BBC News - Pakistan's Imran Khan says US questioned him on drones

Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan says he has been stopped by US immigration officials and questioned about his views on US drone strikes in his country.

He says he was taken off his flight from Toronto to New York on Friday.

As leader of the Pakistan Movement for Justice party (PTI), he has campaigned for an end to drone strikes against suspected militants in Pakistan.

He says the strikes kill many civilians and foster support for militants.

"I was taken off from plane and interrogated by US Immigration in Canada on my views on drones. My stance is known. Drone attacks must stop," he wrote on Twitter.

He was said to have been questioned for about one hour, and said the delay meant he missed his flight and a party fundraising event in New York, but said "nothing will change my stance".

The US immigration authorities say they cannot divulge any information on particular cases due to privacy laws, according to the Toronto Sun.

"Our dual mission is to facilitate travel in the United States while we secure our borders, our people, and our visitors from those that would do us harm like terrorists and terrorist weapons, criminals, and contraband," one official said.

Earlier this month, Mr Khan led thousands of supporters on a march to the edge of the restive tribal areas where drone strikes target militants.

Sudan Says Israel Targeted Sudanese Military Capabilities

Source : RIA Novosti

The government of Sudan condemned an alleged attack of Israeli warplanes on arms factory in Khartoum saying it was targeted to undermine defense capabilities of the sovereign country.

A fire broke out late on Tuesday at the Yarmouk arms factory in the south of Khartoum following a series of explosions that the Sudanese authorities believe were caused by an air strike delivered by four Israeli warplanes. At least two people were killed in the incident.

“The attack of Israel on the factory was carried out with the aim to deliver a strike on the military power of Sudan,” said a statement adopted at the extraordinary session of the government on late Wednesday night.

The statement said that Yarmouk is not a secret facility, is not a subject to international sanctions and “specialized in manufacturing traditional weapons.”

Thousands of Sudanese people gathered at the building of the government during the extraordinary session.

Sudan, which some analysts claim to be an arms smuggling cond for Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, has blamed Israel for such attacks in the past.

In May, Khartoum held Israel responsible for an air strike that killed one person in a car near the city of Port Sudan.

A blast resembling an Israeli missile strike killed two people in Western Sudan last year, the Sudanese authorities claim.

In keeping with past practice, Israel has not commented on the current accusations by the Sudanese authoritie

Israel not informed about U.S.-Iran talks: Netanyahu

Source :  Xinhua | English.news.cn

JERUSALEM, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel was not aware of any talks between the United States and Iran, after a report by the New York Times stated that both countries had agreed to one-on-one talks.

The New York Times said Saturday that the United States and Iran were set for talks to negotiate Tehran's nuclear power and put an end to the rift between Iran and the Western powers.

According to reports by U.S. media on Sunday, White House has denied such talks.

Netanyahu said he could not confirm if these alleged contacts took place.

"Israel doesn't know about these contacts and I can't confirm that they've actually taken place," he said, speaking at the Home Front Command drill in Holon, near Tel Aviv.

"I can say that Iran used the talks and negotiations with the five powers to drag its feet and to gain time to advance its nuclear weapons program," he said, warning that Tehran is only trying to gain time in order to achieve full nuclear power.

Netanyahu also added that the best way to deter Iran's nuclear program is through "halting uranium enrichment, removing all enriched uranium and dismantling the underground installation in Qom," and a mix of sharper sanctions and military threat.

"I can say that as long as I am the prime minister of Israel, Israel will not allow Iran to reach a military nuclear capability, " he said.

Netanyahu made the remarks while attending a drill for regional war, tsunami and earthquake in central Israel, amid raising tensions with Iran. Israeli and U.S. military and rescue forces are putting their skills to the test in coping with these situations in a joint exercise that will last for three weeks.

Former Mossad chief says dialogue with Iran essential

Source : Xinhua | English.news.cn

JERUSALEM, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Former head of the Israeli Mossad Efraim Halevy called on the Wes to open a dialogue with Iran, following the weekend's report of direct talks between the U. S. and Iran.

"I realized that dialogue with the enemy is essential, there is nothing to lose," Halevy said during a Sunday evening talk with a U.S. website, Al monitor.

"The claim is that if you talk with them you legitimize them. However, by not talking with them yo don't delegitimize them," Halevy added.

He added that engaging in direct talks does not mean removing the sanctions just yet.

"The goal of the sanctions is not to lay the groundwork for military action but to convince the Iranian leadership to abandon its nuclear program," Halevy said.

Halevy, who spoke in the past against a military action against Iran, also criticized the foreign policy views on that subject by the American Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney.

Over the weekend, the New York Times reported that the U.S. and Iran have agreed to embark on direct talks after the November 6 elections.

In an additional interview Monday morning with Israel radio, Halevy said that Romney leaves no room for negotiations with Iran, but only leaves the military action as the only choice.

At the same time, Halevy praised U.S. President Barack Obama for handling the Iranian situation, specifically commanding the sanctions that have led to a severe economic crisis in Teheran. "The goal of economic sanctions is to convince Iranian leaders to abandon their nuclear drive, not to prepare the ground for a military strike," Halevy told the radio on Monday.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister denied any knowledge of any sort of agreement in principle for direct talks between the two nations.

"I have no information about such contacts and I cannot say whether there is truth to that report. can say though that Iran has used negotiations before to buy time with America," he added.

However, Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon told Israel Radio that Jerusalem has known for some time there are behind-the- scenes contact between U.S. and Iran, and that it has no objections.

In the past several months, Israeli leaders have publicly discussed the option of a military strike against Iran if it does not stop with its nuclear program, which it claims is for peaceful purposes.

While Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak frequently talked about the possibility of such an attack, several Israeli defense and security officials objected to such an attack.

US offers $12 million for Iran-based al Qaeda financiers

Source : The Express Tribune

The United States posted a reward of up to $12 million on Thursday for Muhsin al-Fadhli and his deputy Adel Radi Saqr al-Wahabi al-Harbi. PHOTO: FILE

The United States posted a reward of up to $12 million on Thursday for help in tracking down two Iran-based al Qaeda financial backers, accused of funneling money to extremists in Syria.

The State Department named the men as Muhsin al-Fadhli and his deputy Adel Radi Saqr al-Wahabi al-Harbi, saying both “facilitate the movement of funds and operatives through Iran on behalf of the al Qaeda terrorist network.”

“Al Qaeda elements in Iran, led by Fadhli, are working to move fighters and money through Turkey to support al Qaeda-affiliated elements in Syria,” the department said in a statement.

“Fadhli also is leveraging his extensive network of Kuwaiti jihadist donors to send money to Syria via Turkey.”

Fadhli, 31, was among the few al Qaeda leaders who was given advance notice that the group planned to strike the United States on September 1, 2001.

He is also alleged to have raised money to fund the October 2002 attack on the French ship MV Limburg off the coast of Yemen in which one person was killed, and four crew members injured.

“Fadhli reportedly has replaced Ezedin Abdel Aziz Khalil (better known as Yasin al-Suri) as al Qaeda’s senior facilitator and financier in Iran,” the statement said, offering up to $7 million for information on his location.

Fadhli is on Saudi Arabia’s most wanted list after a series of al Qaeda attacks in the Gulf kingdom.

Harbi, 25, a Saudi national, was put on the Saudi list in 2011 charged with traveling to Afghanistan to join al Qaeda and providing Internet support to the group. The US is offering up to $5 million for his arrest.

The Treasury Department also slapped sanctions on Harbi, banning US nationals and companies from carrying out any transactions with him.

“Today’s action, which builds on our action from July 2011, further exposes al Qaeda’s critically important Iran-based funding and facilitation network,” said David Cohen, under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.

“We will continue targeting this crucial source of al Qaeda’s funding and support, as well as highlight Iran’s ongoing complicity in this network’s operation,” he said.

Fadhli, who was born in Kuwait, is also wanted by Kuwaiti authorities after being convicted in his absence and sentenced to five years on charges of providing funding and training to terror groups in Afghanistan.

US, Israel to hold major missile defense exercise

Source : Maan News Agency

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -- The United States and Israel will hold a major missile defense exercise in Israel this month, sending a message of close cooperation as both countries weigh their options over Iran's nuclear program.

The three-week exercise, the largest the allies have ever held, will simulate a variety of long and short-range missile attacks that Israel could face during a regional conflict, said the commanders in charge.

Asked whether it sent a message to Iran, which has warned of an all-out war should Israel try to strike its nuclear facilities, Israeli Brigadier General Nitzan Nuriel said: "Anybody can get any type of message from this exercise."

"The fact that we are practicing together and working together is a strong message by itself," Nuriel said during a conference call with reporters.

Offering a more guarded response, his US counterpart, Lieutenant General Craig Franklin said the exercise, "is not there to send a message", adding that it has been in planning for more than two years.

"This exercise will improve the cooperative missile defense of Israel and will promote regional stability and help ensure our military edge," he said.

More than 3,500 US personnel will take part in the drill, about 1,000 of them in Israel, Franklin said. The US will spend $30 million dollars and Israel about 30 million shekels ($7.90 million) on the exercise.

The weapons will include US Patriot missile batteries and an AEGIS ballistic missile defense ship, along with the multi-tiered missile defense system that Israel has been developing. All but one of the launches will be simulated.

Martin Dempsey, the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will observe part of the drill, said Pentagon spokeswoman Lieutenant Commander Wendy Snyder.

Dempsey confounded some Israeli leaders in August when he told reporters the United States did not want to be "complicit" in an Israeli attack on Iran.

He also warned that go-it-alone military action risked unraveling an international coalition that has applied progressively stiff sanctions on Iran, which insists that its ambitious nuclear project is purely peaceful.

An Iranian military commander said last month the Islamic Republic would make no distinction between US and Israeli interests and will retaliate against both countries if attacked.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing the United States to set Iran an ultimatum or risk seeing Israel launch unilateral strikes. Washington says it will not allow Tehran to obtain nuclear weapons, but has not set out its own red lines.

 

China urges substantial progress in Palestinian-Israeli peace talks

Source : Xinhua | English.news.cn

China on Monday urged Palestine and Israel to adopt concrete measures, start peace negotiations at an early date and make substantial progress.

China's Permanent Representative to the UN Li Baodong made the statement while addressing an open Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East.

China is deeply worried about the long-standing stalemate in the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks and also concerned about the economic and humanitarian difficulties faced by the Palestinian people, Li said.

"China urges Palestine and Israel to adopt practical measures, remove obstacles to the peace talks in order to seek an early restart of the talks and achieve substantial progress," he said.

"Israel should assume the responsibility of taking the first step," said the Chinese ambassador. "W urge Israel to immediately halt the building of the settlement, lift the blockade on Gaza, release detained Palestinians and improve their medical and living conditions and actively coordinate the international community in peace making efforts so as to create conditions for re-launching peace talks with Palestine."

The international community should increase its sense of responsibility and urgency for advancing the Middle East peace process and work actively to bring the two sides back to the negotiating table for building mutual trust, Li noted.

"China hopes the Quartet on the Middle East will play a positive role and come up as soon as possible with a concrete proposal for resuming the peace talks between Palestine and Israel, " he said.

As for the situation in Syria, Li said that China is opposed to any solution to the Syrian crisis imposed by the outside forces or pushing for a so-called "regime change."

"The political settlement is the only viable way out for defusing the crisis in Syria," he said. "The priority is to stop as quickly as possible the terrorist and violent activities in all forms, stop all practices that encourage and connive resort to military means and to start a political transition led by the Syrian people."

China calls upon all parties in Syria and the international community to coordinate and support th UN-Arab League Joint Special Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi in his mediation efforts for seeking political solution to the Syrian crisis, Li added.

US Urges Russia to Take More Action on Syria

Source : RIA Novosti

United States wants Russia to get more involved in the settlement of the Syrian conflict, US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

“Our view is that the Russians should be applying maximum pressure and maximum influence on [President Bashar] Assad and his regime,” Nuland told a daily press briefing on Monday.

“They have influence that we don’t have, since they have had these military relationships for so long, and we’d like to see them use it to pressure Assad to stop, starting by declaring that they will not ship any more weapons or any other things to this regime,” she said.

“We would like to see the Russian side do more… The Russians have been concerned that this situation devolves into a deeper civil war, a proxy war, that it spills beyond borders, that extremists hijack the situation,” Nuland said.

“All of those concerns have been expressed to us by the Russian side; and our message back is that if you don’t help us put more pressure on Assad, that’s exactly what we’re going to have, and that if you don’t want that situation to occur, then join us in the Security Council in putting pressure on the regime,” she said.

The Syrian conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives, according to various Syrian opposition groups. The UN puts the death toll at 20,000-30,000 people.

The West is pushing for President Assad’s ouster while Russia and China are trying to prevent outside interference in Syria, saying that the Assad regime and the opposition are both to blame for the bloodshed.

Muslims Stage Protest against Anti-Islam Movie Outside Google Office in London

Source : Fars News Agency

TEHRAN (FNA)- Thousands of UK residing Muslims, in a peaceful demonstration, took to the street in front of Google headquarter in London to oppose the recent release of a US-backed movie insulting holy Prophet of Islam by YouTube.

The demonstrators congregated outside the Google headquarters in London because YouTube directors, a subsidiary of Google, has refused to remove the movie from its website.

The 10,000-strong rally organized by Muslim Action Forum was held to force Google to remove the sacrilegious movie from YouTube video-sharing website.

"Our next protest will be at the offices of Google and YouTube across the world. We are looking to ban this film," organizer Massoud Alam told press tv.

"This is not freedom of expression; there is a limit for that. This insult of the Prophet will not be allowed," he added.

Muslim Action Forum, which was created in response to the release of the insulting film, says in its manifesto that it "unreservedly condemns the preposterous film vilifying Islam and desecrating the sanctity of the Holy Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)" and calls for a "Campaign for Global Civility" in response to the video.

The protesters outside Google headquarters carried placards reading "Campaign for Global Civility" and "Don't they teach manners in Google" in line with the group's manifesto.

The rally that was the third of its kind in a month comes ahead of a planned millions-strong march against the sacrilegious film in Hyde Park, central London, in the coming weeks.

The film called "Innocence of Muslims", previously called Desert Warriors and Innocence of Bin Laden, is a 2012 anti-Muslim movie which insults Muslims' Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

The film has been financed by more than 100 Jews and produced by an American- Israeli man in the US.

The film has been widely condemned across the globe including Iran, Afghanistan, Egypt, Libya, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Iran, Yemen, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, Morocco, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, etc.

Iran builds new bomber drone capable of carrying expolosives

Trend.Az

Commander of Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili said the country's experts have built a new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with bombing abilities, Press TV reported.

Esmaili said the new drone, named "Hazem", is a long range aircraft which can be used in air defense operations.

He noted that the drone will be used in targeting and identification operations, and for carrying cargo whenever needed.

The Iranian commander added that "Hazem" is not designed for carrying missiles, but "we can mount explosives on them".

In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems.

"Karrar", Iran's first indigenous long-range drone unveiled in August 2010, is capable of carrying a military payload of rockets to carry out bombing missions against ground targets, flying long distances at a very high speed, and gathering information.

The country's indigenous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), Shahed 129, unveiled in September, 2012, can carry out combat and reconnaissance missions with its 24-hour nonstop flight capability.

Tehran has repeatedly assured other nations that its military might poses no threat to other countries, insisting that the Islamic Republic's defense doctrine is entirely based on deterrence.

U.S. Submarine, Cruiser Collide Off Eastern U.S. Coast

U.S. Submarine, Cruiser Collide Off Eastern U.S. Coast | World | RIA Novosti

U.S. Navy submarine collided with an Aegis cruiser during routine operations off the coast of the Eastern United States, Navy officials said on Sunday.

The collision between USS Montpelier (SSN 765) and USS San Jacinto (CG 56) occurred at approximately 3:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight time.

No personnel aboard either vessel were injured while overall damage to both ships was being evaluated.

The submarine’s propulsion plant was unaffected by the collision and both ships are currently operating under their own power.

Turkey confiscates suspected "military materials" in Syrian plane

Source : Xinhua

ANKARA, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Turkey seized Wednesday suspicious cargo on board a Syrian civilian plane after intercepting the aircraft which was flying on the way from Moscow to Damascus.

"Military materials" were detected during the investigation, a Turkish official told Xinhua. The plane is waiting for Turkish Foreign Ministry's approval to take off again.

There were "objectionable" materials aboard, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters during his visit to Athens.

"We keep the materials for examination and further operations," Davutoglu added.

The Syrian passenger plane was forced to land in the Turkish capital of Ankara earlier on Wednesday over intelligence of "non- civilian cargo," Davutoglu said earlier in a televised interview.

The Damascus-bound plane had given "lacking notification" or " misinformation" about its cargo, Davutoglu said a few hours after the plane was forced by two F-16 warplanes to land at Esenboga Airport in Ankara.

Turkey scrambled F-16 fighter jets after the Airbus A-320 type plane, which took off from Moscow, entered into Turkey's airspace, and forced it to land in Ankara, according to earlier report.

Turkey is determined to stop any transfer of weapons to Syrian government through its territory, Davutoglu noted.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry has also instructed Turkish aviation companies to stay away from Syrian airspace and use other routes, the minister said, citing security threat in Syria

Russian Defense Minister Departs for India

Source: RIA Novosti

Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov has departed for India where he will attend a meeting of the Russian-Indian intergovernmental commission for military- technical cooperation.

The key issues to be discussed include the refit of the Vikramaditya aircraft carrier, construction of frigates for India’s Navy, as well as licensed production of Russian Su- 30MKI (Flanker-H) fighters and T-90S battle tanks in India, Serdyukov’s spokeswoman Irina Kovalchuk said.

She added that the commission may also discuss prospects of interaction in upgrade programs for Indian Air Force aircraft, infantry fighting vehicles and tanks and other issues.

Kovalchuk said the sides will sum up their joint activity and sign a relevant protocol.

India may seek more than $100 million in penalty payments from Russia for delays in handing over the refitted aircraft carrier Vikramaditya, India's Economic Times reported on Tuesday citing its Defense Ministry source. However, another source said New Delhi would be unlikely to impose sanctions, as “it would negatively affect bilateral military-technical cooperation.”

The carrier - already years past its original 2008 delivery date - was supposed to have been handed over on December 4, 2012, but sea trials in September revealed the ship's boilers were not fully functional. Repairs to the ship's boilers could mean the handover is delayed until fall 2013, a United Shipbuilding Corporation commission investigation said last month.

The Vikramaditya was originally built as the Soviet Project 1143.4 class aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov. The Project 1143.4 carriers and a class of destroyers with the same engines suffered a history of boiler failures during their lives.

The ship has a displacement of 45,000 tons, and an endurance of 13,500 nautical miles (25,000 km) at a cruising speed of 18 knots. It will have an air wing consisting of Russian-made MiG-29K jet fighter planes and Kamov Ka-31 early warning radar helicopters.

Baghdad to Rethink Allowing Turkish Military Bases in Iraq

Via: StratRisks

Committee member Mahdi al-Musawi told Azzaman yesterday [Oct. 6]: “Committee member Safia al-Suhail — in the presence of officials from both the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and from the central government [in Baghdad] — said that 16 Turkish military bases exist on Iraqi territory. No one denied these claims.”

Suhail explained that “the committee is implementing several measures to deal with this issue. These include communicating with the KRG to review and re-examine the agreements that the former regime had previously signed with Turkey regarding Turkey’s presence inside Iraqi territory.

These measures also involve discussions with senior military and armed-forces leaders to find out why the KRG is silent regarding the presence of these camps.”

Musawi explained that “northern areas are constantly subjected to Turkish attacks,” adding that “such behavior is not new, as we have seen these problems for a long time. The central government was engaged in a dialogue with the KRG and expressed its readiness to mobilize the army to these areas in order to protect them from attacks. However, the KRG has some reservations.”

Suhail noted that the committee “will keep communicating with the foreign ministry and the relevant officials,” adding that next week, it “will see intensive steps aimed at resolving the problem of Turkish military incursions.”

Musawi said, “The KRG did not deny the presence of these forces. Moreover, some non- governmental officials and figures from civil-society groups said that the KRG is familiar with these military camps on the border, and that this is why the KRG is not taking any action against them.

Turkey and Egypt to Conduct Drills in Eastern Med

Source: Turkisweekly

The navies of Turkey and Egypt will conduct a joint exercise between Oct. 7 and 14 in the eastern Mediterranean, the Turkish navy announced as President Mohamed Morsi addressed a large crowd to highlight his achievements in his first 100 days in office.

The exercise, called “Sea of Friendship” (Bahr al-Sadaka), will be hosted by Egypt. The Turkish Naval Forces will participate in the exercise with two frigates, two fast attack craft, one replenishment tanker, two landing ships, one marine infantry company, two helicopters and one special forces team. The navies of the two countries held the Sea of Friendship exercise last year, too.

The event aims to develop mutual cooperation and interoperability between the two navies. The exercise will come after Egypt’s new president strongly defended his performance in his first 100 days in office, speaking to a crowd of tens of thousands at Cairo’s largest sports stadium on Oct. 6.

Morsi presented his achievements since he took power in late June as Egypt’s first freely elected president, facing down criticism that little has been achieved even as he acknowledged that his administration has not fulfilled all of his promises and that much work lies ahead, the Associated Press reported.

Critics, however, say Morsi has not accomplishe as much as he could have since winning elections and accuse the president’s Muslim Brotherhood-backed party of mimicking the former regime by going after critics and stuffing government posts with loyalists. Oct. 6’s event, which included a military parade as part of a ceremony to mark the anniversary of Egypt’s 1973 war with Israel, was also a show of force for the Brotherhood, the Islamist movement tha has emerged as the country’s most powerful political group. In his speech, Morsi acknowledged that he has not fully delivered on key promises to fix Egypt’s garbage problem, its traffic problems and energy crisis. But he said many of the basic issues he set out to fix first in his first 100 days in office – which ended yesterday – such as reducing Cairo’s notoriously snarled traffic, have shown improvement.

‘No interest’

Morsi said he had achieved 70 percent of his goals. Egypt has asked the International Monetary Fund for a $4.8 billion loan to help bolster the economy, and officials said the IMF had asked Egypt to restructure its subsidies system as one of the prerequisite for the loan.

He also reiterated that he would abide by Islamic banking laws and not accept interests on the loan, telling the cheering crowd that “we’ll go hungry before we eat off of interest.” He also said his government had cracked down on a “mafia” of officials working in the Petroleum Ministry who were siphoning off millions of dollars in corrupt deals.

“We were in a phase where there was a lot of corruption. We want this corruption to stop,” Morsi said. “We will uncover all corruption,” he vowed, Agence France-Presse reported.

Monday, 8 October 2012

Hurriyet Daily News

Israel Under Fire From Gaza Militants

Via: RIA Novosti

At least 20 rocket rounds were launched into southern Israel from Gaza on Monday morning, Israel Defense Force radio reported.

Islamic Jihad, the armed wing of the HAMAS movement, claimed responsibility for the attacks.

No information has been released about casualties as a result of the rocket attacks.

The group said it was a response to a special operation by Israeli forces the previous evening, when eleven Palestinians were injured by Israeli bombing in the town of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli bombing was aimed at a motorcyclist in southern Gaza, in which one militant was injured.

Israel Defense Force radio said the operation was aimed at Palestinian militants who taken part in attacks against Israel from Egypt in June and were involved with militant Islamic groups

Taliban mock US as Afghan war enters 12th year

Source: The Express Tribune

KABUL: America’s longest war entered its 12th year Sunday, with the anniversary marked by a Taliban statement claiming that Nato forces are “fleeing Afghanistan” in “humiliation and disgrace”.

The US led the invasion on October 7, 2001 to topple the Taliban government for harbouring al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden after the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington.

The Taliban were quickly routed, but launched an insurgency that grew in strength over the years until NATO had some 130,000 troops from 50 countries defending the Western-backed government of President Hamid Karzai.

The troops have now begun pulling out and all foreign combat forces will be gone by the end of 2014 according to a withdrawal schedule agreed by the US and Nato.

“With the help of Allah, the valiant Afghans under the Jihadi leadership of Islamic Emirate defeated the military might and numerous strategies of America and Nato alliance,” the Taliban said in a statement Sunday.

“And now after eleven years of unceasing terror, tyranny, crimes and savagery, they are fleeing Afghanistan with such humiliation and disgrace that they are struggling to provide an explanation”.

A total of 3,199 Nato soldiers have been killed in the war, more than 2,000 of them Americans. Most deaths occurred in the past five years as Taliban attacks escalated, according to icasualties.com.

This year, official statistics showed that deaths in the Afghan security forces are running five times higher than those for Nato, as the Afghans take on increasing responsibilities before the Western withdrawal.

The US and Nato say Afghan forces will be capable of taking over the fight against the Taliban after 2014, but many analysts predict a bloody new multi-factional civil war.

Israeli soldiers teargas Palestinian farmers | Al Akhbar English

Israeli soldiers fired teargas to force Palestinian farmers to abandon their orchards near Hebron on Saturday, according to medics cited by the International Middle East Media Center.

Several farmers had to be treated by field medics after inhaling the fumes as they were picking their olive trees.

The IMEMC cites a Palestinian Red Crescent official, Abdul-Halim al- Jaafra, who said over 50 farmers were forced to flee after the army ordered farmers and residents to leave the orchard located near the illegal Adora Israeli settlement, west of Hebron.

Settlers and soldiers routinely destroy Palestinian olive orchards, often using tractors to uproot their main source of livelihood.

On Friday, settlers uprooted 100 newly-planted olive saplings and at least 60 vine trees on private Palestinian land in Al-Khader village near Bethlehem.

The coordinator of the local anti-wall committee, Ahmad Salah, said he noticed the vandalism while he was on a regular tour monitoring the town's fields on Friday.

He approached a field belonging to Abdul-Hakim Salah in an area known locally as Mustasi or Wadi al-Shami, near the illegal Israeli settlement of Newe Daniyyel, to find out that more than 100 saplings had been cut from the root or ripped from the ground.

He added that when he entered an adjacent grape field, he discovered that more fruit trees were also cut down.

"This vandalism is clear evidence that settlers are devoid of any human characteristic. They attack every Palestinian property including trees and stones."

Since 1967, 800,000 olive trees have been uprooted by Israeli forces, resulting in a loss of around $55 million to the Palestinian economy, according to a report by the Palestinian Authority Ministry of National Economy and the Applied Research Institute of Jerusalem.

(Ma'an, Al-Akhbar)

Russian, Central Asian Pilots in Air Defense Drills

Source: RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, October 5 (RIA Novosti) - Russian and Central Asian military pilots are carrying out joint exercises to repel missile strikes over Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, Russian Defense Ministry Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Vladimir Deryabin said on Friday.

The Clear Sky 2012 military exercises get underway on Friday an run through October 16, with planned scenarios including intercepting cruise missile attack.

MiG-31 log-range interceptors, A-50U airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft, Il-76 heavy transport planes, as well as anti-aircraft missile systems and radio equipment will be used in these training exercises.

Iran building new naval vessels: admiral

Source: Tehran Times

TEHRAN – The commander of the Iranian Navy has announced that the country’s experts are building new destroyers, submarines, and missile-firing warships. In an interview with the Persian service of IRNA published on Wednesday, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said that the projects to build destroyers of the Jamaran class, semi-heavy and light submarines, and missile-firing warships are well underway. The Jamaran is the first domestically manufactured destroyer. It can carry helicopters and is equipped with torpedoes. It is 94 meters long and weighs over 1,500 tons. The warship is capable of engaging in surface, air, and undersea warfare. Velayat destroyer to be launched by March 2013 Sayyari also said that the second domestically manufactured destroyer, named the Velayat, will be launched during the current Iranian calendar year, which ends on March 20, 2013. The Velayat destroyer is highly advanced and differs greatly from the Jamaran, he said. He added that other destroyers of the Navy have also been equipped with new radar, propulsion, communications, and surveillance systems and weapons. Elsewhere in his remarks, the admiral said that the Navy has planned to expand its presence on the open seas, adding that the scope of Iran’s naval operations is beyond the country’s borders. AM/PA

President Putin: Russian military bases to ensure stability in Central Asia after NATO leaves Afghanistan

President Putin: Russian military bases to ensure stability in Central Asia after NATO leaves Afghanistan - Via: Trend.Az

Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 20 / Trend V. Zhavoronkova/

Russian military bases will ensure stability in the Central Asian region after NATO withdraws from Afghanistan, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his visit to Kyrgyzstan, RIA Novosti reported.

He mentioned that Russia established military bases in Kyrgyzstan due to Kyrgyz request to ensure the region's stability.

Putin added that those who want to destabilize the situation in the region should know that the forces needed to prevent this present in the region.

He said that the presence of Russian military bases in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan will play a role of stability providing factor.

Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az

No US Intervention in Syria - State Department

No U.S. Intervention in Syria - State Department | World | RIA Novosti

WASHINGTON, October 3 (RIA Novosti)

Tags: Victoria Nuland, United States, Syria

The United States does not plan to use military force in Syria, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said on Tuesday.

When asked by reporters what the department’s reaction would be to Russia having “warned the West from intervening in Syria or creating a buffer zone or no-fly zone,” Nuland said: “I think we’ve made clear what we’re looking at in terms of U.S. support for the opposition. We’re talking about nonlethal support.”

“We’re talking about training. We’re talking about trying to help those in Syria who are trying to manage and provide for people in parts of Syria that have now been liberated from regime dominance,” she said.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry earlier on Tuesday called on Western countries to avoid military intervention in Syria.

A week ago, the emir of Qatar called for Arab military intervention in Syria.

The Syrian conflict has claimed up to 20,000 lives according to estimates by various Syrian opposition groups. The UN estimates the death toll at over 18,000 people. The Syrian authorities say 8,000 were killed.

The West is pushing for President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster while Russia and China are trying to prevent outside interference in Syria, saying that the Assad regime and the opposition are both to blame for the bloodshed.

Syrians under fire during attempt to infiltrate into Lebanon

Syrians under fire during attempt to infiltrate into Lebanon - Xinhua | English.news.cn

Syrians under fire during attempt to infiltrate into Lebanon

English.news.cn 2012-10-02 05:06:17

BEIRUT, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- A Syrian citizen was injured and two others went missing after they went under fire during an attempt to infiltrate into southern Lebanon through Mount Hermon, a Lebanese security source told Xinhua Monday.

The source said three Syrian citizens were caught under fire from non- Lebanese gunmen, who staged an ambush on the Syrian- Lebanese border in the Tallet El Zarka crossing.

The source added that the Syrian citizens, who came from the Beit Jin village, were fired upon by gunmen with light machine guns. One Syrian named Khair Mohammad Badawi was injured in the attack and was later sent to a Bekaa hospital by the villagers.

Meanwhile, two other Syrians named Ahmad Haidar and Abdallah Ak Safadi went missing during the incident, said the source.