Nigerian Army Says Repels Attack On Shell Gas Plant

Nigerian Army Says Repels Attack On Shell Gas Plant

(NSI News Source Info) February 8, 2009: NIGERIAN soldiers repelled an attack by gunmen early today on a gas plant operated by Royal Dutch Shell in the southern Niger Delta, killing three of the suspected militants, a military spokesman said.

"At about 4 am (03:00 GMT) this morning some suspected militants attacked the Utorogu gas plant in Delta state," Colonel Rabe Abubakar, spokesman for the joint military taskforce in the western Niger Delta, said.

Fighters with the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) raise their riffles to celebrate news of a successful operation by their colleagues against the Nigerian army in the Niger Delta. MEND has declared a full-scale "oil war" against the Nigerian authorities in response to attacks by the Nigerian military launched against the militants. "Our target is to crumble the oil installations in order to force the government to a round table to solve the problem once and for all", said Boy Loaf, leader of the militants.

"Our troops responded and killed three of the attackers and captured one, who is seriously injured. One soldier was wounded and two Shell workers were wounded and are receiving treatment."

Shell could not immediately be reached for comment.

Abubakar said there was no impact on the facility and that soldiers were still guarding the site. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The main militant group in the region, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), called off a five-month-old ceasefire a week ago, warning of a "sweeping assault" on Nigeria's oil and gas industry, the biggest in Africa.

But MEND, whose attacks on oil facilities have shut down more than a fifth of Nigeria's crude oil output over the past three years, warned its assault would begin in Rivers state, next to Delta state.

Global Arms Firms Make A Beeline For India's Largest Arms Fair

Global Arms Firms Make A Beeline For India's Largest Arms Fair

(NSI News Source Info) New Delhi - February 8, 2009: A race for Indian military contracts worth billions of dollars will heat up this month when the world's top arms makers descend on South Asia's biggest defence fair. About 300 international weapons companies from 30 countries have signed up for the four-day "DefExpo" in New Delhi from February 16, and there are expectations of several big-ticket announcements. "This is the biggest ever defence exposition to be held by us and all the global players will be engaging," chief organiser and member of the Confederation of Indian Industries Gurpal Singh told AFP. The Indian defence ministry said it expects solid participation from arms vendors in what is billed as one of Asia's largest defence shows, an official who declined to be named said in an informal briefing to reporters. Since 1999, India's military purchases have been worth 25 billion dollars. The country, which has the world's fourth largest military, is expected to buy another 30 billion dollars of arms in the next four years. Up for grabs are deals for six submarines worth 2.3 billion dollars, an artillery contract tagged at three billion dollars and a global tender for helicopters as well as for scores of unmanned aerial vehicles. India also plans to issue a tender for 126 war planes worth 10.24 billion dollars as early as March. Russia, which has ongoing projects worth 14.56 billion dollars, wants to keep its position as India's top weapons supplier and will be participating in the fair, the defence official said. "They are finally wisening up to competition. So besides the usual presence of their Rosoboronexport State Corp., the Russians will be represented in a big way at the DefExpo," the defence official said. Another senior defence ministry source said India may announce a two-billion-dollar contract with US-based Boeing for eight long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft. "Price negotiations began after the deal was cleared last month by the defence acquisition council and we can expect an announcement," the defence source said. If awarded to Seattle-based Boeing, it would be India's biggest defence contract so far with the United States. Earlier this month, Delhi approved a one-billion-dollar purchase of six Hercules transport aircraft from US-based aviation giant Lockheed Martin. Lockheed is also in the race for the 126 fighter jets. "DefExpo has become a superb opportunity for government officials and defence companies from a wide range of countries to exchange views and consider defence needs," the company's India chief Douglas Hartwick told AFP. Also up for grabs is a major helicopter contract. India in December scrapped a 600-million-dollar deal for 197 choppers with Eurocopter, a unit of Europe's EADS, citing irregularities in the contract process. The country subsequently said it would combine other defence service helicopter needs and increase the order to 312. "The combined global tender for the helicopters is (now) being issued," Defence Minister A.K. Antony said without elaborating, as EADS said it would re-join the race for the deal, which is now worth more than one billion dollars. "EADS is here to present state-of-the-art technology which are in most cases fully compliant with the requirements of the (Indian) armed forces," said Stefan Billep, head of EADS-India.

Germany, France Dodge Afghanistan Troop Issue

Germany, France Dodge Afghanistan Troop Issue

(NSI News Source Info) MUNICH — February 8, 2009: NATO’s top official chastised Germany and France for refusing to commit more troops to Afghanistan, but the two European powers skirted the issue Saturday even while agreeing that Washington should not be left to fight international conflicts alone. Vice President Joe Biden came to the Munich Security Conference amid expectations he would forcefully repeat President Barack Obama’s calls for greater European troop deployments in Afghanistan, as Washington prepares to double American troops there to roughly 60,000. But Biden kept his Afghan comments general in an apparent attempt to avoid a heated public dispute among allies. French Defence Minister Herve Morin (R) sporting an Afghan head dress speaks to paratroopers from the third parachut infantry regiment RPIMA (Regiment parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine) during a visit of French troops in Afghanistan on 31 December 2008. Morin indicated today that he had clear instructions from French President Nicolas Sarkozy that "for the moment" excluded any increase in France's military presence in Afghanistan. Biden asked only for European "ideas and input" on a joint Afghan strategy "that brings together our civilian and military resources that prevents terrorists a safe haven and that helps Afghans develop the capacity to secure their own future." German Chancellor Angela Merkel supported the general concept of more European military backing of the U.S. through NATO, but did not address U.S. calls for additional European deployments in Afghanistan. "International conflicts can no longer be shouldered by one country alone," she declared. "No country can go it alone, so the cooperative approach needs to be guiding us." Germany has argued that its military is already too far stretched to send more troops beyond the 4,500 maximum it has committed to the relatively calm north of Afghanistan. About 3,500 are now there. Instead, it says the focus should be on future civil reconstruction, in conjunction with military security. The French parliament voted in September to keep 3,300 French troops in the Afghan theater, but has no current plans to increase the French contingent. French President Nicholas Sarkozy argued for a Europe more ready to defend itself instead of relying on others, but also managed not to touch on the Afghan troops issue. "Does Europe want peace, or does Europe want to be left in peace?" he asked. "If you want peace, then you ... need to have political and military power." But NATO’s exasperated secretary general, Jaap De Hoop Scheffer, said if Europe wants a greater voice, it needs to do more. "The Obama administration has already done a lot of what Europeans have asked for including announcing the closure of Guantanamo and a serious focus on climate change," he said. "Europe should also listen; When the United States asks for a serious partner, it does not just want advice, it wants and deserves someone to share the heavy lifting." De Hoop Scheffer added the same principle applies to Russian requests to be involved in Washington’s plans to place a missile defense system in Eastern Europe. He said Russia cannot talk of a new "security architecture" yet build its own new bases in Georgia and support Kyrgyzstan’s plans to close the Manas air base, used by the U.S. to resupply troops in Afghanistan. Kyrgyzstan’s president announced this week his country was kicking Americans out of the base after securing more than $2 billion in loans and aid from Russia. U.S. officials said Kyrgyzstan acted as a result of pressure from Moscow, but Russia and Kyrgyzstan denied that. Biden also urged European nations to take in Guantanamo detainees once the U.S. closes the detention facility for suspected terrorists on Cuba. Several European nations already are considering the U.S. request.

Pakistan Defends Freedom For Rogue Nuclear Scientist

Pakistan Defends Freedom For Rogue Nuclear Scientist

(NSI News Source Info) February 8, 2009: Pakistan is defending its decision to free a scientist who admitted to selling nuclear secrets, amid criticism from the United States and India.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry says Saturday Abdul Qadeer Khan is no longer a threat because his smuggling network has been dismantled, and controls are in place to make sure there are no more leaks of secret information.

Disgraced Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, right, walks with opposition leader Imran Khan, left, after their meeting at his residence in Islamabad, Pakistan on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009. Pakistan defended Saturday the easing of restrictions on Khan, saying the man who once confessed to passing nuclear secrets to Iran, North Korea and Libya no longer posed a risk because his smuggling network had been dismantled.

U.S. officials called Khan's release "unfortunate" and "regrettable," demanding assurances that Khan can no longer pose any danger.

India says the international community should consider declaring Pakistan a terrorist state. Manish Tewari, a spokesman for the ruling Congress party says defending Khan proves Pakistan exports terrorism, and also gives rise to concerns of countries such as the U.S. that nuclear weapons could reach terrorists.

Khan is considered the father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb but admitted to leaking nuclear secrets to Libya, Iran and North Korea in 2004.

Pakistan's High Court freed the 72-year-old Khan Friday, after five years of house arrest. The court said Khan will still be subject to some security measures. Separately, India's army chief said today the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan is, as he put it, "existing and active." General Deepak Kapor says the number of militant camps in Pakistan has been on the rise.

Many Pakistanis see Khan as a hero despite worldwide condemnation after his international nuclear deals were exposed. Khan told reporters outside his Islamabad home he will not cooperate with foreign investigations into his nuclear proliferation network.

Russian-Donated MIG-29 To Lebanon "Unsafe": Report

Russian-Donated MIG-29 To Lebanon "Unsafe": Report

(NSI News Source Info) BEIRUT - February 8, 2009: A well-informed source Saturday advised the Lebanese government to "wait" before accepting the Russian-donated MIG-29 jet fighters that are possibly "unsafe", Lebanese daily Al-Nahar report. A report in Russian Kommersant business daily quoted military sources as saying that "one third of the MIG-29 should be written off as obsolete because they are too rusty to take off without crashing." A pilot was killed during a MIG-29 fighter crash in southern Siberia on Dec. 5 and another MIG-29 crashed in October last year, the report added. Russia has promised to deliver ten MIG-29 jet fighters to Lebanon during a visit by Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr to Moscow in December as a gift to show new "military relationship" between the two countries. The report in Al-Nahar also said that the Lebanese delegation headed by air force commander Brig. Gen. Michel Mnassa did not leave for Moscow last month as scheduled. Meanwhile, another Lebanese military source told the Daily Star that the donated MIG-29 would be checked by Lebanese army experts before they are shipped to Lebanon. Lebanese political leaders are open to arm deals. Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said Friday that Lebanon welcomes any arms donations on condition that no political concessions are given. The MIG-29 was designed in 1970s to challenge the American F-15 and F-16 jet fighters.

U.S. Opposes Russian Military Bases In Abkhazia, South Ossetia

U.S. Opposes Russian Military Bases In Abkhazia, South Ossetia

(NSI News Source Info) Washington - February 8, 2009: Russian efforts to establish three military bases in the Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions of Georgia could prove provocative and destabilizing, a senior U.S. official says. The United States has noted with concern press reports of Russian plans for the bases, U.S. Charge d'Affaires Kyle Scott said at a meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna, Austria, on February 5. "These steps, if confirmed, would be provocative and destabilizing, and would undercut international efforts through the Geneva [peace] talks to reduce tensions in the region." And the bases would compound Russia's breaches of Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, Scott said. Establishing the bases would deepen Russia's violations of the August 12, 2008, cease-fire agreement, in which Russia agreed to withdraw its forces to their pre-conflict positions, he said. "Also of serious concern are reports of frequent Russian helicopter flights outside the South Ossetian region of Georgia," Scott said. OSCE and European Union monitors in Georgia reported January 26 that Russian military helicopters were seen flying into Georgian-controlled airspace outside of South Ossetia, which is one of two breakaway regions in Georgia. Russian helicopters were also observed flying over Georgian villages well outside of the two breakaway regions. "These incidents clearly underscore the need for an OSCE monitoring presence with uninhibited access to the whole of Georgia, including South Ossetia," Scott said in remarks before the OSCE Permanent Council meeting. Russia and Georgia fought a five-day conflict over the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions in August 2008. Following a cease-fire, Russia recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent nations and has continued to occupy the two regions with heavy military forces. Only one other nation, Nicaragua, also recognized the regions. Russian news agencies reported January 26 that the Russian navy plans to build a base in Abkhazia, which borders the Black Sea. Russia has been searching for another naval base location in the event that it loses the rights to base naval ships at its main Black Sea base in Sevastopol, Ukraine. The lease on that base expires in 2017. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza told Reuters in a January 31 interview that "the possible deployment of a naval base in Abkhazia, an air base in Abkhazia and a military base in South Ossetia seems to be moving in the wrong direction. Russia pledged to reduce its troops to the levels and locations of before the Russia-Georgia war." Scott also said that continued kidnappings and killings of Georgian police officers and civilians demonstrate the increasing need for more OSCE and EU civilian monitors. "We remain convinced that now is the time for more, not less, international presence, to help deter violence, to ensure the safety and protection of civilians, to promote human rights, to encourage dialogue and reconciliation, and to monitor the implementation of the August 12 cease-fire and subsequent agreements," Scott said. Scott said the United States expects Russia will implement its commitments under the agreements. What foreign affairs actions should President Obama consider? Comment on America.gov's blog ( http://blogs.america.gov/campaign/2009/01/21/day-2-what-should-obama’s-top-priorities-be/ ).

Kyrgyz Closure Of US Base 'Final'

Kyrgyz Closure Of US Base 'Final'

(NSI News Source Info) February 8, 2009: Kyrgyzstan says its decision to close a US base that serves as a vital supply route for US and Nato operations in Afghanistan is "final". It contradicts US statements that talks are ongoing about the base's future. Meanwhile, the US has asked to move supplies through Russia, and Tajikistan has said it will allow the transit of non-military goods into Afghanistan. Nato is understood to be increasingly concerned about the security of its supply routes through Pakistan. Most of its supplies come through Pakistan's Khyber Pass, which has come under increasing militant attacks. Critical timing "The decision has been made," said Kyrgyz government spokesman Aibek Sultangaziyev. "The US embassy and the [Kyrgyz] foreign ministry are exchanging opinions on this, but there are no discussions on keeping the base." Manas, just outside the capital Bishkek, is the only US base in Central Asia and is a vital transit point for Nato and US operations in Afghanistan - an hour-and-a-half's flight away. The base is used to refuel Afghan-bound planes, and is the first point of stop for the majority of coalition troops on their way in and out of Afghanistan. The closure announcement came after Russia promised Kyrgyzstan $2bn (£1.4bn) in aid. However, Kyrgyzstan says the moves are not linked. Kyrgyz MPs will vote on the closure later this month. Russia has long opposed the presence of American military forces in Central Asia, says the BBC's Richard Galpin in Moscow. Russia says it has agreed to a request from the US to allow the transit of non-military Nato supplies across its soil, but says it is waiting for details of specific shipments before issuing permissions. "As soon as that happens we will give the corresponding permission," said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, quoted by Russian media. For the US, the base closure comes at a critical moment, as the new administration of President Barack Obama plans a sharp increase in the number of American troops in Afghanistan. For Russia, on the other hand, its closure would be a significant diplomatic victory as it seeks to reassert its influence in all former Soviet republics and beyond, analysts say.

EXISTING/POSSIBLE SUPPLY ROUTES TO TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN

1. Manas airbase: the only US base in Central Asia, a vital transit point for Nato and US operations. Kyrgyz government wants it closed. 2. Karshi-Khanabad airbase: US forces were ordered out in 2005. Uzbekistan may agree to allow it to be used for non-military transports. 3. Bridge over Panj river: part-funded by the US, it was completed in 2007. May serve as another supply route into Afghanistan. 4. Khyber Pass: most supplies to US and Nato troops come through Pakistan. Increasing number of attacks in the area mean the US army is looking for back-up routes. The Manas base was set up in 2001 to assist the US military operation against al-Qaeda and the Taleban in Afghanistan. Under the lease agreement, the US must be given six months' notice to close its operations. Meanwhile, diplomatic sources say that the US is close to a deal with Uzbekistan as part of back-up plan. The US left its air base there following a dispute over human rights in 2005.

Russia Not Main Military Threat To EU, NATO - French President

Russia Not Main Military Threat To EU, NATO - French President

(NSI News Source Info) MUNICH - February 8, 2009: Russia is not the main military threat for NATO and the EU, French President Nicholas Sarkozy told the 45th Munich Security Conference on Saturday. "Russia today does not constitute a military threat to the European Union and NATO," he said. "I don't think that the highest threat facing NATO and the European Union is military aggression from Russia." He said that Russia is not a threat to Europe because of many internal challenges and demographic problems it currently has to deal with. Relations between the EU, NATO and Russia remain strained following a brief armed conflict with Georgia in August last year and Russia's subsequent recognition of the Georgian breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Relations were further marred by Ukrainian-Russian gas row in January. The French president, who was heavily involved in the diplomatic resolution to the conflict over South Ossetia, stressed the necessity of confidence-building measures between Russia and the EU.

BAE Systems Receives Contracts To Develop CH-53K Cockpit Seats And Cabin Armor

BAE Systems Receives Contracts To Develop CH-53K Cockpit Seats And Cabin Armor

(NSI News Source Info) PHOENIX, Arizona - February 8, 2009: BAE Systems has received contracts from Sikorsky Aircraft for development and initial deliveries of CH-53K Cockpit Seats and Cabin Armor Systems. The first deliveries of both seats and cabin armor are scheduled for 2010. The total value of the programs is estimated at approximately $90 million through 2022. Sikorsky is planning to build 156 CH-53K aircraft. BAE Systems efforts on these initial contracts will include design, development, testing, qualification, and delivery of initial systems to support the flight and ground test aircraft. Follow-on contracts would be placed for production orders and spares. The Sikorsky CH-53K Super Stallion is a large, heavy-lift cargo helicopter. It will be the largest and heaviest helicopter in the United States military. The CH-53K is currently under development by Sikorsky Aircraft for the United States Marine Corps. It will be equipped with three 6,000+ shp (4,470 kW) turboshaft engines, new composite rotor blades, and a wider cabin. “Whereas other aircraft armor applications are usually done as retrofits to existing aircraft, said Don Dutton," Vice-President of Occupant Protection Systems for BAE Systems, "this system will be designed and qualified into the aircraft, ensuring that the armor meets the same safety, interface, and airworthiness standards as all other equipment on the CH-53K.” The new cockpit seat will be part of BAE Systems “S7000” family of world class armored crashworthy seats and will meet the most demanding U.S. Military standards. It will also include integration of the CH-53K’s fly-by-wire flight controls, which will allow for improved occupant safety, ergonomic integration, and mission endurance. The cabin armor will utilize BAE systems latest technology to minimize weight while providing protection to the occupants and critical systems of the CH-53K. The Occupant Protection business, headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, is part of the newly formed Security & Survivability Systems, a technology leader in light weight materials. Security & Survivability Systems products include composite, ceramic and transparent armor technologies, integrated vehicle armor systems, vehicle and aircraft survivability components and accessories, and soldier protection equipment.

African Leaders Talk Tough On Darfur War Crimes

African Leaders Talk Tough On Darfur War Crimes (NSI News Source Info) Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - February 8, 2009: African leaders on Wednesday supported a plan to delay the execution of an arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir, but asked him to take steps to end rights violations in Darfur.

The African leaders went beyond words and asked the Sudanese leader to accept a team of lawyers from the African Union (AU) and the Arab League to help bring perpetrators of the violence in Darfur and help carry out investigations there.

In this photo released by the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) soldiers parade during the fourth anniversary celebrations of the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, ending more than two decades of civil war, in Malakal, southern Sudan, Friday, Jan. 9, 2009. Sudan's embattled president marked the fourth anniversary of a fragile peace between the country's north and south, promising on Friday to restore confidence in national unity even as he faces accusations by an international court for war crimes in Darfur.

Former South African President Thabo Mbeki is expected to lead a panel of lawyers to investigate human rights violations in Darfur and recommend measures to be taken against the perpetrators.

African leaders made an attempt to rescue President el-Bashir from an impending arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC) but the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon distanced himself from the move.

The UN Secretary-General who attended the meeting of the African leaders, said the issuance of an arrest warrant if the ICC decides on the matter, was solely an issue that he could not interfere with and asked Sudan to fully cooperate.

The African leaders said steps must be taken to address human rights violations in Darfur and reiterated calls made by the AU that the Sudan must take concrete steps to investigate the human rights violations in Darfur and stop abuses.

African leaders were adamant on the need to have a year-long stay of the arrest warrant to allow for the setting up of an independent justice system for Darfur.

They agreed to support Sudan to set an independent system of dealing with the ab uses as a substitute for the ICC process.

"We just adopted the resolutions asking for the recall of the decision," African Union Commission Chairperson Jean Ping told a news conference at the end of the four-day meeting of the African leaders, one of the longest meetings held by the leaders to try to solve a set of issues.

The AU announced ahead of the Summit that it was taking immediate steps to seek a delay of the execution of an arrest warrant against the Sudanese leader for at least 12 months under certain parts of the ICC statute.

The delay would allow for the putting in place of a mechanism to try Darfur war crimes suspects.

"The suspension we were asking for was recalled," Ping said in a brief answer to a question on whether the African leaders considered the issue of rescuing the Sudanese leader from the ICC arrest warrant.

Ban said the Sudanese leader must cooperate with the ICC on his case and ensure the protection of the civilians, the foreign troops in Darfur and ensure the "faithful" implementation of the north-south peace accord.

The new AU Chairman Muammar Kadhafi said the Sudanese leader must fully cooperate in the search for a solution to the Darfurian crisis.

The Libyan leader said he would take over the issue of the crisis in Darfur during his chairmanship of the organization, saying the AU remained an organization whose power was mainly drawn from the "social force" that has been pushing African leaders towards political unity.

In his first warning to the Sudanese leader, Kadhafi said the Sudanese government must work to fully conform with the demands and aspirations of the AU.

"Sudan must apply the constitutive Act of the AU. If they violate it, they will be penalized," he said.

In the draft decisions taken at the Summit, the African leaders had suggested that the UN Security Council should seek a deferment of the arrest warrant to allow the Peace and Security Council of the African Union to examine the crisis in depth through the setting up of a justice panel.

Polish PM Reiterates Country's Commitment To U.S. Missile Shield

Polish PM Reiterates Country's Commitment To U.S. Missile Shield

(NSI News Source Info) MUNICH - February 7, 2009: Poland will follow through with the deployment of U.S. missile shield elements on its territory, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said at the 45th Munich Security Conference on Saturday. Tusk said the missile defense system was a preventative measure and would play an important role in Europe's security. "We are willing to participate in difficult projects because we believe this will underscore our ability to defend ourselves, but also the preventative capabilities of the transatlantic community," he told the conference. The Polish prime minister also expressed support for countries who wished to join NATO. Russia's relations with the military alliance have been strained by its eastward expansion, and Moscow vehemently opposes membership for Ukraine and Georgia. Before leaving Warsaw for the conference, Tusk said the ultimate decision on the missile shield lay with the United States. Russia objects to the system as a threat to its national security, but top officials in Moscow have repeatedly expressed hopes that the new U.S. administration will reconsider the plans. "We are a very honest partner of the United States, and if we agree something with the Americans we always keep our word," he said at a news briefing on Friday. "We are ready to participate in this project, but the decision, of course, is with the American side." Washington has agreed with Warsaw and Prague plans to deploy 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic by 2013. The United States says the defenses are needed to deter possible strikes from "rogue states" such as Iran. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said at the conference on Friday that the shield is aimed at Russia's nuclear deterrent.

Pakistan: NWFP Lawless Taliban's Country

Pakistan: NWFP Lawless Taliban's Country

(NSI News Source Info) February 7, 2009: Residents in the Khyber Pass region, a lawless northwestern tribal area straddling Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, gathered around a truck that went off the road after a suicide attack. The increasing vulnerability of the supply line passing through the border areas of Pakistan has forced the United States and NATO to find new supply routes through Central Asia to deliver fuel, food and other supplies to coalition forces in Afghanistan.

Philippines Is Feeling Pinched By World-wide Recession

Philippines Is Feeling Pinched By World-wide Recession

(NSI News Source Info) February 7, 2009: Thousands of job seekers flocked to a fair in Paranaque City in the Philippines. The country's chief of socioeconomic planning, Ralph Recto, said approximately 500,000 jobs could be created this year, a figure that would be half of the government's target of a million new jobs for the year.

Pakistan: U.S. Military Goods For Sale In Peshawar

Pakistan: U.S. Military Goods For Sale In Peshawar

(NSI News Source Info) February 7, 2009: U.S. equipment, coveted by the Taliban, is now openly for sale in the Pakistani border town of Peshawar, CBS News correspondent Sheila MacVicar reports. Among the goods: boots, camouflage, even high-power binoculars and sophisticated night-vision gear. A CBS News camera took these exclusive pictures of looted U.S. military supplies. CBS News has been told there are U.S. weapons for sale there, too, improving Taliban capabilities and posing a growing risk to U.S. and coalition forces. "This is state-of-the-art military equipment. If you’re going to fight a war these days, you’re much better off fighting at night," said defense analyst Paul Beaver. "If you’ve got the equipment, sniper scopes and night-vision equipment, you can put the enemy off balance." All this brand new equipment ends up there after Taliban attacks hit and loot NATO convoys.

Nearly 80 percent of everything the U.S. forces need — weapons, fuel, food — passes daily through one choke point: The Khyber Pass between Pakistan and Afghanistan. This week, the Taliban blew up a bridge. There is no other. Fuel tankers belonging to American company Mondo International, working for the Department of Defense, were lined up by the side of the road. The routes through Pakistan are now so insecure, says the company vice president, it’s imperative to find a new way in. "If you are the Taliban, you’re probably contemplating the next strategic stranglehold," said Kevin Curtis of Mondo International Logistics. "So as you look on the horizon, it’s unlikely that threat will go away." The best routes are to the north. The Russians have agreed to a new route. At the same time as they are causing problems. In Kgyrzstan, where the United States has had an important air base, the government, under Russian pressure, says the United States has to go. "The Russians can start to play power games with this, and this is exactly what I think we’re seeing now," Beaver said. More troops need more supplies. More supplies mean more vulnerable convoys. With the risk of more - and even better - equipment falling into the hands of the people it is meant to fight.

Dutch Forces In Afghanistan Needs Weapons Up-dated

Dutch Forces In Afghanistan Needs Weapons Up-dated

(NSI News Source Info) February 7, 2009: Dutch troops in southern Afghanistan are getting the first extended combat workout in over half a century. This has caused expected wear and tear on equipment and weapons. The Netherlands is using the need to refurbish many of their weapons, as an opportunity to upgrade them as well.

Thus M-16 and M-4 assault rifles are not only having worn parts replaced, but are having standard rails (which allow quick attachment of sights and other gear) added, as well as the "red dot" sights that U.S. troops have found so useful.

By replacing the traditional cross-hairs (which are actually hard to see), with a more visible red dot, troops can get off a more accurate shot more quickly and more often. The rifles will also have minor (but popular and combat tested) changes made to the butt stock, fire selector and magazine release.

Russia, Belarus To Create Joint Air Defence

Russia, Belarus To Create Joint Air Defence

(NSI News Source Info) February 7, 2009: MOSCOW: Russia and its post-Soviet allies are planning to create a joint air defence system stretching from Nato’s borders to China, news agencies quoted an official from their Moscow-led regional security group as saying on Friday.

Russia and Belarus, which borders Nato members Poland and Lithuania, agreed on Tuesday to merge their air defence systems in a move seen by many experts as a response to US plans to deploy elements of its missile defence system in Eastern Europe.

“The united air defence system of Russia and Belarus will become part of a joint air defence system of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (ODKB),” Interfax news agency quoted general secretary Nikolai Bordyuzha as saying.

The seven-member ODKB also includes the Caucasus republic of Armenia and four Central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. “We are planning to create within the framework of our organisation three regional air defence systems including Russia-Belarus, Russia-Armenian in the Caucasus region and the Central Asian air defence system,” Bordyuzha added.

The joint air defence project, which would combine early warning systems of member states and create a single control centre, has been talked about for years. Bordyuzha did not say when the project would finally be accomplished. Out of seven ODKB states only Russia has a major modern air defence system capable of detecting and destroying both airplanes and missiles. Russia also has several major radars in ex-Soviet states.

Moscow has recently stepped up efforts to reinforce economic, military and security ties with ex-Soviet allies most of whom are being actively courted by the West and show some willingness for a more balanced foreign policy less dependent on Moscow. Russia and Belarus decided on the creation of the joint air defence system on Tuesday, a day before ODKB leaders agreed to set up a joint fast reaction force at their summit in Moscow.

The decisions have been accompanied by hefty Russian financial aid to allies struggling with the global crisis. Russia has promised to consider nearly $3 billion in fresh credits to Belarus and agreed to contribute up to $7 billion to a $10 billion regional emergency fund. Analysts say the creation of a joint air defence system may also be a response to the US missile shield plans in Europe viewed by Moscow as a direct threat to national security.

Moscow is seeking to persuade new US President Barack Obama to review a decision by his predecessor George W Bush to deploy interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar in the Czech republic. Stronger regional alliances may give Russia a stronger say in talks with Washington, which will also include the sensitive issues of Nato membership for ex-Soviet Ukraine and Georgia and Russia’s support to the US-led operation in Afghanistan.

Why You Shouldn't Trust The Pakistani Government

Why You Shouldn't Trust The Pakistani Government

(NSI News Source Info) February 7, 2009: CNN has a story on the situation in Swat, the Taliban-controlled region in Pakistan's northwest outside of the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. Hina Khan, a 14-year-old Pakistani girl, talks about how the Taliban are in control of the region and are expanding thier influence: "Right now, [Swat Valley] is under the control of the Taliban," she said. "They are knocking on the doors of Peshawar, and I have no doubt they will be knocking on the doors of Islamabad [if] the government continues the complacency they are showing right now." Pakistani troops patrol in Mingora, the main town of Pakistan's troubled Swat valley. Pakistani helicopter gunships involved in a bitter offensive against militants in a northwestern tribal region struck targets in a neighboring area, a sign that the conflict may be widening to other parts of the rugged zone bordering Afghanistan. But Major General Athar Abbas, the spokesman for Pakistan's military, disagrees: "There is success," Abbas said of operations against anti-government forces in the tribal areas near the border with Afghanistan. "The success rate of the army's operation is pretty good in these areas." I've been closely following the situation in Pakistan's northwest for five years now. And sadly, I have to take the word of a 14-year-old Pakistani girl over the word of a senior Pakistani military officer. Here's why: Pakistan's military leadership has been outright untruthful to the media multiple times in the past on events in the northwest. In two of the more blatant instances, Major General Abbas had to backtrack on his falsehoods. A Pakistani local Taliban shoots a kidnapper in Rahim Kor village near the Mammad agency, some 60 kilometers from Peshawar a day after they captured him with three kidnapped persons during an operation in the area. Pakistani tribal Taliban executed a person under the Islamic principle of Qisas on the charges of killing one of their comrades. Pakistan's new government is expected to sign a peace deal with Taliban rebels, but the pact can only succeed if United State and NATO allies with troops in Afghanistan give it time, analysts say. In August 2007, Baitullah Mehsud's Taliban forces in South Waziristan captured an entire company of about 300 Pakistani regular Army troops as they were patrolling through the tribal agency. Abbas denied this and initially claimed the troops were merely sheltering in a valley due to bad weather after losing communications, but it was later confirmed that a company-sized unit driving in 17 vehicles was captured by Mehsud's forces. After backtracking, the military claimed about 110 troops were captured. But after the Taliban displayed the soldiers to a BBC television crew, it was confirmed 300 troops were captured. In another incident in January 2008, the Taliban overran the Saklatoi Fort in South Waziristan, but the military emphatically denied the reports. "Absolutely baseless and I reject this report," Abbas said at the time. "I want to clarify that the Pakistan Army and the Frontier Corps personnel are still present in the fort." Two days later, Abbas briefed the media on the military's successful operation to retake the Saklatoi Fort. Hopefully, senior U.S. and NATO military commanders in Afghanistan and Western diplomats will begin taking what the Pakistanis are saying with a bag of salt.

The Road To Kabul Runs Through Beijing (And Tehran)

The Road To Kabul Runs Through Beijing (And Tehran) By Parag Khanna (NSI News Source Info) February 7, 2009: The diplomatic and military surge into South-Central Asia that will define the Obama administration's early years has already begun. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen and Centcom head Gen. David Petraeus have become regular visitors to Islamabad and Kabul. Vice President Joe Biden recently came through for huddled conversations, and veteran Balkan negotiator Richard Holbrooke has just embarked on his first trip as special envoy to the region. Enough congressional delegations are passing through that the Pakistani media jokes that there must a "two-for-one" sale on Pakistan International Airlines. But perhaps people in Congress should be looking into ticket prices on China Air and IranAir as well. Despite the flurry of American activity in the region, it's by no means clear that Washington is any closer to understanding the dynamics in South-Central Asia -- some that predate 9/11, and many that are new. On my recent trip to the region, I saw the incoherency unfolding for myself. To fix its strategy and hence, Afghanistan, the Obama administration will have to go regional -- and, crucially, look beyond the usual suspects for help, even if they are not naturally inclined allies.

With the Khyber Pass threatened, NATO is scrambling for new logistics routes through Russia, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Fuel tankers and trucks move on their way to supply NATO forces after the reopening of a road at the southwest Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing in Chaman. Pakistan reopened a supply route for Western forces in Afghanistan after protesters angry about military searches for militants lifted a blockade, a government official said. We all know that Pakistan is a vital piece of the puzzle, but consider for a moment the consequences of a strategy that lacks a regional element. If the additional 30,000 U.S. troops being deployed in southern and eastern Afghanistan succeed at pushing Taliban fighters intro retreat over the border into Pakistan, they could massively destabilize that country's already volatile Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP), which is itself almost as populous as Iraq. U.S. troops would be squeezing a balloon on one end only to inflate it on the other. On the Pakistan side, newly armed (with Chinese AK-47s) tribal lashkars (militias) would be unable to cope with the Taliban influx. Meanwhile, fewer armored carrots from a pro-democracy Obama administration have diminished the Pakistani military's willingness to support American priorities, evidenced by a sudden increase in attacks on NATO convoys in Peshawar and the Khyber Pass. Centcom is scrambling for new logistics routes through Russia, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. As was the case under the Musharraf regime, the Army is more interested in American planes than policies. But China, Saudi Arabia, and Iran are also becoming increasingly important -- not as neighbors of the chaos, like Pakistan, but meddlers in it. The United States is already failing to grasp not only the details of other powers' maneuverings in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but the extent to which these dealings could eclipse even the most brilliant U.S. shuttle diplomacy by Holbrooke. China's long-term strategy is clear: It has become the largest investor in Afghanistan, developing highways to connect Iran and the giant Aynak copper mine south of Kabul. The Chinese have likewise financed the deep-water port at Gwadar on Pakistan's Arabian Sea coast. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, is widely thought to be funnelling unquantified sums to Wahabbi mosques and the Taliban, and the country's leadership is brokering the latter's negotiations with the Karzai regime. For its part, Iran is building electricity plants to meet Pakistan's growing shortfall. More importantly, the country is renewing efforts to construct an Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline, which both Pakistan and India badly need.

Power outages in Pakistan today are on the rise, and they no longer even follow the predictable hourly rhythm of the past. Yes, cooperation will have its price. The Obama administration may face greater pressure from both Pakistan and India to lift U.S. opposition to the IPI pipeline, to start. So too might the U.S. need to appeal to Iran to allow access to Afghanistan through the Iranian port of Chabahar and the Indian-built Zaranj-Delaram highway in western Afghanistan that connects the country's ring road to Kandahar and Kabul. (Some NATO allies are already rumored to be in dialogue with Iran about this option for access.) Building roads and controlling their usage has for centuries been the foundation of spreading Silk Road influence, as well as the key to success in the 19th-century Great Game. Today's struggle for control follows similar rules. Clearly, the United States cannot resolve the "Af-Pak" problem alone. One way to align Afghanistan's and Pakistan's regional partners would be to follow a regional security model, much like those already adopted in Europe, East Asia, South America and even Africa. Such a self-sustaining mechanism in South-Central Asia must begin with a joint Afghan-Pak force empowered to conduct operations on both sides of the border, as recently proposed by Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak. At the same time, the United States will have to accept Afghan and Pakistani negotiations with Taliban commanders. If ever these groups were glorified fringe phenomena of the frontier, today they are rooted in a deep Punjabi and Pashtun social base that cannot be eradicated anytime soon. To clear and hold will require a Pakistani version of the Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) that have been deployed to some effect in Afghanistan. Rather than spending the civilian portion of the $1.5 billion in promised annual assistance (as foreseen in the Pakistan Enhanced Partnership Act) on USAID's usual roster of "beltway bandits," Pakistani-led PRTs should be provided with the cash and supplies to hire thousands of local Pashtun to build roads, hospitals, and schools, and install power generators. NWFP policemen, who earn two-thirds their Punjabi counterparts (despite working in the most dangerous circumstances in the world), should get more pay. This process can begin from the Khyber Agency outside Peshawar and spread north and west towards the Afghan border, turning unsettled lawless areas into settled integrated ones. Rather than spreading weapons in an area already armed to the teeth, PRTs can run gun-for-work programs. Here again, a strategy that reflects the region's changing dynamics is paramount. The original PRTs in Afghanistan need a sizable boost, and this should come in the form of Arab, Turkish and especially Chinese participation, under the auspices of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a regional security mechanism that may well soon expand to include Iran, and later, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Not only would this participation unlock thousands more stabilization- and reconstruction-oriented soldiers and civilians, but it would bind NATO's chief rivals for influence in the region into a common project. These are just some of the tradeoffs necessary to encourage a thaw with Iran, monitor China, stabilize Afghanistan, encourage political reform in Pakistan, and placate insecure India. If the U.S. cannot negotiate a modus vivendi among the nations and rivals of South-Central Asia, then perhaps China will.