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"And when he gets to Heaven,
To St. Peter he will tell:
One more soldier reporting, sir
I've served my time in Hell"
War News
Bylines: Comments on War
War Books
War Blogs
Members of this
Blog:
MJ Akbar
ilaxi
War Blog :
This blog aims to present the Byline extracts of MJ Akbar with the news on war, books, plots, rumors and
conspiracy....
hopefully, Lots More! MJ would pen down his thoughts n musings on the Blog and his voice aims to reach people round the globe.
Let there be peace - For You-Me-Us : ilaxi
Muhammad
Cartoons - a 'Global Crisis'
Cagle's Web Log
Caricature
clash:View the Cartoons that Started it all;
The cartoons were first
published by a Danish newspaper in September, then reprinted by
a Norwegian newspaper last month, setting off violent protests
against the two countries across the Muslim world. The cartoons
have subsequently been reprinted in other media, mostly in
Europe. The drawings — including one depicting the prophet
wearing a turban shaped as a bomb — have touched a raw nerve
in part because Islam is interpreted to forbid any illustrations
of the Prophet Muhammad for fear they could lead to idolatry.
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War News
Headlines: International Briefs
Saddam Hussein
Hanged
Saddam Hussein was hanged at Dawn for crimes against humanity on Saturday, a dramatic, violent end for a leader who ruled Iraq
three decades with absolute power. Four years ago, Saddam
Hussein, combined with a shrewd tactical mind and taste for violence,
was toppled by the US invasion. Saddam, 69, rose from fatherless poverty in Tikrit to seize power in a 1968 coup with his pan-Arab Baath party.
Saddam, meaning "one who confronts" in Arabic, was captured in December of that year when American soldiers found him in a hole near his home town of
Tikrit.
- click for more news at Asian
Age / Reuters
News
- War pages (Not updated recently)
IB tracks Mumbai-Pak calls -
Vital clues being followed up * ’Bombs may have been RDX’
In New Delhi, sources said the Mumbai police and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) are jointly scanning telephone records to check for possible coordination between various conduits who may have planted the bombs.
Crucial clues have been received but yet there is been no
disclosure on the investigative reports.
By striking at a soft target like Mumbai, the terrorists wanted to
destabilize India’s economy as well as shatter the secular fabric of Indian society.
In recent times, the terrorists had given adequate prior notice
of their evil designs. The recovery of huge caches of lethal
arms and mmunition including RDX, arrests of Lashkar-e-Tayaaba
etc. should have served as a wake up call for the state
administration.
With the talk of
confidence-building measures between India and Pakistan over the
Kashmir issue, the terrorists have made the serial blasts in
Srinagar too. Seems the terrorists are getting more confident in
its attempts to blast the security of the nation! Like 9/11,
this is the 7/11 - a terrorists - the Enemies with their evil
designs!
- More on Terrorists
& International News
Is US
misleading India in Nuclear Deal?
The spokesmen of the government of India, including the foreign secretary, have repeatedly told us that the Indo-US nuclear deal is all about nuclear energy and not at all about non-proliferation. Yet, Section 2 of the Bill adopted by the International Relations Committee of the House of Representatives begins by stating that, "Preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons, other weapons of mass destruction, the means to produce them, and the means to deliver them are critical objectives for US foreign policy." After further singing the praises of NPT, the Committee states, "It is in the interest of the US to the fullest extent possible to ensure that these countries, that are not NPT members, are responsible with any nuclear technology they develop." The Senate Committee has voiced similar sentiments. This provision and the other provisions of the Bills, make it amply clear that for the US Congress, the entire objective of the Indo-US nuclear deal is non-proliferation and not development of nuclear energy in India.
One of the Bill
says, US Congress will acquire the right to know how many nuclear weapons India is producing every year, something which only the Prime Minister of India knows so far; something which is not even shared with members of the Cabinet Committee on Security.
US Congress will acquire the authority to monitor India’s nuclear programme closely and at least every year.
Developments have proved beyond doubt that India is not being
recognized as a nuclear weapons state, it will have the status of only a non-nuclear weapons state. US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, in her testimony on April 5, 2006 before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had clearly said, "India is not and is not going to become a member of the NPT (as) a nuclear weapon state."
The Indian government is going ahead with the deal and is justifying every surrender it is making to the US as an act of great courage and statesmanship
- only Is Pakistan
smiling? The irony is that the US-India handshake could turn
out to be the best thing to happen to India's neighbour and
rival, Pakistan. Why is Pakistan fortunate to have escaped
Bush's embrace?
4th of July
: US Independence Day
Here's the speech
of The President:
On July 4, 1776, our Nation’s Founders declared “That these United Colonies are, and of Right, ought to be free and Independent States.” This declaration marked a great milestone in the history of human freedom. On the 230th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we pay tribute to the courage and dedication of those who created this country, and we celebrate the values of liberty and equality that make our country strong.
The patriots of the Revolutionary War acted on the beliefs that “all men are created equal” and “that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” By advancing these ideals, generations of Americans have unleashed the hope of freedom for people in every corner of the world.
As we celebrate our independence, Americans can take pride in our history and look to the future with confidence. We offer our gratitude to all the American patriots, past and present, who have sought to advance freedom and lay the foundations of peace. Because of their sacrifice, this country remains a beacon of hope for all who dream of liberty and a shining example to the world of what a free people can achieve. May God continue to bless the United States of America.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim July 4, 2006, as Independence Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe with all due ceremony our Independence Day as a time to honor our Founders and their legacy of freedom and remember with thankfulness the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-sixth day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirtieth
Independence Day Pages
The White
House
The
State Department
The Library of Congess: Today
in History
Iraq's 'Most
Wanted' Man, US No.1 Foe, is Dead!
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Al Qaeda’s leader in Iraq who led a
bloody campaign of suicide bombings and kidnappings, has been
killed in an airstrike along with seven aides, including two
women, on Wednesday evening in a remote area 50 km northeast of
Baghdad in the volatile province of Diyala, near the provincial
capital of Baqouba. US and Iraqi officials confirmed his
identity by fingerprints and a firsthand look at his face — a
major victory in the US-led war in Iraq and the broader war on
terror. Recently Zarqawi, who had a US bounty of $25 million on
his head and was anointed in December 2004 by Bin Laden as Al
Qaeda’s leader in Iraq, had taken a lower profile.
In response to the death of Islamic Militant Leader, Nicholas
Berg's father sees more death coming out of Zarqawi's death. Nicholas
Berg was a U.S. contractor taken hostage and beheaded in Iraq
revenge.Michael Berg, who is a pacifist and anti-war activist
running for Congress in Delaware on the Green Party ticket is
said mentioning "What killed my son was the human response
of revenge". In
a separate interview with The Associated Press, Berg said Bush
is more of a terrorist than al-Zarqawi was and is responsible
for far more deaths. "If you want to go just by
numbers, you've got a 150,000 on George Bush's head and a couple
of hundred on Zarqawi's head," he said. Berg
thinks as a new tragedy, "His death will incite a new wave
of revenge. George Bush and al-Zarqawi are two men who believe
in revenge." (AOL)
In a recent
poll conducted by Aol, the following figures show itself till
last figures. If you have a voice, you can vote too. Just click
here.
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Do
you think al-Zarqawi's death is a major development?
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Yes
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83%
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No
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17%
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Total
Votes: 456,404
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Do
you think his death will change the course of the war?
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No
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54%
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Yes
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46%
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Total
Votes: 458,195
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Road
to Peace
At a rally in
Amritsar, during the launch of a new bus service to
Pakistan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Friday
that President Pervez Musharraf had taken "concrete steps to curb terrorism".
However, he added, "But more needs to be done in the interests of both India and
Pakistan. PM says, the peace process with Pakistan should
ultimately lead to a "Treaty of Peace, Security and
Friendship" between the long-standing rivals. It is
expected, the bus service connecting Sikhism's holiest sites --
Amritsar and Nankana Sahib in Pakistan -- would be another
"historic" step in the road to peace between the
nuclear-armed rivals. The PM complimented General Musharraf for
taking concrete steps to curb terrorism.
It is noted, India accuses Pakistan of supporting Islamic
militants fighting Indian rule in Kashmir, the cause of two of
the three wars between the neighbors. However,
relations have improved since a peace process was
launched in January 2004 but there has been little progress in
solving their core dispute over the Himalayan region of Kashmir.
Singh said it was a mistake for
Pakistan to link normalisation of other relations to finding a
solution to the Kashmir dispute. PM suggested suggested, two
parts of Kashmir could work out "cooperative, consultative
mechanisms so as to maximise the gains of cooperation in solving
problems of social and economic development of the region.
US Troops in Iraq to continue
beyond Bush Presidency
In a recent news conference, President Bush asserts :"Troops will stay on even after
I leave the White House. He says, "There will be more tough fighting ahead,"
but added, "if I didn't believe we could succeed, I wouldn't be there. I wouldn't put those kids there."
Bush appeared to address that concern "I think most Americans understand we need to win … but they're concerned about whether or not we can win."
Bush further added, "I fully understand the consequences of this
war. I understand people's lives are being lost. But I also understand the consequences of not achieving our objective by leaving too early. Iraq would become a place of instability, a place from which the enemy can plot, plan and attack."
Army Gen. George W. Casey, the senior U.S. commander in Iraq,
spoke on the television show "Fox News Sunday" that the number of troops,
roughly around 130,000, would not drop over the next few months, but it would decline
over the course of 2006 and into 2007. It
is noted, The war and its aftermath have so far cost the United States about $250 billion. Congress allocated $21 billion to repair essential infrastructure and revitalize the economy, and to establish programs for good governance and democratic institutions. As much as $3.5 billion has been diverted to pay for better security, but Iraq remains the largest U.S. government reconstruction effort since the Marshall Plan following World War
II.
A survey was conducted by CBS News
recently. According to the poll, it reveals more Americans disapprove of how President George W. Bush is handling his job and are pessimistic about the Iraqi situation than
ever. Mr Bush’s approval rating in the survey taken on Wednesday to Saturday fell to 34 per cent, the lowest it has been since he took office in 2001 and six per cent lower than last
month. Altogether 59 per cent of respondents disapproved of the job
President Bush was doing. Even in his war on terrorism, usually his strongest suit in opinion surveys,
President Bush’s approval rating dropped to an all-time low of 43 per cent, with 50 per cent disapproving of his actions.
Osama Bin Laden
is not Islam's Voice
Malaysia currently chairs the 57-member Organisation of the
Islamic Conference.
About 60 scholars, academics, religious leaders and writers from
Europe, US and Muslim countries are participating in the two-day
meeting, which will discuss mutual misperceptions and the impact
of globalisation on the Muslim world. Osama
bin Laden does not speak for Islam and not every Muslim is a
terrorist, Malaysia’s leader said on Friday as he urged the
West and Muslims to stop demonizing each other to prevent
disputes such as the Prophet Mohammed cartoon controversy. Prime
Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, an Islamic scholar, warned of a
"huge chasm that has emerged between the West and
Islam," particularly because of Muslim frustrations over
Western policies toward Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestinians.
Malaysian foreign minister Syed Hamid Albar, referring to the
caricature controversy, said the fire that rages over Europe and
most of the Muslim world "will not find kindle wood here in
Malaysia," a progressive Islamic nation where most Muslims
live in harmony with Chinese and Indian minorities."Nothing
can be gained by violence and carnage. Of course as a Muslim it
is not easy to turn the other cheek when Islam is being attacked
and vilified, but we have to understand the very essence of our
religion in advocating peace not violence."
-More on Asian
Age
Condoleezza
Rice & President Bush (miserable failure) told to Shut up:
Hezbollah supporters chant "Death to America, death to Israel" during a religious
rally in Beirut, Lebanon on Thursday that focused on the caricature controversy.
Several hundred thousand people attended the rally with an emotional but peaceful protest against cartoons
depicting the Prophet Muhammad.
Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, told the crowd. “Let (U.S. Secretary of State) Condoleezza
Rice, (President) Bush and all the tyrants shut up: We are a nation that can’t
forgive, be silent or ease up when they insult our prophet and our sacred values.” Nasrallah
further added,“Today, we are defending the dignity of our prophet with a word, a demonstration
but let George Bush and the arrogant world know that if we have to, we will
defend our prophet with our blood, not our voices." Rice on Wednesday accused Iran and Syria, both backers of Hezbollah and at
loggerheads with the West, of deliberately stoking rage among Muslims.
Bush urged governments to stop the violence, including attacks on Western
diplomatic missions in parts of the Muslim world.
Muhammad Cartoons - a 'Global Crisis'
A Danish newspaper first printed the cartoons of Muhammad in
September, and they were reprinted this month by other European
papers, set off a new round of protests. The Danish Prime
Minister has described the row over cartoons of the Prophet
Muhammad as a "global crisis", as he called for
Muslims to refrain from violence. President George W Bush called
Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen to express "our
solidarity and support with Denmark". The drawings —
including one depicting the prophet wearing a turban shaped as a
bomb — have touched a raw nerve among Muslims. Islam is
interpreted to forbid any illustrations of Muhammad for fear
they could lead to idolatry. Senior Afghan officials said al-Qaida
and the Taliban could be exploiting anger over the cartoons to
incite violence, which spread to at least six cities on Tuesday.
Demonstrations rumbled round the muslim world and Iran suspended
all trade and economic ties with Denmark. The Prime Minister of
Denmark said "I want to appeal and reach out to all
people and countries in the Muslim world - let us work together
in the spirit of mutual respect and tolerance". Members of
Afghanistan's Ulama Council, the country's top Islamic clerics'
organization, went on radio and television Wednesday to appeal
for calm. Senior cleric Mohammed Usman said, "Islam says
it's all right to demonstrate but not to resort to violence.
This must stop. We condemn the cartoons but this does not
justify violence. These rioters are defaming the name of
Islam."
$2.7 Trillion Budget
President Bush sent Congress a $2.77 trillion spending plan on Monday.
6th feb that would bolster the nation's war against terrorism, hoping to get his domestic agenda back on track after a year of political
setbacks. He sent Congress a budget blueprint that emphasizes keeping the country strong militarily while offering mostly modest initiatives to deal with voter anxiety about rising global competition, soaring energy prices and skyrocketing medical bills.
Anti
US Rally in Pakistan
Pakistanis
took to the street on Sunday with rage to US attack on a border
village in Karachi and shouted 'Death to America', demanding US
troops to leave neighboring Afghanistan. More than 10,000 people
demonstrated in the capital chanting Death and shouting to stop
bombing against innocent people. With the government's alliance
in the U.S.-led war on international terror groups already
unpopular in this Muslim country, the deaths of at least 17
people in Friday's attack have stoked widespread anger.
Pakistani intelligence officials said the reported target, al-Qaida
No. 2 leader Ayman al-Zawahri, had been invited to the attacked
village for a dinner marking a Muslim festival on the night of
the missile strike but he failed to show up.
Inside
£50m nuclear bunker that couldn't save Saddam
It took eight years to complete and built by Yugoslavian
military constructors, Saddam Hussein's Ornate Palace was
finished in 1983. It provided sleeping quarters and a tactical
control centre in the event of a nuclear or chemical attack.The
palace did not survive the air strikes of April 2003. Its
chandeliers lie smashed amidst the twisted masonry. Its dome is
still pierced by two holes where the bunker-busting missiles
powered through. The bunker itself did the job for which it was
designed. The best weapons US military scientists have devised
failed to pierce its 60ft concrete roof.When the US Rangers
burst in as Baghdad fell, Saddam had already fled, leaving
behind sheets and the maps lay in the command center. He met his
generals as the US troops advanced from Kuwait here. The
bunker's final destruction was at the hands of Saddam's own
people and not Americans.In few months, looters stripped almost
everthing from Saddam's lair. Some fluorescent lights still
blink, water ooze over the carpet and wires hung. Torn chemical
weapon protection suit amid the debris but visitors stand not
alone as Saddam's last stand has in the end provided shelter to
the capital's poorest.Half
a dozen squatters moved in - at least one is known still to be
there.
-Source
Courtesy
Rockets Against Israel ordered by Osama
In an audio tape put onto the Internet,
Al-Qaeda's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, said that rockets had been fired at Israel from Lebanon last month "on the instructions" of the network's overall chief Osama
Bin Laden.It was on the instructions of the sheikh of the mujahedeen, Osama bin laden, may God preserve him," said the voice attributed to the Jordanian extremist.
The tape was placed on the site normally used by his group, the Organization of Al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia.
Zarqawi hit out at the Sunni Muslim Iraqi Islamic Party for having taken part in the December 15 general elections, and called on it to renounce such actions."We call on the Islamic Party to abandon the road to perdition on which it has embarked and which threatened to cause the loss of the Sunni community," Zarqawi said, adding that the party "should have called the people to jihad (holy war)."
In conclusion, Zarqawi mentions "O young Muslims everywhere in the world, and in particular in the neighbouring countries (of Iraq) and in Yemen, I recommend jihad to you (...). O nation of Islam, America is today drawing its last breath."
False Impression of US by Arabic TV
President Bush says "Arabic television often gave a false impression of the United States, saying Americans needed to do a better job of communicating their ideals."
He added, "Arabic
TV does not do our country justice. They sometimes put out
propaganda that just isn't right, it isn't fair, and it doesn't
give people the impression of what we're about." Bush spoke
at Launching a National Security Language Initiative to boost the teaching of foreign
languages. State Department officials said the aim of the plan was to get children involved in learning foreign languages from kindergarten and to fund more programs through university-level and beyond.
The officials express hope that it will ramp up the mastery of these critical languages, not solely for national security reasons but also in terms of America's standing in the
world. We need intelligence officers who, when somebody says something in Arabic or Farsi or Urdu, know what they're talking about," Bush said.In a separate program, the Pentagon said it intended to spend $750 million over five years beginning in fiscal 2007, which starts October 1, on efforts to increase foreign language proficiency within the military.
Kashmir Issue
During a meeting with a delegation of moderate Hurriyat conference headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq,
President Pervez Musharraf expressed the hope that India would respond positively to Pakistan’s proposals of demilitarisation and self-governance in Kashmir to facilitate a lasting solution to the lingering problem."For any solution to Kashmir to be durable, it has to be in accordance with the wishes of Kashmiri
people", he said. Gen. Musharraf also reaffirmed Pakistan’s "moral, diplomatic and political support to the Kashmiris for a fair settlement" of the problem.Mr Farooq, who is on a visit to express solidarity with victims of the October 8 earthquake, told reporters after meeting Gen. Mushrraf that his group fully supported the Pakistan President’s proposals for demilitarisation and self-governance. The Hurriyat leader said he saw momentum building up on solid basis on these proposals.
-Sources (Yahoo News) (AP) (Asian Age)(Reuters)
- News
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