tirelessly to bring communities together, bridge differences, and solve problems through carefully weighed, culturally sensitive pragmatism. The Toronto Star features an April 2011 piece written by an “Ehsanullah Ehsan” titled, “I can tell you that we are bleeding in our hearts,” in which the school teacher/principal laments that violence and hatred on both sides threaten to undo the work he and his people have done over the years to move his nation forward.
Perhaps Ehsanullah Ehsan is a common name. Perhaps all three are different men. Perhaps Reuters and AFP received a phone call from a nearby CIA station using an outdated Taliban Rolodex. When the media continuously and profoundly fails its duty to investigate, verify, and inform us, we are left to speculate, doubt, and ultimately question the legitimacy of such agencies. Land Destroyer for its part, is currently investigating this matter further.

f course, Khalizad’s veiled threat is referring to fellow globalist Frederick Kagan’s destabilization and “nuke-napping” plan already being set into motion. With the Baluchi insurgency being systematically cultivated by the US in Pakistan’s southwest region, and the Pashtuns being agitated by continued Predator drone attacks in the northwest, Pakistan is faced with the choice to either cut off the US now while it still can, or actively participate in the further destabilization of its own country by aiding and abetting Washington in their imperialist designs. This destabilization is specifically designed to implement the Balkanization of Pakistan and the ruination of Iranian, Pakistani, Indian, and Chinese interests throughout the region. If Kagan’s plans were put into effect, it would also give the US a permanent military footing in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.Conclusion
What must be realized by all involved, from Pakistan’s neighbors to the Baluchis and Pashtuns within Pakistan, is that any alliance with America is an alliance sure to be betrayed, sure to lead to a divided and weakened Pakistan that will be exploited in full by the global corporate-financier elite engineering American foreign policy. Consider those joining men like Khalizad on the CSIS and NED boards are Carlyle Group members, defense contractors including Raytheon and Boeing, banking interests represented by Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, and Morgan Stanley, and big oil interests represented by Hess, Exxon, and Chevron. These are the same megalomaniacal, warmongering, parasites that have bankrupted the West, morally, culturally, financially, economically, and industrially. They have every intention to duplicate their “success” throughout Asia if given the proper environment of apathy, ignorance, and complicity within which to flourish.
Nations like India must realize that while their grievances with Pakistan may seem important, the US is not helping India out of a sense of charitable solidarity, but as a means to use Indian troops and resources against Pakistan, possibly even against China, thus miring all three nations in unending conflict and effectively hobbling their collective development. At the end of the day, there is no seat at the table for Chinese, Pakistani or Indian elite. They will be divided, discarded, and domineered just as soon as their usefulness reaches an end. As plans to divide and dominate Pakistan become public knowledge, and with plans to do likewise in Iran, China, and throughout the Middle East already matters of fact, India must reevaluate its relationship with Pakistan, as Pakistan must do so with India, understanding that their rivalry serves as the perfect “strategy of tension” from which the forces of globalization will conquer both nations.


Network Solutions - $5.99 per month Hosting
Enjoy These Big Deals at Network Solutions! Register .CO Domains for $11.99 & 50% off select products, Hosting & More! Shop Now!

Saudis ask U.S. for price quotes for warships with air and missile defenses

In Activism, Economics, Human Rights, Military, Society, World Government, World News on April 9, 2011 at 5:07 am


Free Shipping for GetCoached! Use code COACHED

Emirates of Saudi Arabia

Image via Wikipedia

Last month a Saudi Web site reported that a popular cleric has issued a fatwa urging Muslims to target Israeli interests everywhere, to avenge the attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Saudi Arabia has asked the United States for prices for surface warships with integrated air and missile defenses, helicopters, patrol craft and shore infrastructure, the U.S. Navy said on Friday.

The Navy is preparing a rough cost estimate that would be delivered possibly as soon as May, Navy spokeswoman Captain Cate Mueller told Reuters.

Famous coaches teach you success! GET COACHED!
Free shipping when you purchase Get Coached with coupon code: COACHED
Saudi Arabia is the biggest U.S. arms buyer and is expected to remain so despite political upheaval in the Middle East.

The request for medium surface combat ships and the rest of the hardware was received by the Navy in July through the Saudi Ministry of Defense and Aviation, Mueller said.

Earlier on Friday, Lockheed Martin Corp executives said the first phase of the so-called Saudi Naval Expansion Program-II could be worth e20 billion, attributing the estimate to U.S. Navy officials. The company would likely vie for any such orders.

Other likely competitors would be Australia’s Austal Ltd and General Dynamics Corp, which teamed up to build a Littoral Combat Ship for the U.S. Navy, as is Lockheed.

Paul Lemmo, a Lockheed vice president for business development, said the company would pitch a multi-mission version of its fast new coastal combat ship, perhaps fitted with Lockheed’s Aegis weapon system.

In October, the Obama administration notified Congress of a proposed arms sale to Saudi Arabia potentially worth as much as e60 billion over 15 to 20 years. It would be the largest arms deal on record if all purchases are made, including 84 Boeing F-15 fighter jets and upgrades to 70 more F-15s that the Saudis already have.

Last month a Saudi Web site reported that a popular cleric has issued a fatwa urging Muslims to target Israeli interests everywhere, to avenge the attacks on the Gaza Strip.

The site, Rasid, posts news about Saudi Arabia’s Shiite community and on Sunday said that Sheik Awadh al-Garni has issued a religious edict urging Muslims to strike anything that has a link to Israel, calling it a legitimate target for Muslims everywhere.

Al-Garni, whose is popular in the kingdom, is not a member of the official religious establishment.

Fatwas are not legally binding, and it is up to the individual Muslim to follow them.

Wordpress Hosting from GoDaddy.com! 125x125

New Customer 25% off Sale from GoDaddy.com!


LG620G - Unlimited - Save BIG!

Free Shipping with the Purchase of any Straight Talk Phone Bundle

Libya protests spread and intensify quickly

In Activism, Human Rights, Libya, Society, World News on February 22, 2011 at 4:32 am

Scores of people have been reported killed in continuing violence in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, amid escalating protests against Muammar Gaddafi‘s 40-year rule across the north African nation.


Deep cracks were showing and Gaddafi seemed to be losing vital support, as Libyan government officials at home and abroad resigned, air force pilots defected and major government buildings were targeted during clashes in the capital.

At least 61 people were killed in Tripoli on Monday, witnesses told Al Jazeera. The protests appeared to be gathering momentum, with demonstrators saying they had taken control of several important towns and the city of Benghazi, to the east of Tripoli.

Protesters called on Monday for another night of defiance against Gaddafi, despite a harsh security crackdown by his government.

A huge anti-government march in Tripoli on Monday afternoon came under attack by security forces using fighter jets and live ammunition, witnesses told Al Jazeera.

Libyan authorities have cut all landline and wireless communication in the country, making it impossible to verify the report.


As violence flared, the Reuters news agency quoted William Hague, the British foreign secretary, as saying he had seen some information to suggest that Gaddafi had fled Libya and was on his way to Venezuela.

But Al Jazeera’s Dima Khatib, reporting from the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, said government officials there denied that Gaddafi was on his way to the South American country.

Live Blog

The Libyan deputy foreign minister also denied that Gaddafi had fled the country.

With reports of large-scale military operations under way in Tripoli, a spokesperson for Ban Ki-moon said the UN chief held extensive discussions with Gaddafi on Monday, condemned the escalating violence in Libya and told him that it “must stop immediately”.

”]Protests against Gaddafi's rule have prompted harsh reprisals in several cities

” … The secretary-general underlined the need to ensure the protection of the civilian population under any circumstances. He urged all parties to exercise restraint and called upon the authorities to engage in broad-based dialogue to address legitimate concerns of the population,” Ban’s spokesperson said.

For this part, several Libyan diplomats at the country’s UN mission called on Gaddafi to step down.

Ibrahim Dabbashi, the deputy ambassador, said that if Gaddafi did not relinquish power, “the Libyan people [would] get rid of him”.

“We don’t agree with anything the regime is doing … we are here to serve the Libyan people,” he told Al Jazeera.


Dabbashi urged the international community to impose a no-fly zone over Libya to prevent mercenaries, weapons and other supplies from reaching Gaddafi and his security forces.

He said the Libyan diplomats were urging the International Criminal Court, the Netherlands-based body, to investigate possible crimes against humanity in the Libyan context.

Arab League to meet

Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al-Thani, Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, called for an extraordinary meeting of the Arab League to take place on Tuesday. The aim is to discuss the current crisis in Libya and to put additional “pressure” on the government, he told Al Jazeera.


Talking to Al Jazeera, Libya’s deputy ambassador to the UN Ibrahim Dabbashi condemns Gaddafi’s regime

Hamad bin Jassim said the international community must act now. “I feel a big sympathy for the Libyan people. We don’t accept using force in this way or any way against the people or against any nation from their governments,” he said.

“And we make our declaration in this space and we think that the international community should also take a stand against what is happening in Libya at the moment.”

“I think the [UN] Security Council has to play a role. The condemnation is not enough … I think the five permanent members and others, they should take the responsibility and do something to help the civillian people in Libya, because what is happening is not acceptable in any way.”

Earlier in on Monday, Ahmed Elgazir, a human-rights researcher at the Libyan News Centre (LNC) in Geneva, Switzerland, told Al Jazeera that security forces were “massacring” protesters in Tripoli.

Elgazir said the LNC received a call for help from a woman “witnessing the massacre in progress who called on a satellite phone”.