Collapse of a hockey empire Pakistan were once the powerhouse of the sport, but their fortunes have gone into a possibly terminal decline

Issam Ahmed

July 29, 2008 10:28 AM

When the Pakistan hockey team take on Great Britain in their first match of the Beijing games this August, a nation of more than 160 million people will be hoping and praying they can end a streak of three consecutive medal-less Olympics. Unfortunately mismanagement, underfunding and a steady decline in grassroots talent since the 1980s means those dreams are likely to remain unfulfilled.

Once the undisputed champions of the hockey world, Pakistan have fallen on hard times and are currently a lowly seventh in the International Hockey Federation (IHF) rankings. They only just qualified for the Olympics by the skin of their teeth, thanks to a third place finish in the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, and the results thereafter haven't inspired much confidence.

In May the team came fourth at the Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia, behind Argentina, India and New Zealand. Neither India nor Argentina are Beijing bound, and the tournament included an embarrassing 5-3 loss to minnows Belgium that exposed glaring weaknesses in defence. Things improved in Ireland last month where Pakistan picked up the Setanta Trophy after defeating Canada in the final, though it hardly made up for the fact that they had failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy, comprising the world's top six, in Rotterdam around the same time.

It's a far cry from the glory days when the sight of the men in green inspired respect and perhaps a touch of jealousy in opponents. Back when pitches were made of real grass and ball skills ruled supreme, the stick wizards of the Pakistani and Indian teams held an unrelenting hegemony over world hockey. Tucked away in the trophy cabinet of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) are four World Cups, three Olympic golds, three Champions Trophies and three Asia Cups. In fact, Pakistan were the driving force behind the launch of both the World Championship and the Champions Trophy - though the last time they won either was the famous double of 1994.

One man who remembers those victories well is Asif Bajwa, then a star player and now secretary of the PHF. Outlining the reasons for hockey's decline, he noted that the rot started to set in during the 1980s, as the transition from grass to Astroturf pitches began in earnest. Some analysts contend this was a deliberate containment strategy against Pakistan and India on the part of the IHF, but Bajwa takes a more pragmatic approach. "The rules are the same for all teams, but we failed to adapt our strategies," he says, noting that the modern game is far more tactical than skills-based. While slow, at times uneven grass pitches encourage an emphasis on individual skills, faster Astroturf pitches are more conducive to passing and team-wide strategies.

A research department set up by the PHF began working half-heartedly on ways to adapt, but serious technical analysis is far behind other international teams. "We still rely on the old ways: dribbling, jab tackles, and long hits, and that has to change," adds Bajwa. Islahuddin Siddiqui, a former captain, Olympic champion and currently the chairman of selectors, agrees: "The success of the early 1990s, thanks to the individual brilliance of a few players, masked the real problems in Pakistan hockey."

He says that throughout the 1980s, cricket was growing in popularity under the dynamic leadership of Imran Khan, and, after Pakistan's cricket World Cup victory in 1992, the talent pool available to hockey drastically declined. At present, the pool of potential national team players is a meagre 35: it should, he says, be closer to 100.

The disproportionate popularity of cricket is a major gripe among hockey players and administrators. After all, they say, the cricketers have won just one major trophy, as opposed to the 20 or so Pakistan's hockey players have brought home. The funding, too, bears no comparison: the Pakistan Cricket Board's annual budget comes in at Rs7billion (£49m), while only Rs150million (£1m) is allocated to the PHF.

"Cricket is the monster," confirms Bajwa. "It attracts all the sponsors. They have the money, the sponsors and the glamour - so if you're a young kid what would you chose?" In infrastructure terms, the PCB is building new stadiums all over the country, while there are still only two major hockey stadiums - one in Lahore and the other in Karachi, neither owned by the PHF.

Hockey also suffers from another problem common to all sports in Pakistan today: the need to provide adequate coaches and facilities at school level. Following the separation of the Sports Board from the Education Board in 2005, schools in dire need of cash for textbooks and teachers are paying less and less attention to sport. Compounding these woes even further are the usual farces and palace intrigues that plague Pakistan sports. For one, it's an open secret that the team coaches and management are at loggerheads with the administration, whom they accuse of being political appointees. The administration, it is felt, is keen to see the Olympics off before bringing in wholesale changes.

On the team front, prima donna-ism is alive and well. Seniors such as left-half Waseem Ahmad and Sohail Abbas, who holds the world record for most goals in an international competition, are both missing after making demands for preferential treatment the management could not oblige.

So what possible avenues are there for Pakistan at the Games? Head coach Khwaja Zakauddin, speaking at the start of the Olympic training camp, offered a more optimistic analysis, choosing to highlight team strengths.

Describing the team's trademark breakaway pillar as "unbeatable", he singled out Shakeel Abassi, Rehan Butt, Abbas Haider and Muhammed Zubair as players who are "very fast on the break - when they break away, they can't be caught". It's a view, he said, that is shared by rival coaches who have seen the team in action recently in Ireland and Malaysia. While major question marks remain over the defence and in particular struggling keeper Salman Akbar, Pakistan could potentially stick to what they know best for Beijing by adopting the old Brazilian approach to football: never mind how many they put in your net, as long as you put more in theirs.

It's certainly not a long-term strategy, nor does it guarantee success, but a month away from the Olympics is too little time to hope to achieve miracles. The real work of rebuilding will come later, though with what energy and vigour depends on the outcome, and whether or not a podium finish is achieved. As Islahuddin says, "one big victory is all it takes."

On the other hand, an early exit might just stir some action from the politicians, who have neglected hockey over the years while continuing to regard winning as an entitlement.

Additional reporting: Muhammad Babur

Nigar Ataulla, Bangalore 

The Dangerous Triangle

Think of a Muslim woman, and the things that pop up in the minds of Muslims and non-Muslims are triple talaq, polygamy and the veil. The “dangerous triangle”.  Is that all a Muslim woman is known for? Does not a Muslim woman have her own identity, her own individuality as a human being?

By Nigar Ataulla

Over four years ago, I was invited to an inter-faith dialogue programme in Bangalore organised by a Christian human rights Group. Speakers from different religious communities like Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism were on the panel and they were to talk about the concept of social justice in their own religious traditions.

After my  brief talk on the concept of Justice in Islam, I was  handed over a basketful of questions, some of which, predictably, read like this… Why cannot a Muslim have four husbands? Why aren’t Muslim men required to wear veils? Does not a Muslim woman feel suppressed in a burkha? How can a man declare triple talaq? And, curiously enough: why did Jemima Khan marry Imran Khan?

Think of a Muslim woman and the things that pop up in the minds of Muslims and non-Muslims are triple talaq, polygamy and the veil. Is that all a Muslim woman is known for? Does not a Muslim woman have her own identity, her own individuality as a human being? Why cannot society look upon a Muslim woman as just another a human being, like everybody else, and not a marked out, exoticised or specially branded creature?

In the Indian context, when one talks of the status of Muslim women, the focus invariably falls on triple talaq, polygamy and hijab. I choose to call this the “dangerous triangle”.

Last month, the Mumbai-based Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS) and the Institute of Islamic Studies organised a training programme on “ Rights of Muslim Women in the Quran—Theory and Practice”. Over 50 participants from various states across India came together to share their experiences, views and thoughts. While the majority were women activists (Muslims as well as others), there were a few male activists too. Most of the activists at the training programme  worked at the grassroots level, in slums and villages.

The key presenter at the workshop was the noted writer, Islamic scholar and social activist, Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer, who is also the chairperson of the CSSS. His discussion focused on the position of women before Islam, the concept of women in the Quran and evolution of Islamic jurisprudence. He stressed that women should read the Quran from a feminist point of view. “The Quran has innumerable verses in favour of  women. But men sometimes misinterpret  verses related to polygamy and hijab to suit their whims and fancies,” he said.

Maulana Mohammad Shoaib Koti, a well-known Islamic scholar based in Mumbai, talked about the freedom of expression for women in Islam. He recalled how Muslim women during the days of the Prophet asked questions directly to him without any male intervention. He also referred to the high status enjoyed by women scholars of Hadith and Quran during those days.

Qutub Jehan Kidwai, convenor of the Institute of Islamic Studies, shared her observations of Muslim Personal Law reforms in Muslim countries. Mehmood Hasan, film maker from Bangladesh presented an engaging (and disturbing) documentary film on the practice of arbitrary triple talaq. The story, woven around a Bangladeshi family, ends on a positive note proclaiming that triple talaq has no sanction in Islam. Noted advocate  from Mumbai, Nilofer Akhtar elaborated on Supreme Court judgments in favour of Muslim women. She lamented the fact that Muslims were not aware of many laws relating to maintenance after divorce. Mufti Inamullah Khan, a scholar and activist, supported the call for codification of Muslim Personal Law in India.

In her presentation, Naish Hasan, founder of the Lucknow-based Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, spoke about her experiences of working with Muslim women in different parts of the country. Women in rural areas were most victimized through violation of their rights and also domestic violence. “With no access to education, most rural Muslim women have no idea about either the courts and the laws and even what the Quran says about women’s rights. The need of the hour is to take up these cases and help women get their due rights. They become easy victims  and run from pillar to post when men desert them, dump triple talaq on them and irresponsibly use polygamy as their birthright,” she said.

While activism against these violations is gaining momentum, there is still a long way to go. Educational and economic empowerment of Muslim women are important factors to be taken into consideration while talking about women’s rights. A woman who is economically independent acquires tremendous self-confidence. Of course, Islam bestows the duty on the man to take care of his wife, mother, daughter and sister. But this does not mean that a woman should become totally dependent on the man economically. A married woman who is educated has to pay attention to the needs of her home, husband and children first. But why cannot she use her knowledge towards a purpose that is not only positive, but also will make her economically self-reliant?

When discussing women’s rights, there is sometimes the underlying agenda of “bashing men and snatching our rights”. I somehow find this unnerving, making uncomfortable me uncomfortable in the circle of firebrand Muslim feminists.. My question is: Why should a woman beg for her rights? When  Almighty Allah has bestowed rights on women, why cannot men give those rights gracefully to women?

I posed a question to a mufti on the panel in the programme, as to why there is a huge communication gap between the Ulema and Muslim women. Why do women still hesitate to speak to the ulema? His answer was that even ulema are also not too comfortable talking to women. But history is witness to the fact that Muslim women spoke to the Prophet (pbuh)  directly. Not convinced with the answer, I set upon the task of exploring this issue on my own. I got this opportunity the same day!

I had an appointment to meet an editor of an Ulema-run English magazine in Mumbai that focuses mainly on Muslim social issues. I had  butterflies in my stomach to begin with, and was apprehensive about how I would be received them  I had always felt that the ulema are scholars of Quran and Hadith and I just an ordinary soul.  I have always felt that my Deccani Urdu was no match to their chaste language.  I visualized them laughing at  my aatu-jaatu (come and go)  as they suavely muttered aayiye jayiye! Yet, I picked up courage and walked alone through the  rain-washed lanes  of Mumbai to meet them.

I must confess that my fears were dissolved after  a meaningful dialogue with the ulema team of the magazine. Their courtesy and hospitality overwhelmed me. The fact that they sat on the same dastarkhan and had lunch with me was by itself a path-breaking event.  They told me to offer the zuhr prayers in their office, showed me around their office and explained about their academic activities. I realized the need to make conscious takes efforts to bridge the gap between the ulema and Muslim women by engaging in mutual dialogue and interaction.

Workshops, seminars activism about Muslim women’s rights are indeed required, but again the question goes back to the basics… issues such as family background, access to education, economic condition and the ambience in which the girl is brought up as a child, the values and confidence instilled by the elders in her..

I pen these thoughts mid air aboard a flight as the air-hostess warns me to fasten my seat belt. I asked myself a realistic question: How many Muslim women are as fortunate as me lucky to have a father and a husband who have let me grow as a human being? They let me fly alone-- not just on an airplane but also with my dreams! I wish every woman could gets this right to grow as a human being as I got. Will men give the right to them or will they have to snatch it from them? I pray and hope it is the former!

President Bush said Monday that Pakistan's new prime minister made a "strong commitment" to battling terrorists operating out of his country's lawless border region, whom U.S. officials have blamed for an increase in violence in neighboring Afghanistan.

Appearing alongside Bush on the South Lawn of the White House, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said extremists in the region are small in number but pose a serious threat to Pakistan. He also said most Pakistanis want peace and support the United States.

"This is our own war," Gilani said. "This is a war which is against Pakistan."

The remarks came during Gilani's first visit to Washington since Pakistan's parliamentary elections in February resulted in a resounding defeat for the United States' long-standing ally, President Pervez Musharraf.

The visit comes amid growing concern among U.S. intelligence and defense officials about Pakistan's inability to contain extremists in its tribal areas, where al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is believed to be hiding, and which have become a staging ground for attacks into Afghanistan by Taliban militia.

Bush praised Pakistan as "a strong ally and a vibrant democracy," and said Gilani had promised to increase efforts aimed at quelling militants.

"We also appreciate the prime minister's strong words against the extremists and terrorists who not only would do us harm but have harmed people inside Pakistan," Bush said.

The new coalition government in Islamabad has generally emphasized negotiations with militants in the tribal areas over the use of aggressive military action. Pakistan, which receives large amounts of U.S. aid for counterterrorism efforts, also has resisted suggestions that troops from the United States or other countries be allowed into the region.

During their brief remarks, neither Bush nor Gilani mentioned developments back in Pakistan: Missiles hit a building in a village on the border with Afghanistan on Monday, and intelligence officials said they were investigating reports that a senior al Qaeda figure was among six people killed.

Pakistan's army said it had not confirmed the strike killed al Qaeda operative Abu Khabab al-Masri, described by Washington as an expert who trained terrorists in the use of poisons and explosives. The United States offers a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture.

A Pakistani military intelligence official said al-Masri's wife told authorities that her husband died in the attack in South Waziristan. The woman was wounded and hospitalized, he said.

Another intelligence official said the strike killed four Egyptians and two Pakistanis. He identified one of the Egyptians as "Abu Khuba," but made clear he was referring to al-Masri.

While the Pentagon declined to respond to questions about possible American involvement in the strike, it followed a series of attacks in recent months on militant leaders in Pakistan's tribal belt that are widely believed to have been conducted by the U.S. military.

Al-Masri was previously reported killed in a January 2006 missile strike in the Pakistani tribal region of Bajaur that targeted and missed al Qaeda's No. 2 leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Pakistani officials said then that al-Masri was among five al Qaeda militants believed killed in that attack, but bodies were never found.

here is the article please.

Shakir.

Power of Intention.

Innamal A’amal O Bin Niyyat.

(Actions are the reflection/result/expression/manifestation of one’s intentions).

When I strike a billiard ball with the striker with acute attention and intention confidently it goes exactly where I want it to.

It is the intention which directs, through generated biological and chemical reactions in the brain, the movement of my arms, hands, and eyes for the desired result. The result is instantaneous because there is intention with attention, confidence, object (intended ball) and the subject (cue ball and stick-instrumentality) which culminates in the desired objective.

To gauge the potency of intention I would suggest couple of simple experiments which could be performed by any one harmlessly.

1) Sit in a quite place and extend your hand and check the temperature of your palm with a thermometer. Then start imagining that the temperature of your extended palm is rising. Concentrate on this process for few minutes and then check the temperature again. It would invariably be couple of degree higher than before.

2) Have a pendulum which is in still position. Now start gazing at it contemplating that it is swinging in a certain direction. After a short while you will notice that it is actually swinging in the intended direction. Now think of a different direction. You will notice that after slight resistance it eventually would start swinging in that direction.

3) When one thinks of eating a lemon or any sour thing, mouth watering is normal, despite the fact that the sour thing is not actually there. It is just the chemical reaction/response of the brain cells, activated by the intention, which in turn send a message to the glands in the mouth to start secreting saliva, ready to digest the imaginary sour food coming in.

Now the question is whether Power of intention always manifests the desired result? Of course not. This is the riddle, which needs to be expounded upon; and that is what I am going to do in the rest of the writing. Let us see if we can reach some logical and rational conclusion.

A possible explanation, for non fulfillment, could be that there is some impurity or the weakness of intention; or else it could be that-which is most probable cause of non achievement of the desired result-there is absence of the object (clear/pure objectivity) or the subject (intermediate instrumentality) which acts, in the material realm of cause and effect owing to the constraints of time and space, as a connection between the intention and the result.

Here arises another question. Whether it is possible for the intention to take a quantum leap, into the non local domain, by obviating the intermediate instrumentality, to fulfill the desire by actualizing the intended result?

Yes it is. But it changes the nature of its manifest expression as a miracle. The best example cited, from the daily routine, could be when one forgets the keys and despite frantic search is unable to find them. But if one let it go for a while, the forces of nature, compelled by the intention, would start working on it. One would either suddenly remember where the keys were left or would stumble upon them accidentally.

In Quantum (physics) Mechanics the unpredictability is one of its main characteristics. It can best be explained by the two slit experiment where one atom passes through two slits simultaneously when not observed. Upon observation, however, it chooses to pass through only one slit, as if there is an element of consciousness present which makes the atom to change its course of action. An electron can also jump from one orbit to the next without involving the travel time, which is called the Quantum leap. It also has the capability to be present at two different locations simultaneously.

The Quantum mechanics is known to be of “non local domain” or as the Einstein preferred to say, it involves spooky action at a distance. The thoughts are also of the non local domain. Thoughts gives rise to the desire of a result preceded by an Intention, therefore would be quite in line with the law of un-predictability of Quantum Mechanics. That is probably the most scientific and secular explanation as to why all the intentions are not fulfilled at all times.

Apart from that in the, non Quantum, linear sphere there could be cited many reasons for non fulfillment of the intentions such as the force of “Inertia” and weakness, impurity, un clear objective, time lag etc. But the question, nonetheless, is how come the force of “Inertia” (all the reasons lumped together as force of inertia) is so potent in some cases whereas it does not surface at all in the others? Is it the manifestation of the law of unpredictability of the Quantum Mechanics or human state of mind, or the hand of the external cosmic force (God) which determines the course, the outcome or the result of the intention?

Could the force of Intention be harnessed by human to produce the desired result in the local and material domain (world) all the time?

I have no doubt about the power of intention but what is it, after all, which renders the result unpredictable and the riddle unresolved? Could human being, with the help of QM (Quantum Mechanics) laws, solve this riddle to realize the potency of the intention to the optimum? It very well may be as the Quantum Physics is still in its infancy and the riddle of its unpredictability is deliberately being ignored by the physicists on the pretext of waste of time, since the devised equations are producing the required results even without knowing its intricate nature and has shattered the centuries old paradigms. It is, amazingly, proving more assertive of the revealed spiritual concepts than the secular or scientific ones.

As I want to be prosperous materially, spiritually. I want to be here and somewhere else at the same time. I have very potent intention for all of this then why should I not be able to realize them?

However in the material and linear world, which we are still confined to, the regressive force of inertia, are the cause of weak intentions, doubt, lack of confidence, lack of conviction and determination which result in the failure of fulfillment.

These weaknesses have become inherent in the human psychology due to the social and cultural conditioning; which colors the landscape of human existence as well as the universal existence.

Now here are yet some question. Are there some exceptions prevalent among the human beings, where some could have the near perfect conviction of achieving certain objectives and the other may not? Could the people with weaker conviction be trained to be amongst the ones having perfect conviction?

Yes it is so. Here comes the purification of the self, meditation and the interplay of faith, where people can harness the inherent, endowed abilities, which often become obscure due to the cultural, social circumstantial conditioning. History is replete with the examples of such people who have attained the highest echelons of purity where nothing is left out of their reach. But at that level all of this loses its importance and consequentiality for the achievers and the achievers of this state of grace just exist for the benefit of the others rather than themselves.

To put it in more philosophical way human are infinite consciousness with a localized perceptual view. Our thought system, however somehow replaces the observer for the observed; the self is the observer and not the observed as it is mistaken even by the people of knowledge; the self is the part of the Greater-self and is divine in nature; the thought system also divides the infinite consciousness into individualistic and localized consciousness limited and restricted to the material realm of objects separated by space and time. The space time continuum creates the experience of cause and effect, thus creating the experience of material world.

The intellect, which we cherish so much, also imprisons us in a cage of fictitious images, a suffocating web of space, time and causation and thus we lose touch with the true self, nature and the actual reality; which is boundless, infinite and eternal and all encompassing.

In the purely materialistic sphere (which is dubbed as the “Materialistic Superstition” by the scholars) a limited and targeted success is possible (such as becoming materially rich) by following the strict regimen of rules altering the pattern of behavior, but whether this provides the ultimate objective, the sense of fulfillment, the peace of mind, is still an open question.

Now there is a difference in the human intention and the Intention of God. Intention basically represents the deficiency of some quality or power and is best suited to the human. We intend for something because we do not have it and are desirous of acquiring it with an element of ingrained uncertainty always present in our constricted consciousness. In the case of God His intention is His will, as He does not have any deficiency, therefore He, in actuality, does not intend but orders for anything to happen and it is there. There is no element of un certainty in His command.

As mentioned earlier that thoughts have non local origin, especially the thoughts which have no historical, cultural, social, biological and genetic conditioning (the genes/cells are recycled material and have millions of years of historical information stored, which may surfaces in two different individuals millions years apart). It could be called inspiration, guidance, or intuition and even in more general terms the sixth sense.

Thoughts generate the desire for acquisition of something which is always preceded by the intention for it and as long as the intention is pure and for a higher purpose the fulfillment of it is eagerly facilitated by the cosmic will. The best example I could quote here is, even from my personal experience, the memorization of the Holy Quran. Just imagine how many other books have millions of people memorized form beginning to the end? Probably none.

It is a known fact that we human use a small fraction of our brain and most of it is left unused. This fact alludes to the reality that God has endowed us with unbounded potential but due to the superstition of materiality our soul, in loosely used term, is contaminated. Which hinders our utilization of these endowed potentials. (The most recent scientific research on human brain has discovered that a specific part of the brain gets activated in the course of spiritual alleviation or experiences. Now the scientists are investigating if those cells could be activated at will).

I intentionally mentioned the contamination of the soul with cautionary words “in loosely used term”. It is absolutely wrong to say that the soul gets contaminated. In Holy Quran it is clearly mentioned that “We blew our soul in human” or as the Prophet Mohammad is told in Quran “when people ask you about the soul tell them that “Soul is the Divine Intent/Order”

The soul does not get contaminated but it is the ego-self (Nafs-e-Ammarah) which is to be blamed. The soul shall be witness to the actions of the human on the Day of Judgment as would be the other parts of the body. It is not the ethereal body which shall be punished in the hellfire, nor shall it be the soul, but the consciousness or the induced perception of pain and suffering which shall endure.

Soul is the recipient of all Devine inspirations, including the thoughts, through the heart (which is the reception desk/seat of the soul) and the brain is the processing center only, it does not think by itself as generally perceived, which creates visualization or the imagination which gives rise to the desire.

It is said that God accepts those prayers whereby the Wants are the same as God’s Wants. What it means is the synchronization with the nature or the synchronicity with the universal/cosmic consciousness-the God. The purity and selflessness of intention is of the utmost importance. This is a state of grace where we find ourselves becoming beacons of light and love, and our very presence nurtures the environment around us. People are drawn automatically to support our pure desires, and even nature responds eagerly to the purity of intentions.

In the state of grace, it seems to us that the universal or cosmic mind is eavesdropping on our thoughts and fulfilling our intentions and desires even from the point we start having them.

An intention to get rich obviously sound harmless but the ramifications it shall produce are not known at the time and, in my opinion, God having cognition of all the ramifications of one’s getting rich would have, does have a bearing on the fulfillment of such a desire.

As we are all prisoner of intellect and materialism; the superstition of materialism relies on sensory experiences as the crucial test of reality; whereas sensory experience is totally illusory, it is as transient as a fantasy or a dream; and our intellect mistakes the image of reality for the reality itself.

The Importance of Intention has been greatly appreciated in the Islamic religion and theology. All the ritualistic performances have to be preceded by the intention “Niyyah” The supererogatory performances such as Umrah, Nawafil, Aitikaf, fasting, Animal sacrifice also have to be preceded by the Intention.

Even the proclamation of Article of Faith (kalimah or Shadah) is a purest form of Intention whereby one declares/witnesses the Unity of God and Prophethood of Mohammad as His human servant and messenger.

Before starting any thing uttering the Tasmiyyah “Bismillah……” “In the name of God the most compassionate and merciful” is yet another example of the importance of Intention. Utterance of these words Solemnize, purify, harmonize, sanctify the intention, by putting God first, for the potency and abundance of results which would entail immense satisfaction and immunization of the body-mind of the individual as well as that of the entire universe; since all being radiance of Him originate from Him and are one in essence.

The Intention (Niyyah) has a very basic and integral role in Islam.

The only thing to be amazed about is that the modernity has now discovered its relevance and importance whereas Islam has been emphasizing upon its significance for the last fifteen hundred years.

In Islam a good intention, which could not even, has been acted upon for some legit reasons, is rewarded, as it is creating a simultaneous positive effects in the universe. An action followed is rewarded manifold as it is in synchronicity with the beneficial forces of the universe whereas the bad intention is simply ignored until it has been acted upon, due to the compassion and mercy of the Creator.

Have Selfless intentions, purest and for the higher purpose with conviction; Practice acting and letting go. Trust the creator for the results. He only knows what is best for us. This way one gets rid of anxiety, desperation and hurt of failure. Flow with the joyous flow of the universal consciousness without worrying about mundane things and goals. According to Vedanta, an ancient philosopher, the happiness for a reason is just another form of misery because the reason could be taken away anytime; therefore learn to be happy without reason. He also says: know that one thing by knowing which everything else is known. Obviously it is God.

-------------- Original message from Moin Ansari <moinansari@aol.com>: --------------
just send your articles via email...........your last article is saved..but it has only one paragraph...you can try what you did before and post any/all articles...Isha Khan posts there daily...

Bro Moin,

AA

it is very hard to post on your site, at least for me. i tried www.worldpress.com and it keep giving me different sites, once i got the right one there was no place to post new articles.

please tell me once again and this time i will save it for future. How to go about it.

Thanks

Shakir.

Merci, Thank you and Best Regards,
Saludos Cordiales/Kind Regards/Cordiali Saluti/Cordialement/Mit freundlichen Grüßen/Namastay/Salaam
Moin Ansari, MBA, CME, Six Sigma Master Black Belt, PMP
973-984-9193 Home Office, 973-568-9330 c
Morris Plains, NJ, USA
All opinions expressed are my own and these opinions are legally protected by the First Amendment of the constit ution of the United States of America. This message (including any attachments) contains confidential information intended for a specific individual and purpose, and is protected by law. If you are not the intended recipient, or if you disagree with the contents of this message\disclaimer, and\or are unable to conform\adhere to the stipulations mentioned herein, you should immediately delete this message and are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, or distribution of this message, or the taking of any action based on it, is strictly prohibited. Notice: All email sent to or from the Crestech/Infotech corporate email system or my personal e-mail ISP may be retained, monitored and/or reviewed by Moin Ansari or his designated agent. Copyright 2001-2010

-----Original Message-----
From: ruqaya@bellsouth.net
To: Moin Ansari <moinansari@aol.com>
Sent: Wed, 23 Jul 2008 2:16 am
Subject: Re: You are a hard man to get hold of. The artilcle is only partially posted. Most of the article is missing. please report again.

Bro Moin,

AA

it is very hard to post on your site, at least for me. i tried www.worldpress.com and it keep giving me different sites, once i got the right one there20was no place to post new articles.

please tell me once again and this time i will save it for future. How to go about it.

Thanks

Shakir.

-------------- Original message from Moin Ansari <moinansari@aol.com>: --------------
You are a hard man to get hold of. The article is only partially posted. Most of the article is missing. please report again.

Merci, Thank you and Best Regards,
Saludos Cordiales/Kind Regards/Cordiali Saluti/Cordialement/Mit freundlichen Grüßen/Namastay/Salaam
Moin Ansari, MBA, CME, Six Sigma Master Black Belt, PMP
973-984-9193 Home Office, 973-568-9330 c
Morris Plains, NJ, USA
All opinions expressed are my own and these opinions are legally protected by the First Amendment of the constitution of the United States of America. This message (including any attachments) contains confidential information intended for a specific individual and purpose, and is protected by law. If=2 0you are not the intended recipient, or if you disagree with the contents of this message\disclaimer, and\or are unable to conform\adhere to the stipulations mentioned herein, you should immediately delete this message and are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, or distribution of this message, or the taking of any action based on it, is strictly prohibited. Notice: All email sent to or from the Crestech/Infotech corporate email system o r my personal e-mail ISP may be retained, monitored and/or reviewed by Moin Ansari or his designated agent. Copyright 2001-2010

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WASHINGTON — A House panel Wednesday voted to cite former top White House aide Karl Rove for contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena to answer questions about the dismissals of several federal prosecutors as its Senate counterpart explored punishments for an array of alleged Bush administration misdeeds.

Voting 20-14 along party lines, the House Judiciary Committee said that Rove had broken the law by failing to appear at a July 10 hearing on allegations of White House influence over the Justice Department, including whether Rove encouraged prosecutions against Democrats such as former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman.

The committee decision is only a recommendation, and it was unclear whether Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., would allow a final vote. Rove has denied any involvement with Justice decisions, and the White House has said Congress has no authority to compel testimony from current and former advisers.

With little more than three months before Election Day, it wasn't clear whether majority Democrats could take any substantial action in a political environment in which time for the current Congress is running short and lawmakers face a host of daunting legislative problems and a cluttered calendar.

The House committee vote occurred as members of the Senate Judiciary Committee delved into allegations of wrongdoing ranging from discriminating against liberals at Justice to ignoring subpoenas and lying to Congress.

For his part, Rove has denied any involvement with Justice decisions, and the White House has said Congress has no authority to compel testimony from current and former advisers. His attorney, Robert Luskin, had urged the panel in letter not to vote for a citation, calling it a "gratuitously punitive" action that would serve no purpose because the question of executive privilege is already pending in two other cases in federal court.

Republicans who unanimously opposed the measure accused Democrats of staging political theater.

"Instead of conducting witch hunts, we should consider bipartisan legislation to reduce the price of gas, reduce crime and secure the borders," said Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas, the top panel Republican.

New strategy 'can beat al-Qaeda'

Osama Bin Laden could be hiding in the tribal areas

Al-Qaeda can be defeated if the US relies less on force and more on intelligence and policing to find its leaders, a leading US think-tank says.

In a new report, the Rand Corporation suggests the US replace the term "war on terror" with "counter-terrorism".

Al-Qaeda is blamed for the 11 September 2001 attacks in the US and other attacks around the world.

Many analysts believe Osama Bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders are hiding near the Afghan-Pakistan border.

Earlier this month, US Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama said the situation in Afghanistan was "precarious and urgent" and the country should be the main focus of the "war on terror".

Pakistan, a key US ally in the fight against al-Qaeda, is under increasing pressure to do more to combat militants in its lawless border areas.

'Shift strategy'

"Terrorists should be perceived and described as criminals, not holy warriors and our analysis suggests that there is no battlefield solution to terrorism," said Seth Jones, political scientist and lead author of the study.

"The United States has the necessary instruments to defeat al-Qaeda, it just needs to shift its strategy."

The researchers at Rand, which is funded by the US government, studied 648 militant groups which existed between 1968 and 2006 and, based on their findings, the report concluded that only 7% were defeated militarily.

Political settlements helped neutralise 43% groups and an effective use of police and intelligence information helped to disrupt, capture or kill 40% of leaders of such groups, the study says.

Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden is accused of being behind the 1998 bombing of two US embassies in East Africa and the attacks on New York and Washington on 11 September 2001.

Since then, his al-Qaeda network has been linked with many other attacks around the world.

Brzezinski: Surge In Afghanistan Risky, Some McCain Backers Want World War IV July 25, 2008 02:10 PM

All of a sudden, everyone seems to be in favor of sending more troops to Afghanistan. As Barack Obama encourages Europeans to dispatch more NATO forces and John McCain says that U.S. troops could be sent in greater numbers, the idea that a bigger military footprint is needed has become something of a consensus in the political mainstream.

But Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski is not on board -- though it's not the first time President Jimmy Carter's national security adviser has cast a skeptic's eye on the usefulness of dispatching great numbers of troops to the country. In an famous 1998 interview with France's Le Nouvel Observateur, Brzezinski admitted his own role in funding Afghanistan's Mujahadeen in 1979, thereby "increasing the probability" that the Soviets would invade a tough, demoralizing, mountainous theater for combat.

And it's with a similar perspective that Brzezinski now doubts the that the answer to what ails Afghanistan is more troops. "I think we're literally running the risk of unintentionally doing what the Russians did. And that, if it happens, would be a tragedy," Brzezinski told the Huffington Post on Friday. "When we first went into Afghanistan to overthrow the Taliban, we were actually welcomed by an overwhelming majority of Afghans. They did not see us as invaders, as they saw the Soviets."

However, Brzezinski noted that just as the Soviets were able to delude themselves that they had a loyal army of communist-sympathizers who would transform the country, the U.S.-led forces may now be making similar mistakes. He said that the conduct of military operations "with little regard for civilian casualties" may accelerate the negative trend in local public opinion regarding the West's role. "It's just beginning, but it's significant," Brzezinski said.

His own program for improving the state of affairs in Afghanistan -- where U.S. casualties have surpassed those in Iraq for two months now -- revolves around pragmatism. He believes Europe should bribe Afghan farmers not to produce poppies used for heroin since "it all ends up in Europe." Moreover, he thinks the tribal warlords can be bought off with bribes, with the endgame being the isolation of Al-Qaeda from a Taliban that is "not a united force, not a world-oriented terrorist movement, but a real Afghan phenomenon."

Brzezinski, who has endorsed Obama, was far more critical of a few figures now surrounding McCain, who he suggested were pushing the presumptive GOP nominee towards a radical foreign policy on issues such as Iran.

"Well, if McCain is president and if his Secretary of State is Joe Lieberman and his Secretary of Defense is [Rudolph] Giuliani, we will be moving towards the World War IV that they have been both favoring and predicting," he said, calling that an "appalling concept" (and adding that by their lights, the Cold War counted as World War III). "So it depends on who are the principal officers. If it's [Richard] Armitage, or if it were to be Brent Scowcroft, I think it would be very different."

Asked who he would like to see in a potential Obama cabinet, Brzezinski said: "I think [Sen. Chuck] Hagel. I would like to see a bipartisan cabinet. I think we need one very badly -- and we did well in the Cold War when we had one. I would say Hagel and [Sen. Dick] Lugar would be very good Republicans [for Obama]." He also cited Sen. Joe Biden as a potential Secretary of State, in which case it would also be possible to "keep [Secretary of Defense Bob] Gates in the job for a few months."

Brzezinski said such a cabinet would be an important step in redressing the increased partisanship of foreign affairs in recent years, adding: "I think there is a tendency, because of the very complexity of the issues, for solutions to become polarized and more extreme. ... Republicans move toward neocon-ish formulas, and Democrats [follow] idealistically escapist formulas. In either case you don't end up with the necessary mix of idealism and realism."

New strategy 'can beat al-Qaeda'

Osama Bin Laden could be hiding in Pakistan's tribal areas

Al-Qaeda can be defeated if the US relies less on force and more on intelligence and policing to find its leaders, a leading US think-tank says.

In a new report, the Rand Corporation suggests the US replace the term "war on terror" with "counter-terrorism".

Al-Qaeda is blamed for the 11 September 2001 attacks in the US and other attacks around the world.

Many analysts believe Osama Bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders are hiding near the Afghan-Pakistan border.

Earlier this month, US Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama said the situation in Afghanistan was "precarious and urgent" and the country should be the main focus of the "war on terror".

Pakistan, a key US ally in the fight against al-Qaeda, is under increasing pressure to do more to combat militants in its lawless border areas.

'Shift strategy'

"Terrorists should be perceived and described as criminals, not holy warriors and our analysis suggests that there is no battlefield solution to terrorism," said Seth Jones, political scientist and lead author of the study.

"The United States has the necessary instruments to defeat al-Qaeda, it just needs to shift its strategy."

The researchers at Rand, which is funded by the US government, studied 648 militant groups which existed between 1968 and 2006 and, based on their findings, the report concluded that only 7% were defeated militarily.

Political settlements helped neutralise 43% groups and an effective use of police and intelligence information helped to disrupt, capture or kill 40% of leaders of such groups, the study says.

Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden is accused of being behind the 1998 bombing of two US embassies in East Africa and the attacks on New York and Washington on 11 September 2001.

Since then, his al-Qaeda network has been linked with many other attacks around the world.

=============

Gilani for multi-pronged strategy to combat terrorism

Sridhar Krishnaswami
Washington, Jul 29 (PTI) Pakistan has stressed on a multi-pronged strategy, involving intensifying military operations and taking steps to change the lifestyle of people in its bordering areas with Afghanistan, to curb terrorism.
Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, who met US President George W Bush here yesterday, did not rule out adding more muscle to military operations in the war on terror while Bush said Islamabad must do "more" on this front.
"Prime Minister Gilani also talked about how do you help change the lifestyle of people in the region so that they have a hopeful future rather than one based on terrorism. They have complex issues on the border there, especially when they have refugees -- about 3 million refugees from Afghanistan living in the border area. The president pledged support for that," White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said.
Both the leaders talked about counter-terrorism efforts, and especially what can be done to provide training for their military.
"When it comes to counter-terrorism, President Bush feels that all of us need to be doing more. And the prime minister talked about some of the efforts that they've been working on, especially in terms of coordination with our military and training that we have provided," she said.
The US last week announced that it would work towards resolving the F-16 repair and maintenance issue.
"I think they agreed and reaffirmed this is a war that we need to be fighting together. So they talked about it more in broader terms rather than operational details," she said.
Pakistan's economic condition and the level of American assistance were also discussed. PTI

Brzezinski: Surge In Afghanistan Risky, Some McCain Backers Want World War IV July 25, 2008 02:10 PM

All of a sudden, everyone seems to be in favor of sending more troops to Afghanistan. As Barack Obama encourages Europeans to dispatch more NATO forces and John McCain says that U.S. troops could be sent in greater numbers, the idea that a bigger military footprint is needed has become something of a consensus in the political mainstream.

But Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski is not on board -- though it's not the first time President Jimmy Carter's national security adviser has cast a skeptic's eye on the usefulness of dispatching great numbers of troops to the country. In an famous 1998 interview with France's Le Nouvel Observateur, Brzezinski admitted his own role in funding Afghanistan's Mujahadeen in 1979, thereby "increasing the probability" that the Soviets would invade a tough, demoralizing, mountainous theater for combat.

And it's with a similar perspective that Brzezinski now doubts the that the answer to what ails Afghanistan is more troops. "I think we're literally running the risk of unintentionally doing what the Russians did. And that, if it happens, would be a tragedy," Brzezinski told the Huffington Post on Friday. "When we first went into Afghanistan to overthrow the Taliban, we were actually welcomed by an overwhelming majority of Afghans. They did not see us as invaders, as they saw the Soviets."

However, Brzezinski noted that just as the Soviets were able to delude themselves that they had a loyal army of communist-sympathizers who would transform the country, the U.S.-led forces may now be making similar mistakes. He said that the conduct of military operations "with little regard for civilian casualties" may accelerate the negative trend in local public opinion regarding the West's role. "It's just beginning, but it's significant," Brzezinski said.

His own program for improving the state of affairs in Afghanistan -- where U.S. casualties have surpassed those in Iraq for two months now -- revolves around pragmatism. He believes Europe should bribe Afghan farmers not to produce poppies used for heroin since "it all ends up in Europe." Moreover, he thinks the tribal warlords can be bought off with bribes, with the endgame being the isolation of Al-Qaeda from a Taliban that is "not a united force, not a world-oriented terrorist movement, but a real Afghan phenomenon."

Brzezinski, who has endorsed Obama, was far more critical of a few figures now surrounding McCain, who he suggested were pushing the presumptive GOP nominee towards a radical foreign policy on issues such as Iran.

"Well, if McCain is president and if his Secretary of State is Joe Lieberman and his Secretary of Defense is [Rudolph] Giuliani, we will be moving towards the World War IV that they have been both favoring and predicting," he said, calling that an "appalling concept" (and adding that by their lights, the Cold War counted as World War III). "So it depends on who are the principal officers. If it's [Richard] Armitage, or if it were to be Brent Scowcroft, I think it would be very different."

Asked who he would like to see in a potential Obama cabinet, Brzezinski said: "I think [Sen. Chuck] Hagel. I would like to see a bipartisan cabinet. I think we need one very badly -- and we did well in the Cold War when we had one. I would say Hagel and [Sen. Dick] Lugar would be very good Republicans [for Obama]." He also cited Sen. Joe Biden as a potential Secretary of State, in which case it would also be possible to "keep [Secretary of Defense Bob] Gates in the job for a few months."

Brzezinski said such a cabinet would be an important step in redressing the increased partisanship of foreign affairs in recent years, adding: "I think there is a tendency, because of the very complexity of the issues, for solutions to become polarized and more extreme. ... Republicans move toward neocon-ish formulas, and Democrats [follow] idealistically escapist formulas. In either case you don't end up with the necessary mix of idealism and realism."

7. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs Division Prinz Eugen

by Miha Grcar

The Division was formed on March 1942 from Volksdeutsche (ethnic Germans) from Croatia, Serbia (Banat), Hungary and Romania (Siebenbürg). In its initial phases all soldiers were volunteers but this later changed when conscription was introduced. The unit itself was formed from a SS Selbstschutz (SS Protection Force) and the Einsatz-Staffel (ES) (Also called Prinz Eugen) from Croatia and named SS-Freiwilligen-Division Prinz Eugen.

The Gebirgs Division was forming up until autumn 1942 when it gathered some 21.500 soldiers. Its weaponry was mainly composed of captured equipment such as Czech machine guns and French light tanks. When the forming was complete it was designated to the Balkans as an anti-partisan mountain division – the fist such division in Yugoslavia since 1941.

The first actions Prinz Eugen participated in were near the Serbian-Montenegro border in the mountains east of the Ibar River. Soon afterwards, it was transferred to the Zagreb-Karlovac area, where it took part in operation Weiß which in conjunction with the Italian forces aimed at the annihilation of Tito’s partisans. Weiß I lasted from 20 January - 15 February 1943, Weiß II from 25 February to mid-March 1943, while Weiß III was cancelled. The operation didn’t achieve its goals and most of the partisans managed to evade the main attack. In May the division participated in another offensive, this time against the Serbian guerilla forces under General Draza Mihailović in Hercegovina and Montenegro. Operation Schwarz began on 15 May and ended on 15 June 1943. Prinz Eugen advanced alongside the 1. Gebirgs-Division, elements of the “Brandenburg” Regiment, 369. (Kroatische) Infanterie-Division, 118. Jäger-Division and 104. Jäger-Division. The Division attacked Mostar in Hercegovina and also deployed battalion strength elements northwest of Sarajevo. The operation was succesfull and Mihailović had to retreat to Serbia with the remains of his forces. The Division was later accoused of many warcrimes towards civilians during the latter operation. In August 1943, Prinz Eugen became a part of the XV Gebirgs-Armeekorps and was sent to the Dalmatian coast. After it disarmed the Italian forces in September, it helped to occupy the Hvar, Brac and Korcula islands and the Pelješac peninsula. From there the unit was taking part in another anti-partisan action in Makarska littoral from Omis to Ploce and Biokovo named Landsturm.

The Division was reorganised on 22 October 1943 and was renamed to 7. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Division Prinz Eugen. In November the unit subordinated itself to the V SS Freiwilligen-Gebirgskorps and took part in anti-partisan sweeps Kugelblitz (6 Dec 1943) and Schneesturm. In January 1944, the 7th SS was transferred to the Split and Dubrovnik areas for training and to finish the reorganisation. They were once again ready for action in March (when they launched a “purge action” from Sinj resulting in massacres of civilians) and again took part in anti-partisan sweeps such as Maibaum on 23 April 1944. The next big offensive, in which Prinz Eugen participated, was the assault on Drvar, codenamed Rösselsprung, which began on 25 May 1944. The goals of this operation were to kill or capture Tito on the Drvar island with the SS-Fallschirmjäger-Bataillon 500, the 1. Brandenburg Regiment of the Division Brandenberg and other units with a massive support of the Luftwaffe. After Drvar the SS-Gebirgs-Division was sent to more anti-partisan operations. In May the Division also saw action in operations Waldrausch, Freie Jagd in June and July and Rübezahl (12 Aug – 30 Aug 1944), which prevented the partisans from moving into Montenegro. During that time the Red Army advanced to the Balkans and the division began fighting Russian and Bulgarian units suffering heavy casualties in the process.

On 21 September 1944, SS-Obergruppenführer Artur Phleps, the division’s first commander was believed to have been killed when en route from Montenegro to Transylvania, where he was to form a frontline against the Red Army. Regiment 13 of the Division received the honour title “Artur Phleps” on 13 November 1944. It was at that time that the division saw action in one of the most crucial operations in the Balkans so far. Linking up with 13. Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS Handschar (kroatische Nr. 1), the remnants of the 23. Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS Kama (kroatische Nr. 2) and 21. SS Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS Skanderbeg (albanische Nr. 1), Prinz Eugen created the Vardar corridor in Macedonia allowing the retreat north of 350,000 German soldiers from occupation duties in the Aegean and Greek regions. While fighting in the bridgehead they became subordinated to the Armeekorps Müller under Generaloberst Alexander Löhr’s Heeresgruppe E. On 20 October 1944, the Red Army captured Belgrade and Prinz Eugen retreated through Čačak, Užice, Bajina Basta, Ljubovija, Zvornik, Bijeljina, to Brčko and over Drina, acting as a rear-guard to the German retreat. Due to heavy casualties the divisional SS-Kavallerie-Abteilung 7 was disbanded.

In the beginning of November the “SS Skanderberg” Division was disbanded and its remnants incorporated into the 14. Regiment of Prinz Eugen, which received its honour title “Skanderbeg”. The fighting around Nišch in October caused the unit some heavy casualties and the the 7th SS was sent for refreshing. In January 1945 the Division once again fought the Red Army and Tito’s partisans around Otok and Vukovar. The retreat from Bosnia continued and Prinz Eugen soon retreated to Croatia in April, where it was to hold its positions south of Karlovac on 2 May 1945. On 10 May 1945 the Division retreated towards Celje in Slovenia where it surrendered on 11 May 1945 to Yugoslav forces.

This unit took part in anti-partisan operations in Croatia.

Lineage
Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Division (Mar 1942 - Apr 1942)
SS-Freiwilligen-Division Prinz Eugen (Apr 1942 - Oct 1942)
SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Division Prinz Eugen (Oct 1942 - Oct 1943)
7. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Division Prinz Eugen (Oct 1943 - May 1945)

Commanders
SS-Obergruppenführer Arthur Phelps (30 Jan 1942 - 15 May 1943)
SS-Brigadeführer Karl Reichsritter von Oberkamp (15 May 1943 - 30 Jan 1944)
SS-Brigadeführer Otto Kumm (30 Jan 1944 - 20 Jan 1945)
SS-Brigadeführer August Schmidthuber (20 Jan 1945 - 8 May 1945)

Chief of Staff
SS-Hauptsturmführer Erich Eberhardt (1 Mar 1942 - ? June 1943)
SS-Sturmbannführer Herbert Wachsmann (? June 1943 - 1 Aug 1944)
SS-Sturmbannführer Friedrich Christoph (? 1945 - 1 Mar 1945)
SS-Sturmbannführer Josef Sepp Niedermayer (? 1945 - ? May 1945)

Quartermaster
SS-Hauptsturmführer Schmidt (1 Mar 1942 - 2 July 1943)
SS-Sturmbannführer Robert Zeller (? 1943 - 22 Oct 1943)
SS-Hauptsturmführer Fritz Greindl (? - 1 Aug 1944)
SS-Hauptsturmführer Hannes Richter (? - 1 Mar 1945)

Area of operations
Balkans (Jan 1942 - Apr 1945)
Austria (Apr 1945 - May 1945)

Subordination
12. Armee (Nov 1942 – Jan 1943)
Heeresgruppe E (Feb 1943 – Aug 1943)
XV Korps (Sep 1943 – Nov 1943)
V. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Korps (Dec 1943 – Sep 1944)
Armeekorps Müller (Oct 1944 – Nov 1944)
XXXIV Korps (Dec 1944 – Jan 1945)
LXXXXI Korps (Feb 1945)
XXI Korps (Mar 1945)
LXIX Korps (Apr 1945)

Manpower strength
Dec 1942 19.835
Dec 1943 21.120
June 1944 18.835
Dec 1944 20.000

Holders of high awards

Holders of the Knight’s Cross

Holders of the German Cross

Order of battle (Dec 1942)

SS-Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 1

3x Gebirgsjäger Battaillon

SS-Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 2

3x Gebirgsjäger Battaillon

SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Artillerie-Regiment

1. Abteilung

2. Abteilung

3. Abteilung

4. Abteilung

SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Aufklärungs-Abteilung

SS-Kradschütz-Battaillon

SS-Panzer-Abteilung

SS-Panzerjäger-Abteilung

SS-Gebirgs-Pionier-Battaillon

SS-Gebirgs-Flak-Abteilung

SS-Radfahr-Battaillon

SS-Kavallerie-Abteilung

SS-Gebirgs-Nachrichten-Abteilung

SS-Gebirgs-Feldersatz-Battaillon

SS-Sanitäts-Abteilung

SS-Feldgendarmerie-Trupp 7

SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Veterinär-Kompanie 7

SS-Divisions-Versorgungs-Truppen

Order of battle (22 Oct 1943)

SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 13 “Artur Phlebs”

3x Gebirgsjäger Battaillon

SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 14 “Skanderberg”

3x Gebirgsjäger Battaillon

SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Artillerie-Regiment 7

1. Abteilung

2. Abteilung

3. Abteilung

4. Abteilung

SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Aufklärungs-Abteilung (mot) 7

SS-Panzer-Abteilung 7

SS-Panzerjäger-Abteilung 7

SS-Gebirgs-Pionier-Battaillon 7

SS-Gebirgs-Flak-Abteilung 7

SS-Radfahr-Battailon 7

SS-Kavallerie-Abteilung 7

SS-Gebirgs-Nachrichten-Abteilung 7

SS-Gebirgs-Feldersatz-Battaillon 7

SS-Sanitäts-Abteilung 7

SS-Feldgendarmerie-Trupp 7

SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Veterinär-Kompanie 7

SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Kriegsberichter-Zug 7

SS-Divisions Versorgungs Truppen 7

Order of battle (1944)

SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 13 “Artur Phleps”

3x Gebirgsjäger Battaillon

SS-Freiwilligen-Gebrigsjäger-Regiment 14 “Skanderbeg”

3x Gebirgsjäger Battaillon

SS-Freiwilligen-Gebrigs-Artillerie-Regiment 7

1. Abteilung

2. Abteilung

3. Abteilung

4. Abteilung

SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Aufklärungs-Abteilung (mot) 7

SS-Panzer-Abteilung 7

SS-Panzer-Aufklärungs-Zug

SS-Gebirgs-Panzerjäger-Abteilung 7

SS-Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 7

SS-Gebirgs-Pionier-Battaillon 7

SS-Flak-Abteilung 7

SS-Radfahr-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 7

SS-Kavallerie-Abteilung 7

SS-Kradschützen-Battalion 7

SS-Gebirgs-Nachrichten-Abteilung 7

SS-Feldersatz-Abteilung 7

SS-Sanitäts-Abteilung 7

SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Veterinär-Kompanie 7

SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Kriegsberichter-Zug 7

SS-Propaganda-Zug

SS-Feldgendarmerie-Trupp 7

SS-Werkstatt-Kompanie

SS-Nachshub-Kompanie 7

SS-Instandsetzung-Abteilung 7

SS-Wirtschafts-Battaillon 7

SS-Wehrgeologisches-Battaillon

Insignia

The “Prinz Eugen” cuff title was authorized for this unit.

Photo © Relics of the Reich

The “Arthur Phelps” cuff title was authorized for SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 13 Artur Phleps from 13 Nov 1944.

Reference material on this unit

Thomas Casagrande - Die volksdeutsche SS-Division ‘Prinz Eugen’

Otto Kumm - 7. SS-Gebirgs-Division “Prinz Eugen” im Bild

Otto Kumm - The History of the 7. SS Mountain Division “Prinz Eugen”

This is a listing of all German Nazi divisions. The "Prinz Eugen" was made up of Serbians

SS Divisions:

SS-Panzer division "Viking": Made up of Germans and Nordic volunteers
Logo: Sun in an image of swastika.

SS-Volunteer mountain division "Prinz Eugen". Made up of folksdojcers from Serbia and Croatia.

SS-volunteer panzer division "Nordland", formed out of remainder of Danish, Norwegian and Holland legions. Logo: Swastika in a circle.

SS-mountain division "Handschar", consisted of Balkan folksdojcers and Muslims of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Logo: "handzar" (sword).

SS Infantry division "Galicia". Formed in 1943 from Ukranians from Galicia and Rutenia (under-karpatian Ukraine) and "Reich"-Germans.

SS Infantry division "Letland". Formed in the beginning of 1944. Consisted of Letonians and Baltic Germans.

SS Infantry diviosion "Latvia". Formed in 1944. Made up of Letonian and folksdojcers.

SS Infantry division "Estland". Formed in 1944. Made up of Estonians and folksdojcers. Logo" Letter "E" and a sword.

SS Mountain division "Skenderbeg". Formed in 1944. Made up of Albanians. Logo: two-headed Albanian eagle.

Branko Slavini (in uniform) and Kasim Silajdzic, two Bosnian soldier who deserted 16th September. Before them, Kazimir Silajatovic also deserted.

The role of Serbians in the SS:

DID SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs Division "Prinz Eugen" SS-Obersturmführer - Herbert Zeller12" Figure. The Division was formed in March 1942 by volunteers but this later changed when conscription was introduced. The unit itself was formed by a SS Selbstschutz (SS Protection Force) and the Einsatz-Staffel (ES) (Also called Prinz Eugen) from Croatia and named SS-Freiwilligen-Division Prinz Eugen.

The Gebirgs Division was formed in autumn 1942 when it gathered some 21,500 soldiers. Its weaponry was mainly composed of captured equipment such as Czech machine guns and French light tanks It was designated to the Balkans as an anti-partisan mountain division - the fist such division in Yugoslavia since 1941.

The first actions Prinz Eugen participated near the Serbian-Montenegro border in the mountains east of the Ibar River. Prinz Eugen advanced alongside the 1. Gebirgs-Division, elements of the "Brandenburg" Regiment, 369. (Kroatische) Infanterie-Division, 118. Jäger-Division and 104. The Division was reorganized on 22 October 1943 and was renamed to 7. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Division Prinz Eugen. The next big offensive, in which Prinz Eugen participated, was the assault on Drvar, codenamed Rosselsprung, which began on 25 May 1944. The goals of this operation were to kill or capture Tito on the Drvar island with the SS-Fallshirmjäger-Bataillon 500, the 1. Brandenburg Regiment of the Division Brandenberg and other units with a massive support of the Luftwaffe.

On 21 September l944, it was at that time that the division saw action in one of the most crucial operations in the Balkans so far. Linking up with 13. Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS Handschar (kroatische Nr. 1) the remnants of the 23. Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS Kama (kroatische Nr. 2) and 21. SS Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS Skanderbeg (albanische Nr. 1), Prinz Eugen created the Vardar corridor in Macedonia allowing the retreat north of 350,000 German soldiers from occupation duties in the Aegean and Greek regions.

In the beginning of November the "SS Skanderberg" Division was disbanded and its remnants incorporated into the 14. Regiment of Prinz Eugen, which received its honour title "Skanderbeg". The fighting around Nisch in October caused the unit some heavy casualties and the 7th SS was sent for refreshing. In January 1945 the Division once again fought the Red Army and and Tito's partisans around Otok and Vukovar. The retreat from Bosnia continued and Prinz Eugen soon retreated to Croatia in April, where it was to hold its positions south of Karlovac on 2 May 1945. On 10 May 1945 the Division retreated towards Celje in Slovenia where it surrendered on 11 May 1945 to Yugoslav forces.

Serbian SS soldiers of the Prinz EugenSerbian insignia of the Prinz Eugen

Serbian SS soldiers of the Prinz Eugen

[gallery]

Prinze-Eugen SERBIAN SS DIVISION-Serbian Nazis-7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen

Posted on April 15, 2008 by Moin Ansari | Edit

SERBIAN SS DIVISION

7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen
Largely because of the origin of its soldiers and its military character as a mountain unit, Phleps’ new command was designed for anti-partisan warfare and deployed in the Balkans. Initially, all its soldiers were to be volunteers, but as the division struggled to fill its ranks, and conscription was introduced. Beginning in October 1942, the 7. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Division Prinz Eugen fought continuously against the Tito’s partisans in so-called Banden-and Partisanenbekämfung and was involved in numerous war crimes against the civilian population.

In recognition of his abilities as a commander of Prinz Eugen, on June 21, 1943 Phleps was promoted to SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS and was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross. Short time later he was also given command of the newly formed V.SS-Gebirgs-Korps..

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THE SERBIAN SS UNITS WERE ONE OF THE LARGEST IN THE GERMAN ARMY

Though often protrayed as an elite combat force, Heinrich Himmler’s Waffen SS only became a major player on the battlefield relatively late in World War II. The General SS had only a political role and thus its men had no exemption from conscription. Many SS men avoided the army through the loophole that kept police out of the draft pool, and using SS units for occupation and security duties helped Himmler build his political and economic empire.

While some SS units saw front-line combat from the start of Operation Barbarossa, most of those sent into the Soviet Union after 22 June 1941 were intended as security troops. They would suppress resistance, mop up bypassed Red Army units, and most importantly in Himmler’s eyes, carry out the slaughter of Jews. Many of these units found themselves pressed into front-line combat during the Soviet winter offensive of 1941-1942, and when spring came the SS began to expand its combat role.

Still denied access to the general German draft pool, the SS turned to other sources of manpower. Ethnic Germans, or Volksdeutsche, formed part of the “Great German nation” under Adolf Hitler’s racist ideology, yet were not subject to conscription by the regular German armed forces under German law and such a draft was forbidden under international law. As early as August 1940, Himmler’s recruiting chief, Gottlieb Burger, recommended that the Waffen SS seek volunteers among the Volksdeutsche of occupied Yugoslavia.

An Austrian-made ADGZ armored car
of the 7th SS Mountain Division.

Himmler approved the proposal in March 1942, authorizing formation of an SS mountain division from Volksdeutsche recruited in Serbia. The Germans did not yet press their recruiting efforts in the Italian-occupied zones of Yugoslavia, or the puppet state of Croatia. The most successful recruiting drive came in Romanian southern Transylvania, where Burger’s son-in-law, Andreas Schmidt, headed the SS political organization. Most of the new mountain division’s recruits came from Transylvania but as a sop to the Romanian government’s pride they were described as having come from Serbia in SS propaganda.

The new division, eventually known as the 7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division “Prinz Eugen,” began formation in April 1942 at Weisskirchen in Austria. The unit sullied the name of Austria’s most successful battlefield commander, who settled many Germans in Serbia (the genesis of the Volksdeutsche community there) and initiated a campaign of what a later century would call “ethnic cleansing.” As with many examples of Nazi propaganda, the name choice was carefully considered.

A Romanian ethnic German, Artur Phelps, became the division’s first commander. Phelps, former commander of the crack Romanian Mountain Corps, had supported the fascist Iron Guard’s attempted coup in January 1941 and fled to Germany after its bloody suppression.

Phelps’ unit had two regiments, each of three battalions. Many of the cadre came from small SS units established from Volksdeutsche volunteers in Croatia after the German conquest of Yugoslavia in April 1941. The artillery regiment had four battalions, with Czech-made pieces. Most of the infantry weapons also came from Czech sources: The Waffen-SS, at this time still denied full access to German arms makers, depended heavily on the arms factories of occupied Czechoslovakia. The division had a large array of specialist units: a battalion each of motorcyclists, reconnaissance troops, tanks, anti-tank guns, engineers, anti-aicraft guns, bicyclists, cavalry and replacements. Despite having only two regiments, the 7th SS was thus one of the largest German divisions, with over 21,000 men at full strength.

A member of the 7th SS.

Tanks for the division came from captured French stocks: seven Char B-1 bis heavy tanks, a handful more converted to flamethrowing vehicles, and some R-35 and H-39 light tanks.

The new division was declared combat-ready in Octobver 1942 and sent to western Serbia under command of 12th Army. Most officers and NCOs were Germans from Germany, or Reichsdeutsche. The rank-and-file, almost all Volksdeutsche, were routinely referred to as “Musselmänner” (literally “Muslims,” but also the term used by SS concentration camp guards for starving prisoners soon to die) and scorned as lesser beings.

The division’s marching song, composed by SS Hauptsturmführer Sepp Krombholz, showed that the men knew exactly what their task would be:

Our trash division!
And many Serbian skulls
and many Serbian maids
will I soon see fallen . . .

Phelps sent his troops into their first action on 5 October, an attack against a partisan brigade led by Maj. Dragutin Kreserovic in the mountainous Kreva Reka area. Together with troops of the Bulgarian 9th Infantry Division, the SS men were to seek out and destroy partisan units. In case anyone misunderstood, Phelps noted in his order of the day that, “the entire population of this area must be considered rebel sympathizers.”

The operation failed to net many partisans, but that didn’t stop Himmler himself from visiting the division soon afterwards to dispense medals and promotions.

Throughout the winter the division participated in operations against the partisans, with limited success. While it did participate in the highly successful “Operation Black” in MOntenegro in May 1943, other Axis formations did most of the fighting while the SS men concentrated on their specialty, “punitive expeditions.” Entire villages were exterminated, the buildings burned to the ground, with mass rapes the order of the day as well. In multiple instances, the murders even included all house pets and farm animals. At Niksic, for example, 7th SS troopers systematically raped and then gunned down 121 women. While many Jews were murdered at their hands, the 7th SS also killed huge numbers of Serbs and Gypsies. The more lunatic fringe of today’s Serbia has even cited 7th SS massacres around Srebrenica in 1944 to justify the mass killings there in 1995.

The trash division spent most of 1943 fighting partisans, moving to the Adriatic coast in Spetember to assist in disarming the Italian occupation forces there after Italy’s surrender. Savage fighting broke out in several locations, with the SS men suffering serious defeats at Italian hands.

After suffering repeated defeats at partisan and Italian hands, the division went to the Dubrovnik area for reorganization and retraining. For several months the division attempted to improve itself, re-entering combat in November 1943 with similar results as it hunted partisans in the Sarajevo-Goradze area of Bosnia. Unlike the other SS divisions formed at about this time, the 7th SS did not have pre-war SS Standarten on which to draw for its cadres; the officers supplied by other SS units appear to have been the incompetents and other dregs — and few of the the SS units supplying such officers in 1942 had a surplus of skilled commanders to begin with.

We’ll look at the division’s last two years, including its disastrous commitment to combat against regular Soviet and Bulgarian forces, in a later installment. Panzer Grenadier: Edelweiss has a number of scenarios featuring the 7th SS, and more will probably appear in the near future.

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Here are details on the Serbian Nazi Forces fighting the Partisans:

7.SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Division “Prinz Eugen”

Lineage SS-Freiwilligen-Gebrigs-Division

SS-Freiwilligen-Division ‘Prinz Eugen”

SS-Freiwilligen-Gebrigs-Division “Prinz Eugen”

7.SS-Freiwilligen-Gebrigs-Division “Prinz Eugen”

Traditions The title Prinz Eugen comes from the German spelling of the name Francois Eugene, Prince of Savoy, who lived from 1663 to 1736. Born in Paris, France, Eugene is known to history as being one of the greatest European soldiers of all time. After being refused a commission in the French army by King Louis XIV, Eugene entered the service of the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I in 1683, to fight against the Ottoman Turks Made field marshal in 1693, Prince Eugene was the commander and diplomat who led the military campaigns that would lay the foundations for Habsburg power in central Europe. He fought the Turks at Vienna, and helped to establish the Austrio-Hungarian empire. He also fought against France in two wars, and while in command of the imperial army he helped Marlborough in several battles during the War of the Spanish succession. Later, Prince Eugene won several further victories against the Turks, capturing Belgrade in 1718.
History After a fairly long process of attempting to form an SS Division from the rather large Volksdeutsche community living outside of Germany, and not to meerly incorporate them into other various Wermacht units, Gottlob Berger (As head of the SS recruiting office) managed to help secure the 7th Division of the SS. The 7th Division of the SS was formed from the Volksdeutsche living in the Serbian and Croatian areas of Yugoslavia through volunteers, and then through conscription. The Division was initially established in March of 1942 from a SS Selbstschutz (SS Protection Force) and the Einsatz-Staffel (Also called Prinz Eugen) from Croatia.

In the early months of the Divisions History, it was found stuggling to fill its ranks through the use of volunteers alone, and soon consciption was used to finish the Division, eventually gaining some 21,500 members.

The 7th Division of the SS was designed for anti-partisan warfare in the Balkan region, and it was during such operations in October, 1942, that the Division first saw action near the Serbian-Montenegro border in mountains east of the Ibar River. Soon after this action, the Division was transfered to the Zagreb-Karlovac area and took part in Operation White with other German units. Operation White was one of the many major anti-partisan operations in the Balkan Region aimed at destroying Tito’s resistance movement. This operation proved to be a failure though, and Tito’s forces managed to evade the brunt of the German offensive.

Throughout the next few months, the Division was placed under Army Group E, and in May, 1942, the Division took part in more anti-partisan operations, this time during Operation Black. After Black, elements of the Division were sent to North of Sarajevo, and later, the Division was sent to Mostar.

Next, the Division saw service on the Dalmation Coast while disarming Italian soldiers in September, 1943. After helping to disarm Italians, the 7th SS helped occupy the Brac, Hvar and Korcula Islands and the Peljesac Peninsula. In December, 1943, the 7th SS once more was in action against Tito’s forces, and once more, the actions proved less-than-promising.

In January, 1944, the 7th SS Division was transfered to the Split, Dubrovnik area for more training at which time the Division was also reorganized. Prinz Eugen was transfered back to the Bosnia area in March, 1944, and continued its part in anti-partisan operations. In May, 1944, the 7th fough again against Tito’s partisans near Drvar. Next, the Division was moved and fought against Russian and Bulgarian units in August, 1944. At this time, the Division suffered greatly and took a good deal of casualties.

In September, 1944, the Division saw action in what was probably its most important role so far. Prinz Eugen, along with elements of other Waffen SS units helped to hold a vital bridgehead in the Vardar Corridor in Macedonia so as to help 350,000 German soldiers escape from possible encirclement by the advancing Soviets. The 350,000 German soldiers were attempting to move north from occupation duties in the Aegean and Greek regions of the Balkans. Prinz Eugen was badly mauled, but the operation proved to be a success. After helping hold the line in the Vardar corridor, the Division took part in many rear-guard actions resulting in a long retreat from Cacak all the way to Brcko and over the Drina.

In January, 1945, the Division fought partisans near Otok, and later was sent to the area of Vukovar where it fought again against advancing Soviet forces, and Tito’s partisans. From February, 1945 to April, 1945, the Division was in action against the Partisans and the Soviets, finally ending the War in Slovenia and being taken by the Yugoslav government.

Organization General Composition
SS Mountain Infantry Regiment 1
SS Mountain Infantry Regiment 2
SS Motorcycle Battalion
SS Cavalry Battalion
SS Panzer Battalion
SS Mountain Artillery Regiment
SS Engineer Battalion
SS Intelligence Battalion
SS Mountain Jager Replacement Battalion
Supply troops

Later, the following were added:

SS Reconnaissance Battalion
SS Panzerjager Battalion
SS Motorcycle Rifle Battalion
SS Flak Unit

Its final composition was as follows:

SS Volunteer Mountain Jager Regiment 13 “Arthur Phelps”
SS Volunteer Mountain Jager Regiment 14 “Skanderbeg”
SS Volunteer Mountain Artillery Regiment 7
SS Panzer Unit 7
SS Panzer Company
SS Mountain Panzerjager Unit 7
SS Cavalry Unit 7
SS Assault Gun Battery 7
SS Flak Unit 7
SS Flak Company
SS Mountain Intelligence Unit 7
SS Volunteer Mountain Reconnaissance Unit 7 (mot)
SS Panzer Reconnaissance Platoon
SS Cycle Battalion
SS Cycle Reconnaissance Unit 7
SS Mountain Engineer Battalion
SS Mountain Rifle Battlion
SS Supply Company 7
SS Repair Shop Company/Platoon
SS Storekeeping Battalion 7
SS Medical Unit 7
SS Volunteer Mountain Veterinary Company 7
SS Volunteer Mountain Intelligence Platoon 7
SS Propaganda Platoon
SS Field Police Platoon 7
SS Field Replacement Battalion 7
SS Repair Unit 7
SS Geological Battalion

Commanders Obergruppenführer Arthur Phelps, 1.30.42 - 5.15.43
Brigadeführer Karl Reichsritter von Oberkamp, 5.15.43 - 1.30.44
Brigadeführer Otto Kumm, 1.30.44 - 1.20.45
Brigadeführer August Schmidthuber, 1.20.45 - 5.8.45

War Service Date Corps Army Army Group Area
11.42 - 12.42 Gen. Serbien 12. Armee - Serbia
1.43 Befehlshaber Serbien 12. Armee - Serbia
2.43 - 8.43 Befehlshaber Kroatien - E Croatia
9.43 - 11.43 XV 2. Pz. Armee F Split
12.43 V. SS 2. Pz. Armee F Sarajevo
1.44 - 7.44 V. SS 2. Pz. Armee F Croatia
8.44 - 9.44 V. SS 2. Pz. Armee F Serbia
10.44 Müller Serbien F Serbia (Nisch)
11.44 Müller E F Croatia
12.44 - 1.45 XXXIV E F Croatia
2.45 LXXXXI E F Croatia
3.45 - 4.45 XXI E F Agram
5.45 LXIX - OB Südost Cilli

http://www.feldgrau.com/7ss.html

Also:

http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=1971

Let's Speak the Truth About Afghanistan

NEW YORK -- During his triumphant European tour, Senator Barack Obama again urged NATO's members to send more troops to Afghanistan and called the conflict there, "the central front in the war on terror." Europe's response ranged from polite evasion to downright frosty.
It is unfortunate that Obama has adopted President George Bush's misleading terminology, "war on terror," to describe the conflict between the United States and anti-American groups in the Muslim world. Like many Americans, he and his foreign policy advisors are sorely misinformed about the reality of Afghanistan.

One understands Obama's need to respond with martial élan to rival John McCain's chest-thumping about "I know how to win wars." Polls put McCain far ahead of Obama when it comes to being a war leader. But Obama's recent proposal to send at least 7,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, and his threats to attack Pakistan's territory, and warnings about Islamabad's nuclear forces, show poor judgment and lack of knowledge.

The United States is no longer "fighting terrorism" in Afghanistan, as Bush, Obama and McCain insist. The 2001 U.S. invasion was a legitimate operation against al-Qaeda, a group that properly fit the role of a "terrorist organization." But, contrary to the White House's wildly inflated claims that Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda was a worldwide conspiracy, it never numbered more than 300 hard core members. Bin Laden and his jihadis long ago scattered into all corners of Pakistan and elsewhere. Only a handful remain in Afghanistan.

Today, 80,000 U.S. and NATO troops are waging war against the Taliban. Having accompanied the mujahidin fighting the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan during the 1980's, witnessed the birth of Taliban, and penned a book about the Afghan struggle, "War at the Top of the World," I can attest that Taliban is not a terrorist organization as the U.S. and its allies wrongly claim.

Taliban was created in the early 1990's during the chaos and civil war that engulfed Afghanistan after the Soviet invaders were driven out. Drawn from Pashtun tribes of southern Afghanistan, who make up half that nation's population, Taliban was a religious movement that took up arms to battle the Afghan Communists, stop the wide-scale rape of Afghan women, and halt banditry and the drug trade. Both Pakistan and the U.S. secretly aided Taliban.

The ranks of Taliban were filled with young religious students -- "talibs" -- and veteran mujahidin fighters whom the U.S. had armed and hailed as "freedom fighters." By 1996, Taliban took Kabul, driving out the Northern Alliance, the old rump of the Afghan Communist Party and its Russian-backed Tajik and Uzbek tribal supporters. Taliban, most of whom were mountaineers, imposed a draconian medievalist culture that followed traditional Pashtun tribal customs and Islamic law.

The U.S. quietly backed Taliban for possible use in Central Asia, against China in the event of war, and against Iran, a bitter foe of the Sunni Taliban. U.S. energy giants Chevron and Unocal negotiated gas and oil pipeline deals with Taliban. In 2001, Washington gave $40 million in aid to Taliban until four months before 9/11. The U.S. only turned against Taliban when, at Osama bin Laden's advice, it gave a major pipeline deal to an Argentine consortium rather than an American one.

Everything that happens in Afghanistan is based on tribal politics. Taliban came from the heart of the Pashtun tribal grouping, the world's largest tribe which also accounts for up to 20% of Pakistan's population. Tribal and clan loyalties trump all political alliances.

The Taliban leadership had nothing to do with 9/11, a plot that, according to European prosecutors, was hatched in Germany and Spain, not Afghanistan. Nor did it have anything to do with subsequent attacks ascribed to al-Qaeda. After 9/11, Secretary of State Colin Powell vowed to published a White paper demonstrating Osama bin Laden's culpability in the attacks. Curiously, the promised paper was never issued.

Osama bin Laden was a national hero of the anti-Soviet struggle, wounded six times in battle. Taliban's collective leadership, in keeping with the Pashtun code of hospitality and honor, refused U.S. demands to hand over bin Laden until Washington issued a proper extradition request with evidence of bin Laden's guilt and promised him a fair trial. Washington refused to go through legal channels and, instead, invaded Afghanistan.

Fast forward to 2008. Today, U.S. and NATO forces are not fighting "terrorists" in Afghanistan but a loose alliance of Pashtun warrior tribes whose resistance to foreign occupation is legendary. They are descendants of the same Pashtun mountain warriors who battled Alexander the Great, the Mongols, the British Empire and the Soviet Union. All these invaders were eventually defeated.
Former U.S.-backed mujahidin "freedom-fighters," like the legendary Jallal Haqqani and Gulbadin Hekmatyar, have also joined Taliban in resisting foreign occupation.

The war now being waged in Afghanistan by the U.S. and NATO closely resembles 19th century colonial "pacifications" in which a puppet ruler is installed, a native mercenary army ("sepoys") hired to fight, and western troops sent to crush rebellious tribesmen who refuse to follow the diktat of the imperial power.

Equally important, the real objective of the ongoing U.S. occupation of Afghanistan became recently evident. The U.S.-installed Karzai regime in Kabul finally singed a long-discussed pipeline deal that will bring energy south from the new gas and oil Klondike of the Caspian Basin through Afghanistan to Pakistan's coast and India.

As the perceptive writer Kevin Phillips notes, U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan -- and Iraq -- have become "pipeline protection troops."

Barack Obama and John McCain had better look carefully before plunging deeper into the Afghan morass. In Afghanistan, we are not fighting "terrorists" but a medieval tribal people who just want to be left alone. This is an ugly little war about oil and gas, not freedom, democracy, or woman's rights. Every village we bomb, every wedding party our air powers massacres, brings new recruits to Taliban and its allies.

Even the secretary general of NATO, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, said last April that there could be no military solution to the war in Afghanistan, only a political one. That means negotiating with Taliban and political inclusion for the Pashtun people. But President Bush and candidates McCain and Obama are not listening.

When Extremists Attack Posted by Joe Klein |

I have now been called antisemitic and intellectually unstable and a whole bunch of other silly things by the folks over at the Commentary blog. They want Time Magazine to fire or silence me. This is happening because I said something that is palpably true, but unspoken in polite society: There is a small group of Jewish neoconservatives who unsuccessfully tried to get Benjamin Netanyahu to attack Saddam Hussein in the 1990s, and then successfully helped provide the intellectual rationale for George Bush to do it in 2003. Their motivations involve a confused conflation of what they think are Israel's best interests with those of the United States. They are now leading the charge for war with Iran.

Happily, these people represent a very small sliver of the Jewish population in this country. Unhappily, their views have had an impact in the highest reaches of the Bush Administration--and seem to have an influence on John McCain's campaign as well. Happily, the Bush Administration seems more interested in talking to the Iranians than in launching on them--and, according to my Israeli friends, the Israelis are not going to do anything foolish, either. I remain proud of my Jewish heritage, a strong supporter of Israel and a realist about the slim chance of finding some common ground with the Iranians. But I am not willing to grant these ideologues the anonymity they seek.

In early 2003, during my first weeks as a Time Magazine columnist, I wrote a handful of skeptical columns about the coming war in Iraq, including this one about Israel's security as a hidden casus belli. Then, with the troops in place and the war about to begin, I said something stupid on Tim Russert's cable TV show--reluctantly saying ok, we should proceed with the attack. It was the only statement I made in favor of the war and I quickly came to my senses--but that's no excuse. We have lost more than 4000 Americans, tens of thousands have come home grievously injured, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been killed and wounded, and we are weaker, palpably and morally, as a result.

I am not going to make the same mistake twice. I don't think a war with Iran is coming, thank God, but this time I am not going to pull any punches. My voice isn't very important in the grand scheme of things, but I'm going to do my job--and that means letting you know exactly where I stand and what I believe. I believe there are a small group of Jewish neoconservatives who are pushing for war with Iran because they believe it is in America's long-term interests and because they believe Israel's existence is at stake. They are wrong and recent history tells us they are dangerous. They are also bullies and I'm not going to be intimidated by them.

Barack Obama's Middle East tour got off to a bloody start. No sooner had the Democratic presidential hopeful landed in Afghanistan than news came that thirteen Afghan police and civilians had been killed in the country.

Their killers were not the Taliban or al Qaeda but NATO international forces. Four police and five civilians were killed in a "mistaken" NATO airstrike in Farah province. And four civilians died when misplaced NATO mortar fire hit a house in Paktika province.

The International Red Cross says more than 100 civilians have been killed this month by NATO or US Special Forces fire, including fifty at a wedding on July 6. It's not clear whether this is more or fewer than the civilians slain by the Taliban. But the count would surely bring home to Obama the fact that Afghanistan is a black-and-white conflict only from a distance.

It's easy to see why the Senator from Illinois chose the country as his first stop. Of all the receptions he will get, Kabul will be the warmest. For Obama Afghanistan is the right war, "the central front in the battle against terorism"; Iraq was the wrong war, "a country that posed no imminent threat and had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks." Last week he said, if elected President, he would pull most American troops out of Iraq by 2010 and add 7,000 to the 36,000 already in Afghanistan.

Obama also seems to agree with the Afghan regime's diagnosis of the fundamental problem facing their country: it's not corruption or underdevelopment or even bumper opium crops that fuel insurgents and warlords alike, including some of President Hamid Karzai's "allies." The core issue is the existence of Taliban and Al Qaeda sanctuaries on the other side of the Afghan border in Pakistan.

Obama met Karzai for lunch on Sunday. No statement was issued. "I'm more interested in listening than doing a lot of talking," he said. But it's clear what he would have heard.

Karzai has blamed Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency for orchestrating a wave of attacks in Afghanistan, including a suicide car bomb that killed fifty-eight people outside the Indian Embassy in Kabul earlier this month. India repeated the charge. Pakistan has rigorously denied the accusation.

Washington and NATO have kept their own counsel. But there is no disguising their frustration with the Pakistan government's new policy of peacemaking with pro-Taliban tribesmen on the borderlands with Afghanistan. This, US commanders allege, has allowed the Taliban and Al Qaeda a free run into Afghanistan. And that is the main cause of a spike in NATO and US casualties.

Last week NATO forces amassed on the Afghan side of the border, pitching mortars at Taliban and/or Al Qaeda "targets" inside Pakistan. The forces withdrew on July 18. But the signal was clear, and Obama gave it voice. "We must make it clear if Pakistan cannot or will not act, we will take out...terrorist targets like [Osama] bin Laden if we have them in our sights," he said on July 15.

Where Obama says he differs from the Bush Administration is that his presidency would not place "all of America's eggs in the basket" of one man--which, since 9/11, has been Pakistan's ex-military ruler General Pervez Musharraf. On July 15 Obama co-sponsored a Senate bill that, if passed, would triple non-military aid to Pakistan to $15 billion over the next decade. The aim is "to align ourselves with Pakistan and its people," he said. The assumption is a democratic dispensation would be more amenable to American demands.

Obama should be careful what he wishes for. Whatever frustration he feels toward Islamabad's current approach to the Taliban and Al Qaeda, the policy reflects Pakistani public sentiment. According to a poll released by the US-based International Republican Institute (IRI) on July 17, 71 percent of Pakistanis support political dialogue with the Taliban and only 9 percent back military force. An IRI poll in February showed 89 percent wanting their government to have no truck with the US "war on terror." Sixty-four percent said America--rather than the Taliban or Al Qaeda--represented the "greatest single threat" to their nation.

Mass attitudes like these explain why any elected Pakistan government would be timorous in dealing with the Taliban. And why nothing would undermine its democratic legitimacy more than a unilateral American action on Pakistani soil.

It's a shame Pakistan was not a stop on Obama's journey, particularly its provincial capitals of Peshawar, Quetta and Karachi. Had he been "listening" there, he might have heard something he doesn't already know

Obama should be careful what he wishes for. Whatever frustration he feels toward Islamabad's current approach to the Taliban and Al Qaeda, the policy reflects Pakistani public sentiment. According to a poll released by the US-based International Republican Institute (IRI) on July 17, 71 percent of Pakistanis support political dialogue with the Taliban and only 9 percent back military force. An IRI poll in February showed 89 percent wanting their government to have no truck with the US "war on terror." Sixty-four percent said America--rather than the Taliban or Al Qaeda--represented the "greatest single threat" to their nation.

Let's also be fair to Pakistan. If its army moved into the Northwest Frontier Province in force, the odds are good the army as well as the country would crack. All across Pakistan there is grudging sympathy for Pakistan's Taliban, al Qaeda's host, rebels willing to stand up to the United States. It was not a coincidence that the 9/11 plotters had taken refuge in Pakistan's largest cities, Rawalpindi and Karachi.

No one in Washington has any illusions anything is going to change during Bush's final months in office. So, if Obama makes it to the White House, will things be any different?

I spent two months in Pakistan earlier this year and took an informal poll among the few hard-line militants who would talk to me. I spent one evening with the survivors of Islamabad's Red Mosque, an armed group that fought it out with the Pakistani army last year

"Obama?" the wife of the leader of the Red Mosque said with pronounced derision. "If he is elected president he will invade Mecca and turn it into a Christian city. Muslims will fight this man to the last drop of blood."

Obama said nothing of the sort, but his promise to "take out" Pakistan's militants somehow got twisted, as often happens with messianic sects. But the point is, right now, an Obama victory was going to do nothing to endear the United States to at least this lady, and probably the Taliban.

I put the same question about Obama to Pakistan's legendary Colonel Imam. The colonel is on French leave from Pakistan's notorious Inter-Services Intelligence agency. But he knows the Taliban — he organized it in the mid-nineties. And that's not to mention that he all but invented the Afghan resistance in the early eighties.

He only shrugged his shoulders at Obama's name. "How do you think the al Qaeda and the Taliban look at the world today? With or without Obama, the fact is the United States turned Iran into a regional superpower when it invaded Afghanistan and Iraq."

Colonel Imam knew very well there was no complicity with Iran in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. But it does not change the fact that, when it comes to enemies, al Qaeda and the Taliban put Iran on a par with the United States. Just as they believe Obama will invade Mecca, they are convinced there is a dark conspiracy against them.

Sri Lankans May Turn Against War Strategy, Defense Analysts Say By Shani Raja

July 9 (Bloomberg) -- Sri Lanka's government needs to deliver on its vow to cripple the rebel Tamil Tigers this year or lose support for a conflict that is slowing economic growth, defense analysts said as labor unions plan a general strike tomorrow.

``People say they'll suffer the hardships as long as the government can finish the war,'' said Iqbal Athas, a Colombo-based correspondent for Jane's Defence Weekly. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's ``military machine has yet to be badly dented'' and the group may have at least 10,000 fighters.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government pledged to defeat the LTTE in the northern Wanni region this year after evicting them from the east a year ago. The Tamil Tigers operate from jungle bases in the north, where they repulsed a major army offensive in the late 1990s.

Pressure on the government to negotiate with the rebels may build if military operations stall. Workers in ports, transport and agriculture are among those planning to strike tomorrow over cost of living increases after consumer prices in the capital, Colombo, rose the most in at least four years and at the fastest pace in Asia.

The war is weighing on the economy, Sri Lanka's Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal said last week at a business forum. The International Monetary Fund has said the nation's economic outlook ``depends critically'' on an end to the civil war.

Spending Slump

Economic growth slowed for the first time in a year in the first quarter as the escalating violence, including bomb attacks in Colombo, curbed spending, while consumer prices in Colombo rose 28.2 percent in June from a year earlier, the statistics department said at the end of last month.

``People are expecting the war to be over sooner rather than later,'' said Pramod De Silva, editor-in-chief of the state-run Daily News. ``They will welcome either a military or a political solution as soon as possible.''

The military's efforts to control terrorism in the north have allowed people in the south to consider strike action, Rajapaksa said in comments yesterday, the newspaper reported. Some groups are using the stoppage to ``gain political mileage,'' he said.

Losing control of Eastern Province was the worst defeat suffered by the LTTE in its 25-year struggle for a Tamil homeland in the north and east of the island nation. The Tigers will have a hard time regaining the region, Athas said. Sri Lanka has a 100,000-strong army.

Northern Bases

The Tamil Tigers are confined to just two northern districts in Wanni, Sri Lanka's Defense Affairs Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said in a telephone interview from Colombo. The government is on course to delivering a major blow to the ``terrorists'' this year, he said. ``Everything is going according to our strategies and plans.''

The Tamil Tigers have lost the ability to fight as a conventional army after being weakened by recent government offensives, Army Chief Sarath Fonseka said earlier this month. The military is making progress toward eliminating the Tigers by mid-2009, he told reporters.

The war may have reached a stalemate, said Athas. Attacks are on the rise in all three ``cleared'' eastern districts, Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Amparai, and the Tamil Tigers have been ``periodically'' targeting the northern Jaffna peninsula, mostly under the government's control.

Attacks in South

The rebels have also launched attacks on civilians in the Sinhalese-dominated south of the island, demonstrating that they can operate deep within government territory.

Last year, the rebels showed they had developed an air capability, using light aircraft to bomb a military base near Sri Lanka's main international airport. The air wing consists of five propeller-driven aircraft, the military says.

The military has targeted Tamil Tiger leaders since taking over the Eastern Province, killing the group's political chief, its military intelligence leader and the head of the naval unit, known as the Sea Tigers. The LTTE accuses the air force of bombing civilian areas and says the land and air attacks amount to genocide.

The LTTE said last September that any peace process must be based on a homeland for the Tamil people, in the same way the ethnic-Albanian majority in the former Serbian province of Kosovo gained independence. Tamils make up 11.9 percent of Sri Lanka's 20 million people, according to the 2001 census.

War Reporting

Sri Lankan journalists are facing increasing attacks over their reporting of the conflict, according to Amnesty International. Hundreds of local reporters and cameramen protested outside Rajapaksa's home last week demanding an end to a spate of killings and assaults on journalists, Agence France- Presse reported.

Some journalists fear a crackdown if the victory promised by the government doesn't materialize.

``The media has come under very staunch criticism for expressing views which are not of the government,'' said Athas. ``Anybody who doesn't tow the line is called a traitor. You can draw the inference on what's going to come.''

A journalist and member of the British High Commission staff were assaulted in Colombo last week. The U.S. embassy condemned the attack and other recent violence against journalists.

Alleged human rights violations against journalists by the government are being ``blown totally out of proportion,'' Rambukwella said. The sources of such allegations are largely non-governmental agencies with LTTE sympathies, he added.

To contact the reporter on this story: Shani Raja in Sydney at sraja4@bloomberg.net

Strategy Against Al-Qaeda Faulted Report Says Effort Is Not a 'War' By Joby Warrick
Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, July 30, 2008; A04

The Bush administration's terrorism-fighting strategy has not significantly undermined al-Qaeda's capabilities, according to a major new study that argues the struggle against terrorism is better waged by law enforcement agencies than by armies.

The study by the nonpartisan Rand Corp. also contends that the administration committed a fundamental error in portraying the conflict with al-Qaeda as a "war on terrorism." The phrase falsely suggests that there can be a battlefield solution to terrorism, and symbolically conveys warrior status on terrorists, it said.

"Terrorists should be perceived and described as criminals, not holy warriors," authors Seth Jones and Martin Libicki write in "How Terrorist Groups End: Lessons for Countering al-Qaeda," a 200-page volume released yesterday.

But the authors contend that al-Qaeda has sabotaged itself by creating ever greater numbers of enemies while not broadening its base of support. "Al-Qaeda's probability of success in actually overthrowing any government is close to zero," the report states.

The study was based in part on an analysis of more than 600 terrorist movements tracked over decades by Rand and the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism. Jones and Libicki sought to determine why such movements ultimately die out, and how lessons from recent history can be applied to the current struggle against al-Qaeda.

The researchers found that more than 40 percent of terrorist movements fade away when their political objectives are met -- but that this outcome occurs only when groups are secular and have narrow goals. By contrast, al-Qaeda's religious and political agenda calls for nothing less than the overthrow of secular Arab governments and the establishment of an Islamic caliphate.

A roughly equal number of terrorist groups die when their key leaders are arrested or killed. In the vast majority of instances, this is accomplished by local law enforcement, the study notes.

"In most cases, military force isn't the best instrument," said Jones, a terrorism expert and the report's lead author.

Addressing the U.S. campaign against al-Qaeda, the study noted successes in disrupting terrorist financing, but said the group remains a formidable foe. Al-Qaeda is "strong and competent," and has succeeded in carrying out more violent attacks since Sept. 11, 2001, than in all of its previous history. Moreover, its organizational structure has adapted and evolved over time, "making it a more dangerous enemy," Jones and Libicki wrote.

The authors call for a strategy that includes a greater reliance on law enforcement and intelligence agencies in disrupting the group's networks and in arresting its leaders. They say that when military forces are needed, the emphasis should be on local troops, which understand the terrain and culture and tend to have greater legitimacy.

In Muslim countries in particular, there should be a "light U.S. military footprint or none at all," the report contends.

"The U.S. military can play a critical role in building indigenous capacity," it said, "but should generally resist being drawn into combat operations in Muslim societies, since its presence is likely to increase terrorist recruitment."

Bangladesh parties realign for December polls

The alliance of Jatiya Party with the Awami League was struck at meetings held last week in London, where Hasina is currently staying. It is aimed at taking on the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its Islamist ally, the Jamaat-e-Islami, The Daily Star newspaper reported on Friday.

The Awami League and Jatiya Party together won 47.24 per cent of votes cast in the last parliamentary elections in 2001. At the London parleys, it was decided that the revived "grand alliance" would have no truck with religious extremists and garner support from among centrist and left-of-centre parties including the Communists.

Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, Jatiya Party acting chairman Anisul Islam Mahmud and presidium member Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu attended the meetings mediated by Ershad.

The moves are in time for the general elections in the third week of December.

Hasina, who heads a 14-party alliance, may have scored a political point over her arch political rival, BNP chief and another former prime Minister Khaleda Zia, political analysts said.

Zia, who had two tenures as PM - 1991-96 and 2001-06 - remains in jail on graft charges.

After weeks of pressures and behind the scene talks, she has managed to secure parole for her ailing younger son, Arafat Rahman Koko, while the elder, Tarique Rahman, also said to be seriously ill, remains behind bars.

Media reports this week said his parole for medical reasons had run into trouble.

Slapped with many charges, including corruption and misuse of proximity with his mother when she was in power, Tarique is considered the prime catch in the anti-graft drive launched by Bangladesh's military backed government of Chief Advisor Fakhruddin Ahmed.

Both Hasina and Zia, as also the Jamaat, joined hands to remove Ershad in 1990, ending a nine-year military-guided rule, the longest anyone in Bangladesh has had.

Ershad, who ruled during 1982-90, has been acquitted of charges in many long-pending court cases

US Congress acts to suspend bid to upgrade Pakistan fighter fleet

16 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US Congress moved to suspend a bid by President George W. Bush's administration to shift millions of dollars in aid to Pakistan from counter-terrorism programs to upgrading Islamabad's F-16 fighter jets.

"We have requested a hold on the administration's planned reprogramming pending additional information," a joint statement by Democratic lawmakers Howard Berman and Nita Lowey, who head key panels in the House of Representatives said Tuesday.

"We are concerned that the administration's proposal to use military assistance to pay for the F-16 upgrades will divert funds from more effective counterterrorism tools like helicopters, TOW missiles, and night-vision goggles," said Berman, chairman of the House foreign affairs committee, and Lowey, chairwoman of the appropriations subcommittee on foreign programs.

The White House said last week that it wanted to shift 230 million dollars in aid to Pakistan from counter-terrorism programs to upgrading Pakistan's aging F-16 fighter jets.

The move, it said, was aimed at easing fiscal pressures faced by the Pakistani government stemming partly from soaring food and energy costs.

US lawmakers were reportedly angered by the move.

They felt that Pakistan did not use its F-16s in support of the campaign against fighters in its remote tribal areas out of a fear that civilian casualties could fuel support for extremists.

US President George W. Bush held talks with Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday focused on cooperation to fight Taliban and Al-Qaeda extremists and easing Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions.

Gilani, whose new government has been facing intense US pressure to crack down on Pakistan-based militants, told reporters after the meeting that Pakistan was committed to fighting extremists.

The package for the F-16 fighters would run about two-thirds of the 300 million dollars that Pakistan will get this year in US aid for military equipment and training, the Times said.

The 2008 fiscal year state and foreign operations bill that passed Congress last December specifically required that military aid to Pakistan be used for counter-terrorism and law enforcement activities directed against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, according to lawmakers Berman and Lowey.

The hold requested by the legislature would "provide time for Congress to make a more considered judgment in consultation with the administration and the government of Pakistan," their statement said.

Requests for a hold by lawmakers are usually abided by the administration, congressional aides said.

Berman and Lowey also said that they were proposing that Congress provide 200 million dollars in economic assistance to Islamabad to relieve some of Pakistan's budgetary constraints.

"This will help Pakistan set its own spending priorities while preserving US military aid for its intended purpose -- counterterrorism activities against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban."

"We are committed to helping Pakistan's new democratic government address the current economic crisis, brought on by rising food and fuel prices, which has impacted its ability to fund its F-16 upgrades," the lawmakers said.

Meanwhile, a key US Senate panel unanimously passed a bill Tuesday tripling non-military aid to Pakistan and sustaining it over at least five years.

The legislation, which cleared the Senate foreign relations committee, authorizes 7.5 billion dollars over five years in aid that can be used for development purposes, such as building schools, roads and clinics.

"This legislation represents a bold new strategy for Pakistan," said committee chairman Democratic Senator Joseph Biden.

The bill also imposes greater accountability on security assistance to improve Pakistani counterterrorism capabilities.

In pretty much an admission of failure Mr. Ehud Barak has requested American help against the barrage of Qassam rockets from the West Bank, and Gaza as well as from Hebullah in Lebanon.

Israel seeks U.S. Phalanx system for defense against rocket barrage

TEL AVIV — Israel plans to test several U.S.-origin artillery systems for short-term defenses against Palestinian short-range missile and rocket strikes from the Gaza Strip.

Officials said Defense Minister Ehud Barak intends to submit a request for the Phalanx close-in weapon system from the U.S. Army. They said Barak has agreed to consider Phalanx to counter short-range enemy missiles and rockets.

"The Defense Ministry has received reports on the effectiveness of Phalanx against mortars and Kassams," an official said. "Barak believes this could serve as an interim solution against the Palestinian missile threat from the Gaza Strip."

[On July 29, the Jerusalem Post reported that the Israeli military has deployed a laser missile defense system near the border of the Gaza Strip. The newspaper identified the system as the Laser Air Defense System, developed by Raytheon and ordered by the U.S. military in Iraq.]

Barak in US: We'll be much safer within months

After securing assurance from US it would link Israel to missile alert system capable of identifying attack before rocket leaves ground, Defense Minister Barak says new system will substantially improve Israeli preparedness in face of Iranian threat

Yitzhak Benhorin

Latest Update:
07.30.08, 01:11 / Israel News

WASHINGTON – After a series of meetings with top US officials in Washington, Defense Minister Ehud Barak appeared optimistic as to the improvement of Israel's anti-missile defense systems. 

After some lobbying on Barak's part, the American officials pledged Israel would be connected to the global US system, capable of detecting an impending attack while the missile's engine is just heating up. Israel is primarily intent on obtaining logistical support from the US, which would allow the IDF to launch a solo operation if need be.  

"In just a few months Israel will be stronger and better prepared in its defenses against long-range missiles," Barak said on Wednesday.

The achievement is the culmination of Barak's meetings with Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen.

The Iranian threat topped the agendas of the majority of Barak's meetings, with the minister clarifying that as far as Israel is concerned "all options are still on the table."

At a press conference with Israeli reporters after the meetings, Barak explained that "it was important for the Americans to understand our stance and its derivatives, and I think they understand this better now, after this visit." 

Barak arrived in the US capital on Monday as part of an attempt to improve Israel's qualitative military advantage and to convince the US government not to drop the option of a military strike on Iran. The US promised to assist Israel in its defense.  

Barak with Rice. (Photo: Ariel Hermoni, Defense Ministry)

As part of this assistance, the US will deploy a radar system in Israel that will give preliminary warnings on the deployment of enemy missiles, and also upgrade Israel's access to an advanced American missile-defense system, which will allow Israel to detect ballistic missile-related activity in its early stages.

In addition, the meetings concluded that the US would help fund and develop 'Iron Dome', a defense system that will provide protection against Qassam rockets and mortar shells. Another project to receive funding is 'Arrow 3', Israel's newest line of defense against ballistic missiles.

An Israeli defense official said that during Barak's meeting with Gates the latter expressed the US' willingness to supply Israel with the tools it needs in order to build up a qualitative defense and maintain its strategic advantage in the region.

A joint statement published after the meeting stressed the cooperation between the two countries in matters of Israel's defense, and said that the strategy implemented would take into consideration the regional threats to the State. Gates promised Barak that the US would continue to provide different options for Israel's protection and attempt to improve its advantage, including the different missile-defense systems discussed.

In response to the professed commitment Barak said, "The systems will vastly improve Israel's defense and its abilities against the Iranian threat. We are talking about a long-ranging radar and our incorporation within a defense system that can recognize a missile threat within seconds.

"In this respect, the Americans have fulfilled their commitment to maintain Israel's qualitative advantage in the region, as well as its defense against the Iranian threat."

===========

US raises pitch to sell India its missile defence system

Farnborough (UK), July 30: With India hastening its search for a system to beat threats from ballistic, tactical and cruise missiles, the US has raised a pitch to sell its front-line 'Patriot' missile system, and also delivered "classified presentation" to Defence Ministry officials.
"Raytheon is interested to bid with the Patriot system to the Request for Quotation (RFQ) for medium range surface-to -air missile (MR-SAM) issued by India recently," the US defence major's Patriot Programme vice president and deputy Skip Garret said here on the sidelines of the Farnborough international air show.

Though India has sought a small number of the MR-SAM with 50-km range - the RFQ was for just one system - the Patriot missiles with "high probability kill" could easily take care of India's needs, Garret said, raising the campaign decibels to a new high.

Officials from the US Department of Defence had in the last few months given some classified presentations on the Patriot's capabilities to officials from the Indian Defence
Ministry, who "formally expressed interest" in the system, he said.
Patriot, the foundation of the US Army's integrated airand missile defence architecture, is a long-range, all-altitude, all-weather system field to defence advanced threats, including aircraft, tactical-ballistic-cruise missiles.

Capable of simultaneously engaging numerous targets in severe electronic countermeasure conditions, Patriot is also the foundation of a US two-tiered defence against the escalating tactical-ballistic missile threat.

In 1990, following Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the US forces had exploited the anti-tactical ballistic missile capability of Patriot system in Israel and Southwest Asia to counter Iraqi's SCUD missiles.
Since then the US has spent over USD 3 billion to upgrade the Patriot system to Patriot Advance Capability-3 (PAC-3) configuration 3.

To a question, Garret, a retired two-star general, said any new country going in for the Patriot missile defence system would get the latest version of PAC-3, while existing customer countries would get the upgrades.

US' Patriot system would face a stiff competition in its bid to bag the Indian order from the Russian's S-300 surface-to-air missile variant and the Israeli's Arrow-2 missile defence system.
However, problems would arise for Israelis if the US, which partially supported the Arrow programme with funds, puts spooks in their bid.

Defence Ministry, it is learnt, had recently asked the international bidders to take additional two months from the already set deadline of July-end to submit their bids for the RFQ.

Israel Embarks on a Third Ballistic Defense System

In an attempt to address continuous Palestinian rocket attacks, Israel is embarking on an ambitious development program to develop a missile system capable of intercepting short range rockets in flight, protecting population centers and sensitive installations currently subjected to repeated and deadly attacks by Katyusha or improvised Qassam or rockets. In recent years Israel suffered over 6,000 rocket attacks, most of them short range rockets fired fired by Iranian and Syrian backed Hezbollah and Palestinians terror groups.

Israel has suffered Katyusha attacks since the mid 1970s, as Palestinian guerillas, based in South Lebanon used short range 107mm rockets to bypass the border obstacle ('electronic fence") established along the Lebanese border, to prevent terrorist infiltrations.

For 30 years Israel avoided the decision and commitment to establish adequate defenses against such threats. Israel willingly left this capability gap open, despite spending tens of millions of dollars on a joint program with the US to develop laser defenses to counter rocket threats. The prevailing argument was that the risks of rocket attacks did not justify diverting the huge funding from other, higher priority programs.

The recent war in Lebanon, and the IDF failure to put a stop to the continuous attacks of improvised Qassam rockets from the Gaza strip, despite unchallenged domination from the air. Political pressure which mounted after the 2nd Lebanon war, drove the Minister of defense, Amir Perez to demand adequate answers without further delay.

A committee, headed by former Director General of the MoD, and future Chief of Staff Major General Gabi Ashkenazi, evaluated several options proposed by four companies, and today recommended to select a system proposed by RAFAEL, as offering an all-weather capable solution, at the lowest risk, within relatively a short development cycle. The development and procurement cost of the entire system is estimated at about US$ 0.5 billion, spent over three to five years.

On February 1, 2007 the Israeli Ministry of Defense (MoD) selected RAFAEL to develop the system that could mitigate the rocket threat. Called "Iron Cap" the system will address the threat of short range rockets, including Qassam improvised rockets and Katyushas fired by Palestinian and Hezbollah guerillas from Gaza and South Lebanon. The mobile Iron Cap system will most probably will consist of mobile radar systems, battle management center and missile firing units employing a version of a yet unspecified number of missiles, to be modified into rocket interceptor. The system will utilize a new radar developed at IAI's Elta, capable of tracking multiple targets and discriminate between benign threats and those threatening the protected targets.

The system should have a sophisticated battle management capability, track multiple targets from rocket salvos, plotting the trajectories of each rocket, identifying those which pose a most critical threat and engaging them effectively, over neutral area, therefore reducing collateral damage on the ground. The system's radar and battle management elements will integrate two types of interceptors - one designed to defeat ultra-short-range rockets flying at low rajectories and another, designed to intercept long medium and range rockets, developed for the"Magic Wand" system.

RAFAEL has already embarked on another missile defense program known as Magic Wand, which will use the new Stunner missile. "Iron Cap" is expected to use a different, much smaller interceptor, which will cost about about $30,000 each. Although the MoD selected the system to be developed, an agreement on the funding is yet to be reached with the Ministry of Treasury and approved by Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert. And this could prove to be quite a challenge. Although Israel's defense budget for 2007 was increased, most of the additional money will support procurement for replenishment of stores used during the recent conflict, acquisition of high priority systems and increased training activities. Allocating the resources for the "Iron Cap" could face a significant challenge.

Once all programs are completed, Israel will have a three-tier missile and rocket defensive systems in place. The operational Arrow system, capable of defeating ballistic missiles at high altitude, within or above the earth atmosphere, at ranges of hundred kilometers from the Israeli border. Development and production for Arrow were funded jointly by the U.S. and Israel.

"Magic Wand", currently in development under cooperation between Israel and the USA, as a joint venture between RAFAEL and Raytheon, will address short range missiles and long range rockets (ranges of 40 - 200km), such as the Iranian made Zilzal 2 and Fajr 5, deployed by Hezbollah in Lebanon. From their positions in Lebanon and Syria, such weapons can target most of the Israeli population centers and strategic sites.

"Iron Cap", selected today will offer defense against short range threats, including Qassam and Katyusha, such as the 107mm rockets, which present the most irritating and continuous threat to cities and settlements along the Israeli Northern and Western borders. Iron Cap will address threats at ranges of 'tens of kilometers', overlapping the Magic Curtain's capabilities at the lower end. The system will share the same radar and battle management system of the "Magic Wand

http://www.defense-update.com/newscast/0207/news/010207_iron_cap.htm

APPENDIX A

MAGIC WAND

Israel Plans Short-Range Ballistic Missile Defense (SRMD)

Raytheon Company and Rafael Armament Development Authority have been selected by the Israel Ministry of Defense' Defense Research and development Directorate (DDRD) to develop a new terminal missile defense interceptor to defeat a variety of low-cost, short-range ballistic missile threats. According to an IMOD announcement, The next step in the program will be a feasibility study. No decision about full scale development has been made.
The Short Range Ballistic Missile Defense program is an IMDO initiative to address the proliferating threat of short-range ballistic threats. Such missiles and rockets are cheap, plentiful, easily concealed and largely exempt from international arms control accords. These relatively insignificant battlefield weapons can be transformed into deadly, strategic threats when fitted with unconventional warheads and
deployed in large quantities.
Israel and the US have agreed to jointly develop new Short Range Missile Defense (SRMD) capability. The systems will be optimized to defend against short range ballistic missiles and long range rockets
with ranges of 70 - 200 km. The new system will establish a lower tier, complementing the Israeli Arrow system, which extends the defensive capability to longer range and higher altitude. The program will be
managed by the Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO), which already supervises Israel's ballistic missile defense program.
The SRMD program will be based on a interceptor, under development by RAFAEL. The IMDO selected the solution proposed by a team headed by Raytheon and RAFAEL. This team competed against another plan, proposed by Boeing, IAI/MLM and ATK which proposed an Arrow derivative missile interceptor, augmented by a lower tier RAM solution, based on a low cost rocket to be developed by IMI. "Raytheon's
cooperation with Rafael ensures that Rafael's multi-mission interceptor is designed from the start for seamless insertion into U.S. terminal missile defense systems. Our approach provides the U.S. Army
with a low-cost extended air defense option for the future," said Michael Booen, Raytheon vice president of Advanced Missile Defense programs commenting on the company's selection by the IMDO.
The interceptor proposed by Raytheon and RAFAEL, is specially designed for all-weather, day and night “hit to kill” intercept, and is considered to be low cost and optimized for the trajectory and short flight  time of the potential SRMD and rocket targets. "Our interceptor solution fundamentally redefines the performance-cost value equation for terminal missile defense, providing all-weather, hit-to-kill performance at a tactical missile price," said David Stemer, Rafael Missile Division general manager.
IAI, RAFAEL and Northrop Grumman have teamed in the past to develop the Nautilus chemical laser based rocket and mortar defense program, which has recently been cancelled due to lack of funding and limited access to current generation (solid state laser) technology. Facing the new threat of improvised rockets fired from the Gaza strip, Israel could revive this program, which will be based on locally developed directed energy sources.

APPENDIX B

Israel's Strategic Defense Programs

Missile defense System's Update

Page 1 of 4 >

Israel's multi-layered anti-ballistic defense program known as "Choma" (Barrier wall in Hebrew), headed by Arieh Herzog, was developed to mitigate ballistic missile threats. "What made our "Arrow" system unique right from the start is its role, to protect Israel's civilian population from missile attacks. Other Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) systems were developed to protect limited targets such as deployed forces. Arrow and "Choma" are designed to protect the entire country" says Herzog.
Since 1989, some US$ 2.4 billion have been invested in the Arrow program, 50% of which donated by the US Government. The current production of missiles, in the US is also funded by both countries.
"In the past we focused on the Scud missile and its derivatives" Herzog told Defense Update, "Today we face more diversified threats - a numerical threat by Syrian medium range (Scud based) missiles, the threat of short range rockets, primarily from Lebanon and long range missiles, with future nuclear potential, from Iran."
The current Mid-East Scud derivative arsenal comprises Scud B, C and D variants, which became more accurate and sophisticated, based on North Korean missile technology, capable of attacking targets at a range of up to 700 km. These New Medium Range Ballistic Missiles (MBRM) are employing solid state digital systems, for flight control, navigation, pre-launch sequencing etc. This capability enables faster response due to automated pre-launch preparations and also improving accuracy. Such missiles are more difficult to intercept and destroy, as they employ a wide range of countermeasures, among them decoys, trajectory shaping, to distract interceptors. According to Herzog, the Arrow system was designed with significant growth capability and flexibility. The baseline capabilities of the Arrow system were designed to defend against Scud type threats, including such missiles equipped with non conventional (chemical and biological) warheads.
The Iranian government is investing major effort to develop indigenous missile technologies and expanding the missile production industrial base. The mainstay of Iran's offensive potential threatening Israel, is based on the indigenously developed Shihab family of missiles, which was first flight tested in 1998. With a range of 1,300 km, Shihab 3 missiles are already capable of attacking all over Israel, including its strategic facilities. "This platform and other delivery platforms are maturing in parallel with the Iranian nuclear weapons program, with the potential to put a nuclear missile in Iranian hands in the foreseen future", says Herzog. "This imminent threat is the new challenge for the Israel's missile defense system".