| Fighters 'sent to Afghan Taliban' | ||||
A senior Pakistani Taliban commander has said he has sent thousands of fighters into neighbouring Afghanistan to counter the rising level of US troops. Waliur Rehman's comments, made to the Associated Press, came in a report released on Wednesday. "Since [Barack] Obama [the US president] is also sending additional forces to Afghanistan, we sent thousands of our men there to fight Nato and American forces," Rehman said. Rehman is a deputy to Hakimullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, and the man in charge of the group's operations in South Waziristan. The Pakistani army has been conducting a campaign against the Taliban in that region for several months and the offensive is believed to have pushed many of Taliban fighters in the area to flee. There are thought to be as many as 10,000 fighters in South Waziristan, including hundreds of Uzbek fighters. 'Confident performance' The Pakistani military estimates it has killed about 600 Taliban fighters, but in his interview Rehman claimed to have lost fewer than 20 men.
"They're saying here that the Taliban is putting a spin on it - it's a confident performance, but they've been forced into Afghanistan by the offensive [in South Waziristan]," he said. "This is the Taliban saying we've not been forced by the Pakistani army, we're going across voluntarily." The Associated Press interview with Rehman was conducted at a mud-brick compound in the Shaktoi area of South Waziristan on Monday. The news agency also quoted Colonel Wayne Shanks, a US military spokesman in Afghanistan, as dismissing Rehman's comments as simply "rhetoric". "We have not noticed any significant movement of insurgents in the border area," he said. Army targeted Imtiaz Gul, an expert on the Pakistani Taliban, said that Rehman's comment's needed to be taken "with a pinch of salt". "If we look at the track record of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan [the Pakistani Taliban, or TTP], they have been exclusively concentrating on targeting Pakistani army, Pakistani people and government installations," he told Al Jazeera. "If Walid Rehman Mehsud has made this claim, this indicates perhaps a change in tactic or an attempt to divert attention from the TTP. "Especially after the sweeping operation the army has conducted, they probably want to send a reassuring signal to their supporters that they are very much alive and kicking." In his interview Rehman also said his group would stop attacking Pakistani forces if Pakistan would sever its ties to the US. "We would again become Pakistan's brother if Pakistan ends its support for America," he was quoted as saying. He urged the US president to focus on concerns at home, saying: "He should know that Americans don't want war ... He should use this money for the welfare of his own people." | ||||
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Wednesday, 23 December 2009
Fighters 'sent to Afghan Taliban'
'Revenge killings' rattle Mexico
| 'Revenge killings' rattle Mexico | ||
Armed men have killed family members of a Mexican special forces marine involved in a military raid last week that ended in the death of a powerful drug leader. The attack at the family's home in Quintin Arauz on Tuesday took place just hours after the military honoured the officer, Melquisedet Angulo Cordova, as a national hero. He died in the same raid that killed Arturo Beltran Leyva, a cartel head in Cuernavaca. Officials condemned the killing of the mother, brother, sister and aunt of Cordova as an unprecedented revenge killing. More than a dozen men reportedly broke in the door of the home in the eastern Mexican state of Tabasco with a sledge hammer before opening fire in the living room and bedrooms. Felipe Calderon, Mexico's president, called the shooting a "cowardly and contemptible act of violence." "These outrageous actions show the lack of scruples of organised crime in mowing down innocent lives," he said in a public speech. Police said a joint police, army and navy team was searching for the killers, who were suspected of working with the Beltran Leyva cartel. The Mexican government had hailed the death of Levya as a major blow to organised crime in the country, but cautioned its citizens that violent retributions might only increase in the short term, Al Jazeera's Franc Contreras, reporting from Mexico, said. "The brutal murders of Codova’s family members seem an affirmation of that grim prediction," he said. Regional official killed In an unrelated attack, armed men fired on and killed the tourism secretary in the western state of Sinaloa - a stronghold for drug-trafficking gangs. Local media also reported that gang members fired on a restaurant in the northern city of Piedras Negras, where government officials had been meeting the mayor of Eagle Pass, a US border town in Texas. Calderon has deployed more than 45,000 army troops across Mexico in a bid to secure the population and weaken cartel strongholds. Despite these measures, more than 7,000 drug-related deaths have been reported this year. Government officials say revenge killings complicate their efforts to attract new army and police recruits, and raises fears among those already involved that their families are at risk. | ||
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Volcano evacuees warned over return
| Volcano evacuees warned over return | |||||||
Families evacuated from around the Mount Mayon volcano in the Philippines have been warned not to try to return home for the Christmas holiday because a major eruption could occur at any time. Local authorities have evacuated almost 50,000 people from the immediate danger zone around the volcano, and have said they want to see zero casualties from any eruption. But with the holiday season approaching, some families have reportedly tried to leave government shelters and return home, despite warnings that Mayon is on the brink of a deadly eruption. Christmas is the biggest annual festival in the predominantly Roman Catholic Philippines. "These people have been living at the foot of the volcano for many, many years," Jenny Reyes, a journalist with ABS-CBN in the Philippines, told Al Jazeera. "They say they are used to it, they know how it goes, so they're not really threatened by anything that might happen." Danger zone Reyes said Joey Salceda, the governor of Albay province where the volcano is located, had been giving a stark warning to residents seeking to return to the danger zone.
On Tuesday Salceda told Al Jazeera that patrols were searching the area for about 500 people still thought to be in the evacuation zone. "We're conducting house-to-house surveying to make sure people will go to the evacuation centres. There is some resistance due to the Christmas season," he said. "To keep people in the evacuation centres we're holding concerts and other activities in order to keep people from going home." A major hazardous eruption of the volcano could occur before the end of the week, scientists have said. Mayon, the most active of 22 volcanoes dotted across the Philippines, has been rocked by hundreds of increasingly powerful earthquakes in recent hours, suggesting a major explosion could be imminent. Intense activity However, volcanologists studying the rumbling mountain say that at the same time the volcano may yet calm down or settle into a more moderate eruption phase.
But Renato Solidum, the Philippines chief volcanologist told ABS-CBN news the quakes' intensities had become "consistently bigger in size", indicating that the volcano's seismic activity remains intense. He said observers had also tallied 280 "audible booming and rumbling sounds" from Mayon, which were heard up to 15km away from the volcano's crater. Meanwhile residents living outside the evacuation area are reporting health problems from the clouds of volcanic ash ejected from the volcano. Villagers have said the ash is stinging their eyes and irritating their skin. Medical officials have warned that the tiny ash particles could cause respiratory problems or skin diseases and have advised residents to cover their mouths and skin when they go outside. | |||||||
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Top China dissident goes on trial
| Top China dissident goes on trial | ||||||
The trial of a leading Chinese dissident accused of trying to subvert the power of the state has ended after lasting just two hours. Liu Xiaobo, a 53-year-old academic, who was previously jailed over the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, has been charged with "inciting subversion of state power" for co-authoring a report appealing for political liberalisation. Liu's brother told reporters after the trial that a verdict was expected on Friday. The highly-sensitive case has been criticised by human rights groups and Western governments who have urged China to drop the charges and immediately release Liu. Western diplomats in Beijing had requests to attend the trial rejected, while other key Chinese dissidents were also reportedly warned to stay away. Dozens of police ringed the courthouse on Wednesday as Liu's trial was set to get underway. If convicted, Liu faces a maximum of 15 years in prison. He has already been jailed for 21 months for participating in the Tiananmen protests. The case against Liu centres on his co-authoring of a petition called Charter 08, which calls for the protection of human rights in China and reform of the country's one-party communist system. Petition circulated
It specifically calls for the abolition of subversion in China's criminal code - the very crime with which Liu has been charged. Bao Tong, a former aide to ex-Chinese leader Zhao Ziyang, who was jailed for sympathising with the Tiananmen protests, also signed the petition. "I insisted that I am a part of this case. If Liu Xiaobo is to be tried, then I should be tried as well," he told AFP news agency. "If he is found guilty, this will be a problem because it will mean that the freedom of speech and freedom of expression guaranteed by the constitution are fake." Liu is fighting the charges but has no plans to appeal if the verdict goes against him, his wife, Liu Xia, said ahead of Wednesday's trial opening. "With a government like this, a government without principles, there is nothing you can say," she said. Access barred Gregory May, a political officer with the US embassy in Beijing, said he and other diplomats had been refused access to the trial. "We were told all the passes were given out. We understand no one can get
Nicholas Weeks, the first secretary of the Swedish Embassy, said diplomats from at least 15 countries were outside the court. Human rights groups say the sensitive trial has been deliberately timed by Chinese authorities to coincide with the Christmas holiday period, in the hope that international media and foreign governments will overlook the case. The subversion charge faced by Liu is often brought against those who voice opposition to China's ruling Communist Party, and rights groups have accused the government of abusing such charges to silence its critics. "Liu Xiaobo's detention and trial show that the Chinese government will not tolerate Chinese citizens participating in discussions about their own form of government," Sam Zarifi, the director of Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific Programme, said in a statement. "After Liu Xiaobo, more than 300 Chinese scholars, lawyers and officials who proposed a blueprint for improving their political system may be at risk, as well as nearly 10,000 signatories." | ||||||
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Liu Xiabao is a literary critic, a former professor of literature and human rights activist.Kidnapped Colombia governor killed
| Kidnapped Colombia governor killed | |||
The body of a Colombian state governor who had been abducted, allegedly by leftist fighters, has been found with his throat slit, according to the Colombian president. Alvo Uribe, the president, announced that the body had been found on Tuesday, hours after the launch of a massive military operation to rescue the man. Uribe has said in a speech to the nation that it was not clear exactly when Luis Francisco Cuellar was killed. "We still don't have the time of the murder, but we did confirm that his throat was slashed. The cowards slit his throat," Uribe said. "Military high command told me that as law enforcement was in hot pursuit, the terrorists, most likely to avoid firing shots, went ahead and slit the governor's throat." Governor kidnapped Cuellar's body was discovered by farmers near the charred remains of a car. The governor is the first to be kidnapped and murdered since Uribe took office in August 2002 promising a "safe democracy" and cracking down on armed groups. Cuellar was abducted from his home in Florence, the capital of Caqueta state, on Monday by armed men dressed in military uniforms. General Orlando Paez, the national police operations chief, said Cuellar was abducted by up to 10 men who killed a police guard and blasted their way into his home with explosives. Olga Patricia Vega, the interim governor of Caqueta, said that after his abduction, Cuellar apparently had trouble walking which led to his execution by his captors. Vega said Cuellar, who turned 69 on Tuesday, had already been kidnapped four times before he became governor. Reward promised The government had offered a half-a-million dollar reward for information leading to Cuellar's whereabouts, and Uribe said the offer would still stand for tracking down his murderers. Authorities said they suspected the Teofilo Forero unit of the anti-government Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) had carried out the attack. Farc has fought a 40-year-long war against the government, that reached a peak in the 1990s when kidnapping was widespread and the group had autonomy over a large regions of the nation's jungle. But since Uribe became president a significant increase in military power has weakened the group. The area of land under the Farc's control has reduced significantly, while senior leaders have been killed. Some of the Farc's prominent hostages have also been rescued from jungle captivity, including Ingrid Betancourt, the French-Colombian politician in 2008. But the group is said to still have about 7,000 fighters and is thought to be holding captive at least 22 police officers and soldiers. | |||
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Clashes reported at Iran protests
| Clashes reported at Iran protests | |||
Iranian security forces have reportedly clashed with protesters demonstrating in the central city of Isfahan. Large crowds were gathered around the Sayed mosque on Wednesday to mourn the death of Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, a senior cleric who was critical of the Iranian government. An oppositiong website claimed pro-reform protestors had been injured by police. "Security forces clashed with pro-reform protestors ... police fired teargas to disperse people ... many people were injured ... some arrested," the website Jaras reported. However, Alireza Ronaghi, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Iran, said witnesses told him they had not heard any shots fired. A second demonstration was also taking place near the Sayed mosque in support of the government. Montazeri died on Sunday at the age of 87, and a funeral held in Qom on Monday drew tens of thousands of Iranians onto the streets. Mousavi dismissed Al Jazeera has also received reports that the home of Ayatollah Seyed Jalaleddin Taheri has been surrounded by pro-government forces. Taheri had denounced the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran's president, in June as illegitimate. Mir Hossein Mousavi, the main Iranian opposition leader who went head-to-head against Ahmadinejad in the disputed election, has meanwhile been sacked from his government post. Mousavi was dismissed as the president of Iran's Academy of Art - a post he has held since its inception in 1999. Ahmadinejad heads the council that sacked Mousavi. | |||
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US recovery on shaky ground
| US recovery on shaky ground | |||||
The US economy is growing, but not as much as expected new figures have shown. Data released on Tuesday showed the US GDP grew 2.2 per cent from July through September, more than half a percentage point down from earlier forecasts. The revised growth figure follows four successive quarters of decline in the world's largest economy, but prospects for a sustainable recovery remain uncertain. The expansion was largely driven by massive government spending, including the so-called "cash-for-clunkers" programme to encourage spending on new cars. Meanwhile, business investment remains well down, as are bank lending figures, and despite the Christmas holiday season, consumer spending has been tepid at best. At the same time, unemployment stands at around 10 per cent, with warnings that that figure could rise yet further before it starts to improve. Fear Speaking to Al Jazeera, New York-based economist Max Fraad Wolff said while the US economy was officially out of recession, most Americans still felt very uneasy.
Scott Brown, chief economist at Raymond James & Associates, said the report was "a bit disappointing" and suggested "that underlying domestic demand is pretty soft." Brown said he expected a jump in growth to at least 4.0 per cent in the current fourth quarter, but added that much of that will come from restocking of business inventories drawn down in the recession. Looking forward to the coming year, Brown said the economy may grow at around 3.0 per cent "which is good by historical standard but not enough to bring the unemployment rate down substantially." "It's going to take a long time before we're firing on all cylinders," he added. UK slump deepens Tuesday's revised US growth figures came as figures from across the Atlantic painted an even bleaker picture, with figures showing the UK economy still stuck in recession. According to government data GDP shrank by 0.2 per cent in the third quarter, casting further doubt over the country's recovery. Britain is now the last major economy still in recession, having now contracted for six quarters in a row. The slump is Britain's longest and deepest recession since the end of the World War Two. | |||||
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Afghan politician killed in ambush
| Afghan politician killed in ambush | |||
An Afghan politician has been killed after he drove through a police ambush set for Taliban fighters in the country's north, officials say. Mohammad Younus - also known as Shirin Agha - was going home in the early hours of Wednesday when the incident occurred in Puli Khumri, capital of Baghlan, Mohammad Akbar Barikzai, the province's governor, said. Barikzai said Younus, a member of Afghanistan's upper house of parliament representing Baghlan, failed to stop at a police checkpoint set up as part of a planned ambush of Taliban fighters. "They continued to drive after being ordered by police to stop so the police opened fire," an interior ministry statement said. "Unfortunately the senator and his driver were killed and a third person accompanying them was wounded." The statement said the ministry had opened an investigation. Officers were hiding in an area near Pul-e-Khumri, where they expected fighters to transport a Taliban commander wounded in fighting on Tuesday, local police said. That clash left four police officers and four fighters dead, according to police. Deteriorating security The security situation in northern Afghanistan has deteriorated over the past year, with government authority consistently challenged by Taliban-linked fighters. Around 113,000 international soldiers are battling the intensifying uprising under US and Nato command, with a new strategy aiming to hand over more authority to Afghan security forces. In the past four years, direct fire or suicide attacks have killed one senator and 10 other MPs. Wednesday's incident is the first in which Afghan police have killed a senator accidentally. | |||
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US plane crashes in Jamaica
| US plane crashes in Jamaica | |||
An American Airlines passenger jet has crashed and broken into two after landing at the international airport in Kingston, the capital of the Caribbean nation of Jamaica, according to local media. The aircraft, a Boeing 737, overshot the runway while landing in heavy rain on Tuesday night, the US Federal Aviation Authority said. Forty passengers were injured when Flight 331 from Miami, Florida, skidded off the runway, the Jamaica Observer reported. "The plane crashed and broke almost in front of me," Naomi Palmer, a passenger, told the newspaper. The Jamaica Gleaner reported that three passengers were seriously injured. Charley Wilson, an American Airlines spokesman, said the aircraft came to a safe stop and there were no immediate reports of fatalities. He said all passengers were off the aircraft. The flight was carrying 148 passengers plus six crew members, media reports said. It took off from Miami airport at 8:52pm (local time) on Tuesday and was scheduled to arrive at Kingston airport at 10:27pm. | |||
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