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1/5/2009

Female suicide bomber kills 38 in Baghdad - Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraq5-2009jan05,0,5467280.story Violence in Iraq has declined significantly, but suicide attacks remain a threat. U.S. military officials have warned that January could be particularly violent, with provincial elections Jan. 31. Insurgents also might try to assert themselves as the U.S. hands over military control to Iraqis. Withdrawal of all American troops is planned by the end of 2011. On Sunday, witnesses described a chaotic scene of dozens of dead and injured men, women and children, most of them on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Musa al Kadhim, considered the seventh imam of the Shiite sect. Thousands of pilgrims are visiting the holy site to mark Ashura, the anniversary of the battlefield death in 680 of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the prophet Muhammad. Ashura, which falls on Wednesday this year, is a defining event in the Shiite faith. Militants have targeted Kadhimiya repeatedly because of its significance to Iraq's Shiite majority. At least 17 pilgrims from Iran, which also has a Shiite majority, were among the victims Sunday, police said.

Suicide Bomber Kills 40 at Shiite Shrine in Baghdad - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/04/AR2009010400316.html A woman wearing an explosives belt packed with ball bearings blew herself up in Baghdad near one of Iraq's most sacred Shiite shrines, killing at least 40 people and wounding scores more in a devastating attack that shattered festive celebrations ahead of Shiite Islam's holiest day, Interior Ministry officials said. The blast, just 20 yards from a door to the two gold-leafed domes of the Imam Moussa al-Kadhim shrine, tore through a crowd of Iraqi and Iranian pilgrims waiting to enter a checkpoint, witnesses said. Women are usually searched less aggressively than men, allowing the assailant to thwart the stringent security ringing the shrine. Residents described scenes of carnage after the woman detonated the explosives at 11:15 a.m. on a cool, sunny morning. Dismembered bodies were strewn across a muddy road and near a covered market, the blast's force hurling some parts onto the roofs of nearby two-story buildings. Volunteers gathered bloodied pieces of flesh in black plastic bags.

Diplomatic efforts to halt Gaza offensive make little progress - Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-diplomacy5-2009jan05,0,1796118.story The U.S. vetoes a cease-fire deal that doesn't include guarantees sought by Israel, and Europe and even some Arab states hold back from strongly pressing for an end to the attack on Hamas.

Gaza Hospital Fills Up, Mainly With Civilians - NYTimes.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/world/middleeast/05gaza.html?ref=world On Sunday, the day after Israel began its ground invasion of Gaza, Fida found Hanin at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. One of Hanin’s legs, her sister was told, had been amputated. “I want her leg now!” Fida screamed at her mother, blaming her for moving them to the concrete house. “God has no mercy! You get me her leg now!” Her uncle lost both legs in the missile strike on Sunday. Another woman found only half of the body of her 17-year-old daughter in the Shifa morgue. “May God exterminate Hamas!” she screamed in a curse rarely heard these days. In this conflict, many Palestinians praise Hamas as resisters, but Israel contends the group has purposely endangered civilians by fighting in and around populated areas. The scene at the hospital, a singular and grisly reflection of the violence around it, was both harrowing and puzzling. A week ago, after Israel began its air assault, hundreds of Hamas militants were taken to the hospital. Yet on Sunday, the day Israeli troops flooded Gaza and ground battles with Hamas began, there appeared not to be a single one.

Israeli Forces Push Deeper Into Gaza Strip as International Critics Warn of Worsening Humanitarian C

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/04/AR2009010400743.html Israeli ground forces backed by air and naval power pushed deeper into the Gaza Strip on Sunday, engaging in fierce combat with Hamas fighters as they attempted to encircle the coastal region's largest city. The second day of Israel's ground assault drew fresh international warnings that Gaza's humanitarian crisis would worsen in the coming days. The Palestinian death toll rose to roughly 507, with more than 2,000 wounded, including many civilians, according to United Nations and Palestinian health officials. An Israeli soldier was fatally wounded in Gaza on Sunday; three Israeli civilians and one soldier have been killed by Hamas rocket and mortar fire inside Israel during the nine days of fighting. Israel insists its offensive is only targeting Hamas, the armed Islamist group that controls Gaza, and says the strip's 1.5 million residents do not face a humanitarian crisis.

Gaza border closing frustrates Egyptians—chicagotribune.com

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-israel-egyptjan05,0,3768149.story With jets streaking overhead and explosions thundering in the distance, the Greek surgeon stood Sunday beside a stalled convoy carrying blood bags and syringes, hoping to slip through the black gate at the Egyptian border to reach the wounded in the Gaza Strip. It was the second consecutive day Mouzala Ioannis, five other physicians and a nurse from Doctors of Peace waited at the locked and eerily silent Rafah crossing. Ioannis blamed the Egyptian government for holding up more than 25 trucks and SUVs filled with medical supplies donated by Greece, Turkey, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. "They lied to us," Ioannis said. "The Egyptians first told us the Palestinians didn't want our help, but that wasn't true, because we were talking to the Palestinians. Then they told us it was a matter of national security. But this humanitarian aid needs to get in there now."

Diplomats Converge on Israel in Push for Truce - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/05/AR2009010500392.html Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni rejected a European proposal to install an international monitoring team in Gaza to help maintain a cease-fire. "I don't see how this can help," she told a press conference in Jerusalem before a meeting with diplomats from the European Union. Livni and other Israeli officials have said that they would back outside intervention in Gaza only if it is designed to prevent Hamas from re-arming itself by smuggling rockets and other weapons from Egypt. Meantime, French President Nicolas Sarkozy flew to Cairo and was scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Hamas, the Islamist movement that has ruled Gaza since June 2007, also said it would send delegates to Egypt for talks. As the Israeli military campaign entered its 10th day, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the operation would continue until Hamas's ability to launch rockets into southern Israeli towns was crippled.

Israeli tanks, troops cut off Gaza City - Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-gaza5-2009jan05,0,4619903.story Despite the massive advantage of the Israeli military, which cut off heavily populated Gaza City, militant groups in the enclave managed to continue firing rockets and mortar shells into southern Israel. At least 40 rockets were launched Sunday, hitting cities and towns that included Ashkelon, Ashdod, Netivot and Ofakim. They caused widespread panic but only minor injuries, according to the Israeli army. Although the homemade rockets are wildly inaccurate, Hamas has increased their range in recent weeks, and three Israeli civilians have been killed by projectiles launched from Gaza since the start of hostilities. Israeli officials say about 900,000 of their citizens are within range of the rocket fire and live in fear of sudden attack. Throughout the Gaza Strip, the enclave's 1.5 million Palestinian residents for the most part huddled indoors for safety, most venturing out only to line up for dwindling supplies of bread and household goods. Dr. Moawiya Hassanein of Gaza City's main Shifa Hospital said more than half the day's casualties were civilians, including a mother and her four children killed by an Israeli tank shell east of Gaza City. The militant casualty count was probably much higher, Hassanein said, but it was too risky for ambulances and rescue crews to approach the conflict zone.

Israel Strikes Before an Ally Departs - NYTimes.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/washington/05diplo.html?ref=world For nine days, as European and United Nations officials have called urgently for a cease-fire in Gaza, the Bush administration has squarely blamed the rocket attacks of the Palestinian militant group Hamas for Israel’s assault, maintaining to the end its eight-year record of stalwart support for Israel. Mr. Bush, in his weekly radio address on Saturday, said the United States did not want a “one-way cease-fire” that allowed Hamas to keep up its rocket fire, and Vice President Dick Cheney on Sunday echoed the point, declaring that only a “sustainable, durable” peace would be acceptable. Many Middle East experts say Israel timed its move against Hamas, which began with airstrikes on Dec. 27, 24 days before Mr. Bush leaves office, with the expectation of such backing in Washington. Israeli officials could not be certain that President-elect Barack Obama, despite past statements of sympathy for Israel’s right of self-defense, would match the Bush administration’s unconditional endorsement.

French stymie two attacks by pirates - The Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2009/01/05/french_stymie_two_attacks_by_pirates/ A French navy vessel thwarted two attacks yesterday on cargo ships by heavily armed Somali pirates in the dangerous Gulf of Aden and captured the 19 pirates, just three days after a similar rescue by French forces, the government said. The Defense Ministry said that 11 assault rifles, two rockets, and two rocket launchers were confiscated from pirates traveling in three boats, along with 264 gallons of fuel. The Jean de Vienne, patrolling southwest of the Yemeni port of Al Mukallah, moved into action after receiving two separate distress calls, one from a Croatian cargo ship, the Donat, and another from a Panamanian cargo ship, the Vulturnus, a Defense Ministry statement said.

Ethiopia Begins Somalia Pullout - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/02/AR2009010202172.html Ethiopian troops propping up Somalia's fragile transitional government began a partial withdrawal from the seaside capital of Mogadishu on Friday, a move that many Somalis and analysts say will probably touch off a vicious scramble for power among various Islamist factions and clan militias. The Ethiopian government had promised to withdraw its troops from the volatile Horn of Africa nation by the end of 2008, and on Friday, at least 18 military trucks piled with mattresses, cooking pots and soldiers rolled away from a key base on the edge of Mogadishu, according to witnesses. The base, at a strategic crossroads just outside the capital, was empty by the end of the day. But an estimated 3,000 Ethiopian troops still occupy at least six other key positions in Mogadishu. For many, the lingering question is what will happen once the pullout is complete.

Sri Lanka Captures Rebels’ Capital - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/02/AR2009010200187.html Government forces captured the Tamil Tigers' de facto capital in northern Sri Lanka on Friday, dealing a devastating blow to the rebels' quarter-century fight for an independent state, the president said.

Pentagon Chief Sees Opportunities In Russia and the War on Terrorism - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/04/AR2009010401503.html As Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates becomes the bridge between the outgoing and incoming administrations, the views he has offered in interviews and essays since agreeing to remain as Pentagon chief merit a second look. A longtime Russia analyst during his years with the CIA, Gates today sees Moscow as less of a threat than do many inside and outside the U.S. military establishment. On PBS's "Charlie Rose Show" Dec. 17, he spoke of the historical insecurity of Russian leaders, recalling how Prime Minister Nikita Khrushchev was embarrassed in Geneva in 1955 that President Dwight D. Eisenhower's plane was bigger than his. "I mean, this is pretty deep-seated stuff, and so trying to avoid touching on one of Russia's insecurities is almost impossible," Gates concluded. He cautions, in the January-February issue of Foreign Affairs, that before the United States starts to think it must rearm for another Cold War after Russia "crushed Georgia's tiny military," it must realize that Moscow is seeking to "exorcise past humiliation." And although the Russian army has recently improved its conventional forces, it is "a shadow" of what it once was, he says, and "adverse demographic trends in Russia will likely keep those conventional forces in check." But Gates told Rose that he sees opportunities in new dealings with Moscow.

Russian Gas Embargo on Ukraine Is Felt In E. Europe - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/03/AR2009010301738.html The impact of Russia's natural gas embargo against Ukraine spread to several Eastern European countries Saturday, as a senior Ukrainian official warned of serious fuel disruptions across the continent in as little as 10 days if Russia refused to resume shipments. Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary reported drops in the gas they receive from Russia via Ukrainian pipelines but said consumers had not yet been affected because of reserve supplies and extra Russian deliveries through other countries. The European Union -- which gets a quarter of its gas from Russia, most of it through pipelines that cross Ukraine -- said it planned to call an emergency meeting as soon as Monday to discuss the crisis and urged "an immediate resumption of full gas deliveries" to the E.U. member states.

More stories in National/Energy Policy | Colorado/Energy Policy

Kidnappings, Long Feared in Mexico, Send Shivers Across Border - NYTimes.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/world/americas/05mexico.html?ref=world “The relatives of Mexicans in the United States have become a new profit center for Mexico’s crime industry,” said Rodolfo García Zamora, a professor at the Autonomous University of Zacatecas who studies migration trends. “Hundreds of families are emigrating out of fear of kidnap or extortion, and Mexicans in the U.S. are doing everything they can to avoid returning. Instead, they’re getting their relatives out.” The reported rush into the United States by people from the state of Zacatecas is another sign that Mexico’s growing lawlessness is a volatile new factor affecting the flow of migrant workers across America’s border. The violence is adding a new layer of uncertainty to the always fraught issue of Mexican emigration, already in flux because of the economic downturn in the United States.

More stories in National/Immigration | Colorado/Immigration

12/19/2008

German minister under fire over Iraq - The Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2008/12/19/german_minister_under_fire_over_iraq/ The credibility of Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the Social Democrat who will challenge Chancellor Angela Merkel in national elections next autumn, came under sharp attack yesterday over continuing allegations that - under his tutelage - Germany in fact aided the United States both in its war on terrorism and in the Iraq invasion that Berlin opposed. In a foretaste of the national election campaign next year, conservatives aligned with Merkel and opposition deputies both sharply attacked Steinmeier's credibility when he appeared - for the fifth time in two years - before a parliamentary committee investigating allegations that German intelligence services were aware of CIA kidnappings, and of prisoner renditions to third countries where torture was permitted, and were involved in preparing the US invasion of Iraq. As chief of staff for the former Social Democrat chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, Steinmeier was politically responsible for intelligence services and their activities.

Blackwater radio logs show security guards were targeted during deadly 2007 Iraqi shooting—chicag

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-ap-blackwater-prosecution,0,1859697.story Radio logs from a deadly 2007 shooting in Baghdad cast doubt on U.S. government claims that Blackwater Worldwide security guards were unprovoked when they killed 14 Iraqi civilians. The transcripts of Blackwater radio reports, obtained by The Associated Press, describe a hectic eight minutes in which the guards repeatedly reported incoming gunfire from insurgents and Iraqi police. Five guards face manslaughter and weapons charges for their roles in the shootings. A sixth has pleaded guilty. Prosecutors said the men unleashed a gruesome attack on unarmed Iraqis, including women, children and people trying to escape. But the radio logs from the Sept. 16, 2007 shooting suggest otherwise. Copies of the logs were turned over to prosecutors by Blackwater.

Troop withdrawal plan diverges with Obama’s - Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-obama-troops19-2008dec19,0,934913.story U.S. military commanders in Iraq have outlined troop reduction plans that remain at odds with President-elect Barack Obama's preferences, but believe they may be able to reconcile the two goals. Senior military leaders briefing Obama this week described a new military plan for troop withdrawals, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said Thursday. But the commanders suggested a more gradual reduction than Obama's proposal for a withdrawal of combat troops within 16 months. The two plans could be squared by moving to reclassify, or "re-mission," U.S. troops still in Iraq after 16 months to change combat forces to training units or residual forces, according to military officials. Already, military officials have reassigned combat infantry soldiers and Marines to training jobs. Combat forces still in Iraq after May 2010 would probably be needed more for training missions in any case, officials have said.

More stories in National/Military | Colorado/Military

South Korea brings last remaining troops home from Iraq—chicagotribune.com

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-as-skorea-iraq,0,4774204.story South Korea brought its last remaining troops home from Iraq on Friday. The arrival of about 520 troops marked the end of South Korea's five-year reconstruction mission in the war-torn country. About 100 troops stationed in Kuwait on a mission to support the Iraq unit returned with them. The South Korean contingent had about 3,600 troops at its height, making Seoul the second-largest U.S. coalition partner in the war in Iraq after Britain. The deployment was largely unpopular with the South Korean public but the government billed it as a way to strengthen its alliance with Washington.

Iraqi leaders deny coup attempts after arrests of 24 officers - Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraq19-2008dec19,0,1799447.story The arrests of up to 24 police and Defense Ministry officials accused of aiding terrorists and belonging to the banned Baath Party of Saddam Hussein prompted vigorous denials Thursday by Shiite government leaders of a coup attempt against them. News of the arrests, which also raised concerns that the government's crackdown was reminiscent of Hussein's regime, comes just two weeks before Iraq is scheduled to take over responsibility for its security from the U.S. A bilateral agreement calls for all U.S. combat troops to leave Iraqi urban areas by June 30 and the country by the end of 2011.

Arrests in alleged plot to restore Saddam Hussein’s party shows fear of old regime—chicagotribune

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-ml-iraq,0,4847587.story The arrests of more than 20 security officials for allegedly trying to revive Saddam Hussein's banned political party show how the Shiite-led government believes that supporters of the old regime still pose a threat — perhaps as much as al-Qaida or Iranian-backed militias. Iraqi officials said Thursday that up to 25 people from the three major security ministries have been arrested over the past week on accusations of conspiring to restore the Baath party, whose exiled leaders staunchly oppose the current government. But Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul-Karim Khalaf dismissed a report in The New York Times that the conspirators were planning a coup. He called the report "nonsense" and "baseless." Other prominent Shiites made similar remarks and said the group appeared to be loosely organized. Another security official said most of those arrested were from the traffic department of the Interior Ministry and that the highest-ranking figure was a brigadier general. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not supposed to talk to media.

Judge says Iraqi shoe-tossing reporter was beaten, court opens investigation - chicagotribune.com

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-ml-iraq-shoe-tosser,0,4897260.story The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush during a news conference was beaten and had bruises around his eyes and other parts of his face, a judge said Friday. Judge Dhia al-Kinani, the magistrate investigating the incident, said the court has opened a probe into the alleged beating of journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi during the news conference. Al-Zeidi was wrestled to the ground after throwing his shoes at Bush Sunday as he stood beside Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki at the news conference in Baghdad, and there have been conflicting claims about his condition since then. The journalist has not been seen in public since his arrest. One of his brothers claimed he had been harshly beaten but another said he seemed to be in good condition.

Amnesty International slams new India anti-terror law adopted in wake of Mumbai attacks—chicagotr

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-as-india-terror-law,0,178642.story Amnesty International on Friday slammed India's new anti-terror legislation to beef up police powers in the wake of the Mumbai attacks, saying it violates international human rights treaties. The London-based human rights group called on India's president not to approve the legislation, which would double the number of days police can detain terror suspects before filing charges, from 90 days to 180, as well as boost their powers to conduct searches. Both houses of India's Parliament passed the bill this week, following last month's attacks on Mumbai by suspected Islamic terrorists that killed 164 people. It now needs President Pratibha Patil's approval before becoming law. "While we utterly condemn the attacks and recognize that the Indian authorities have a right and duty to take effective measures to ensure the security of the population, security concerns should never be used to jeopardize people's human rights," Madhu Malhotra, Asia Pacific Program Deputy Director at Amnesty International, said in a statement.

NATO Materiel Threatened in Pakistan - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/18/AR2008121800890.html A recent increase in Taliban attacks on a crucial NATO transportation route from Pakistan to Afghanistan could imperil efforts to bolster the flagging, seven-year U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan, U.S. and Pakistani officials say. Attacks on NATO supply lines have become a regular occurrence in parts of northwestern Pakistan, including the country's inhospitable tribal areas near the Afghan border. In the past two weeks, Taliban fighters have mounted at least six assaults on NATO supply depots near the Pakistani city of Peshawar, setting fire to more than 300 armored Humvees, military vehicles and other supply containers. The attacks come as Pakistanis are increasingly calling for Western forces to stop using their territory for transport: Thousands of people rallied here Thursday to demand that the government cut off U.S. and NATO access to the main transit route.

Tensions Rise as Afghans Say U.S. Raid Killed Civilians - NYTimes.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/19/world/asia/19afghan.html?ref=world A deadly United States military raid on a house near Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan became a new source of tension on Thursday, with the Americans calling it a successful counterterrorism strike and the Afghans saying it left three innocent civilians dead and two wounded, including a 4-year-old boy bitten by an attack dog.