Pentagon Says al-Qaida Still has Safe Haven Inside Afghanistan

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon says al-Qaida still enjoys safe haven in some areas of eastern Afghanistan, and its presence worries the top American commander there.

Pentagon spokesman Capt. John Kirby says Wednesday that al-Qaida has found places it can plan and train, but he was not specific about its locations.

Kirby was responding to questions about the announcement that the U.S.-led NATO force had killed al-Qaida’s second-ranking leader in Afghanistan in an airstrike in eastern Kunar province, which borders Pakistan. He says “any number” of al-Qaida in Afghanistan is a matter of concern for Marine Gen. John Allen, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces there.

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Pakistan Criticality for Afghanistan Stability admitted by US

Pakistan's Foreign Secretary says formation of the group exploring safe passage was a tangible accomplishment. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United States said they would explore ways to arrange safe passage for Afghan Taliban militants who wish to engage in peace talks, officials from the three countries said on Friday.

“We need to be able to find them, those who are willing to talk wherever they are,” Afghan deputy foreign minister Jawed Luddin said. “We need to provide … a safe passage and an environment where they feel safe and confident that they can engage in peace talks without any consequence.”

Representatives from Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United States were meeting in Islamabad for two days as part of an initiative to revive stalled peace talks with the Afghan Taliban and to smooth relations between Washington and Islamabad.

Washington’s Special Representative Marc Grossman led the US delegation. He was the highest-level American official to visit Pakistan since a Nov 26 cross-border attack by Nato forces left 24 Pakistani soldiers dead and the US-Pakistan relationship in tatters.

The United States has been working for more than a year to revive stalled peace talks with the Afghan Taliban as it prepares for the withdrawal of most foreign combat troops by the end of 2014.

That campaign has become central to US strategy as officials conclude the Afghan war will not end on the battlefield alone.

“We really welcome this … initiative of the safe passage, which will mean our experts can meet and take this process further,” Luddin said.

Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Jalil Jilani said the formation of the group exploring safe passage was a tangible accomplishment.

An “important aspect of this group will be an establishment of the subgroup on the safe passage,” Jilani said.

Efforts to salvage the peace process follow a series of US setbacks in Afghanistan: bloody riots caused by soldiers’ burning of the Quran; a staff sergeant’s alleged massacre of 17 villagers; and an 18-hour militant assault of Kabul last week.

Still, officials point to statistics charting a drop in ‘enemy-initiated attacks’ this spring. They were encouraged by recent steps to finalize a deal outlining the US-Afghan relationship, along with statements of support for the peace process by Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.

US officials hope to use all these developments to coax the Taliban’s leadership, under pressure from less senior fighters who oppose negotiations, to formally resume talks.

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Afghan Taliban Appeal for Donations

Kabul: Afghan Taliban on Wednesday appealed to the Muslim world for donations for their insurgency in a rare move that analysts said was part of their media war.

According to reports the appeal was posted on Taliban website with telephone hotlines and email addresses, asking Muslims worldwide to help the rebels in what they say is a “Jihad”, or a holy war, against non-Muslim “invaders”.

“In the light of Islamic sharia, all Muslims everywhere are duty-bound to join the Jihad with money and soul,” the militant group said.

“(The Taliban) are still waging legitimate Jihad single-handedly with mere help from common sincere Islam-loving masses and is in dire need of financial assistance from the Muslim brothers worldwide for its military and non-military expenditures,” it added.

The Taliban were in power between 1996 and 2001 but were toppled in a US-led invasion after refusing to turn in Osama Bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda wanted by Washington for the September 11, 2001, attacks on US cities.

Since being ousted, the remnants of the militia have waged a bloody insurgency.

The appeal appeared to be part of the rebels’ “media war”, a move to show their campaign is supported by the masses, said analyst Abdul Waheed Wafa Wafa, director of the Afghanistan Centre, a research body at Kabul University.

“I think it’s part of the Taliban propaganda war,” he told AFP adding that through this they were trying to show that their Jihad is supported by the people and their funds were coming from the people.

According to Western and Afghan intelligence most Taliban funds are generated from regional Muslim communities and Islamist networks in the Gulf states.

The nation’s Western-backed government also accuses neighbouring Pakistan’s radical groups of funding the Taliban insurgency, mostly a campaign of suicide attacks and other bombings.

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Prosperity in Pakistan begets Serenity in Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday said peace in Afghanistan was critical for the peace and security in Pakistan.

He said Pakistan always supported Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s peace efforts and would continue favour an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process of reconciliation.

In a meeting with delegation of Afghan Senators led by Fazal-e-Hadi Muslimyar at the PM House, the prime minister emphasised upon exchanging parliamentary delegations to strengthen their brotherly relations and between the peoples of the two countries.

He said exchange visits of parliamentarians were essential to enhance bilateral relations and Pakistan had always made consistent and sincere efforts to improve relations with Afghanistan.

He recalled that Pakistan did extend full cooperation to the Afghan team that visited Islamabad with regard to the investigation of assassination of Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani.

The Prime Minister said Pakistan was committed to complete the construction of Torkham-Jalalabad Road.

He mentioned that Pakistan was offering 2,000 fully funded scholarships to the Afghan students and agreed to enhance the number of scholarships on the request of the leader of Afghan delegation.

Earlier, Chairman Senate Farooq H. Naik while addressing the members of the Afghan delegation said Pakistan attached much importance to its relations with Afghanistan because both the countries share common religion, culture, history and geographical proximity.

Leader of Afghan delegation Fazal-e-Hadi Muslimyar highlighted the commonalities between the people of two countries spread over the centuries, adding this had brought them together to strive for the common destiny of peace and prosperity.

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America's Gameplan in Baluchistan and its Ramifications

Neo Con New Middle East Map

By Brig Nadir Mir

Recently, a resolution was passed in the US Congress to divide Pakistan and carve out an ‘independent Balochistan’. With this, an old neocon dream was revived. This time the so-called globalists and propagandists, masquerading as human right activists, are the cheerleaders. Against this backdrop, Colonel Ralph Peter’s map of the ‘New Middle East’ truncating, balkanising every country – Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan – was reproduced. Despite the fact that it was scorned and reviled even at the time of its earlier exhibition.

It seems that the neocons and influential globalists of America desperately want to initiate World War III. Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s interview, If you can’t hear the drums of war, you must be deaf, with Alfred Heinz on November 27, 2011, is a clear expression of this desire.

The neocon-globalist geopolitical wish list – the rationale for the so-called ‘independent Balochistan’ – is as under:

- Cripple Pakistan by separating Balochistan (46 percent of its territory with large mineral resources, besides the future global port of Gwadar).

- Balkanised Pakistan forced to give up its nuclear arsenal.

- Establish India’s hegemony over Pakistan.

- Leftover US forces in Afghanistan and US controlled ‘new Balochistan’ to act as strategic central position for multi- regions.

- US controlled Afghanistan-Balochistan to link the Central Asian energy oil and gas pipelines with Gwadar.

- Delink Pakistan and Iran by carving out Balochistan and obviate the Iran-Pakistan energy/gas pipelines.

- Establish US military presence in Balochistan for upcoming US-Israeli war against Iran.

- Block Russia-Pak cooperation with Gazprom (Russian Gas Company) reaching Gwadar.

- Balochistan and Kurdistan to be artificially created to have imperialist bases in the heartland of Islam.

- ‘Independent Balochistan’ – a prelude for Kurdistan to break away from Turkey; separate Xinjiang and Tibet from China; Siberia from Russia; and separate Makkah and Madinah from Saudi Arabia.

- US military presence in Gwadar to control the Gulf. To use the port as an alternative for USA’s 5th fleet based in Bahrain or another fleet if brought near the Gulf.

- Use Gwadar as a military base for intervention in the Saudi Peninsula.

The rationale of these ill-intentioned pseudo thinkers is absolutely absurd. According to them, since the Pakistani elite is exploiting Balochistan, so it should be balkanised. Those who believe that Balochistan should not be a part of Pakistan are geopolitical imbeciles. Indeed, the propagandists making these claims are clueless about regional realities because:

• Pakistan: It will fight a war, even a nuclear war of national survival to defend itself.

• Iran: The Iranian Seistan is part of Balochistan, which the imperialists want to carve out. Therefore, Iran will fight a war in unison with Pakistan to defend Balochistan against the US threats.

• Afghanistan: The Taliban are winning; the Americans are leaving. No Afghan – not even Karzai – will cede the Afghan territory to become ‘greater independent Balochistan’. Nor can landlocked Kabul take up fights with both Islamabad and Tehran.

• Turkey: The Turks will support Pakistan and oppose independent Balochistan. Those who are plotting Balochistan also support Kurdistan to balkanise Turkey. Turkey will oppose Balochistan splitting by Nato, even if Nato is foolhardy to play the diabolical game of neocons.

• Saudi Arabia: The Saudis, too, will support Pakistan and oppose the Balochistan movement.

• India: It has been supporting the destabilisation of Balochistan and will continue to do so. But for India to overtly support Balochistan can lead to a nuclear war with Pakistan. Besides this can also trigger freedom movements in Kashmir, Khalistan, Assam, Tamil Nadu and a dozen other places. Playing the US-Israel game will spoil its relations with Iran, Russia and China.

• China: It will support Pakistan. USA’s aim in Balochistan is to block China from Gwadar. Balochistan today, Xinjiang tomorrow! China’s defence begins from Pakistan.

• Russia: It is Pakistan’s new friend. Besides, the Pak-Iran link is supported by Moscow.

So, the geopolitics of the region negates any viability of an independent Balochistan. In addition, anti-Americanism in Pakistan has a complex dynamic. The US meddling in Balochistan will not create an ‘independent Balochistan’, but will initiate a war, perhaps, leading to World War III.

The situation in Balochistan certainly demands immediate attention. Out of 150 Baloch tribes three major ones Marris, Bugtis, and Mengals have had problems or are in conflict. The issue of Bugtis is greatly linked to the murder of Nawab Akbar Bugti. A fair trial of those responsible is their demand. The Mengals can be communicated with. Some of the Marris leaders are more adamant and would need to be worked on. Pakistan needs to accommodate most of the Balochistan demands and satisfy the people, while ensuring its national interests. Half the demography of Balochistan which is Pakhtun are patriotic like the great majority of Baloch.

Bugti’s killing by Musharraf led to the present Balochistan crisis. The army or the ISI is not responsible. USA and India did not oppose Musharraf’s actions in Balochistan. This was a US-India baited gambit (to lure Musharraf into a crackdown and create turmoil for instigating independent Balochistan). Musharraf was praised by Washington and assured by Delhi of its non-involvement in Balochistan, luring him into the mess Pakistan faces today in the province. For all this time a covert war was being waged for claiming independence of Balochistan. During this period a worldwide network was established. This became overt in February 2012 as war with Iran is near centre stage in 2012. However, those who are planning war against Pakistan must be told that the choice is between peace and total war; indeed, the country will be defended at any price!

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The Reprehensible Desecration of Taliban Dead Bodies by U.S Marines

The clip shows four soldiers standing urinating over three corpses; they can be heard joking, “Have a great day, buddy” and “Golden like a shower”.
The anonymous person who posted it included the caption: “Scout sniper team 4 with 3rd battalion 2nd marines out of camp lejeune peeing on dead talibans.”

Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, a spokesman for the Taliban in Southern Afghanistan, reportedly said of the video: “How brutal are they? First they try to [urinate] on them and their other crime is that they are filming it for fun. These kinds of activities with the dead bodies of Mujahedeen, it actually makes their defeat more possible and they will get defeated soon. No religion in the world will allow someone to do this.”

Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, said his Government “is deeply disturbed by a video that shows American soldiers desecrating dead bodies of three Afghans.”

“This act by American soldiers is simply inhuman and condemnable in the strongest possible terms. We expressly ask the US Government to urgently investigate the video and apply the most severe punishment to anyone found guilty in this crime.”

The disgusting and reprehensible act of U.S marines reflects their nadir mentality and their superficial modernization. We strongly condemn the desecration of the dead bodies of Taliban and urge U.S to take strong actions against this bunch of obnoxious persons.

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