Hat Tip: Theo Spark
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Remembering The CIA's Fallen
Photo: Matthews was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery alongside veterans of other wars. Photograph by Matthew WordenSilent Stars -- Washingtonian
A suicide bomber in Afghanistan killed seven of the CIA’s own, including one of its best terrorist trackers. New details about Jennifer Matthews—and her secretive life—provide an inside look at a bloody and unfinished war.
When you die, if you’ve lived a good life, people will grieve. Your family and friends will meet in a church or a synagogue or a funeral home to pay their respects. At some point, an announcement will appear in a local paper. The news of your passing will spread. Eulogies may pop up on the Internet from long-forgotten friends. Your death, in other words, won’t be a solitary event.
When Jennifer Lynne Matthews—a mother of three from Fredericksburg, Virginia—died, there was no such public mourning. For the outside world, the tributes were very brief. Her family members were unwilling to share their memories. No obituary was written. And yet her death was noted by some of the nation’s most powerful officials—including the President—and her life was saluted with a star on a memorial wall.
Read more ....
My Comment: The other CIA names who were killed in this attack can be found here.
Multiple U.S. Drone Missile Strikes In Pakistan Being Reported
US Predators Strike Again In North Waziristan -- Long War Journal
US Predators struck again today in Pakistan's Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan, launching two airstrikes in an area right along the border with Afghanistan.
Both strikes took place in the Ghulam Khan area of North Waziristan. In the first strike, the unmanned Predators or the more deadly Reapers launched missiles at two compounds in the village of Ghulam Khan, killing five people.
The second strike targeted vehicles in the nearby village of Nawab. The Predators made two passes at a group of vehicles. Ten Taliban fighters were reported killed.
Read more ....
More News On U.S. Drone Strikes In Pakistan
Suspected US Drones Kill 6 in Pakistan -- Voice of America
US drone kills 5 militants in Pakistan: officials -- AFP
Suspected US Drone Strike Kills Seven In Pakistan -- RTT News
12 killed in U.S. drone strike in Pakistan -- Xinhuanet
Pakistani officials: Latest suspected drone attack kills 10 -- CNN
Pakistan: suspected US drone strike against Taliban kills 18 -- The Guardian
25 killed in U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan -- Xinhuanet
U.S. Aid To Israel's Missile Shield To Be Cut
Iran tests the Sajjil-2 missile with a range of 1,200 miles at an undisclosed location on December 16, 2009. The missile has a range to reach Israel and parts of southeastern Europe. UPIU.S. May Cut Israel Missile Shield Funds -- UPI
TEL AVIV, Israel, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Israel's increasingly troubled missile defense shield has taken another knock with media reports that budgetary problems could force the U.S. administration to delay funding for the system still being developed by Israel's defense industry.
The aid could be put back several months, the liberal Haaretz daily reports.
That's likely to heighten Israeli concerns over the vulnerability of the country's cities at a time when the Jewish state faces the growing threat of missile attack on an unprecedented scale from almost every quarter.
Read more ....
My Comment: The UPI puts the blame for these funding cuts on the Republicans .... which does not make sense since the Democrats still have huge majorities in both the Senate and Congress. The real reason is probably more deeper and more political between the White House and Netanyahu's government and their disagreements on advancing the Peace Process.
With The Passage Of START, The Attention Is Now On The Details
US President Barack Obama, with Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev, delivers remarks during a bilateral meeting at the APEC summit in Singapore, 15 November 2009. Photo from NoviniteSTART Has Passed, But Tactical Arms Remain An Issue -- Washington Post
What to do about Russia's overwhelming advantage in tactical nuclear weapons was among several tough issues for the Obama administration that emerged from the Senate debate on the new nuclear treaty.
Although public opinion was not a factor in the New START debate - polls showed overwhelming support for the arms-reduction agreement - questions about President Obama's toughness when it comes to Moscow were repeatedly raised, previewing a guaranteed GOP issue in the 2012 election.
Read more ....
My Comment: The key sentence in this Washington Post story is the following ....
Talking to reporters last week, a State Department official seemed to be trying to quell any expectation of quick progress on the issue of tactical weapons.
The White House is now admitting that they are unsure on what will be Russia's response to eliminating their tactical nuclear arsenal. Well .... if the Russian media is any barometer on Russian political opinion .... the bottom line is they see no reason why they should proceed with talks.
But my gut tells me that they will attend talks if Missile Defense is offered on the table. To get them to the table .... I would not be surprised if President Obama offers it to them.
Afghanistan War News Updates -- December 28, 2010
FORTIFIED OUTPOST - Active duty and reserve component U.S. Navy Seabees secure and fortify a remote combat outpost on the eastern edge of Khavejeh Molk, Afganistan, Dec. 13, 2010. The village is located approximately 25 miles north of Kandahar and is being used as a patrol base for the U.S. Army 1st Battalion, 66th Armored Regiment. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Michael B. WatkinsIran Seen Providing More Training, Weapons To Afghan Insurgents -- Washington Examiner
The recent arrest of a Taliban fighter suspected of trafficking weapons from Iran to Afghanistan comes at the end of a year in which Iran greatly increased its efforts to disrupt the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan, military and intelligence officials say.
Over the past year, military officials have uncovered evidence of Iran training Afghan insurgents to make less detectable bombs out of plastic and supplying them with automatic rifles and other small arms. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has also tutored Taliban sympathizers in guerrilla warfare tactics.
Read more ....
More News On Afghanistan
Revealed: The classified maps that show Afghanistan is becoming more dangerous... with number of high risk areas spreading -- The Daily Mail
UN charts escalation of violence in Afghanistan -- The Telegraph
Afghan Security Deteriorates -- Wall Street Journal
Coalition Reports Progress in Afghanistan, UN Data Paint Bleaker Picture -- Voice of America
Explosion kills 3 in northern Afghan province -- Xinhuanet
Taliban car bomb kills three in Kandahar -- AFP
Car Bomb Kills 1 and Hurts 26 Near Afghan Police Station -- New York Times
10 militants killed in Afghanistan -- Press TV (Iran)
NATO, Afghan officials offer conflicting accounts of deadly raid in Kabul -- Washington Post
Coalition, Afghans split over Kabul raid -- Washington Post
NATO goals in Afghanistan doomed to failure if night raids continue - -Xinhuanet
Medvedev signs Afghan transit deal with France into law -- RIA Novosti
Round Table: Afghanistan's Political Breakdown -- CBS News
Taliban Recede: Coalition or Winter's Advance? -- Time Magazine
Afghan war to escalate in 2011 -- Hindustan Times
Pondering A 'Plan B' In Afghanistan -- Rachel Martin, NPR
Afghanistan War: making counterinsurgency work -- Stephanie Gaskell, Global Post
Obama’s Afghanistan Review: A Perspective From Pakistan -- Shabana Fayyaz, Eurasia Review
World News Briefs -- December 28, 2010
Airline Passengers Grapple With Days-Long Delays In Getting Home -- CNN
New York (CNN) -- While forecasters predict improving weather conditions in the Northeast for Tuesday, the news might be of little solace to the thousands of airline passengers who have been stranded since the holiday weekend -- and, in some cases, will still have to wait several more days before going home.
Zarmeen Hussain and her family knew their flight home to New Jersey -- scheduled for Monday evening -- might get canceled. But what they didn't expect was a delay of four days.
Read more ....
MIDDLE EAST
Iran says West hostility jeopardizes nuclear talks.
2 suicide bombings kill 19, wound 45 in western Iraq.
U.S. may cut Israel missile shield funds.
Mossad agent 'brought down Egypt's internet' .
Iran hangs man convicted of spying for Israel.
ASIA
UN: Afghan security situation deteriorates.
Pakistan govt in turmoil as party to quit Cabinet.
India issues nationwide terror alert.
New ROK drills add to tension on peninsula.
AFRICA
African leaders arrive in Ivory Coast to deal with political crisis.
Death toll of bomb blasts reaches 80 in Nigeria's Jos. Muslim group claims attacks on two Nigerian cities that killed 86.
Darfur conflict a 'deep concern' for U.N.
S.African police find weapons bound for Somalia.
EUROPE
'Plot to bomb London Eye': Nine in court accused of planning Christmas terror blitz on the capital's busiest landmarks. U.S. Embassy in London was terror target.
Ice and blackouts strand thousands at Moscow airports.
Cops say link between Italian, Greek anarchists.
Russian leaders argue about Soviet model.
Former Russian tycoon is again convicted.
AMERICAS
Stranded by trains, planes after Northeast storm.
No police in Mexico town after last officer kidnapped.
Mexican request for U.S. help in drug war detailed.
Strike over massive Bolivia fuel price rises begins.
TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR
Somali insurgents: Obama must convert to Islam or attacks on U.S. will come.
16 killed in four U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan.
Shabaab calls on al Qaeda to 'expand the East Africa jihad'.
ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS
New global banking rules proposed on bankers' pay.
Where are the jobs? For many companies, overseas.
Euro zone reform does not go far enough: ECB's Mersch.
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