Pakistan Civil War News Updates -- June 1, 2009

Pakistan To Attack The Fountainhead Of Extremism: Rugged Waziristan -- McClatchy News

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Waziristan, the remote area that's the epicenter of Taliban and al Qaida militants in Pakistan, is set to become the next war zone in the nation's fight against Islamic extremists, where clashes between insurgents and the army erupted over the weekend.

So far, there are just skirmishes in Waziristan but the key U.S. ally plans a full-scale military offensive there this summer, according to Pakistani and Western officials, a fight that is certain to be deadlier than the current operation in Swat valley and with profound international repercussions.

Read more ....

More News On Pakistan

Pakistan Continues Its Fight in South Waziristan -- New York Times
Militants battle Pakistani troops in Waziristan -- CNN
Q+A - After Swat, will Waziristan be next for Pakistan army? -- Reuters
Bounty placed on heads of top Taleban commanders in Swat -- Times Online
Pakistani army retakes largest town in Swat Valley -- Yahoo News/AP
Swat Valley victory over Taliban likely in 2-3 days: Pakistani official -- CBC
Analysis: True Swat victory won't be military -- Yahoo News/AP
Pakistani army lifts curfews in more Swat towns -- Yahoo News/AP
'Desperate' Swat Valley situation revealed -- ABC News Australia
Pakistan closing in on another key town: officials -- AFP
Attack on Pakistan bus terminal -- BBC
Taliban attack border camp in Pakistan -- UPI
18 more militants killed in NW Pakistan operation -- China View
Pakistan security stepped up -- Press TV
Iran closes border with Pakistan -- The Hindu
Pakistan vows to wipe out Jundullah: report -- Dawn
Nuclear weapons are safe, says defence official -- Dawn
Al-Qaeda plans for nuke takeover in Pak -- Times Now
Obama Sends Envoy to Pakistan Refugee Camps -- New York Times
Red Cross Alarmed by Situation in Pakistan's Swat -- Voice of America
Pakistan protests organized via Facebook -- UPI
Gutsy Pakistan protesters march against the Taliban -- L.A. Times
Allies against the Taliban -- Globe and Mail editorial

BREAKING!!! -- French Plane Lost Over Atlantic

From The BBC:

An Air France plane carrying at least 228 people from Brazil to France has gone missing over the Atlantic.

Paris Charles de Gaulle airport said contact was lost with the flight from Rio de Janeiro at 0600 GMT.

Brazil's air force confirmed the plane was missing and said a search and rescue mission was under way near the island of Fernando de Noronha.

An airport official told AFP the Airbus 330-200 had been expected to arrive in Paris at 1110 local time (0910 GMT).

Another official said it was possible that the plane had a transponder problem but this was very rare.

"We are very worried," he said, quoted by AFP news agency.

Read more ....

Air France Airbus A330: Air France confirmed that
'it had no news' of flight number AF 447, Photo: AFP

More News On The Disappearance of A French Airliner

Air France jet missing over Atlantic Ocean -- Yahoo News/AP
Air France jet vanishes -- CNN
Air France Rio-Paris flight missing with 228 aboard -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Air France jet with 231 people on board missing off Brazil -- The Telegraph
Air France jet with 231 people on board 'drops off radar' -- Times Online

Iraq War News Updates -- June 1, 2009

U.S. Army Spc. Loren Combs checks her surroundings during Operation Asfah Ramlyah, a combined clearance operation in Sumer Al-Ghadier, in the 9 Nissan district of eastern Baghdad, May 28, 2009. Combs is a medic assigned to the Brigade Support Battalion's Company C. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Alex Licea

Unease As Iraqis Prepare To Take Over In Cities -- Yahoo News/AP

BAGHDAD – Three years ago, the U.S. thinned out its presence in Baghdad and Iraqi forces could not stem the tide of sectarian fighting. By the end of June, Iraq's forces will again be in control of their cities — and many Iraqis wonder if they are up to the task.

Publicly, the U.S. military insists it has full confidence in Iraq's army and police to cope with security challenges after the June 30 deadline for American combat troops to leave Baghdad, Mosul and other cities.

Privately, however, some U.S. and Iraqi officials acknowledge no one can say with certainty whether Iraq's police and soldiers can perform until they assume the responsibility.

Read more ....

More News On Iraq

US: Unclear troop number remaining in Iraq cities -- AP
U.S. troops keeping a low profile in Basra -- Stars And Stripes
Audio tape denies capture of Iraq insurgent leader -- Yahoo News/AP
Iraq May civilian death toll lowest since 2003 -- Reuters
Iraqi casualties fall to record low in May -- L.A. Times
Police: 4 killed in bombing at Baghdad market -- AP
Bomb in Baghdad market kills 4 and wounds 13 -- Reuters
US deaths in Iraq rise sharply in May -- BBC
Iraq: 2 US soldiers die of non-combat injuries -- AP
US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,306 -- AP
Children in Iraq still suffering psychologically from war trauma -- China View
Iraq minster arrested after plane was turned back -- The Telegraph
Guns, women and misappropriated funds: Iraqi Trade Minister charged -- Times Online
Scandal plagues former Iraq minister -- The National
Syria Looks to Iraq for an Economic Boost -- Washington Journal
Iraq's Kurdish region to export oil for first time -- AFP
Amnesty International Report 2009 on Iraq -- American Chronicle
Rehabilitating the Sons of Iraq -- Huffington Post
Iraq's Casualty Decline -- Wall Street Journal opinion

US Withdrawal From Mosul Leads To Fear Of Iraqi Insurgent Attacks

The presence of the US troops has helped to bring peace to Mosul's streets. Despite the calm there are concerns that attacks by insurgents may resume

From Times Online:

Lying in the dust of a Mosul street, a bullet in his leg, the insurgent had plenty on his mind when American soldiers ran towards him. The engineer, who was in his thirties and fluent in English, had thrown a grenade at a US patrol and been shot down by a turret gunner as he tried to make his escape seconds earlier.

As the Americans gathered around him, one concern seemed paramount. “Don’t give me to the Iraqi Army, don’t give me to the Iraqi Army’,” he begged, according to the gunner.

Iraqi forces, American units, insurgent cells: every group has its own worry in Mosul in the run-up to the planned withdrawal of US forces from the city on June 30. The insurgents have the most to gain from an American pullout but realise that they will face harsher treatment if they fall into the hands of the remaining Iraqi forces.

Read more ....

My Comment: I do expect U.S. forces to still leave the city, but they will only be a few hours away on the outskirts of the city. In addition, if the situation does start to deteriorate, I would not be surprised to see some U.S. soldiers to re-enter the fight.

But let us not fool ourselves .... the Americans are leaving, and the Iraqis better start getting use to it.

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- June 1, 2009

PACIFIC OCEAN (April 1, 2008) Aircraft assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 fly over the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63). Kitty Hawk and the embarked CVW-5 squadrons deployed in early March and will undergo several training evolutions over the next month. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kyle D. Gahlau (Image from Military Photos)

Military And Intelligence News Briefs

CITS key to Air Force cyber superiority goal -- U.S. Air Force

Special Operations' Oversight of Contractors Is Faulted -- Washington Post

The Belarusian Army's Tough Guy Games -- Time Magazine (pictures)

Army Probes Illicit Photos, Video of Female Soldiers Showering -- FOX News

Talk of Collaboration -- Defense Tech

RAF Commander admits to shredding spy plane documents -- Times Online

It's Getting Harder For Americans To Die In Combat -- Strategy Page

Only One Ship -- New Wars

ESC officials complete milestone for advanced radar system -- Defense Talk

UN Team Meets Chad Child Soldiers

From BBC:

The UN is working to release more than 80 child soldiers taken prisoner by the Chad army during fighting with rebels.

The children were seized from the rebel Union of Resistance Forces (UFR) group, the UN children's fund (Unicef) says.

The UFR mounted a failed attack in the east of Chad early in May which led to troops capturing many prisoners.

On Wednesday, Unicef staff finally began interviewing the children to establish their age and identity. Some are believed to be as young as 13.

It is hoped they will all be released to a demobilisation centre in N'Djamena as soon as possible.

Read more ....

My Comment: This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Japan Apologizes For Bataan Death March

Photo: Japanese Ambassador to the United States Ichiro Fujisaki delivered an official apology to the last 73 U.S. survivors of the Bataan Death March at a meeting of the survivors group May 30, 2009, in San Antonio. (Chad Henninger/ABC News)

From ABC News:

Ambassador Speaks to Last 73 American Survivors of the March.

The Japanese ambassador to the United States apologized in person today to the 73 surviving POWs of the Bataan Death March in the Philippines in April 1942 during World War II.

"We extend a heartfelt apology for our country having caused tremendous damage and suffering to many people including prisoners of war, those who have undergone tragic experiences in the Bataan peninsula the Corregidor Island, Philippines and other places," Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki said at the last convention of the American Defenders of Bataan & Corregidor POWs of the Japanese during World War II.

Sixty-seven years after the Japanese captured and force-marched 12,000 Americans and 68,000 Philippines from the island of Corregidor to northern Luzon, denying them food and water, and killing the stragglers, the country apologized.

Read more ....

My Comment: This is laying the ground work for the Japanese Emperor to declare an apology (maybe) when he visits Hawaii in August. While this is a small step from the Ambassador .... it is the right one.

Missile Buildup Has U.S. On Edge

From The Miami Herald:

Venezuela's recent weapons-buying binge has stoked U.S. fears that portable missile launchers could end up in the hands of Colombia's FARC rebels.

Venezuela's recent purchase of the most lethal shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles in the Russian arsenal is sharpening U.S. concerns that parts of President Hugo Chávez's massive weapons buildup could wind up in the hands of terrorists or guerrillas in neighboring Colombia.

Washington's unease is well-founded, U.S. government officials say, because of credible evidence that three top Venezuelan officials offered Colombia's FARC rebels weapons, money and contacts to buy anti-aircraft missiles in 2007.

Read more ....

My Comment: Long after Chavez is gone, the people of Venezuela will wonder how such a man squandered so much of the nations wealth for useless weapons systems.

Army Chief Gen. George Casey Recommends Dropping The Plan For Fighting Two MCOs [Major Combat Operations]

Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey testifies to the House Armed Services Committee on Army strategic initiatives Sept. 26 on Capitol Hill in Washington. Lauren Victoria Burke / The Associated Press

Drop 2 MCOs Already: Army CoS -- DoD Buzz

It’s high time the Pentagon drop the two major conventional theater war force sizing and shaping construct, according to Army Chief Gen. George Casey. The outdated organizing principle is of little use as a planning tool for generating forces for future conflict and a consensus is building among the service chiefs that DoD should jettison the two war construct in the Quadrennial Defense Review.

“The reality of it is, with the amount of forces we already have deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, one of those MCOs [Major Combat Operations] is already off the table.” The Army has already moved away from the two MCO organizing idea as it builds and equips its future force, Casey said, speaking at CSIS in Washington on Thursday.

Read more ....

My Comment: This is not my specialty .... but Army Chief Gen. George Casey clearly believes that the idea of preparing to fight 2 MCOs (as military doctrine) should be put into the garbage can.

For All The Debate About Interrogation, Little Research Exists

File:Buchenwald Eisenhower torture demonstration. Wikimedia

From McClatchy:

WASHINGTON — The heated debate in recent weeks about harsh interrogation treatments at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere highlights what some scientists have been warning the U.S. for years: that almost no research exists to tell interrogators the best way to get information out of suspected terrorists.

Two years ago, the Intelligence Science Board told top intelligence officials, in a report that ran nearly 375 pages, that more behavioral research needs to be done into the art and science of interrogations. In a series of chapters, researchers raised questions and laid out a strategy that included stress experiments with highly trained military forces, research into behavior in foreign cultures and analyses of historical records from prisoners of war.

Read more ....

My Comment: Is someone trying to angle themselves for some research grant money? If so, I am curious to know what the compensation will be for the test subjects.

Little research .... hmmmm .... I am sure the military has done extensive tests and research on how to break and obtain info from prisoners.