Admiral Optimism Calls Afghanistan "Deteriorating"

pic from NYT

This certainly isn't what you want to hear from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, but Admiral Mullen is not known to have a penchant for bullshit. From NYT:

The assessments come as the top American commander in the country, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, has been working to complete a major war strategy review, and as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, described a worsening situation in Afghanistan despite the recent addition of 17,000 American troops ordered by the Obama administration and the extra security efforts surrounding the presidential election.

“I think it is serious and it is deteriorating,” Admiral Mullen said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” program. “The Taliban insurgency has gotten better, more sophisticated, in their tactics.” He added that General McChrystal was still completing his review and had not yet requested additional troops on top of the those added by Mr. Obama.

With logistics problems due to the country still being stuck in the 8th century, as well as a government that is barely functional outside of Kabul, we might be asking a bit much from our military to completely rebuild a society that was never much in the first place. Admiral Mullen's statements might be a prelude to throwing in the towel...

Flat Earth Society

BBC has a little of background on the Islamic fanatics that have been wreaking havoc in Nigeria. From the BBC:

"Like rain. We believe it is a creation of God rather than an evaporation caused by the sun that condenses and becomes rain. "Like saying the world is a sphere. If it runs contrary to the teachings of Allah, we reject it. We also reject the theory of Darwinism." Mr Yusuf himself is something of an enigma. He is believed to be in his mid-thirties, and analysts say he is extremely wealthy and highly educated. "He is graduate educated and very proficient in English," says Nigerian academic Hussain Zakaria. "He lives lavishly - people say he drives a Mercedes Benz. And he is very well-educated in a Western context."

Sounds like a swell guy. Where can I sign up?

The Uighur Foreign Exchange Program Cost $200M

The tiny island-nation of Palau, which I am unable to locate on a map at this time, is citing its stance on Human Rights as reason for allowing the transfer of 17 Uighur Gitmo detainees from one tropical climate to another. But Wall Street Journal cites another reason (h/t TCJ):

Months of moral grandstanding and intense diplomacy are finally yielding dividends: President Obama has convinced Palau, a Pacific archipelago and long-standing U.S. ally, to resettle a small group of the least dangerous Guantanamo detainees. All it took was $200 million in foreign aid to a country with 20,000 residents and a GDP of about $164 million.

Headed to Palau are the Uighurs, ethnic Chinese Muslims who were picked up in 2002 near Tora Bora.

Damn! For $200 Million from Uncle Sucker, I would've let these 17 yahoos come hang out in my apartment. I would've even provided complimentary laptops.

Taliban Advance on Islamabad, Nuclear Facilities

Oh Fuck

Did you think that Pakistan's government negotiating a deal with the Taliban to allow for Sharia law in exchange for "peace" in the Swat Valley was a good idea? Me neither. Despite the government telling the international media that all is well, Al-Jazeera English has footage of Buner being occupied by the Taliban (southeast of Swat and about 100km from Islamabad, map is here):

More troubling news from The Long War Journal is that the Taliban are continuing their march onward to Islamabad and areas which have nuclear facilities:

The Taliban advance on Mansehra and Haripur takes place at the same time they are moving on the districts of Swabi, Mardan, and Malakand. The takeover of these five districts would essentially cement the Taliban's control of the province.

The Taliban takeover of Haripur would put the Taliban on the doorstep of Islamabad and would also put two major nuclear facilities at risk.

Haripur borders the Margala Hills, a region in the Islamabad Capital Territory. Haripur also borders the Punjab districts of Attock and Rawalpindi.

Attock hosts two major nuclear facilities in Pakistan: the Wah Cantonment Ordnance Complex and the Kamra (Minhas) Airbase. The Wah Cantonment Ordnance Complex host three sites where nuclear weapons and components are stored and assembled and aircraft and missiles are modified for use in nuclear attacks. The nearby Kamra Airbase is thought to host attack aircraft capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

Pakistan's military has been dispatched after some justifiable hand-wringing by SECSTATE Hillary Clinton. But, seeing how Pakistan's military advances against the Taliban have a history of being a dog-and-pony show to get more aid from us, it might be time to start shitting your pants.

Micahel Steele Points Out Hypocrisy of DHS Report

I'm having a minor argument with internet-pal Eric Dondero about how good a job Michael Steele, RNC chair, is doing. He's raised a bunch of money this month, but I think he needs to do more media engagement that swindling cash from the geezerly GOP base. Anyways, I stand corrected because here's Steele in a pretty sharp appearance. Although it's on Fox News, when I think he should be on Comedy Central, MSNBC, and whatever else the kids are watching these days to avoid preaching to the choir.

Skip ahead to 6:08 for Steele talking about the recent DHS report on right-wing extremism and the FBI targeting veterans. He points out that the administration is targeting certain right-wingers/vets as "terrorists", but is hesitant on calling Islamic fanatics "terrorists". The new Orwellian-speak for the brutal acts of douchebag car-bombers in the Muslim world is "man-caused disasters". I'm surprised that the DHS report didn't refer to domestic terrorists as "homegrown man-caused disasters", didn't anyone at the DHS get the memo?

Also, I'm sure we'll see the progressive community and the ACLU apply the same rigorous muckraking and pro-bono legal defense for right-wing extremists that they did for violent fanatics detained at Gitmo and interrogated by the CIA...or not.

London Calling

I found this little tidbit of agitprop on the G20 Meltdown site, which promises a "Financial Fool's Day" tomorrow in London followed by "storming" the Bank of England at noon. Guess you can't have a decent protest without breaking some shit, spraying graffiti about corporate pigs, and hanging some effigy with a left arm longer than Wilt Chamberlain's. What's odd about these unemployed low-life protesters is, when there is too little police presence, they cause millions of dollar worth of property damage (see Seattle 1999), but when the police actually enforce the law, the cries of "police brutality" and subsequent legal action makes martyrs out of them (see Minneapolis 2008). A true Catch-22 for law enforcement, so they seem to be taking the pragmatic approach. From BBC:

But Scotland Yard is concerned the demonstrations may be "hijacked" by people intent on using violence.

Commander Simon O'Brien - who has been meeting some of the protest groups - said people had a democratic right to protest and that police would always respond to threats "proportionately".

Best of luck to them, and hopefully the Secret Service brings their A-game as well, since Obama landed there today. However, from an OPSEC perspective, it wasn't helpful that the Daily Mail published the President's itinerary and a detailed diagram of his Cadillac. D'oh!

Why Aren't You Dead Yet?

So, Zombie Osama had some wisdom to share with the Western world in the wake of the Israeli-Gaza offensive [Today]:

In his first recorded message in eight months, aimed at harnessing anger in the Middle East over the attack, Osama condemned Arab governments for their response and urged Muslims to launch a holy war against Israel.

Hmm. Pretty much the stock answer Osama has for everything. Two years ago he urged war against the Zionist Crusaders to play on worldwide tensions. The guy's just like a broken record of ABBA's "Waterloo" trying to predict the demise of Western civilization, except more annoying and not funny.

Shocker: Taliban Propaganda Apparatus Cooking the Books

The Taliban Must Have Taken a Playbook From Baghdad Bob

One of the most accurate facts in our confusing, modern conflicts of counter-insurgencies is details on U.S. and ISAF forces KIA. The U.S. releases the name and location of every KIA after the family has been notified, and our NATO allies use a similar methodology. iCasualties counts 294 in 2008, but that didn't stop the Taliban from dishing out what the AP calls a "whopper" of 5,220 troops killed in 2008:

The Taliban has long exaggerated its military successes, but its figures for 2008 may be the militia's most startling claims yet.

The Taliban claims its forces last year killed 5,220 foreign troops, downed 31 aircraft, destroyed 2,818 NATO and Afghan vehicles and killed 7,552 Afghan soldiers and police.

And they even get into their tactical successes, which would be hard to confirm since they use the "fight n' flee" method:

A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, stood by the militia's numbers in a telephone interview Monday, saying that its fighters film every operation and verify the tolls.

"The numbers I have given to you, that is counted one by one," he said. "When we say there are 2,818 vehicles destroyed, that is a correct number. Why aren't we saying 2,820? Because we have reports of 2,818."

Well, I guess if Zabiullah Mujahid said it's exactly 2,818 vehicles, then it's gotta be true!

It should be noted that the enemy has fudged their numbers extravagantly in the past, as the Iraqi insurgent groups use to claim that tens of thousands of U.S. troops had been killed by them.

One More Zawahiri FAIL

Al-Qaeda's media wing, As-Sahab, continues its unsuccessful targeting of a Western audience. Since calling Obama a "house slave" didn't go over too well, they've tried advertising another piece in English entitled The Lion's Den (Counterterrorism Blog has the details). Obviously, the spell checker was turned off.

FAIL

Photo of the Day: Train Station Mumbai

(pic from Reuters)

Unless you live in an information vacuum, you've heard about the grizzly attacks in Mumbai, India that have killed dozens. This Ain't Hell has published emails from a friend inside the besieged city and the Long War Journal has insight into the terror networks. Undoubtedly the most high-profile American, President-elect Obama, has issued a condemnation statement.

Great News: Mysterious Iranian Boat Loses Toxic Cargo to Somali Pirates

Uh-oh. The Long War Journal has an in-depth report on the Iran Deyanat, which was hijacked by Somali pirates late last month. The ship was supposedly carrying 40K Tons of iron ore from China to Rotterdam, but something seems a little fishy about this payload. From LWJ:

The MV Iran Deyanat was brought to Eyl, a sleepy fishing village in northeastern Somalia, and was secured by a larger gang of pirates - 50 onboard and 50 onshore. Within days, pirates who had boarded the ship developed strange health complications, skin burns and loss of hair. Independent sources tell The Long War Journal that a number of pirates have also died. "Yes, some of them have died. I do not know exactly how many but the information that I am getting is that some of them have died," Andrew Mwangura, Director of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Program, said Friday when reached by phone in Mombasa.

News about the illness and the toxic cargo quickly reached Garowe, seat of the government for the autonomous region of Puntland. Angered over the wave of piracy and suspicious about the Iranian ship, authorities dispatched a delegation led by Minister of Minerals and Oil Hassan Allore Osman to investigate the situation on September 4. Osman also confirmed to The Long War Journal that during the six days he negotiated with the pirates members of the syndicate had become sick and died. "That ship is unusual," he said. "It is not carrying a normal shipment."

The symptoms cited amongst the pirates are consistent with radiation sickness, which causes reddening of the skin, nausea, hair falling out, and looking like an extra from The Day After. It takes over a 100 rads at once to get sick, and unless your standing on top of a critical reactor, getting nuked Strangelove-style, or near High Level Radioactive Waste, it just ain't gonna happen. Even the dreaded yellowcake (processed Uranium ore) probably can't cause these kind of symptoms as seen in Table 4 of this CDC PDF. So, if it's radioactive waste making the "Curious George" pirates puke themselves, it has to be some kind of spent fuel.

Since the last two big internet rumors have turned out to be accurate (see Palin Hacker story and Obama Astroturfing campaign), time to speculate on a new one. Iran is carting around toxic radioactive waste to create a mutant, mop-wielding, Somali Army to wage war against the West! It'll be like The Toxic Avenger, but in Farsi and with less boob shots.

Actually, it might be Iran trying to get rid of their nuclear waste from trying to start up the Bushehr reactor and its enrichment program. So by trying to dodge the pesky IAEA's questions, Iran accidentally shipped a bunch of material for a dirty bomb to the place on earth most resmbling Road Warrior (i.e. Somalia). Way to go, Ahmadinejad.

Or...it could be some kind of chemical weapon coming from China. The Chinese have been accused of providing weaponry to Iran merchants before. No wonder Iranian shipping just got slapped with sanctions.

Saudi Cleric Says Mickey Mouse Must be Put Down

A Saudi Cleric has called for the death of fictional character Mickey Mouse because he is one of Satan's soldiers (you sure you're not thinking of KISS, Mr. Munajid). The Telegraph reports (h/t Nutty News):

Sheikh Muhammad Munajid claimed the mouse is "one of Satan's soldiers" and makes everything it touches impure. But he warned that depictions of the creature in cartoons such as Tom and Jerry, and Disney's Mickey Mouse, had taught children that it was in fact loveable. The cleric, a former diplomat at the Saudi embassy in Washington DC, said that under Sharia, both household mice and their cartoon counterparts must be killed.

Of course Sheikh Munajid has no ill-will against Farfour, the lovable rascal modeled after Mickey on Palestinian TV who calls for death to Israel. Cartoon mice have been known to take sides on political issues and in a time of war (see Itchy and Scratchy teaming up to thwack Hitler), so perhaps this is a veiled attempt by the Saudi cleric to engage in partisan politics. For or against what...I do not know.

Pakistan: The Heart of Terror

Taliban Fighter in the FATA, Pakistan (from NYT)

President Bush announced today that more Marines (a battallion's worth which is ~500-1000) and more soldiers (a combat brigade which is ~2000-4000) are headed to Afghanistan later in the year as opposed to Iraq. This is a good strategy, as violence has been increasing in Afghanistan and declining in Iraq. But the prez sez that the major battlefield with Al-Qaeda is in Iraq:

Al Qaeda's leaders have repeatedly declared that Iraq is the central front of their war with America -- but it is not the only front. As al Qaeda faces increased pressure in Iraq, the terrorists are stepping up their efforts on the front where this struggle first began -- the nation of Afghanistan.

General Petraeus has similar thoughts in an interview today:

It is still assessed that Iraq is still viewed as the central front, if you will, for al-Qaida and extremism of that flavor.

Al-Qaeda (through Zawahiri) has indeed mentioned that the conquering of Iraq will help instill a caliphate extending all the way to Spain. But these are their ultimate goals in their bizarre ideology, and not necessarily a sign of their actual mainstream presence. A look at this extensive and profound NY Times Magazine shows where the true heart of terrorism lies in waiting. It's complicated by the fact that the Taliban exerts control of the tribal areas in northwestern Pakistan, some of the Pakistan's military appears to be in cahoots with the Taliban thugs, and the foreign jihadists share similar goals with the Taliban of de-stabilizing both Pakistan and Afghanistan. An anonymous tribal chieftain explains:

“There are many Arab fighters living in South Waziristan,” Jan told me. “Sometimes you see them in the town; you hear them speaking Arabic.

“But the important Arabs are not in the city,” he continued. “They are in the mountains.”

A frightening, but absolutely necessary read.

Breaking: Al-Masri Detained?!?!

Fuck all you terrorist pieces of shit! We got your #1 guy in Iraq. From the AP:

News of the arrest was also reported by Iraqi state television.

"The commander of Ninevah military operations informed me that Iraqi troops captured Abu Hamza al-Muhajir the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq," al-Askari told The Associated Press by telephone.

He did not have any further details nor did he say when the al-Qaida leader was arrested. According to unconfirmed reports, however, he was caught Thursday evening in the Tayran area in central Mosul, 225 miles northwest of Baghdad. Mosul is currently a major battleground for U.S. forces and al-Qaida.

Al-Masri took over al-Qaida in Iraq after Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed June 7, 2006 in a U.S. airstrike northeast of Baghdad.

U.S. officials said al-Masri joined an extremist group led by al-Qaida's No.2 official. He later joined al-Qaida training camps in Afghanistan in 1999 and trained as a car bombing expert before traveling to Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

More on this tomorrow... I hope it's correct.

Hezbollah Runs Amok in Beirut

Hezbollah seems to have been in the news a lot this week. First with released information from the US military that they were training Shi'ite militias near Tehran to wreak havoc in Iraq. Next they beat up a Reuters photographer (h/t McClatchy Watch). Now, clashes have erupted in Beirut after their telecommuncations got shut down by the government. BBC reports:

The fighting began after the leader of Hezbollah described the government's move to close its telecommunications network as a "declaration of war". Hassan Nasrallah vowed to "cut off the hand" that attempted to dismantle it. Earlier, the Lebanese army command warned its unity was at risk if the ongoing political crisis and civil unrest in Beirut continued.

The correspondent from Al-Jazeera English announced that he just got back from Baghdad and the explosions/gunfire were way worse in Beirut. Oh boy.

Worse than Sadr City? That's not good...

The Tobacco Terrorists

Is our most celebrated and stress-relieving vice of smoking supporting terrorism? From the Fox News blogs:

Cigarette smugglers are able to generate millions of dollars in illegal profits with a great deal of this wealth being sent to terrorist groups overseas – groups that would like nothing more than to inflict devastating harm on our country and its citizens.” The fifteen page report, obtained by FOX, includes intelligence from law enforcement sources as well as New York State’s Department of Taxation and Finance.

I should probably feel guilty for smoking, but then I realized that this was Fox News and they might just be making shit up. Besides, everyone knows terror finances are somehow connected to oil. It doesn't help that oil is used for just about everything in modern society.

Oh No, Al-Qaeda Falls on Hard Times in Public Relations

The LA Times has a story about how Muslims are becoming more disenchanted with Al-Qaeda:

Such rifts have been emerging for several years, but they have become increasingly contentious lately, in cyberspace and on the streets of some Arab countries. In addition to Zawahiri, Al Qaeda leaders, including Bin Laden himself, have gone on a public relations offensive. In October, Bin Laden asked followers for forgiveness for the deaths of civilians in Iraq.

The rise of the Awakening movement in Anbar, Diyala, Baghdad, and Salah Ad-Din has been quite significant in my mind, as it shows that more moderate Muslims are, not only going to despise Al-Qaeda, but they are going to actively combat their brand of sick fuckin' brutality. It's good to see that people have taken note in other Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa, where much of Al-Qaeda's recruiting base is located. Who would've thought that massacring civilians would generate bad public relations?

Right-wing types often criticize Muslims for not taking a more proactive stance against terrorism. But the LAT article mentions a new anti-extremist group known as The Quilliam Foundation has just been launched to combat extremist interpretations of Islam. My hats off to them!

Die

The Nutty World of Zawahiri

Al-Qaeda's #2 recently addressed questions from wanna-be jihadists via the internet (h/t This Ain't Hell). To emphasize the fact that the dude is a whack job, he denied the fact that Al-Qaeda kills civilians. The laundry list of Al-Qaeda perpetuated suicide bombings against Iraqi civilians is long, tragic, and horrifying (and that's just one country where Qaeda has wreaked havoc). I guess in his own pathetic world the 8th century caliphate is the model for civilization, TV is a US-Zionist conspiracy to control the world, and hiding in a cave in the tribal region of Pakistan constitutes a strategic victory.

What an Asshole

The Drug Warriors

No, I'm not talking about Nancy Reagan's special appearance on Different Strokes, I'm talking about the enemy using drugs to have the courage to fight. There's an interesting new study from the Army War College talking about insurgents, militias, and child soldiers flying high on dope while they blast away with their AK-47s (H/T to Small Wars Journal). I'd figure stoned people would want to sit around watching Scooby Doo while eating Geno's pizza rolls, but the study focuses on conflicts worldwide and what are the drugs of choice. Sierra Leonne and Liberia seem to prefer cocaine and heroin in their bloody conflicts. There's also evidence of jihadis using meth in Iraq. One marine has this to say about Fallujah:

For example, U.S. Marines reportedly had to change their tactics when notified that the insurgents in Fallouja were probably high and thus less likely to be stopped by standard shots to the torso. One Marine stated that “on the second day of the fight, word came down to focus on head shots, that body shots were not good enough,” while another compared it to “‘Night of the Living Dead’, people who should have been dead were still alive.”

This brings to mind the infamous Shawn Nelson, who stole a tank in San Diego and took it for a joyride through the streets of San Diego. He was tweakin' out on methamphetamine as well. The cops had to pop the turret and shoot the guy in the head to get him to stop (note: years later the police officer still has no regrets). Medieval times of "gentleman waging war on the battlefield" are certainly in the past.

Meth and Weapons of War, not a Good Combo

Smokin' with Al-Qaeda

The worldwide health gestapo is at it again, this time in New Zealand (H/T Reason). They have used the symbolism of 9/11 in the above ad to invoke the guilt of associating a personal choice to the most horrific terrorist act of the 21st century. I am so sick of these people. It's not bad enough that smokes have been taxed to all holy hell, now being a smoker makes you a goddamn AK-47 totin' jihadist. While the ad may be a lame attempt to state that smoking deaths caused more deaths than 9/11, the imagery speaks for itself. In their self-righteousness to encourage conformity to their ideals of what a good citizen should be, they fail to understand the irony of "laws" imposed by terrorists in regions they operate. Real Clear Politics explains the true link between smoking and terrorism:

Sheikh Abdul Sattar al Rishawi, founder of the Anbar Salvation Council, gave similar reasons for his change of allegiance. When al Qaida ran Baquba, it would amputate the two fingers used to hold a cigarette of any Iraqi caught smoking. Men who refused to grow beards were beaten, as were women for the "sexually suggestive" behavior of carrying tomatoes and cucumbers in the same bag, Mr. Yon said. He recounted finding the bodies of beheaded children.

So the people that commited the 9/11 attacks are probably big on stopping others from smoking too. Congratulations, health nuts, you just made a bunch of asses out of yourself. I'll keep my stash of Kools, thanks.