U.S. Army Sergeant To Be Tried For Civilian Atrocities In Afghanistan

U.S. Army Sergeant To Be Tried For Alleged Afghan Sport Killings -- CNN

Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington (CNN) -- It didn't take long for Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs to make an impression on his soldiers.

Gibbs, the new leader of 3rd Platoon, part of the Army's 5th Stryker Brigade, had served a previous tour in Iraq and another in Afghanistan, and at 6 feet 4 inches and 220 pounds, towered over most of the platoon members.

Gibbs took over the platoon, stationed in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, in November, 2009. It was a low point for the group: A massive roadside bomb had injured their previous leader and left the team rattled. Gibbs wasn't rattled though.

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More News On U.S. Army Sergeant To Be Tried For Alleged Afghan Sport Killings

'Kill team' leader Calvin Gibbs tried for Afghan deaths -- BBC
Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs, alleged leader of Stryker ‘kill team,’ set to face court-martial -- Washington Post
US Soldier Goes on Trial for Civilian Atrocities in Afghanistan -- Voice of America
US Afghan 'kill team' leader faces court martial -- AFP
Army sgt. in court for civilian killings -- UPI
Sgt. Calvin Gibbs, 'Kill Team' Leader, Faces Court as Instigator of Afghan Civilian Deaths -- Seattle Weekly

U.S. And South Korea Warn Against North Korean Aggression

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta attends a press conference with South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin in Seoul, South Korea, Oct. 28, 2011. DOD photo by D. Myles Cullen

U.S. And South Korea See More North Korean Provocations Looming -- CNN

Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- South Korea's defense minister said Friday he expects more provocations from North Korea in 2012, during a session with his American counterpart.

"Next year, I believe that the possibility of North Korea conducting additional provocations is ... very high," Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin told reporters at a joint news conference with U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta.

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More News On U.S./South Koreans Warnings On North Korea

U.S.’s Panetta and South Korea’s Kim Warn Against North Korean Aggression -- Blomberg Businessweek
US, SKorea warn against North Korean aggression -- CBS/AP
North Korea Cautioned Against Aggression -- Global Secuirty Newswire
Panetta Joins South Korea in Warning to North -- New York Times
US, South Korea to Increase Defense Posture Against North Korea -- Voice of America
U.S., South Korea Talk Joint Response -- Wall Street Journal
US, S.Korea to raise readiness against N.Korea -- AFP
Panetta reaffirms U.S. commitment to South Korea -- Washington Times
US-South Korea security pledge as Panetta visits Seoul -- BBC
Panetta wary of North Korea -- Politico
U.S. Expresses Skepticism About North Korea Talks -- Wall Street Journal

Kenya's Military Incursion Into Somalia -- News Updates October 28, 2011

Bodies of African Union peacekeepers from Burundi were laid out after a battle last week with the Shabab near Mogadishu. Feisal Omar/Reuters

Somali Islamist Militants Rally Against Kenya -- New York Times

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Islamist militants rallied hundreds of supporters outside Somalia’s capital on Thursday to call for attacks on Kenya, saying, “We want huge blasts,” while Kenyan authorities reported an assault inside Kenya, with at least four people killed in an ambush near the Somali border.

While it remained unclear who was responsible for the attack — in which a rocket-propelled grenade was shot at a car in northern Kenya — it comes just days after twin grenade attacks rocked Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, which the police say were linked to the Somali Islamist militants known as the Shabab.

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More News On Kenya's Military Incursion Into Somalia

Kenya Army Fight First Direct Battle With al-Shabaab; 9 Dead -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Kenyans in first al-Shabab battle in Somalia -- BBC
Explosion rocks Kenyan security vehicle after military action in Somalia -- National Post
Explosion hits Kenyan security forces vehicle -- Reuters
Kenya officers hurt in suspected landmine blast -- AFP
Somali militants call for ‘huge blow’ against Kenya -- Financial Times
UN: Fighting on Somalia-Kenya Border Restricting Famine Relief -- Voice of America
Are Kenyans seeking a buffer zone in Somalia? -- BBC
US Says No Participation in Kenya's Somalia Operation -- Voice of America
Is Kenya Battling al-Shabab Alone? -- Gabe Joselow, Voice of America
A lot to lose - Kenya's Somali gambit -- Andrew Harding, BBC

Colonel Gaddafi’s Son Saif al-Islam Has Escaped To Niger

Saif Is In Niger Says NTC, As Discussions Begin To Bring Him To Trial At The Hague -- The Telegraph

Colonel Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam has crossed the Libyan border into Niger, a senior official in the National Transitional Council said last night (Thur).

The official, who declined to be named for safety reasons, said: ‘There is a contact with Mali and with South Africa and with another neighbouring country to organise his exit.

‘He hasn’t got confirmation yet, he’s still waiting.’

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More News On Colonel Gaddafi’s Son Saif al-Islam

International Court in talks through intermediaries with Gadhafi son on possible surrender -- Washington Post/AP
Fugitive Gadhafi Son in Contact With ICC, Prosecutor Says -- ABC News
International Criminal Court Confirms 'Indirect' Talks With Gadhafi Son -- NPR
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi negotiating with ICC -- The Telegraph
Prosecutors in contact with Kadhafi son Seif -- AFP
Criminal Court in Indirect Talks With Qaddafi Son, Prosecutor Says -- New York Times
Gaddadi son Saif al-Islam finds friends in desert -- Reuters
No deal for Gadhafi's son, ICC says -- UPI

My Comment: Gaddafi's son does not strike me as someone who wants to spend the rest of his days in jail. If I am to make a prediction .... he is going to try to flee to another country that will give him safe asylum.

Unrest In Syria -- News Updates October 28, 2011

Fall Of Syrian Government Is "Unavoidable": French Foreign Minister -- MSNBC/Reuters

PARIS — The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will almost certainly fall under the pressure of protests and sanctions, but it will take time due to the complexity of internal and regional politics, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said on Wednesday.

With a crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Syria now seven months old, Western powers including France are relying on a combination of sanctions and diplomatic pressure to weaken Assad's hold on power.

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More News On The Unrest In Syria

Syrian forces 'kill dozens' in Homs and Hama -- Al Jazeera
35 killed in Syria as activists call for 'no-fly' zone -- AFP
Syrian security forces fire on rallies, killing 30 -- AP
Opposition group reports 25 killed in Syria, including 3 children -- CNN
Syrian protesters call for no-fly zone -- CNN
Syria protesters call for no-fly zone -- BBC
Syrian Opposition Launches New Anti-Government Protests -- Voice of America
Syrian forces kill 24, protesters call for protection -- Reuters
Syrian security forces ‘kill 30’ in latest protests -- Euronews

In Slap at Syria, Turkey Shelters Anti-Assad Fighters -- New York Times
Turkey hides anti-Assad fighters -- Sydney Morning Herald
Syria’s army defectors: Cracks in the army -- Economist
Syrians Stage Another Pro-Regime Rally -- FOX News/AP
A no-fly zone may be the only way to save Syria -- Michael Weiss, The Telegraph
Timeline - Syrian protests and crackdown -- Reuters

A Different View On The U.S. Withdrawal From Iraq

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Bomb Attacks In Baghdad Kill Dozens

A bomb attack victim is treated at a hospital near Baghdad's Ur district Photo: REUTERS

Iraq Bomb Blasts: Toll In Baghdad Rises To 36 -- BBC

At least 36 people are now known to have died in the twin bomb blasts which hit Baghdad on Thursday.

The first blast occurred in Ur, a mainly Shia district of northern Baghdad. The second went off as rescuers were evacuating the wounded.

At least 78 people are said to have been injured in the roadside attacks.

There has been a resurgence in militant violence in Baghdad in recent weeks. The last US troops are preparing to leave Iraq by the end of the year.

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More News On Bomb Attacks In Baghdad

Dozens die in surge of violence in Iraq -- AFP
Death toll rises to 36 in twin bomb attack in Iraq -- CNN
Death toll in twin Baghdad bombings rises to 32 -- L.A. Times
Iraq Bombing Death Toll Rises to 32 -- Voice of America
32 Dead in Baghdad's Twin Bombings -- Time/AP
Death toll in Baghdad bombings rises to 30: sources -- Reuters
32 killed in Baghdad blast -- The Telegraph

My Comment: As the final US withdrawal fast approaches, expect Iraq's sectarian violence to increase. An indication of how serious the security situation is becoming in Iraq, check out from this link on what happened yesterday.

More U.S. Drone Strikes In Pakistan

Drones Kill Al-Qaeda, Taliban Leaders In Pakistan’s Tribal Region -- Washington Post

A pair of U.S. missiles killed two al-Qaeda operations planners in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal region this month, part of a 48-hour fusillade that also killed another al-Qaeda operative and a top deputy in the militant Haqqani network, U.S. officials confirmed Thursday.

The deaths were disclosed on the same day that a suspected CIA drone killed five leaders of a Pakistani Taliban unit linked to attacks on international forces in Afghanistan, according to local authorities in Pakistan. The Thursday strike brought to five the number of U.S. missile attacks in the lawless tribal area since Oct. 1.

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More News On U.S. Drone Strikes In Pakistan

Suspected U.S. drone kills 13 Pakistani Taliban -- Reuters
Drone strike kills Taliban commanders -- UPI
Pakistan drone attack 'kills' top militants -- BBC
Drone Strike in Pakistan Kills Brother of Militant Commander -- New York Times
US drone strikes kill key commander in Pakistan -- Seattle PI/AP
US drone 'kills five Taliban commanders' in Pakistan -- The Telegraph
Drone attack in Pakistan kills key Taliban leaders, say officials -- Christian Science Monitor
Two Suspected US Drone Strikes Kill 11 Militants in Pakistan -- Voice of America
U.S. drone strikes on Taliban strongholds kill key militant commander in Pakistan -- New York Daily News
2,000 Pakistanis rally against US drones -- AFP
Analysis: Has CIA changed its strategy in Pakistan drone war? -- Bureau Of Investigative Journalism

Spies Take Aim At America's Navy Drone Fleet

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, AUV's, seen aboard a High Speed Vessel are being tested by the US Military. (Marco Garcia/Getty Images)

Foreign Spies Target Underwater Drone Fleet, Military Spooks Say -- ABC News

When foreign spies set their sights on America's secrets, many times they're not looking underground for secret bunkers or in the sky for massive spy blimps, but under the sea at the nation's low-profile underwater drone fleet.

According to some of the military's top counterintelligence analysts, in recent years there has been a significant increase in both old school spying and cyber operations, especially by unnamed East Asian nations, directed at gaining classified information on America's autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) in hopes of undercutting the U.S.'s "underseas battlespace dominance."

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Update #1: Spies target U.S. undersea drone data -- UPI
Update #2: Foreign spies targetting America’s maritime drones, say military spooks -- Truth Dive

My Comment: The report does not say who is doing the spying, but if I was a betting man, my money would be on these guys.

Ex-Spy Chief: Counter-Terrorism Budget Can Be Cut

Photo: Dennis Blair (Credit: Susan Walsh)

Funding For Fighting al Qaeda Could Be Cut, Ex-Spy Chief Says -- CBS

Dennis Blair, one of only four men to have held the post of Director of National Intelligence since it was created after 9/11, suggests that the amount of money spent to fight al Qaeda terrorism -- which he estimates at $80 billion per year, not counting Iraq and Afghanistan war costs -- could be cut substantially.

Blair was DNI, supervising the CIA and over a dozen other intelligence agencies, from January 2009 until President Obama fired him in May 2010. Blair says the White House apparently "wanted a less aggressive, less integrating Director of National Intelligence" -- someone "not as strong."

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WNU Editor: The interview with Dennis Blair can be heard here.

What's my take .... $80 billion is a hell of a lot of money. But I suspect that it is not all directed at Al Qaeda, but at other threats and adversaries as well as general intelligence gathering.