Tag Archives: pakistan

International, U.S.

Terror Drones: April 9-15, Pakistani official says he will shoot down U.S. drones

April 15, 2012, Pakistani politician and activist, Imran Khan Niazi, said if he were Prime Minister he would shoot down any U.S. drone found over Pakistan.  Khan re-enforced his statement by saying that even if it were an “angel”, if it was wearing a military uniform he would shoot it down.

Khan blamed deteriorating conditions in Pakistan on the United States: “It is time we must separate ourselves from U.S. slavery and the war which has caused tremendous loss to us. Due to this war, we have not only faced terrorism but the menace of sectarianism is also on the rise…”

April 14, 2012, a U.S. drone strike killed seven people in the town of al-Zahar.  Yemeni officials said the people were anti-government Mujahideen.

April 12, 35 people were killed in Somalia, after two U.S. drone attacks.   Somali officials say the drone attacks were against two Mujahideen training bases, one near Mogadishu the other near Afgoye.

 

 

 

International, U.S.

World War 3: Mujahideen free several hundreds of prisoners in Pakistan, after U.S. officials say Drone strikes will continue

Pakistani prison officials say an early morning raid by hundreds of militants, on the Bannu prison, near the Afghan border.

The attack began at 01:30 hours, April 14, 2012.

Pakistani officials say at least 400 prisoners were freed, but some were re-captured or voluntarily gave up.  Mujahideen claim 1,200 prisoners were freed.   The prison is said to be able to hold nearly 1,000 people.

The attack came hours after U.S. officials told Pakistani officials that the United States would continue terror drone attacks.

International, Technology, U.S.

Terror Drones: April 2-8, U.S. to quadruple assassination drone attacks

The Washington Post reporting that the United States did indeed spy on Iran using UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles, aka drones).

The report says the National Security Agency has at least three years worth of drone surveillance data on Iran. The program is being run by the Central Intelligence Agency’s Iran Operations Division (aka Persia House).

April 7, Yemen military officials say a U.S. drone strike killed 24 anti-government Mujahideen in two locations.  They say some of those killed were foreign Arabs.

There are several anti-government groups in Yemen, two are called Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and Partisans of Sharia.

Reports this past week say that the continued use of drones in Yemen could draw the U.S. into a full blown civil war: ”The more the U.S. applies its current policy, the stronger Al Qaeda seems to get.”–Charles Schmitz, American Institute of Yemen Studies

“Drones are a weapon of terror in many ways, and the kind of hostility this is going to breed may not be worth the counter-terrorism gains.”-Barbara Bodine, former U.S. ambassador to Yemen

“Heavily armed American soldiers have begun appearing in large numbers at the Sheraton Hotel in the capital, Sana, a Yemeni official said.“-Los Angeles Times

Also on April 7, Israeli forces attacked Gaza Strip with drones. Israeli officials said they targeted two men on a motorcycle in the town of Rafah: “Aircraft thwarted a rocket launch in the southern Gaza Strip.”-IDF statement

Despite claiming to have “thwarted” a rocket launch by Palestinians, two rockets were launched at Israel the next morning, April 8.

April 6, “An International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicle crashed in northern Afghanistan…”-ISAF statement

No further details were presented.  Some reports also said a NATO helicopter crashed in the same area, but it might be witnesses confusing the rotary wing drone for a manned helicopter.

There are conflicting reports about drone operations ending in Pakistan and Afghanistan.  Most reports say drone operations will end after 2014, but there is a report that says assassination drones (aka MQ 9 Reapers) will actually quadruple their terror activity until 2016!

The report says the Reapers will operate from Australia’s Cocos Islands: “But don’t expect the worldwide drone war now being waged in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia and Yemen to wind down. To the contrary, an Air Force announcement posted online this week indicates the Pentagon anticipates more than quadrupling the size of the global drone war over the next four years.”-Salon, Air Force ramps up drone war

April 5, the U.S. puppet government of Somalia stated to the United Nations that they have given the U.S. permission to use drones against their own people.

“I’m not going to get into matters that relate to intelligence. I will say that the United States has been and remains extremely focused-as do all members of the international community-on combating the terrorist threat that Al Shabaab poses, as an active threat not only to Somali but to the people of the region and beyond, in particular, given its active affiliation with Al Qaeda.“-Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the UN

April 3, a U.S. drone crashed and exploded in Somalia.  The drone went down near the town of El-Bur, which is considered a stronghold of the anti-Western government Mujahidden group called al-Shabaab.  However, the residents of the town say al-Shabaab fighters left the town on March 24.

 

International, Technology, U.S.

Terror Drones: March 26 – April 1, U.S. killing their own

The United States continues to increase drone attacks in the Arabian Peninsula country of Yemen.

On March 30, 2012, at least five people were killed, and a natural gas pipeline was blown up after a U.S. drone strike near Shabwa.

Official U.S. statements say they targeted “suspected” al Qaeda militants, one missile hit a car, the other missile hit a building.  Witnesses say a another vehicle was struck, killing everyone inside.  It was an entire family.  U.S. officials have no comment.

There are also reports that a drone attack hit a natural gas pipeline. U.S. officials claim the “suspected” militants blew up the pipeline after the drone strike.

According to Australia’s Brisbane Times, the United States has dramatically increased the use of drones in Yemen.  In May 2011, Peaceprize winner, Barack Obama, ordered an increase of drone strikes.  The result was at least 26 drone strikes in Yemen (keep in mind that officially the U.S. wasn’t supposed to be involved in Yemen).  Now, since January 2012 there have been at least nine drone strikes, five just in the month of March 2012.

It’s not just the number of drone strikes, the number of people being killed in each drone strike is going up as well.  London’s City University, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, reports that as many as 516 people have been killed in Yemen, with as many as 105 confirmed as civilians (including five pregnant women and 22 children), not “suspected” militants.

Another issue is the fact that many parts of Yemen are without electrical power.  The main reason is that power plants are repeatedly targeted, by U.S. and anti-government Mujahideen.

The latest case involves families who lost loved ones due to U.S. drone strikes. They are now attacking power stations demanding compensation for the loss of their relatives: “Victims of U.S. drone strikes constituted that the majority of locals attacked the electricity supply because their demands for compensation after the attack were not addressed.”-Saeed Ali al-Yousifi, The Yemen Observer

On March 25, 2012, the power station in Marib Province was attacked and shut down by an angry mob.  The angry crowd included people who had been victims of past drone attacks, including the family of a young man who lost both legs in a May, 2010, U.S. drone attack.

On March 31, the United States attacked the northeastern African country of Somalia, with drones. A Somali official, Hussein Mohamed Uraag, says several missiles were fired into the western portion of the city of Mogadishu.  At least 18 people were killed.

In South Asia, despite demands from Pakistan’s parliament, to stop drone attacks, on March 30 the U.S. destroyed a house with a drone strike.  At least four people were killed.

The attack took place in North Waziristan, officials say the targeted people were from Uzbekistan.

On April 1, the Pakistani Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS), announced that they will tie the ending of U.S. drone attacks to continued support for U.S./NATO supply convoys through Pakistan.

Pakistani Army Chief General, Ashfraq Pervez Kayani, said NATO has so far not contacted the Pakistani military regarding renewed support for U.S./NATO/ISAF supply convoys.

Pakistani Senator, Mushahid Hussain Sayed, said NATO should not be allowed to transport weapons through Pakistan, and that all other supplies will be allowed only if the United States stops drone attacks.

Maulana Abdul Maalik Wazir, National Assembly of Pakistan, said all NATO supply routes should be shut down, no more negotiating!

Pakistani Senator, Mudassir Sehar Kamran, demanded the United States pay for past damages caused by U.S. drone strikes!

On March 29, it was reported that Australia will be arming it’s troops in the Central Asian country of Afghanistan, with more surveillance drones.

It’s called the Shadow 200 Tactical Unmanned Aerial System (TUAS), and was first used by the U.S. in the Middle Eastern country of Iraq.  It is used for recon purposes.  It’s still used by U.S. forces.

April 6, 2012, will be the year anniversary of the first known case of U.S. forces killing two of their own with a Predator terror drone strike: “The two-man Predator crew responsible for this particular airstrike not only destroyed a young Navy corpsman’s life but also destroyed the lives of his entire family.”-Robert Rast, father of one of the victims

On April 6, 2011, a U.S. Navy corpsman, and a USMC Staff Sergeant, were killed in Afghanistan by a USAF Captain operating a Predator drone from his base in Nevada!

A 385 page report puts the blame on the U.S. Air Force for failing to communicate with U.S. Marines on the ground in Afghanistan: “Information was available to the Predator crew that potentially could have increased the commander’s understanding of the situation, but this information was not communicated to Marines on the ground who were directing the attack….In the final analysis the chain of events that led to Staff Sgt. Smith and (Hospitalman) Rast being targeted and ultimately killed by friendly fire was initiated by the on-scene ground force commander’s lack of overall situational awareness and the inability to accurately communicate his friendly force disposition with respect to the enemy.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

International, U.S.

Terror Drones: March 18-25

“The President’s counter terrorism campaign is about stealth power, rather than hard power or soft power. He is a Jekyll and Hyde president; he is the king of covert because there are not many military options available now.”-Laura Blumenfeld, German Marshall Fund

On March 25, 2012, U.S. President Barack Obama was labeled “Jekyll and Hyde”, at the annual Brussels Forum. Analyst say Obama has increased the use of terror drones in order to save money!

Pakistan’s President says Parliamentary demands that the U.S. stop using terror drones against Pakistan, is a sign of democracy.

On March 25, President Asif Ali Zardari met with Marc Grossman, Special U.S. Representative on Afghanistan and Pakistan.  Zandari said the U.S. had to respect the demands of the Pakistani members of parliament.

Zandari also brought up drug trafficking, which has increased ever since the United States started the so called War on Terror.

Earlier in the week, U.S. Senator Joe Libierman and Senator Dianne Feinstein refused demands from Afghan leaders, who’re calling for a stop to terror drone strikes in their country.

“Drone strikes are critically important to America’s national security. So obviously, I do not believe they should stop.”-Joe Libierman, Senator for Connecticut

“I think the key is whether Pakistan will go into North Waziristan and other places and take out those terrorist leaders who are essentially fueling and leading attacks against our troops in Afghanistan.”-Dianne Feinstein, Senator for California

In the Philippines the government there is denying that the U.S. is using terror drones to help the Philippine government fight mujahideen in the southern islands: “They are here as advisers. They are here as trainers. They can not participate in combat operations.”-Benigno Aquino, President of Philippines

The United States began sending troops back to the Philippines ever since the beginning of the War on Terror.  In the past two years U.S. troop numbers have increased, and could actually be due to the growing tensions over the oil rich South China Sea (especially in an area called Reed Bank).

While the Philippines says no terror drones are being used there, they admit  helping the United States, and the Malaysian government launch air strikes against mujahideen in Malaysia.

 

 

 

 

International, U.S.

Week of Terror Drone strikes, March 11-17

March 13, two U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan, one in North Waziristan, one in South Waziristan, killed 15 people.  Two of those killed were pro-government militants!

March 11, Israeli drone hits family as mother walked her children home. All ended up in the hospital with cuts and fractures. One 15 year old boy died.

“We were coming back from school along with six of our companions when suddenly a drone hit us. I had the sensation of flying.”-Hani Al-Qanoo, boy injured in attack

“The drones fly low over the night sky, the explosions are now less frequent but nobody is relaxing or being lulled in to any false sense of security, Gaza is awake and will not sleep tonight.”-eyewitness living in Gaza Strip

March 11, nine people killed in Yemen by U.S. drone strike. Three people killed in Jabal Khanfar, a hill overlooking the Abyan town of Jaar. Six people killed in Makhzan, southeast of Jaar.  Witnesses say at least six missiles were fired from several U.S .drones.

 

 

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

Oil & Gas Prices: Despite glut of oil, U.S. demands Saudi Arabia increase oil output, sign of coming World War 3 in July? Iran says U.S. government has no concern for average consumer

“There were talks held between Saudi and the U.S., and the U.S. asked if Saudi could be accommodating once the sanctions take effect in July. And the Saudi response was that it was ready to meet demand in the market if required, but would not like to take part in the politics.”-unnamed Saudi Arabian official

The U.S. demand came at the current IEF meeting in Kuwait. It was at the beginning of that meeting that IEF officials confirmed there was a glut of oil on the markets.  So why would the U.S. demand Saudi Arabia increase oil production?

One clue comes from Edward Markey, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee: “If Iran won’t stop saber rattling, and the Saudis won’t eliminate Iran’s leverage by producing more oil, then it’s time to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to send these countries a message that the U.S. economy won’t be held hostage for months.”

But wait, I though the U.S. oil industry is being flooded with oil from Canada and the U.S. state of North Dakota? And why is there this talk of “months”, and “July”?

The European Union’s oil sanctions go into effect in July.  But that shouldn’t be too big of a deal, considering Iran has already stopped oil shipments to at least two European countries, and threatens to cut off more oil shipments.

Now, just one day after the U.S. made its demands on Saudi Arabia, the Saudis say they will comply: “…Saudi Arabia and others remain poised to make good any shortfalls, perceived or real, in crude oil supply.”-Ali al-Naimi, Oil Minister of Saudi Arabia

Notice he added “perceived or real”.  This means if the U.S. tells them there’s a shortage, even if there isn’t they’ll increase production. This is significant because just days before Saudi officials told Reuters’ reporters that they would increase oil production only if there was an true oil shortage!

Reuters reported that the West vs Iran tensions are getting little attention at the IEF meeting.  However, the Iranian representative indicated that the U.S. was using oil simply as a weapon, with no concern about how it affects the average person: “Unfortunately some big countries who are among the major energy consumers, view oil as one of the basic constituents in their military, security and political strategies and use it as a political tool against oil producing countries. Exerting unilateral economic constraints of political instigations is a threat, which jeopardizes free trade and continuity of oil supply in the world.”-Rostam Ghasemi, Oil Minister of Iran

International, Technology, U.S.

World War 3: Sudden increase in U.S. Assassination Terror Drone attacks, more than 50 people killed in past 24 hours, Obama proves he is more a warmonger than Bush Jr

There seems to be a sudden increase in the use of U.S. terror drones (UAV, unmanned aerial vehicle); four attacks in a 24 hour period, killing more than 50 people.

On March 10, 2012, at least four Afghan civilians were reported killed after a U.S. drone strike in Kapisa Province, Afghanistan.

In Yemen, on March 9, 2012, local security forces say a drone strike killed as many as 35 people.   It happened in the south eastern province of al-Bayda.  Then in the early morning of March 10, security forces reported yet another U.S. drone strike in the same area, this time killing at least 10 “militants”.  The people of Yemen have been fighting a Revolution against the U.S. supported government for at least two years now.

In Pakistan, conflicting reports about a drone attack there.  On March 9, 2012, officials said two missiles from a U.S. drone hit a vehicle, killing between eight and 13 militants.  Western reports say the militants would not let anyone get near the bodies, but, regional media said one of the missiles hit a house, killing another seven people.  It happened in South Waziristan Province.

According to Agence France-Presse, there were at least 45 U.S. drone attacks in Pakistan in 2009, 101 in 2010 and 64 in 2011.

Counting the March 9 attack, there have been eight known U.S. drone attacks in Pakistan, since the beginning of 2012.

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism says at least 3,000 people have been killed by U.S. terror drones, in Pakistan, in the past eight years.   Under the Bush Jr administration there were 52 drone attacks in Pakistan.  So far, Peace Prize winning Barack Obama has launched more than 360 U.S. drone attacks in Pakistan!!!

International, U.S.

Obama & the U.S. Congress are Zionist lovers! Statement proves the U.S. doesn’t care about Human Rights! Israelis say it’s not enough, they want full blown War!!!

“When resolutions are brought up at the Human Rights Council, we oppose them. When Israeli diplomats feared for their lives in Cairo, we intervened to help save them. When there are efforts to boycott or divest from Israel, we will stand against them. When the chips are down I have Israel’s back.”-Barack Obama, President of the United States, statement made at AIPAC Conference, March 4, 2012

Israeli lawmakers responded to Obama’s AIPAC speech by basically saying it wasn’t enough!   One rabid Israeli politician said: “We are facing an existential threat….If Israel doesn’t “bluster” [a reference to a phrase used in Obama’s AIPAC speech], the U.S. will also be in danger, because Iran’s missiles will reach them too. Israel is doing everything possible to keep the world safe, and it’s unfortunate that the White House doesn’t see things the way we see them here.”-MK (Member Knesset) Ayub Kara, Likud Party

Another rapid Israeli said Israel should go it alone: “Looking back at the way the United States criticized Israel for destroying the nuclear reactor in Iraq, Israel must make its decisions based on its own good judgment.”-MK (Member Knesset) Danny Danon, Likud Party

International, U.S.

Red Horse & World War 3: Pentagon admits to helping Yemen government repress pro-Freedom rebels!!! Rebels blow up military transport plane

“The mujihadeen killed a CIA officer on Thursday while he was in Aden province after tracking him and determining he was cooperating with the Sanaa government.”-Yemen Freedom Fighter’s text message

U.S. Defense Department officials admitted the United States is actively helping the pro-U.S. government of Yemen kill the people of Yemen!!!

This after anti-U.S. rebels identified, tracked down and attacked a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer!  Pro-Freedom demonstrators say the CIA agent was killed, the pro-U.S. Yemen government says he was not killed.

Also, Yemen government security officials admitted that a U.S. ‘security’ team, which was training Yemen forces in how to put down their own people, had been shot at by rebels.

Until now the United States has denied having personnel on the ground in Yemen.  The U.S. and United Kingdom, have been supporting the repressive Yemen government for several decades.

At the end of February 2012, U.S. President Obama announce a two pronged plan to support the Yemen government.  In June 2011, Obama announced $200 million in taxpayer funded aid for the despotic government of Yemen.  That followed the defection of hundreds of Yemen’s military personnel (Yemen Republican Guards) to the rebels (video showed military personnel protesting alongside the rebels).

The people of Yemen have been openly fighting their pro-U.S. government since March 2011. That’s when the now former president ordered troops to shoot to kill peaceful protestors (told you peaceful protest doesn’t work).

On March 4, 2012, a military cargo aircraft exploded on an airbase near Yemen’s capitol city of Sana’a: “An Antonov aircraft blew up in mysterious circumstances while it was on the tarmac at Dulaimi air force base.”-airport employee

Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other.