Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Pentagon Urges Radical Shift in Afghan Strategy
At long last, the Pentagon is calling for a common-sense approach to Afghanistan.
Robert Burns and Pauline Jelnek report:A classified Pentagon report urges President Barack Obama to shift U.S. military strategy in Afghanistan, de-emphasizing democracy-building and concentrating more on targeting Taliban and al-Qaida sanctuaries inside Pakistan with the aid of Pakistani military forces....
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The Joint Chiefs' plan reflects growing worries that the U.S. military was taking on more than it could handle in Afghanistan by pursuing the Bush administration's broad goal of nurturing a thriving democratic government.
Instead, the plan calls for a more narrowly focused effort to root out militant strongholds along the Pakistani border and inside the neighboring country, according to officials who confirmed the essence of the report. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the plan publicly.Iran Launches Satellite
Foreign Confidential....
Amid reports of a possible new North Korean long-range missile test and Hamas rocket fire on Israel, nuclear-arming, Islamist Iran has taken a giant step toward development of intercontinental ballistic missiles. Click here for the story.
EDITOR'S NOTE: According to China Confidential analysts, the Iranian rocket was an upgraded version of the Shahab-3 that is strong enough to carry a warhead across the Middle East to Israel or U.S. bases in the Gulf. Its range is more than 800 miles.
The Shahab-3 is derived from the North Korean Nodong-1 ballsitic missile modified with Russian technology. A Sahab-3 missile could carry a nuclear warhead. Iran has acquired nuclear warhead technology, intelligence sources say. The mullahocracy already has enriched enough uranium to make at least one atomic bomb, the analysts add.Hamas Rocket Fire Resumes; Ashkelon Hit
Foreign Confidential....
A rocket from Gaza has exploded in the southern Israeli town of Ashkelon.
No one was hurt in Tuesday's attack, and no one has claimed responsibility for the incident.
Limited rocket and mortar fire has resumed from Gaza since a truce was reached two weeks ago that ended Israel's three-week-long offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The latest attack came as a Hamas delegation discussed terms for a long-term truce with Israel through Egyptian mediators. Hamas has demanded that crossings to Gaza be open in exchange for a durable cease-fire. Israel has limited aid and commercial traffic, saying it fears materials could be used by militants.
On Monday, U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes called on all sides to not interfere politically with the delivery of aid to the people of Gaza.
Holmes says he will work with Israel, the Palestinian Authority and, in a reference to Hamas, "those in control on the ground," to make sure aid gets through.
Holmes says the U.N. will monitor aid so that construction materials are not diverted for military use.
Egypt is installing surveillance cameras and motion sensors on its border with Gaza as part of efforts to crack down on tunnels used by weapons smugglers.
In another development, Syria says it will consider resuming indirect peace talks with Israel after Israeli parliamentary elections next week. Syria broke off the Turkish-mediated talks during Israel's offensive in Gaza. Syria and Israel remain at odds over the Golan Heights, which Israel captured in the 1967 war.North Korea May Test Taepodong-2
Missile alert.
Intelligence sources say North Korea is probably preparing to fire a long-range Taepodong-2 missile from a newly constructed launch pad on its west coast. The Taepodong-2 has the range to hit all of South Korea and most of Japan.
North Korea last launched a Taepodong-2 in 2006. But that test is generally regarded to have been a flop. The missile fizzled and crashed less than a minute into the flight.Monday, February 02, 2009
North Korea Preparing New Missile Launch
Reuters reports:North Korea appears to be preparing to test-launch its longest range ballistic missile, media reports said on Tuesday, stoking tensions just days after the reclusive state warned that the Korean peninsula was on the brink of war.
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In related news, the United States and South Korea pledged to put an end to the North's nuclear programs. AFP reports:US President Barack Obama has spoken with South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak and the two have vowed to work closely toward ending North Korea's nuclear weapons programs, the White House has said.
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The two "discussed North Korea and agreed to work closely as allies and through the six-party talks to achieve the verifiable elimination of North Korea's nuclear weapons and programs," spokesman Robert Gibbs said in a statement.
"In a warm and substantive talk, the president conveyed his deep commitment to the United States-Republic of Korea alliance. Both presidents expressed their intention to expand cooperation on global issues," Gibbs added.
Wednesday, 4 February 2009
Dateline USA....
The Axis of Evil is alive and well.
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