DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: 3 Coalition Troops Killed in Kabul Car Bombing

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: 3 Coalition Troops Killed in Kabul Car Bombing

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth + AirForce Times  + Associated Press - Kabul (Afghanistan)
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 28, 2013: A suicide car bomber attacked a convoy of international troops in an eastern district of the Afghan capital on Friday, killing three service members and wounding six Afghans, officials said.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the insurgent group was behind the attack. Television images showed remains of the exploded car littering the street, and several armored vehicles stopped nearby.

The bomber struck the convoy about a half mile from NATO’s Camp Phoenix base, Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanakzai, who reported the Afghan injuries.

Two of the three troops killed were from Slovakia, according to Agence France-Presse.

Ambulances, firefighters and armoured vehicles from the ISAF mission rushed to the blast site, which was quickly cordoned off by police.

"I was in my bakery shop when I heard a bang that shattered all the windows," Nehmatullah, who uses only one name, told AFP news agency.

"I saw at least two bodies lying on the street and covered in blood, then came two vehicles of foreign forces and the soldiers pulled out two bodies of foreigners from a damaged black SUV."

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the Friday attack in a message on its Twitter account. 

"A number of foreign forces were killed and wounded and many vehicles were also destroyed," the Taliban spokesman said.

The attack came as Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai deliberated over an agreement, allowing US forces to stay in the country beyond 2014.

Many Afghans, including advisers and a gathering of 3,000 prominent Afghans, have urged Karzai to sign the pact as they worry about security after 2014 when most foreign forces are leaving.


Karzai said he did not want to sign until after a presidential election scheduled for April next year.

The International Security Assistance Force didn’t provide details on the identities or nationalities of the three service members killed.

Twelve coalition troops have died in Afghanistan so far this month, including six U.S. soldiers who died in a helicopter crash Dec. 17.

So far this year 151 coalition troops have been killed in Afghanistan, according to a tally kept by The Associated Press

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*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth + AirForce Times + Associated Press - Kabul (Afghanistan)
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DTN News - HISTORICAL EVENTS ON OCT 9: Today in History for October 9th

DTN News - HISTORICAL EVENTS ON  OCT 9: Today in History for October 9th

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources AP
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - October 9, 2013: (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - October 9, 2013: October 9 is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 83 days remaining until the end of the year.


2012 As German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Greece, an estimated 25,000 protest in Athens
2012 The 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded to Serge Haroche and David Wineland for their work on quantum optics
2011 In Poland, the Polish People's Party coalition becomes the first government to be reelected since Poland transitioned to democracy in 1989
2011 Germany's Sebastian Vettel becomes the youngest driver to win the Formula One World Championship twice
2010 Wild celebrations occur as a drill reaches an underground chamber with 33-trapped Chilean miners inside
2010 The New York Yankees beat the Minnesota Twins, progressing to Major League Baseball's 2010 American League Championship Series
2008 Iceland takes control of 3 banks due to the global financial crisis
2006 North Korea conducts first atomic weapons test
1997 ABL players allowed to own stock in the league
1997 Hurricane kills 123 in Acapulco Mexico
1997 NC's Dean Smith winningest college basetball coach retires
1997 New York Rangers are 1st NHL team to open with 4 straight ties
1997 Nobel prize for literature awarded to Dario Fo
1996 Howard Stern's book "Miss America" released in paperback
1994 Darmstadt creates element 110
1992 Great meteorite seen from Kentucky to New York
1991 "On Borrowed Time" opens at Circle in Sq Theater New York City for 99 performances
1991 Bush declares "total confidence" in nominee Clarence Thomas

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources AP
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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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DTN News - PAKISTAN NEWS: 10 Foreign Tourists, Local Guide Killed In Northern Pakistan

DTN News - PAKISTAN NEWS: 10 Foreign Tourists, Local Guide Killed In Northern Pakistan

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Zarar Khan And Sebastian Abbot - Associated Press 
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 23, 2013:  Islamic militants disguised as policemen killed 10 foreign climbers and a Pakistani guide in a brazen overnight raid against their campsite at the base of one of the world's tallest mountains in northern Pakistan, officials said Sunday.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack at the base camp of Nanga Parbat, saying it was to avenge the death of their deputy leader in a U.S. drone strike last month.

The attack took place in an area that has largely been peaceful, hundreds of kilometers (miles) from the Taliban's major sanctuaries along the Afghan border. But the militant group, which has been waging a bloody insurgency against the government for years, has shown it has the ability to strike almost anywhere in the country.

The Taliban began their attack by abducting two local guides to take them to the remote base camp in Gilgit-Baltisan, said Pakistani Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. One of the guides was killed in the shooting, and the other has been detained for questioning. The attackers disguised themselves by wearing uniforms used by the Gilgit Scounts, a paramilitary force that patrols the area, Khan said.

Around 15 gunmen attacked the camp at around 11 p.m. Saturday, said the Alpine Club of Pakistan, which spoke with a local guide, Sawal Faqir, who survived the shooting. They began by beating the mountaineers and taking away any mobile and satellite phones they could find, as well as everyone's money, said the club in a statement.

Some climbers and guides were able to run away, but those that weren't were shot dead, said the club. Faqir was able to hide a satellite phone and eventually used it to notify authorities of the attack.

Attaur Rehman, the home secretary in Gilgit-Baltistan, said 10 foreigners and one Pakistani were killed in the attack. The dead foreigners included three Ukrainians, two Slovakians, two Chinese, one Lithuanian, one Nepalese and one Chinese-American, according to Rehman and tour operators who were working with the climbers. Matt Boland, the acting spokesman at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, confirmed that an American citizen was among the dead, but could not say whether it was a dual Chinese national.

The shooting — one of the worst attacks on foreigners in Pakistan in recent years — occurred in a stunning part of the country that has seen little violence against tourists, although it has experienced attacks by radical Sunni Muslims on minority Shiites in recent years.

Pakistani Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan claimed responsibility for the attack, saying their Jundul Hafsa faction carried out the shooting as retaliation for the death of the Taliban's deputy leader, Waliur Rehman, in a U.S. drone attack on May 29.

"By killing foreigners, we wanted to give a message to the world to play their role in bringing an end to the drone attacks," Ahsan told The Associated Press by telephone from an undisclosed location.

The U.S. insists the CIA strikes primarily kill al-Qaida and other militants who threaten the West as well as efforts to stabilize neighboring Afghanistan. In a recent speech, President Barack Obama outlined tighter restrictions on the highly secretive program.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who wants to pursue peace talks with militants threatening his country, has insisted the U.S. stop the drone strikes, saying they violate Pakistan's sovereignty and are counterproductive because they often kill innocent civilians and stoke anti-U.S. sentiment in this nation of 180 million.

Sharif responded to the attack on the camp by vowing "such acts of cruelty and inhumanity would not be tolerated and every effort would be made to make Pakistan a safe place for tourists."

Officials expressed fear the attack would deal a serious blow to Pakistan's tourism industry, already struggling because of the high level of violence in the country.

The interior minister promised to take all measures to ensure the safety of tourists as he addressed the National Assembly, which passed a resolution condemning the incident.

"A lot of tourists come to this area in the summer, and our local people work to earn money from these people," said Syed Mehdi Shah, the chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan. "This will not only affect our area, but will adversely affect all of Pakistan."

He said the base camp was cordoned off by police and paramilitary soldiers after the attack, and a military helicopter searched the area.

Volodymyr Lakomov, the Ukrainian ambassador to Pakistan, also condemned the attack and said, "We hope Pakistani authorities will do their best to find the culprits of this crime."

Many foreign tourists stay away from Pakistan because of the country's reputation as being a dangerous place. But a relatively small number of intrepid foreigners visit Gilgit-Baltistan during the summer to marvel at the towering peaks in the Himalayan and Karakoram ranges, including K2, the second-highest mountain in the world.

An even smaller group tries to climb them. Nanga Parbat is over 8,000 meters (26,250 feet) tall and is notoriously difficult to summit. It is known as the "killer mountain" because of numerous mountaineering deaths in the past.

Pakistan has very close ties with neighboring China and is sensitive to any issue that could harm the relationship. Pakistani officials have reached out to representatives from China and Ukraine to convey their sympathies, the Foreign Ministry said.

The government suspended the chief secretary and top police chief in Gilgit-Baltistan following the attack and ordered an inquiry into the incident, said Khan, the interior minister.

The shooting was one of the worst attacks on foreigners in Pakistan in the last decade. A suicide attack outside a hotel in the southern city of Karachi killed 11 French engineers in 2002. In 2009, gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team in the eastern city of Lahore, killing six Pakistani policemen, a driver and wounding several players.

___

Associated Press writer Rasool Dawar contributed to this report from Peshawar, Pakistan.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Zarar Khan And Sebastian Abbot - Associated Press 
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DTN News: Satellite Appears To Show North Korea Nuke Building

DTN News: Satellite Appears To Show North Korea Nuke Building

** New Satellite Imagery of Yongbyon Shows Construction Progress on Experimental Light Water Reactor

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources AP & ISIS - Institute for Science and International Security

(NSI News Source Info) SEOUL, South Korea - November 19, 2010: New satellite images show construction under way at North Korea's main Yongbyon atomic complex, apparent proof that Pyongyang is making good on its pledge to build a light-water nuclear reactor, according to a private American security institute.

North Korea vowed in March to build such a reactor using its own nuclear fuel, and two American experts who recently visited the North have reportedly said that construction has begun.

Light-water reactors are ostensibly for civilian energy purposes, but such a power plant would give the North a reason to enrich uranium. At low levels, uranium can be used in power reactors, but at higher levels it can be used in nuclear bombs.

North Korea is pursuing an arsenal of atomic weapons, so all its nuclear projects are of intense interest to its neighbors and to the United States. It carried out nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, drawing international condemnation and U.N. sanctions.

The Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security on Thursday released commercial satellite images from Nov. 4 that show a rectangular structure being built, with at least two cranes visible at the complex. It estimated North Korea was constructing a 25 to 30 megawatt light-water reactor.

The institute based its estimate on information from the recent trip to Yongbyon by Siegfried Hecker, former director of the U.S. Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory, and Jack Pritchard, a former U.S. envoy for negotiations with North Korea.

It said Hecker told the institute "that the new construction seen in the satellite imagery is indeed the construction of the experimental light-water reactor."

The institute said the amount of low-enriched uranium needed for a 25 to 30 megawatt reactor could vary "depending on the design of the reactor and whether it will be optimized for electricity production or weapon-grade plutonium production."

South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Kim Young-sun said the construction has yet to be verified and that Seoul was monitoring developments at the site and talking with other countries. Kim said any move to build a light-water reactor would violate U.N. resolutions on North Korea.

The new satellite imagery comes as North Korea presses for the resumption of international nuclear disarmament talks it quit last year. South Korea and the United States have said North Korea must show its sincerity before those talks can continue.

Washington promised the energy-starved North two light-water reactors under a 1994 deal meant to freeze North Korea's plutonium program. The deal, however, collapsed in 2002 when the United States accused North Korea of running a secret uranium enrichment program.

After seven years of adamant denials, North Korea said last year that it was in the final stages of uranium enrichment — a process that would give it a second way to build nuclear bombs in addition to the plutonium program.

The Choson Sinbo, a pro-North Korean newspaper in Japan, reported Thursday that Pyongyang was building a light-water reactor as part of its plan to revive its economy ahead of 2012, the 100th anniversary of the birth of the country's founder, Kim Il Sung, father of current leader Kim Jong Il.

**Additional Info: ISIS - Institute for Science and International Security

New Satellite Imagery of Yongbyon Shows Construction Progress on Experimental Light Water Reactor

*Source: ISIS - Institute for Science and International Security

ISIS has obtained commercial satellite imagery from DigitalGlobe of the Yongbyon nuclear site in North Korea taken on November 4, 2010. The imagery shows that construction activity at the site of the destroyed cooling tower¹ for the disabled 5 megawatt-electric (MWe) reactor is progressing (see figure 1). The frame of a large building can now be seen, where ISIS reported that commercial satellite imagery from September 29, 2010 showed only excavation (see figure 2). Dr. Siegfried Hecker and Ambassador Jack Pritchard, upon their return from a recent visit to Yongbyon, reported that North Korea is building a 25-30 MWe experimental light water reactor at the Yongbyon nuclear site. Dr. Hecker informed ISIS that the new construction seen in the satellite imagery is indeed the construction of the experimental light water reactor.

The November 4, 2010 imagery shows a rectangular structure being built. At least two cranes are visible in the imagery (see figure 1). In constructing the experimental light water reactor at the site of the destroyed cooling tower, North Korea may intend to utilize existing infrastructure for the new reactor. For example, it could use water piping for the secondary cooling system of the 5 MWe reactor that remained after the disablement process of this reactor.

ISIS estimates that a 25-30 MWe light water reactor would require several tones of low enriched uranium (LEU) in the core and on order of one tonne of LEU per year as reloads. These values could vary depending on the design of the reactor and whether it will be optimized for electricity production or weapon-grade plutonium production for weapons.

ISIS also estimates that North Korea would need a pilot scale uranium enrichment plant with on order of 1,000 centrifuges in order to produce this amount of LEU per year. On October 8, 2010, ISIS released a report assessing uranium enrichment in North Korea. The report found that “the data support that North Korea has the capability of building, at the very least, a pilot plant.”

Dr. Hecker plans to release a report next week on the findings from his trip.

Figure 1. November 4, 2010 DigitalGlobe satellite image of the Yongbyon nuclear site showing continuing construction at the site the destroyed cooling tower for the original 5 MWe reactor. Dr. Siegfried Hecker informed ISIS that this is the same site where construction of a new experimental light water reactor is taking place.

Figure 2. September 29, 2010 DigitalGlobe satellite image of the Yongbyon nuclear site showing excavation activity in the area of the destroyed cooling tower.

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1 The cooling tower for the disabled 5 MWe reactor was demolished in 2008 during the implementation of disablement measures.

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

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DTN News: Israeli Military Confronts New Foe - The Internet

DTN News: Israeli Military Confronts New Foe - The Internet

Source: DTN News / By Josef Federman (AP)

(NSI News Source Info) JERUSALEM, Israel - August 20, 2010: The security obsessed Israeli military is confronting a new adversary — trying to control what its own soldiers post to the Internet. Facebook, along with YouTube and other popular sites, is turning into a formidable nuisance for the army, as young recruits in this tech-crazy country post embarrassing and potentially sensitive information online, circumventing tight military controls. The issue exploded onto the national agenda this week when a young ex-soldier posted pictures of herself in uniform, posing in front of handcuffed, blindfolded Palestinian prisoners on her Facebook page under the heading "Army — The Best Time of My Life." The controversial posting, along with a series of other recent gaffes, highlights the challenges facing Israel's high-tech military — known, among other things, for its shadowy electronic-warfare units — as it struggles to keep up with the ever-shifting sands of the Internet. Last month, a video of Israeli soldiers dancing to the drunken party anthem "TiK ToK" during a patrol in the West Bank emerged on YouTube, earning them a reprimand. Around the same time, a secret intelligence unit launched a Facebook group for its members that divulged details of the secret base where they served. The site was removed several days later after the army found out. And, in perhaps the most serious breach, a military raid in the West Bank had to be called off earlier this year after a soldier posted details about the upcoming operation on Facebook. Such incidents illustrate "how difficult it is for the military to operate, stick to policy, and keep people in line in light of the new communication realities," said Sheizaf Rafaeli, director of the Sagy Center for Internet Research and the Study of the Information Society at the University of Haifa. That's in stark contrast to the traditional media, over which Israel's military censor has long maintained tight control. Both Israeli and international news outlets are required to submit reports with potentially sensitive material for review, and the censor's office often returns them with words or even entire sections blacked out. Access is severely limited to military personnel, from field soldiers to the army's top echelons, and it can take weeks to line up an interview with key commanders. Once approved, there are tight restrictions — quotes often must be run through the army spokesman's office and soldiers frequently can't be named or photographed. The emergence of the latest pictures dominated Israeli news shows Tuesday, drawing tough criticism from the army and receiving heavy coverage in the Arab media. Palestinians, along with Israeli human rights groups, denounced the photos as a cruel symbol of Israel's four-decade occupation, and the Arab satellite channel al-Jazeera interspersed its coverage with pictures of Abu Ghraib, the notorious U.S. prison in Iraq where American soldiers tortured inmates. The former Israeli officer, Eden Aberjil, struck a defensive tone in interviews with Israeli media, insisting she did nothing wrong and saying she was surprised she had offended anyone. "I have nothing to say sorry about. I treated them really well, I didn't abuse them, I didn't curse them, I didn't humiliate them. I merely took a picture near them," Aberjil told Channel 2 TV. She said the men were civilians from the Gaza Strip who had been caught trying to enter Israel, apparently in search of work, and she posed for the pictures because she had never met anyone from Gaza. Aberjil, who the army said is in her mid-20s, denounced any comparisons to Abu Ghraib as "delusional," saying she was astonished by the attention she had received and accusing the army of abandoning her. She claimed similar things take place in the army "every day." She did, however, say she was sorry if the pictures, taken in 2008, had hurt anyone's feelings. She said she removed them after learning that others felt they were inappropriate. Asked whether the posting violated Facebook's code of conduct, the company said "it appears that the girl in question removed the photos from her account on her own — and we were not involved in the removal of these photos in any way." It declined further comment. The army said it permits soldiers to utilize social-networking sites, but only to upload unclassified material. It said all soldiers are taught about the guidelines. One officer, speaking on condition of anonymity under military guidelines, said the censorship office has ways to monitor the Internet and make sure sensitive information does not appear online. However, in cases deemed embarrassing but not a threat to security, such as the Aberjil pictures, "there is nothing anyone can do," he said. Capt. Barak Raz, an army spokesman, said the issue was about morals, not security. "I'm not concerned with the fact that photos were uploaded. As the military, we're concerned that such photos were taken to begin with, which are a gross violation of our ethical code," he said. "This isn't who we are as a military." Because Aberjil is no longer in the army, it's unclear whether she can be punished. Rafaeli said that while the military would like to curb the use of social media for the purposes of secrecy, PR and internal control, it is "probably up against an insurmountable challenge." Before, soldiers would have words censored out of letters that were sent home, but because of the Internet and social media, this is "no longer feasible," he said. Social networks are a part of everyday life for today's generation of American military service members as well. Many keep in touch with friends and family using Facebook, and they are savvy users of YouTube, Twitter and Flickr. A YouTube video featuring Afghanistan-stationed soldiers re-enacting Lady Gaga's "Telephone" music video, for example, gained viral popularity earlier this year. Recognizing the reach of these services, the Pentagon announced earlier this year that everyone from troops in the field to the highest brass and civilian leaders will be allowed to use social networking sites on the military's non-classified computer network. The policy followed a seven-month review in which the Defense Department weighed the threats and benefits of allowing the wide use of Internet capabilities. It permits commanders to cut off access — on a temporary basis — to safeguard a mission or reserve bandwidth for official use. With the decision, the army unblocked YouTube, MySpace and more than a dozen sites that had been closed in May 2007.

*Link to this article "Israeli Military Confronts New Foe - The Internet ~ By Josef Federman (AP) " *This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com Associated Press writers Aisha Mohammed and Ian Deitch in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

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DTN News: 'Iran's Army Too Powerful To Attack'

DTN News: 'Iran's Army Too Powerful To Attack' *Ahmadinejad speaks at military parade showcasing country's missiles Source: DTN News / AP (NSI News Source Info) TEHRAN, Iran - April 19, 2010: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday extolled Iran's military might during an annual army parade, saying the country is so powerful today that no one would dare attack it. The parade in Teheran showcased Iran's surface-to-surface Ghadr, Sajjil and Shahab-3 missiles, which have a range of up to 2,000 kilometers that puts Israel and US bases in the region within Iran's reach. The Shahab-3 missile is also capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. Although Teheran doesn't have one, this has been a source for Western concerns along with Iran's controversial uranium enrichment program, which the international community fears masks ambitions for an atomic bomb. "Today, our armed forces have so much power that no enemy will harbor evil thoughts about laying its hands on Iranian territory," Ahmadinejad said at the parade marking National Army Day. The speech was broadcast live on state TV, which also showed segments of the parade. Ahmadinejad also urged the US to stop supporting Israel and to dismantle the American military presence in the Middle East and Afghanistan. Teheran sees American troops on its doorstep in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf as a threat, and Ahmadinejad reiterated his allegations that the US presence is the source of the region's instability. "They have to leave our region, this is not a request, it is an order from the nations of the region. It is the will of the regional nations," said Ahmadinejad. "If they are interested in helping the security of the region, they have to dismantle their military presence in the region and stop supporting Israel." Iran launched an arms development program during its 1980-88 war with Iraq to compensate for a US weapons embargo. Since 1992, Iran has produced its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles and fighter planes. Teheran has been also looking to upgrade its defenses, especially as Israel has refused to rule out an airstrike over concerns that Iran is developing nuclear weapons. Teheran claims its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, such as electricity production. The advances in Iran's military technology cannot be independently verified. Iranian news agencies reported that the parade Sunday also displayed an air defense system similar to Russian-made S-300, which is capable of shooting down aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missile warheads at ranges of over 145 kilometers and at altitudes of about 90,000 feet. Iran ordered Russia's advanced S-300 air defense system in 2007 but none have been delivered, allegedly due to technical glitches, though many believe the delay stems from international opposition to the sale.