A group of Islamist protesters and gunmen attacked the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Tuesday. The invaders set fire to the consulate building and killed the American ambassador and others, an Israeli national police official told this writer before the news media broke the story regarding the murder of Ambassador Chris Stevens.

“This attack, along with the one in Egypt, is a reminder of the Iranian invasion of a U.S. embassy in Tehran that led to a lengthy hostage crisis which brought down the [President Jimmy] Carter administration,” said Thomas Sullivan. Sullivan is a former police official who helped with security when the Shah of Iran and his family sought protection and hospitalization for the former Iranian leader.

Sullivan believes a full investigation is needed since the Obama administration was warned by a Government Accountability Office report that was released to the U.S. Congress, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and concerned agencies and organizations. [1]

The GAO analysis addressed the growth of diplomatic security’s missions and resources, and the challenges diplomatic security officials face in conducting their work.

The Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security is responsible for the protection of people, facilities, information, and property at over 400 embassies, consulates, and other facilities throughout the globe, according to the GAO analysis. [2]

In addition, Diplomatic Security provides protection to the Secretary of State, foreign dignitaries visiting the United States, and several other U.S. government officials. Diplomatic Security dedicates 72 special agents to provide a 24-hour protective detail for the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Since the 1998 bombings of U.S. Embassies in East Africa, the scope and complexity of threats facing Americans abroad and at home has increased and diplomatic security must be prepared to counter threats such as crime, espionage, visa and passport fraud, technological intrusions, political violence (riots and intrusions), and terrorism, according to analysts at the GAO.

To address these objectives GAO analysts interviewed numerous officials at Diplomatic Security headquarters, several domestic facilities, and 18 international postings. They also analyzed diplomatic security and State Department budget and personnel data, as well as assessed challenges facing diplomatic security officials through the analysis of interviews with personnel positioned domestically and internationally, budget and personnel data provided by the State Department and Diplomatic Security, and planning and strategic documentation.

Since 1998, the Office of Diplomatic Security’s mission and activities — and, subsequently, its resources — have grown considerably in reaction to a number of security incidents. As a consequence of this growth, analysts identified several challenges. In particular, the State Department is maintaining a presence in an increasing number of dangerous posts, which requires additional resources, the analysts noted.

In addition, staffing shortages in domestic offices and other operational challenges — such as inadequate facilities, language deficiencies, experience gaps, and the difficulty of balancing security needs with State’s diplomatic mission — further tax Diplomatic Security officials’ ability to implement all of its missions.

Diplomatic Security’s desire to provide the best security possible for State’s diplomatic corps has, at times, been in tension with State’s diplomatic mission. For example, Diplomatic Security has established strict policies concerning access to U.S. facilities that usually include personal and vehicle screening, according to the GAO analysts.

Some public affairs officials — whose job it is to foster relations with host country nationals — have expressed concerns that the security measures discourage visitors from attending U.S. embassy events or exhibits. In addition, the new embassies and consulates, with their high walls, deep setback, and strict screening procedures, have evoked the nickname, “Fortress America.”

The State Department has also received criticism from liberal-left think-tanks for adopting what seems to be a “zero tolerance” for security incidents. Two are encouraging State to change its security culture and practices from risk avoidance to risk management.

The GAO analysis revealed that Diplomatic Security’s ability to fully carry out its mission of providing security worldwide is hindered by staffing shortages in domestic offices–even in light of its workforce growth–and other operational challenges such as inadequate facilities, pervasive language proficiency shortfalls, and host-country constraints, among others. [3]

[1] (www.gao.gov/new.items/d11780t.pdf)

[2] (www.gao.gov/new.items/d10290t.pdf)  

[3] (http://oig.state.gov/documents/organization/194693.pdf)

AUTHOR: Jim Kouri
URL: http://www.renewamerica.com/
E-MAIL: COPmagazine [at] aol.com

There is the question of what the US authorities would do under the Patriot Act, if a Muslim made a film that defamed Jesus Christ and Christian Western civilization? This is a question that has been raised in the last two decades, given that there have been burnings of the Koran, vehemently vitriolic speeches, writings, and broadcasts against Islam, using ‘terrorism’ as a thin veil for inciting prejudice and hatred, and a systematic policy of persecution not just by the US, but many of Western counties that violate the human rights of Muslims and where hate crimes take place by individuals and xenophobic groups.

The tragedy that erased human lives must be condemned by all, including Muslims no matter how angry they may be with US policy of military intervention in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria and the entire Middle East that has been an obsession for US balance of power politics and a source for cheap energy in the past sixty years. However, there is a larger question of hypocrisy here, the kind of hypocrisy that keeps repeating itself without end. Why the double-standard in the treatment of Muslims versus non-Muslims?

Another very important issue is that the US has been working with some Islamists in Arab Spring uprisings to bring down regimes it does not favor, including those of Libya under colonel Qaddhafi and now Syria under Assad. Naturally, Obama and Clinton cannot reveal to the world what many know already, namely, that the US has been and continues to work with Islamists, while fighting the ‘war on terror’. Let us not forget that the US once worked with al-Qaeda against the pro-Soviet secular regime in Afghanistan in the 1980′s, and the goals of the US and al-Qaeda have been running parallel in many countries during the Arab Spring uprisings.

Political Islam with which the US often cooperates as well as fights as part of the larger ‘war on terror’ is at some level responsible for breeding violence. To what degree would political Islam be able to gain the kind of broad popular support if it were not for US intervention intended to achieve hegemony at various levels from economic to military in the Middle East? Political Islam is today an instrument of political expression, as it was in the late 19th century Egypt, producing disparate voices from moderate to fanatic, from non-violent to very violent amid the desperation of colonialism by the secular West.

This is not to say that Islamic political opportunists are not using religion for their own ends, but what feeds political Islam is the perpetual quest of the US and to a lesser degree Europe, to exploit and dominate the Middle East and North Africa; domination that translates into exploitation and gradual eradication of indigenous culture. One could rightly argue that the Chinese are just as involved with the Arab world and Africa. True enough, so why do we not see a Muslim movement against China that is interested in a business relationship under the market system, without pursuing a more overall policy of hegemony that includes diluting, if not occasionally insulting the Islamic faith?

Islam was the first force of anti-colonial resistance in the Arab World. After centuries-long tradition of Islamic rule over society, political Islam is an inevitable development in the form of political parties trying to mobilize popular support and win control of the state. The debate of whether political Islam is or is not a legitimate extension of Muslim tradition is one that preoccupies mostly the West, though it is true that Muslims have also dealt with this issue. Naturally, political Islam was fine as long as the rulers were and some who remain Western puppets and permit natural resources and markets to be exploited by the West whose defense and foreign policy they follow.

Political Islam became an anathema only when it became anti-Western, refusing to emulate the political, economic and cultural institutions of the West any more than embrace its values. Political Islam is questionable not because it is political, but because it is anti-West. A reasonable person would think that the US and the West would have learned their lesson in the last ten years in the Muslim World, namely, co-optation under Americanized institutions and values simply will not work nearly as smoothly as expected, and it will definitely backfire as it has repeatedly. I am convinced that policymakers are smart people who know all of this, but what drives them is ideology behind which hide tangible policy and economic interests.

Religious Islam and Peace

Contrary to what many in the West believe, largely because the media and politicians have bombarded them with endless propaganda, Muslims are a people of peace, no different in their quest for survival on this planet than anyone else. They too bleed when punctured, they too feel tragedy when their sons and daughters are shot down by the military of an occupying force, whether that would be NATO, US, or Israeli. The quest to be treated humanely and with respect for their religious and national integrity, to preserve their cultural identity that the West has been violating for more than a century may seem unreasonable to some in the West. Having the West pay tribute and respect and collaborating with a few among the political and business elites in the Arab world while the average Muslim struggles to preserve cultural identity, ethnic integrity, economic and social justice is at the root of the problem of why a person committed to the faith of peace my use it to justify turning to political Islam.

What is Islam? Islam means voluntary submission or surrender to the Will of Allah, but it can also mean peace or safety, under Allah. This third monotheistic religion to come from the Middle East after Judaism and Christianity whose doctrinal roots Islam shares and respects, given that Abraham, Moses and Jesus are regarded as prophets. The Qur’an contains Allah’s revelation as the prophet Mohammad delivered it to the faithful called Muslims. Besides the five pillars of Islam that make up the doctrinal foundation, the religion of Mohammad integrates faith and (Islamic) law, thus providing society with guidelines on all matters from worship to commerce and marriage.

As all religions evolve and theologians provide their own interpretations, similarly Islam has undergone various interpretations in the past 14 centuries. The estimated 25% of the world’s people that follow Islam do not fall into the exact same doctrinal mold any more than Christians or Jews. The interaction of Christians, Jews and Muslims was relatively harmonious from the rise and spread of Islam until the Christian crusades that marked the beginning of religious rivalry, behind which rested commercial ambitions to take over the long-distance trade routes that Muslims controlled along with the lucrative gold trade.

It seems to me that politicians, journalists, academics and clergy should have been promoting peace and harmony among all people, especially after 9/11, instead of joining the bandwagon of the fruitless and destructive ‘war on terror’ that has made a few corporations richer but without making the West any safer. Paying lip service to such concepts as peace, interfaith harmony, etc., so that one appears politically correct is not enough if it means conforming to the ‘war on terror’ policy which is in essence focused on augmenting popularity, strength, purses and prestige of certain narrow groups behind this policy. Engaging in anti-Islam rhetoric and justifying it by supporting the ‘war on terror’ only strengthens political Islam and feeds the cycle of violence.

While there are politicians, a few academics, journalists and clergy honestly committed to the goals of peace and harmony, mainstream political parties, the mass media and organized religion have failed to deliver in practice on what they claims as a key doctrine, namely, peace and harmony. This is because division of people, nationalities, religious and ethnic groups sells and permits those delivering the message of hatred to benefit.In short, conflict results in profits, power and prestige, though it carries many risks as well.

Americans have every right to ask the question of how can this attack on US nationals take place in a country the US helped ‘liberate’, in Benghazi that was a pro-US stronghold during the uprising, and on the anniversary of 9/11. They also have every right to honest answers about US government tactics and goals in Libya during the civil war and since then. Listening to Hilary Clinton and Barak Obama speak about the tragedy in Libya, it simply confirms that the US government is not about to change course of failed policies of the past, policies I fear that will bring a great deal more violence in the region, no matter how much the US tells the world that its only goal is freedom and democracy.

This is not to say that those who committed the acts of violence should not be pursued and tried under Libyan court of law. Nevertheless, I am guessing that Washington’s decision will be to adopt an even more hardline toward Islamic nations in general that do not cooperate with the US, especially given the pressure from Republicans amid the heated campaign season, and Israeli pressure to strike at Iran. In short, a policy not so different from the past. Therefore, the cycle of violence will continue and probably intensify. The worst is yet to come in the Middle East, and not just because Islam the religion of peace has been subverted into political Islam of fanaticism owing solely to internal factors.

AUTHOR: Jon Kofas
URL: http://jonkofas.blogspot.com
E-MAIL: jonkofas [at] yahoo.com

Officials of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) who announced this said the vessel was carrying fuel and was sailing towards the open sea.

IMB said Nigerian authorities have been notified of the attack and are taking action.
According to IMB, the sailors locked themselves in a safe room to avoid harm by the attackers who are suspected to be oil thieves from Nigeria’s Niger Delta region.

The organization disclosed that the Gulf of Guinea where the attack took place has had 37 attacks on ships this year alone.

Naval sources told PTI that the attackers normally siphon oil from the ships and release them after a few days.
Last week, an oil vessel was seized by pirates, off the Coast of Togolese capital of Lome and released few days later near Nigeria with its 23 Russian crew members.

3,000 tonnes of fuel were stolen from the ship, MT Energy Centurion, owned by a Greece-based firm, Golden Energy Management.

AUTHOR: Paul Ohia
URL: www.paulohia.blog.com and www.paulohia.blogspot.com
E-MAIL: paulohia [at] yahoo.co.uk

Mali begins Touareg dialogue. Image by Flickr user Magharebia (CC BY 2.0).

A solution to the Mali crisis seems to be vanishing as time goes by. It has been five months now that the country has been divided into two parts: the South is ruled by a fragile [fr] government while the North, which includes the historic cities of Timbuktu and Gao, is the theater of the Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb‘s (AQIM) expansion in the Sahel.

North Mali indirectly in the hands of AQIM

In April 2012, after the cities of Gao, Timbuktu and Kidal had fallen, the Tuareg rebellion group National Movement for Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) unilaterally proclaimed the secession of the northern part of the country.

Currently, the region is under the influence of four [fr] different groups: the MNLA, Ansar Dine, which defines itself as Salafist, the Movement for the Unity of Jihad in West Africa (Mujao), and AQIM.

However, a report [fr] by AFP, suggests that it is actually AQIM that coordinates and funds the three other organisations; this suspicion is reinforced by the alleged presence in Mali of Mokhtar Belmokhtar, a founding member of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (SGPC), which became the AQIM.

In March 2012, israeldefense.com wrote about Belmokhtar’s visits to Libya, and already reported fears of a possible AQIM expansion in the Southern Sahara:

According to Mali’s security sources, the leader of al-Qaeda’s North African branch, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, has been in Libya for several weeks with the goal of procuring arms. (…) Malian security sources claim that Belmokhtar’s activities in Libya confirm the premise that AQIM intends to extend its sphere of influence and that “terrorists will do anything to create a sweeping network in the Sahel and the Sahara.”

Political and diplomatic deadlock

It appears that AQIM is consolidating its grip on Northern Mali.  On August 9, Koaci.com reported that members of the Mujao cut the hand [fr] off of an alleged thief in the city of Ansogo. This followed the July 30 stoning of an unwed couple in the region of Kidal.

To date, regional response  to the crisis have been muted. While West African leaders appointed Blaise Compaoré, President of Burkina Faso, as a mediator [fr] in this crisis after the March 22 Mali coup, the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) has yet to send military forces to restore the territorial unity of Mali.

And while Afrik.com [fr] reports that the de facto Malian government and ECOWAS have reached an agreement aimed at resolving the crisis, military intervention remains the preferred option of many netizens. Thierno A. Diallo from neighboring Guinea writes on his blog [fr]:

Ce qui se passe au Mali est grave. Notre pays, frontalier au sud et pas tellement éloigné de cette zone de non-droit a tout à perdre d’une victoire des fanatiques à nos portes. Le landernau politique guinéen, la tête dans le guidon des interminables législatives voulues par Alpha Condé, risque d’avoir un réveil en sursaut très douloureux. La zone la plus proche géographiquement et donc  la plus menacée étant la Haute-Guinée.

This post and its translations to Spanish, Arabic and French were commissioned by the International Security Network (ISN) as part of a partnership to seek out citizen voices on international relations and security issues worldwide. This post was first published on the ISN blog, see similar stories here.

First published at Global Voices.

AUTHOR: Julie Owono
URL: http://bantupolitics.blogspot.com/
E-MAIL: info [at] www.NL-Aid.org

The U.S. government sanctions are being imposed due to Hezbollah providing material support to the government of Syria, according the Treasury Department press statement.

In a press statement, the Treasury Department accused Hezbollah of providing training, advisors and “extensive logistical support” to the Syrian military and police in the regime’s quest to destroy its opposition as a result of the uprising that started more than a year ago.

“Hezbollah [is] directly [training] Syrian government personnel inside Syria and has facilitated the training of Syrian forces by Iran’s terrorist arm, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Qods Force (IRGC-QF),” said the Treasury Department statement.

In addition, the U.S. government alleges that the terrorist group is pushing war refugees out of Lebanon and back into war-torn Syria.

“Hezbollah’s extensive support to the Syrian government’s violent suppression of the Syrian people exposes the true nature of this terrorist organization and its destabilizing presence in the region,” said the statement.

As a result of the Treasury Department sanctions, any assets belonging to Hezbollah or its members under U.S. jurisdiction will be frozen. Also Americans and U.S. businesses are prohibited from doing business with the terrorist group or its affiliates under penalty of federal law.

Hezbollah is already a U.S. Department of State designated terrorist organization which was declared in 2001. Its alleged commander, Hasan Nasrallah, was named a terrorist in 1995 during the Clinton administration.

AUTHOR: Jim Kouri
URL: http://www.renewamerica.com/
E-MAIL: COPmagazine [at] aol.com

Between 2 July – 18 July, NL-Aid is enjoying a summer recess. From 19th July, you can read articles of our authors again. Untill that time, we have selected Youtube videos in which development thinkers are centered. In this episode: Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

AUTHOR: Hans Sluijter
URL: www.NL-Aid.org
E-MAIL: info [at] www.NL-Aid.org

The call was made by European Union Ambassador to Tanzania Filiberto Ceriani Sebregondi, to media representatives, who were invited to attend an EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Force Headquarters media event, held on board the French warship FS MARNE.

At this event, EU NAVFOR Force Commander Rear Admiral Jean-Baptiste Dupuis from the French Navy elaborated on a series of activities that his ship will conduct in order to get rid of the piracy threat which has been affecting a lot of the traffic on the Ocean.

The warlike marine vessel is on a four-month assignment against pirates, but it will also deal with other crimes going on around the ocean, in particular illegal fishing.

“A military action to prevent piracy must be accompanied by massive support from other partners, including the United Nations and the African Union, towards finding a political solution to Somalia, which is the main source of the problem,” remarked the ambassador.

Apart from the EU ambassador, another high-ranking officer at the event and who also made constructive comments was the French Ambassador to Tanzania, Marcel Escure, who in turn called for a concerted effort of the multi-stakeholders in order to end this bad situation.

Ambassador Sebregondi revisited a number of the problems which have arisen because of a failure to find an amicable solution in Somalia, where economic activity has been seriously affected to the extent of causing instability on almost the whole of the easterly rim of East Africa and the Horn of Africa.

“Apart from political instability, we all know how piracy has added more difficulties to a country that is commonly known for its terrible refugee problem, which has caused human sufferings and immorality to a large extent,” he added.

He equated Somalia as being a hot spot with Afghanistan, where the internal challenges have drawn world attention due to the uniqueness of the criminal operations troubling one of the most important areas for sea navigation.

“It is strange to see that the UN and AU have managed to resolve so many conflicts in Africa and elsewhere, but these bodies have failed to resolve the clan fighting, to the extent that Kenya has also been put in a very delicate security situation over the past six years,” he commented.

The ambassador reminded his hearers that Somalia is important to Europe not only because of deterring piracy but also because of the historical cooperation under the former European Economic Commission and the African Caribbean and Pacific arrangement, commonly known as the Lome’ Convention.

He mentioned that currently, due to the desperation of youth in the area, some of them have been caught several times trying to migrate to Europe as stowaways. But in the worst case some have even resolved to become terrorists, no wonder now that the Al-shabaab network is increasing its presence in the region.

The ambassador mentioned that the disintegration of Somalia has increased the cost of living in almost the whole of the East and Horn of Africa, for the reason that economic activity is affected as countries have to tighten their security.

In 2010, during the World Cup, an Al-shabaab masterminded attack led to the death of more than 70 people in Kampala, due to the fact that Uganda had provided soldiers against Somali pirates.

Around the same time there were attacks on Kenya which prompted the Nairobi government to launch a full scale war against Somali terrorists, an operation which is still ongoing up to now, although its magnitude has been reduced considerably.

Moreover freight charges have increased consumer prices, while investments in certain areas have dwindled due to security threats. The involvement of NATO, the EU and other players has diverted the use of funds which otherwise could have been spent on developmental activities.

For his part, Admiral Dupuis said his involvement was purely military, but a good number of decisions are political, while he admitted that without tightening security the whole of the maritime area from the Red Sea to the coast of Mozambique would be rendered useless.

He declared that piracy has necessitated military intervention because the world is very much dependent on the Gulf of Aden, due to the economic activity carried out there, particularly the passage of freight.

“The cost of fighting piracy is nothing in comparison to the devastation caused by pirate activity, harbours in Dar es Salaam and Mombasa will be quite unproductive due to the effect of this brigandage, if it were to go on unchecked,” he commented.

Describing the functions of his ship, the admiral said that currently Djibouti has been set up as the headquarters of anti-pirate action, and this has been so for all the partner states of the operation.

His ship this time has 215 crewmen on board together with 30 task-force staff soldiers, but although France is currently in charge of the operation there are further independent antipiracy actions being conducted by NATO, China, India and Russia.

He said his assignment amongst many other things is to be in charge of giving orders and maintaining communications, and eventually giving reports and feedback to the central command of the operation.

He elaborated further that the operation encompasses a lot of tactical measures which are based on computer work linking the US, NATO and numerous influential people in intelligence and global security networks.

The admiral revealed that the current EU mandate against piracy extends up to 2014 and is subject to renewal. Operating under the title Atalanta 2012, the admiral said that there have been big improvements in the methods of operation.

Giving statistics, he said that in 2009 there were 163 attacks on shipping, while in 2010 they increased up to 174, and in 2011 they rose again to 176, but since the beginning of this year there have been just 32 attacks, and even if they were to double they would not reach the number counted last year.

On the question of piracy, the ships attacked by pirates were 46 in 2009, 47 in 2010 and 25 in 2011, but in this year so far only 5 ships have been assaulted. On the question of normal disruptions to the shipping, 14 incidents were reported in 2009, 65 in 2010 and 28 in 2011, while 11 only have been reported so far this year.

He cited the reasons for this improvement as military action and significant international coordination, best management practices and the increasing presence of private, armed security teams on board merchant vessels.

The admiral also noted that another significant measure for the improvement of the situation was support to the Somali authorities and to countries in that region.

“Due to these efforts we have managed to disrupt five pirate groups using fishing dhows, since April 7 this year. In the same time we sent back 45 poachers who were fishing illegally, we have also managed to control shoreline operations,” he added.

He narrated further that 11 pirates were handed over to the Seychelles authorities, while 22 ships were protected while transporting food under the World Food Programme.

The general successes of the Atalanta operation since it was launched in 2008 are a 100 per cent provision of escorts to the WFP vessels delivering food to the Somali people, and the protection of the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM).

Moreover this operation has been successful in protecting vulnerable shipping within the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor and the High Risk Area.

As a result of good cooperation with regional governments like Kenya and the Republic of Seychelles, suspected pirates captured by the EU NAVFOR have been transferred to the competent authorities with a view to prosecution and conviction.

With up to 95 percent of EU member states’ trade by volume transported by sea and 20 per cent global trade passing through the Gulf of Aden, EU NAVFOR gives considerable effort to safeguarding trade through this strategic area.

Apart from the general discussion, journalists managed to view various parts of the war ship which has a full capacity for carrying small fighter boats and helicopters, while it can also supply goods like oil, food and spare parts to three different ships at the same time.

The main guide during this visit, Lieutenant Alexis Edme, who is public affairs officer of the European Naval Force, said piracy has made life very difficult for many players, including the soldiers who are supposed to spend long periods on the ocean wave for surveillance purposes.

The crews showed a video clip of some of the operations that the highly expensive ship has conducted on the water and in airspace simultaneously.

The international efforts by the EU, IGAD, and the EAC have helped to reduce crime in the Horn of Africa, which has always attracted organized criminal gangs who conduct their affairs openly and covertly, from drug trafficking to infiltrating stowaways, and human trafficking as well.

It was noted that depending on the season of the year, pirate activity tends to rise and dwindle with its own rhythm. Currently with the monsoon winds, piracy has been reduced, due to the fragility of the marine vessels used by pirates, so they tend to resort to other criminal activities while waiting for the weather to change and allow them to set sail.

AUTHOR: Elias Mhegera
URL: http://mhegeraelias.blogspot.com
E-MAIL: mhegeraelias [at] yahoo.com

The US embassy in a media statement said the dialogue will enhance partnerships in peacekeeping, joint military exercises and exchanges, counterterrorism, and security cooperation.

Visiting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Andrew J. Shapiro held closed door parleys with senior secretary to the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mustafa Kemal.

“We discussed how Bangladesh and the United States can work together on anti-terrorism and anti-piracy activities,” top official Ahmed said after the meeting in the capital Dhaka.

The day-long dialogue was held after two months after reports that the U.S. Special Forces were present in five South Asian countries, including Bangladesh.

Immediately both Dhaka and Washington dismissed the notion of deployment of American Special Forces in the region, except for training purpose.

During the war against terror, Bangladesh was among the first few Muslim majority country to have lent it political and logistic support to the U.S. led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Since then Bangladesh armed forces have collaborated in several joint military exercise with the U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM).

AUTHOR: Saleem Samad
URL: http://bangladeshwatchdog.blogspot.com
E-MAIL: saleemsamad [at] hotmail.com

Re: PAKISTAN: Taliban threaten Associated Press journalist

Dear President of Pakistan,

Name of victim: Mr. Ashraf Khan, correspondent at Karachi, Associated Press (AP), 808-A, Saima Trade Tower, I. I. Chundrigar Road, Karachi, Pakistan
Names of alleged perpetrators: Mr. Abu Hamza Karachvi, Tehreek-e-Taliban, Karachi circle, Sindh province
Date of incident: February 21, 2012
Place of incident: Karachi, Sindh province

I am writing to voice my deep concern regarding the life threats to a journalist; Ashraf Khan of Associated Press (AP), a USA based news agency operating in Pakistan, from Taliban, Karachi chapter, and his family members from Taliban Pakistan.

It is very shocking for me that the management of AP has refused to find ways and means to ensure the security of Khan and his family members. Rather Mr. Khan has been asked by the company to leave the organization. He has become victim of life threats on one hand and unemployed on the other hand.

I am informed that on 21 February, Ashraf Khan received a hand written letter from chief of the Taliban Karachi chapter in Urdu language which threatened him that he is under watch and the letter is first and the last warning. The translation of the letter is here;

” Ashraf Khan: Stop representing infidel media and enmity against Islam. Your every story is comprised anti-Islamic report. We have close watch on your movement. Take this letter as your first and the last warning
Abu Hamza Karachvi
27th Rabi ul Awal, 1433 H” Please find the copy of hand written threat in the link.

Ashraf Khan immediately contacted AP’s head office at Islamabad, capital of Pakistan, and informed about the written threat from Taliban Pakistan. He advised him to leave the city immediately for Islamabad along with his family. He moved to Islamabad the next day and stayed there for over a week. During his stay at Islamabad he kept in touch with the AP officials inside Pakistan and at its world headquarters at New York, USA, to find the ways and means to ensure the security of him and his family. He also told them that when the Taliban or Al Qaida threatens any person then they mean that and implement the orders according to their high command. It is any how possible to deal with the government and state intelligence in the case of threats but for Al Qaida and Taliban, according to their practices, there is no way to stop them or deal. He requested the company to facilitate him to leave the country for the US.

The irony of the whole episode is that after passing of one month AP told him to leave the company and they cannot help in providing protection to him or settling outside the country.

Last week, the chief of Pakistan office of the AP telephoned Ashraf Khan and told him that the matter had been discussed with the big bosses and it would not be possible to relocate him to the US because of the policy shift in the aftermath of 9/11. He candidly suggested that the threatening letter says that Ashraf works for AP, which is accused by the Taliban as an infidel media. So it would be safe for Ashraf if he quits. The chief of AP in Pakistan further said that AP would pay Ashraf money for his sustenance. It was very shocking for Ashraf Khan and he felt himself a very insecure while under threats from terrorists. Ashraf Khan told his superior officials of AP that the news agency’s advice is no more than an ‘economic murder’ and he would become a soft target. The AP has also not indicated him that if he leaves the company then how the AP would pay him. The office is still tight lipped on the mode of payment after he leaves the company.

I am aware that the family of Ashraf Khan is in serious distress and they are paranoid and extremely suspicious of the atmosphere. Any unknown call on their cell phone puts them in anguish. The children are most victim of the whole situation and they cannot attend their schools. It has become an agony for Ashraf Khan’s family who are deeply anguished about their well being as well as about the life of Ashraf Khan.

Being a victim of militant threats and unemployment Ashraf Khan cannot report this case to the police, because of company’s permission is required and secondly, if he reports then it will invite the terrorists to take revenge.

The journalist feels that he has been a victim of racial discrimination, as a Pakistani journalist, by the officials of AP, which behaves irresponsibly and non-professionally while the life of its journalist is under serious threat.

I therefore urge you to provide protection to Ashraf Khan and his family members who are under direct threats from Taliban Pakistan. Both the government of Pakistan and the Associated Press, as employer of the journalist, have undeniable obligation to ensure protection of Mr. Ashraf Khan and his family. I also urge you to take action against the person who has sent him the death threat letter and resides in the Karachi. The AP, a news agency operating in Pakistan, should follow the laws of the country and file a report at police and it should also provide protection to Ashraf Khan and his family.

AUTHOR: William Nicholas Gomes
URL: www.williamgomes.org
E-MAIL: williamgomes.org [at] gmail.com

A classified New York City Police Department undercover/surveillance operation concentrating on Muslim-owned businesses, mosques and Muslim students on college campuses has created an enormous — and unexpected — firestorm with civil rights groups and Muslim organizations claiming that the NYPD police detectives crossed the line separating civil rights and homeland security.

Attorney General Eric Holder’s congressional testimony last Thursday included his opinion on the NYPD’s but it was evident he had as much information as the readers of the latest newspaper story about the controversial counterterrorism intelligence-gathering operation, according to a former NYPD detective.

New York’s Police Commissioner Ray Kelly — arguably the best police commander in that city’s history — continues to defend the tactics, calling them legal and necessary. But groups such as the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) are practically screaming for blood, said former NYPD police detective Sid Franes.

“What the NYPD officials did in New York and New Jersey, they’ve also done overseas in countries such as the United Kingdom, India, Indonesia, and others,” said Franes. “They are collecting intelligence not investigating and arresting suspects.

And truth be told, many policymakers and lawmakers are critical of the analysis they receive, and both intelligence consumers and producers often share a frustration over its perceived lack of utility and hence lack of impact, according to several intelligence officers who briefed the Law Enforcement Examiner on the condition of anonymity.

Local law enforcement commanders — more than ever — depend on solid information in order to deploy their resources in post-9/11 America. And the NYPD takes a backseat to no nation’s intelligence agency, according to former Detective Franes.

Working to improve the quality of intelligence gathering and analysis, however, is not enough; it is also necessary to change the relationship between intelligence producers and “consumers,” said former NYPD undercover officer Iris Aquino.

The danger of politicization — the potential for the intelligence community to distort information or judgment in order to please political authorities — is real and needs to be eradicated. Moreover, the danger can never be eliminated if intelligence analysts are involved, as they must be, in the policy process. The challenge is to develop reasonable safeguards while permitting intelligence producers and policymaking consumers to interact, claims a current intelligence analyst who spoke to the Law Enforcement Examiner on condition of anonymity.

“The need to protect intelligence from political pressure and parochialism is a powerful argument for maintaining a strong, centralized capability and not leaving decisions affecting important intelligence-related questions solely to the policymaking departments,” said the source.

“Unlike business, in the intelligence business, the customer is not always right,” said Officer Aquino.

“Perhaps most important, the leadership of the intelligence community should reinforce the ethic that speaking the truth to those in power is required-and defend anyone who comes under criticism for doing so,” said Det. Franes.

AUTHOR: Jim Kouri
URL: http://www.renewamerica.com/
E-MAIL: COPmagazine [at] aol.com