Tuesday, September 29, 2009

How Successful Has The CIA's Drone Campaign Been In Pakistan


Death from the Skies: An Overview of the CIA’s Drone Campaign in Pakistan - Part One -- Jamestown

In the spring of 2004 the CIA began its most extensive targeted assassination campaign since the Vietnam War by launching dozens of unmanned aerial drones into the inaccessible tribal regions of Pakistan to hunt and kill Taliban and al-Qaeda militants. Since then, more than six hundred people have died in these unpredictable aerial strikes that have killed both high value terrorist targets and innocent civilians. Al-Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban leadership have been reeling from the deaths of their operatives even as the Pakistani public has commenced an outcry against this violation of their sovereignty and the deaths of civilian bystanders. This report will provide an outline of this murky drone war with the aim of shedding light on its tactical successes, collateral damage fallout, overall historical trajectories, and the secret deals between the Pakistani leadership and the White House that made the campaign possible.

Read more ....

My Comment: An overview of UAV operations in Pakistan. I suspect that a lot of information has not been provided .... the CIA being the CIA would not be so forthcoming. But still .... as a summary it is a good review.

Guinea Junta Troops 'Killed And Raped Hundreds"


Clash Toll In Guinea Soars, France Cuts Aid -- Yahoo News/Reuters


CONAKRY (Reuters) – France led international pressure on Guinea's military rulers by cutting military cooperation on Tuesday after a crackdown by the security forces on its opponents killed 157, according to a local rights group.

Condemnation of Guinea's junta intensified.

France joined the African Union in mulling sanctions and West Africa's ECOWAS called for an international enquiry into the bloody quashing of a demonstration by tens of thousands of protesters urging military ruler Captain Moussa Dadis Camara to step down.

Read more ....

Guinean police make an arrest in front of the stadium in the capital Conakry during the protest banned by the ruling junta. At least 150 people were said to have died and hundreds of women raped

More News On Guinea

Guinea junta troops 'killed and raped hundreds at democracy rally'
-- Times Online
Violent Crackdown Shatters Democracy Hopes in Guinea -- Times Online
Guinea Death Toll More Than 200, Opposition Says -- Bloomberg
Guinea troops 'kill 128 protesters' -- The Telegraph
Protests as Guinea protesters shot dead -- CNN
Guinea army 'bayoneted victims' -- BBC
Rights Group: Guinea Military Killed at Least 157 in Crackdown -- Voice of America
Guinea protest death toll climbs to 157 -- AP
France suspends military cooperation with Guinea -- AFP
Guinea's erratic military ruler -- BBC
Do Guinea’s dark days reveal junta’s colours? -- Reuters
Q & A: How did Guinea erupt into violence? -- Christian Science Monitor
Q+A: What happens next after Guinea crackdown? -- Reuters

The Impact Of Arms Sales To Latin America


The Choice Of French Fighter Aircraft In Brazil And Its Impact On Latin America -- The Gov Monitor

The past week in Latin America has been pretty busy due to the repercussions of President Lula’s comments during a visit by the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy.


Besides being the guest of honour and besides the fact that it is the year of France in Brazil, Sarkozy came with two missions: the first one was simple and the second was relatively difficult. The simple mission was to carry out something that was already or partially agreed upon: the purchase of submarines and helicopters. The difficult mission would be to turn things around regarding the fighters Brazil intends to buy.

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My Comment: The buying and selling of weapons has never had a positive impact for the buying country .... I expect the same will be realized by people in Venezuela and Brazil .... but only in a decade or two.

Transonic Hulls, Inspired by Racing Yachts, Could Add Stealth To Navy SEALs' Boats

Transonic Hull: Graham Murdoch

From Popular Science:

A knife-like boat design provides a covert, fuel-efficient ride.

An undercover team of Navy SEALs isn’t worth much if their transport boat’s wake betrays their approach. Nor does it help if they come ashore with back pain and possible organ damage from the boat’s constant bouncing. A sleek new hull design could help troops slip through waves undetected and unscathed, while also setting a new standard for efficient nautical design.

Read more ....

My Comment: Forget about the SEALS .... I want one of those boats.

Pakistan Civil War News Updates -- September 29, 2009


U.S. Says Taliban Has A New Haven In Pakistan -- Washington Post

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- As American troops move deeper into southern Afghanistan to fight Taliban insurgents, U.S. officials are expressing new concerns about the role of fugitive Taliban leader Mohammad Omar and his council of lieutenants, who reportedly plan and launch cross-border strikes from safe havens around the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta.

But U.S. officials acknowledge they know relatively little about the remote and arid Pakistani border region, have no capacity to strike there, and have few windows into the turbulent mix of Pashtun tribal and religious politics that has turned the area into a sanctuary for the Taliban leaders, who are known collectively as the Quetta Shura.

Read more ....

More News On Pakistan

Musharraf: Afghan debate shows U.S. weak -- Washington Times
Officials: 2 drone strikes kill 13 in NW Pakistan -- AP
US aircraft strike in North and South Waziristan -- Long War Journal
Drones kill Pakistan 'militants' -- BBC
Q+A - What is behind U.S. drone attacks in Pakistan? -- Reuters
‘US wants to expand drone attacks into Quetta’ -- Dawn
US expanding air war into Quetta? -- Threat Matrix
Fierce clashes in North Waziristan -- Dawn
Civilians flee Taliban stronghold in NW Pakistan -- AP
Afghans in Pakistan leave war theatre ahead of threatened attack -- The Australian
UN Expects S. Waziristan Fighting to Result in Large Influx of Fleeing Civilians -- Voice of America
Car Bomber Kills 5 in Pakistan -- New York Times
Death toll reaches 28 in Taliban suicide attacks -- Press Trust of India
Anti-Taliban Tribal Leaders Targeted in Pakistan -- FOX News
Pakistani Intel, Army, backing the Taliban in Bajaur -- Threat Matrix
Is Mullah Omar hiding in Pakistan? -- The International News
INTERVIEW - Pakistan still considering Waziristan options -- Reuters
FACTBOX: Five risks to watch in Pakistan -- Reuters
Q+A - Has the back of the Pakistani Taliban been broken? -- Reuters

Inside The Navy's Command Center Of The Future

A look across the so-called Navy Command Center of the Future, a prototype facility being built at the SPAWAR Systems Center Pacific in San Diego and which is intended to show senior decision makers in the Navy and other military services, what is possible when it comes to actionable working environments. (Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET)

From CNET:

SAN DIEGO--I have seen the future of military command centers, and it is small rooms with glass walls and video screens with built-in artificial intelligence.

That's probably a gross oversimplification, but those are certainly some of the elements on display at the Navy's Command Center of the Future, a prototype project currently under way at the Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Center Pacific here.

Read more
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My Comment: A peek into what future command and control centers mayl look like.

Iraq War News Updates -- September 29, 2009

U.S. Army Sgt. Thomas Pearson, right, and Spc. Juan Castillo enjoy breakfast before working on building a bridge near the Tigris River, Baghdad, Aug. 10, 2009 Pearson and Castillo are assigned to the 277th Engineering Company, 416th Engineering Brigade. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Tyrone Clakely

Holy Month Ends, And Violence Rises Again In Iraq -- New York Times

BAGHDAD — Eighteen people were killed and at least 55 others were wounded in bombings across Iraq on Monday as the country’s level of violence picked up again after a relative lull during the holy month of Ramadan.

Monday’s attacks occurred in Shiite and Sunni areas of the country and took aim not only at the Iraqi Army and the police but also at civilians.

In the western Baghdad neighborhood of Ghazaliya, two bombs were detonated — the first directed at a passing Iraqi Army patrol, the second at people who gathered to see the wreckage, Iraqi security officials said.

Read more ....

More News On Iraq

Iraq bomb attacks end Ramadan relative lull -- Reuters
String of bombings kills at least 18 in Iraq -- AP
FACTBOX: Security developments in Iraq, Sept 29 -- Reuters
Suspect arrested in Iraqi taekwondo team murders -- AP
US military says arrest made in 2006 murders of Iraqi Tae Kwon Do team -- Canadian Press
Marine set for court martial at Camp Pendleton in the death of an Iraqi prisoner -- L.A. Times
Iraq Is Struggling to Buy Equipment -- Wall Street Journal
Iraq's disabled fight for war compensation -- AFP