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Zia clarifies his timing of declaration of independence

what mujib said

Jyothi Basu Is Dead

Unflinching Left firm on nuke deal

Jyoti Basu's Address on the Lok Sabha Elections 2009

Basu expresses shock over poll debacle

Jyoti Basu: The Pragmatist

Dr.BR Ambedkar

Memories of Another day

Memories of Another day
While my Parents Pulin Babu and basanti Devi were living

"The Day India Burned"--A Documentary On Partition Part-1/9

Partition

Partition of India - refugees displaced by the partition

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Pak govt & army hold back fire; Kayani meets his key men!America`s War on Terror has shifted the War zone in the South Asian Geopolitics. It helped the LPG mafia Rule and brahaminical Corporate Hegemony to segeregate and persecute the Excluded commun

Pak govt & army hold back fire; Kayani meets his key men!America`s War on Terror has shifted the War zone in the South Asian Geopolitics. It helped the LPG mafia Rule and brahaminical Corporate Hegemony to segeregate and persecute the Excluded communities specifically the Muslims. Now, a bill to provide for effective prevention of terror financing, counterfeiting of Indian currency and to raise the period of banning an unlawful organisation from two to five years, was introduced in the Lok Sabha today.Government keen on developing integrated industrial townships!

Caught in a row over his age, Army Chief Gen V K Singh today said the issue related to his "integrity and honour" but would desist from "vitiating" the atmosphere even as the government hoped the controversy would end as the matter had been dealt with "fairly and justly".

Delhi HC warns Facebook, Google to face blackout or comply to Indian laws

:IT giant Infosys, whose operating margins were up 3 per cent due to depreciation of rupee against US dollar, today said the Indian currency is likely to remain volatile and the chances of it depreciating further are higher. NRIs have brought in a total of $ 6.4 billion so far this fiscal between April and November, compared to a mere $ 2.2 billion in the year ago period.

Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitzon Thursday said India does not have a "clear roadmap" for where it is going, and argued against fuller capital market liberalisation saying the evidence was that it leads to more instability.
With scams & murders, Uttar Pradesh in thick of action in 2011; testing times for Mayawati
Batla House encounter genuine: Chidambaram

More than 200,000 people from 63 countries attended the Dalai Lama's 32nd Kalachakra teachings which concluded at Buddhism's holiest place of Bodh Gaya in the Indian state of Bihar on Jan 10.  Chief Ministers Mr Nitish Kumar of Bihar and Mr Nabam Tuki of Arunachal Pradesh were among those who attended the teachings which began on Jan 1. The media also focused on Hollywood star Richard Gere who attended the entire teaching.
  1. Swami Vivekananda b'day: 50 lakh students across MP participate in...

  2. Times of India - 7 hours ago
  3. ... grand presence in the event which is being organised every year in the state since 2007 on the occasion of Swami Vivekanand's birthday (January 12). ...
  4. Muslims defy fatwa, perform Surya NamaskarHindustan Times
  5. For Digvijay, MP 'Surya Namaskar' is match-fixingZee News
  6. Now, fatwa issued against Surya NamaskarRediff
  7. NDTV - Daily Bhaskar
  8. all 74 news articles »
  9. *
  10. Zee News

  11. Function to commemorate Swami Vivekananda's birth anniversary

  12. IBNLive.com - 6 hours ago
  13. Speaking on the occasion, Kumar said that Swami Vivekanand had totally made his mission for service to humanity and spent his life rendering service to ...
  14. Youth Festival to commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami ...India Today
  15. all 22 news articles »
  16. *
  17. India Today

  18. National youth festival to begin in Mangalore from tomorrow

  19. Deccan Herald - 1 day ago
  20. ... is organised every year across different states of the country to commemorate the Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekanand that falls on January 12.
  21. Swami Vivekananda icon of youth; festival begins in MangaloreParda Phash
  22. Youth Festival kicks off in Mangalore ThursdayTwoCircles.net
  23. National Youth Festival in Mangalore this year, begins Jan 12India Today
  24. Press Information Bureau (press release) - TruthDive
  25. all 25 news articles »
  26. *
  27. Parda Phash

  28. PV Vivekanand: Intense conflict is on cards

  29. Gulf Today - 21 hours ago
  30. The Yemeni government's endorsement of an amnesty "against legal and judicial prosecution" for the supposedly outgoing president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, ...
  31. *
  32. Gulf Today

  33. Bowing Toward Sun Annoys Some Muslims and Christians

  34. Wall Street Journal (blog) - 5 hours ago
  35. School children performed while participating in mass 'Surya Namaskar' on the occasion of SwamiVivekanand's birth anniversary in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, ...
  36. PV Vivekanand: US seeks 'balance' in Egypt

  37. Gulf Today - 2 days ago
  38. With the third and final round of voting for Egypt's lower house of parliament having been completed, it is all but official that the top two spots have ...
  39. *
  40. Gulf Today

  41. PV Vivekanand: Will to end conflicts is lacking

  42. Gulf Today - 4 days ago
  43. The oral war between the US and Iran has risen to a highly dangerous level, and a small error of judgement on either part could spark an armed conflict in ...
  44. *
  45. Gulf Today

  46. Vivekanand's life on the wheels

  47. Times of India - 31 Dec 2011
  48. ALLAHABAD: To acquaint the denizens about the multifaceted personality of Swami Vivekananda, the railway administration is currently plying Vivek Express ...
  49. PV Vivekanand: US-scripted plan unfolds

  50. Gulf Today - 4 Jan 2012
  51. The Taliban's move to open a political office in Qatar and their reported willingness to engage in peace negotiations with the US could be the first step ...
  52. *
  53. Gulf Today

  54. PV Vivekanand: Islamists are no mavericks

  55. Gulf Today - 2 Jan 2012
  56. We are hearing voices of apprehension that Islamist movements of varying degrees of tolerance and intolerance are coming to power through elections in the ...
  57. *
  58. The Guardian



Indian Holocaust My Father`s Life and

Time - SEVEN HUNDRED SEVENTY Eighty THREE

Palash Biswas

http://indianliberationnews.com/

http://indianholocaustmyfatherslifeandtime.blogspot.com/

http://basantipurtimes.blogspot.com/


With scams & murders, Uttar Pradesh in thick of action in 2011; testing times for Mayawati

Scams, murders and controversies reigned supreme in Uttar Pradesh in 2011 providing testing times for Chief Minister Mayawati amid heightened political activities which saw Congressand SP preparing to give a tough fight to the BSP in the coming assembly polls.

Meanwhile,Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy will present his case for making home minister P Chidambaram an accused in the 2G spectrum allocation scam in a special court on January 21.

More than 200,000 people from 63 countries attended the Dalai Lama's 32nd Kalachakra teachings which concluded at Buddhism's holiest place of Bodh Gaya in the Indian state of Bihar on Jan 10.  Chief Ministers Mr Nitish Kumar of Bihar and Mr Nabam Tuki of Arunachal Pradesh were among those who attended the teachings which began on Jan 1. The media also focused on Hollywood star Richard Gere who attended the entire teaching.

Nitish Kumar said the Dalai Lama's presence and teachings had greatly benefited the local people in many ways. Nabam Tuki thanked Nitish Kumar's help in organizing the event and hoped more hotels could be built at Bodh Gaya, the holiest place for the Buddhist people, as his state's many Buddhists would be visiting it constantly.

Shortage of accommodation was a major issue during the mammoth religious gathering with the local hotels and guesthouses raising tariffs ten times or more and the local residents renting out their homes while the shortage still remained acute.

Mr Pema Khandu, a minister of Arunachal Pradesh and one of the Chief Patrons of the teachings hoped to organize more teachings in future. His late father, former chief minister Dorje Khandu of Aruanchal Pradesh, was among the original chief patrons of the 32nd Kalachakra teachings.

The Dalai Lama's latest book, 'Beyond Religion', was released on the sideline of the teachings.

Among those who attended the teaching were reported to include over 10,000 Tibetan pilgrims from Tibet and some 1,300 Chinese from mainland China. There were also reported to be 35,000 Buddhists from the Himalayan regions, nearly 1,000 from Taiwan and more than 1,000 Indians.

The Kalachakra teaching is one of the most sacred for practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism, with the Dalai Lama having given his first teaching in a nominally free but already Chinese dominated Tibet in May 1954.

Swamy told the CBI special court on Saturday that the evidence submitted revealed "connivance, collusion and consent" of Chidambaram with former telecoms minister A Raja in fixing pricing of airwaves and allowing Swan Telecom and Unitech Wireless to dilute equity before rolling out services, earning windfall profits.

He added that documents in his possession showed that Chidambaram compromised on national security as he allowed blacklisted companies, UAE's Etisalat and Norway's Telenor, to buy equity in Swan and Unitech, contrary to a home ministry advisory.

Special CBI Judge OP Saini accepted the documents as evidence and scheduled to hear Swamy'a arguments two weeks later on why the home minister should be summoned in the case.

"On January 21, I will argue on why Chidambaram should be summoned. The court will permit me to lead arguments in the case as to why Chidambaram should be made a co-accused in the case," Swamy told reporters. "I am completely confident that on the basis of this evidence Chidambaram will be a co-accused along with Raja after January 21," he added.

The documents submitted include Chidambaram's letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh informing him that Raja and he would finalise spectrum pricing. Minutes of meeting between Chidambaram and Raja discussing spectrum pricing have also been submitted.

Government keen on developing integrated industrial townships!

HYDERABAD: The government is keen on developing integrated industrial townships in eastern and southern parts of the country, Commerce MinisterAnand Sharma said today.


One such corridor will come up in Andhra Pradesh, Sharma said at the inauguration of the two-day Partnership Summit-2012 here.


"This will be on the lines of Mumbai-Delhi Corridor. It will have social infrastructure and hubs of various manufacturing activities," Sharma said.


Advocating free flow of knowledge and services for inclusive growth, Sharma said protectionism always proved counterproductive.


Goh Chok Tong, Emeritus Senior Minister of Singapore, said that India, as the nation with highest number of workable population, should concentrate on imparting training to the young people to make them productive and invest in infrastructure to emerge as global economy.


He, however, said there are challenges in terms of continuing second generation reforms, such as implementation of Goods and Service Tax (GST).


"Our state has recorded a 9 per cent growth rate for the year 2010-11 and our revenues have grown by 25 per cent," Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy said.


Minister for Major Industries J Geetha Reddy said the state is set to sign 233 investment proposals involving Rs 5.55 lakh crore during the Partnership Summit.


The Summit is being jointly organised by the Union Commerce Ministry, CII and the Andhra Pradesh government with the theme, 'New Age Innovation Partnerships'.


Business delegations from about 40 countries, including the US and China, are taking part in the summit.


Meanwhile, GAIL has signed an agreement for setting up an LNG terminal, with a capacity of 3-5 million tonnes per annum involving Rs 5,000 crore as long term investment.

NRIs have brought in a total of $ 6.4 billion so far this fiscal between April and November, compared to a mere $ 2.2 billion in the year ago period.Where from NRIs gain so much wealth? Open Mystery it is, of course. Just see the Foreign Money flowing from Dubai or Mauritious!

Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitzon Thursday said India does not have a "clear roadmap" for where it is going, and argued against fuller capital market liberalisation saying the evidence was that it leads to more instability.

Addressing the 46th convocation of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in Kolkata, Stiglitz said: "There is no clear roadmap for where India is going today. Fifty years from now, does it see itself much as it is today - a divided country, with the rich much richer, the poor perhaps a little better than they are today? Does it see itself evolving like the US, where even the middle class has not been sharing in the gains of growth?" He cautioned that full capital market liberalisation in the country could result in economic instability.

"...there are those in India who have been arguing for fuller capital market liberalisation. The evidence is that such liberalisation does not lead to faster growth, but does lead to more instability, and that the poor and small business bear the brunt of the cost of that instability," he added.


He also said the Occupy Wall Street movement has brought forward a "ringing set of complaints" about economies and democracies in the world.


"The Occupy World Street movement (and protests in Spain and elsewhere around the world) have brought forward a ringing set of complaints about our economies and democracies. Markets are not working the way they are supposed to," Stiglitz said.


"Demand is supposed to equal supply, including in the labour market, but we have millions without jobs, and a vast underutilisation of resources - in a world with vast unmet needs, to fight poverty, to promote development, to retrofit the global economy for global warming," he said.


"In the US, millions have been thrown out of their homes in a foreclosure process that has undermined America's claim to be a country of the 'rule of law'. We have empty homes and homeless people," he stated.


Stiglitz, a professor of the Columbia University, said everyone was supposed to benefit from the prosperity that markets and globalisation brought out, but unfortunately that has not been the case.


"Rather than trickledown economies, we have trickle-up economies. Those at the bottom-and increasingly in the middle - are worse and worse off," he stated.
Pakistan: Coup or Compromise?
Will Gilani dare to remove Kayani, Pasha?
Two possibilities--Pak govt removing army chief Kayani and the other, the army could cite serious national threat, remove the govt & establish martial law .

HNIs: New Toys for the Rich
Yachts cruise in as new symbols of wealth
Yachts are the toys after luxury cars, upmarket living spaces, highend accessories and farm houses and the new element of aspiration.
Elections: Wrath of Quota Politics
Congress' muslim quota: BJP tries to stir up OBC wrath
Sniffing an opportunity to re-embrace a chunk of OBC votes, BJP fielded prominent backward leaders in its fold, Uma Bharati, to launch an offensive.
Euro Crisis: From Bad to Worse
Mafia is Italy's No.1 'bank': Report
Organized crime now generated annual turnover of about 140 billion euros($178.89 billion) and profits of more than 100 billion euros, it added.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/india-does-not-have-clear-roadmap-to-growth-joseph-stiglitz/articleshow/11466521.cms

Where should NRIs invest their gains from a weak rupee

*
Vidyalaxmi, ET Bureau

The rupee was quoting at 44.8001 against the US dollar seven months ago, and has depreciated 18.28% since then.

A falling rupee is not the best news for us, but it definitely is for exporters and NRI investors who will receive more rupee funds on conversion.

Given the current scenario, NRIs have some good investment options to park their surplus funds.


http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/quickiearticleshow/11456555.cms

Overseas Indians have started flocking India markets with a weak rupee and high interest rates making them so attractive amid rising global uncertainties following the downgrade of US sovereign debt rating as the debt concerns in Europe that they have brought in highest ever amount in a single month .
Aggregate inflows under various NRI depositsschemes touched $ 1.7 billion in November, the highest ever in a single month. The data reflects the period before the Reserve Bank freed up interest rates in December, following which banks have raised the rates sharply bringing them on par with local rates.
NRIs have brought in a total of $ 6.4 billion so far this fiscal between April and November, compared to a mere $ 2.2 billion in the year ago period. However, a bulk of the inflows-$5.1 billion- have come in only after August co-inciding with the deepening of the European debt crisis and the US sovereign downgrade.
NRI deposits in India inflows are under three categories, foreign currency non-resident (banks) orFCNR (B), non-resident -ordinary or NRO and non-resident external, rupee account or NRE (RA). Each one of them have distinct features
. For instance, in case of NRE (RA), the foreign exchange risk is borne by the depositor and hence tends to gain at the time of conversion, when the rupee is appreciating through the tenor of the deposits. While these two are repatriable, proceeds in the NRO accounts are meant only for the local use.
Besides, with the prospects of rupee strengthening further, the returns on NRE deposits could be even more attractive. Notably, it is the NRE deposits that has been the favorite among the diaspora with $ 3.4 billion coming in between August and November. ' NRIs often tend to take a long-term view that the rupee would strengthen further whenever the rupee has actually weakened. As a result, inflows tend to be higher when rupee is weak.' said a senior official with a large public sector bank requesting anonymity.
The Reserve Bank of India sold a record $2.9 billion in the spot currency market to rein in the value of the rupee, according to the figures released by the Reserve Bank of India on Thursday.
The rupee, it may be recalled was seen slipping against the dollar at a very steep pace during the month, forcing the central bank to intervene in the currency market to prevent a steep slide. The central bank has been criticised from a section of the market for remaining on the sidelines for very long.
After a prolonged absence in the currency markets for almost a year, the central started selling in small chunks in September and October. Cumulatively in three months, it sold $ 4.7 billion between September and November'11.

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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/nri/forex-and-remittance/nri-deposits-highest-ever-at-1-7-bn-in-november/articleshow/11465236.cms

IT giant Infosys, whose operating margins were up 3 per cent due to depreciation of rupee against US dollar, today said the Indian currency is likely to remain volatile and the chances of it depreciating further are higher.

"For the rupee, we assumed it at Rs 52 for the next quarter. We believe that currency will be volatile and the chances of it depreciating are higher," Infosys Member of the Board and Chief Financial Officer V Balakrishnan said.

Bangalore-based Infosys has forecast dollar revenue growth of 16.4 per cent for the current financial year, down from 17.1 per cent to 19.1 per cent projected in October.

The operating margins benefited around 4.4 per cent due to depreciation in the rupee. The company had some increase in other cost to the extent of 1.4 per cent, so net-net benefit was 3 per cent on operating margins, Balakrishnan added.

Despite the global economic uncertainty, Infosys today posted a better-than-expected 33 per cent rise in net profit to Rs 2,372 crore for the third quarter of this fiscal, helped by a weak rupee.

"It (rupee) could appreciate in the short-term but in the long-term it has to depreciate. Secondly, in a volatile global economic environment, India is seen as an emerging market risk to that extent, the inflows could be lower.

"Thirdly, India's growth story itself gets impacted because of the paralysed political system we have today. So if we put all that together, the chances of rupee depreciating are higher," he said.

The company said that in fact, the regulator (RBI) had taken some steps on the derivative front, on opening up the debt market front - that would help get some inflows. So one is witnessing some short-term appreciation, but if a medium-term view is taken, the rupee could depreciate further.

"...So our hedging position today is around USD 877 million. We normally hedge for two quarters. If the whole industry is taken under consideration, I think we have better management of currency and the impact on the margin because of currency movement is extremely low," Balakrishnan added.
12 JAN, 2012, 07.15PM IST, PTI

Infosys: Rupee to remain volatile, may depreciate further


Read more on »Rupee depreciation|Infosys Q3 results|Infosys Ltd.

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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/forex/infosys-rupee-to-remain-volatile-may-depreciate-further/articleshow/11462739.cms

Full coverage

Pakistan president to return from Dubai: foreign ministry

Reuters - ‎29 minutes ago‎
By Sheree Sardar and Amena Bakr | ISLAMABAD/DUBAI (Reuters) - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari flew to Dubai on Thursday on a personal trip and will return the next day, the foreign ministry said, as tension between the civilian government and the ...

Pakistan Defense Secretary Is Fired

Wall Street Journal - ‎49 minutes ago‎
By TOM WRIGHT Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani fired his defense secretary hours after the nation's military warned that Mr. Gilani's recent criticism of another official, army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, could have "grievous ...

Pakistani president travels abroad amid civil-military rift

Washington Post - ‎1 hour ago‎
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — An open conflict between Pakistan's civilian government and armed forces simmered Thursday as the nation's top generals convened an emergency meeting and besieged President Asif Ali Zardari made a sudden trip abroad. ...

Pakistan government isolated against army, courts

NDTV - ‎6 hours ago‎
Islamabad: Pakistan's President left the country on Thursday for what was described as a one-day private visit to Dubai, amid a deepening confrontation between the government and the powerful military, which has left the government looking dangerously ...

Pakistan's Asif Ali Zardari heads to Dubai amid deepening political crisis

Telegraph.co.uk - ‎2 hours ago‎
Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan's beleaguered president flew out of the country on Thursday for a one-day private visit to Dubai, leaving behind an escalating crisis that pits his government against the powerful military. By Rob Crilly, Islamabad An...

Pakistan president goes to Dubai amid new crisis

AFP - ‎6 hours ago‎
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari was in Dubai Thursday for a brief scheduled visit, an aide said, against a backdrop of mounting tension as his government faces new challenges to its precarious rule. The one-day trip came after a ...

Pakistan president goes to Dubai as split with military widens

Reuters - ‎6 hours ago‎
By Chris Allbritton and Amena Bakr | ISLAMABAD/DUBAI (Reuters) - Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari flew to Dubai on a scheduled one-day trip on Thursday, a member of the ruling party and sources said, while tensions grew over a memo seeking US help ...

Pakistan's president travels to Dubai amid tensions between government and army

Washington Post - ‎6 hours ago‎
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan's president left the country Thursday for what was described as a one-day private visit to Dubai, officials said. during a deepening crisis between the government and the powerful military. Early last month, President Asif Ali ...

Pakistan's president confronts army and judges

Financial Times - ‎51 minutes ago‎
By Matthew Green in Islamabad Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan's president, is locked in an escalating battle with the army and judiciary that will test the limits of the country's fraught experiment with democracy. Mr Zardari's Pakistan People's party has ...

Kayani meets top generals amid political crisis in Pak

Hindustan Times - ‎3 hours ago‎
PTI Pakistan army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani held a key meeting with top commanders on Thursday against the backdrop of an escalating row with the civilian government over the memo scandal. The official declined to be identified as he was not ...

Pakistan's President Travels to Dubai Amid Crisis

Voice of America (blog) - ‎1 hour ago‎
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari flew to the United Arab Emirates Thursday, amid growing tensions between Pakistan's civilian government and the military. Officials said Mr. Zardari was to attend a wedding in Dubai and will be back in Pakistan on ...

Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari leaves for Dubai amid highest tensions ...

Telegraph.co.uk - ‎6 hours ago‎
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari left for Dubai on a scheduled one-day trip on Thursday, a member of the ruling party and sources said, amid growing tension over a memo seeking US help in preventing a coup by Pakistan's powerful military. ...

Q&A: Renewed instability in Pakistan

BBC News - ‎3 hours ago‎
A deepening political row between the Pakistani government and its army and judiciary has led to renewed concerns over the stability of the country, which has a history of military coups. At stake is the survival of President Asif Ali Zardari's ...

Pakistan's Zardari 'flies to Dubai for wedding'

BBC News - ‎8 hours ago‎
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has left for Dubai on a private visit, reports say. His departure comes amid a deepening political crisis with the military. Mr Zardari had heart treatment in Dubai last month. Officials say he is returning for a...

Coup fears resurface in Pakistan as Gilani-Kayani spat turns ugly

Times of India - ‎3 hours ago‎
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan army on Wednesday warned of "grievous consequences" over accusations by the country's prime minister that the top military brass had violated the constitution. Yousaf Raza Gilani also sacked the defence secretary, considered close ...

Pakistan calls uneasy truce after coup scare

The Australian - ‎5 hours ago‎
PAKISTAN backed away from a feared fourth military coup yesterday but closer to early elections following days of brinkmanship in which the government sacked a key defence official, the army warned of "grave consequences" and the Supreme Court ...

"Chinese connection" to Pakistan's political crisis

Economic Times - ‎2 hours ago‎
BEIJING: While Pakistan reeled under a major political crisis set off by a controversial interview given by Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to a Chinese state- run daily, the "scoop" was "blacked" out here. Mystery shrouds the report, ...

Pentagon: No Assurances Against Pakistan Coup

Fox News - ‎1 hour ago‎
WASHINGTON – The US Defense Department has neither sought nor received assurances that the Pakistani army will not stage a coup even though there is near-open conflict between the civilian and military leadership, a Pentagon spokesman said Wednesday. ...

Pakistan govt in a mess, Army coup fear looms large

IBNLive.com - ‎13 hours ago‎
New Delhi: Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has called a meeting of his principal staff officers on Thursday after Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani sacked the Defence Secretary Lt Gen(retd) Naeem Khalid Lodhi, considered to be close to ...

Pakistan's top soldiers in crisis talks

Al Jazeera - ‎5 hours ago‎
Pakistan's military chief has summoned his top commanders for talks amid a widening rift between the armed forces and the civilian government that led to the dismissal of the country's top defence official. Thursday's meeting, headed by General Ashfaq ...

Pakistan army commanders meet amid rising tensions

Times of India - ‎11 hours ago‎
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's military chief met top commanders on Thursday amid a widening rift between the powerful armed forces and the civilian government. Military spokesman Maj. Muhammad Ali Diyal declined to say what the talks at army headquarters were ...

Pakistan's Prime Minister sacks defence secretary

ABC Online - ‎14 hours ago‎
Former Pakistani ambassador to London Akbar Ahmed says Prime Minister Gilani had no choice but to sack his defence minister because he showed gross unloyalty to the government by testifying in the 'memogate' inquiry that the government only has ...

Signs of strain

Times of India - ‎11 minutes ago‎
The tangled skein of Pakistan's politics has always been difficult to unravel. All the more so after memogate, the controversy over allegations that Pakistan's civilian authorities requested US help against a possible military coup post-Abbottabad. ...

Pressure mounts on Pakistan's accidental president

Reuters - ‎12 hours ago‎
By Michael Georgy | ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Asif Ali Zardari, under threat from a memo seeking US help in preventing a coup by Pakistan's powerful generals, has never managed to dispel the notion he is an accidental president. Zardari was elected in 2008 ...

President's exit fuels Pakistan coup fears

Sydney Morning Herald - ‎5 hours ago‎
PAKISTAN descended into political turmoil last night after the President, Asif Ali Zardari, left the nuclear-armed country for Dubai, fuelling rumours that his government is about to be overthrown. His departure comes as the schism between the ...

Pakistan PM Yousaf Raza Gilani may not win against army

India Today - ‎13 hours ago‎
Pakistan is not your average democracy. Its military wields uncommon power, though formally it claims that it functions under the constitution of Pakistan. There are times when this fiction comes apart, and this is one of them. ...

Pakistan's Zardari Leaves For Dubai

RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty - ‎8 hours ago‎
Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari -- who faces an escalating dispute with the country's powerful military leaders -- traveled to Dubai today for what an aide said would be a one-day visit to attend a wedding. Zardari's trip comes as Pakistan's...

Pressure mounts on Pakistan's accidental president Zardari

Economic Times - ‎12 hours ago‎
ISLAMABAD: Asif Ali Zardari, under threat from a memo seeking US help in preventing a coup byPakistan's powerful generals, has never managed to dispel the notion he is an accidental president. Zardari was elected in 2008 on the back of a sympathy vote ...

Pakistan's Besieged Government

New York Times - ‎17 hours ago‎
Pakistan's civilian governments are typically short-lived and cast aside by military coups. This disastrous pattern could be repeating itself as the current civilian government comes under increasing pressure from the army and the Supreme Court. ...

Kayani meets top commanders amid political crisis in Pakistan

Times of India - ‎2 hours ago‎
Pakistan Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani held a key meeting with top commanders today against the backdrop of an escalating row with the civilian government. ISLAMABAD: PakistanArmy chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani held a key meeting with top ...

12 JAN, 2012, 10.05PM IST, HARSIMRAN JULKA,ET BUREAU

Delhi HC warns Facebook, Google to face blackout or comply to Indian laws

12 JAN, 2012, 10.05PM IST, HARSIMRAN JULKA,ET BUREAU

Delhi HC warns Facebook, Google to face blackout or comply to Indian laws


Read more on »India|Google India|Google Inc|Facebook India|Facebook|Delhi High Court|China

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HC warns Facebook, Google over objectionable content

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NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Thursday refused to quash a criminal complaint against Google and Facebook, related to inflammatory images of some Gods and Goddesses, warning websites to comply and devise a mechanism to control objectionable content.

"If a contraband is found in your house, it your liability to take action against it," Justice Suresh Cait told lawyers from Facebook India and Google India. "Like China, we can block all such websites (who don't comply). But let us not go to that situation," he said in a packed courtroom.

"At present it's obscene images of Gods and Goddesses, tomorrow it can be an image of someone in your family posted online. There has to be some control," he told lawyers of Google India and Facebook India.

The Hon'ble Judge Suresh Cait refused to accept Google India's argument that it is just a distributor of Google Inc's Adwords program. He added that liability of content falls on it as it is a 'beneficiary' and does business in India.

Both companies cited exemption from liability and said that they don't control or administer the content on the websites but are 100% subsidiaries of the parent companies based in the US.

"We can't even tell Google Inc, to upload or not upload a particular article. Google India is a completely different legal entity from Google Inc, which controls the platform," Senior Lawyer Mukul Rohatgi representing Google India told the court.

Google and Facebook differed on whether the images and content cited was 'obscene and objectionable'. Lawyers for Facebook India did not agree some images of Gods and Goddesses were obscene, and in the Judge's words even suggested them to be 'informative'.

Google India agreed they were obscene, but expressed inability to install a wholesale filter to remove such content. "There are billions of pieces of content being uploaded online. It is simply not practical," a Google lawyer told the Court.

After the Judge refused to stay proceedings or quash the criminal complaint, lawyers from Google India suggested that if the complainant cited specifically, it could request Google Inc, to remove the 'objectionable' weblinks from its websites.

Facebook and Google shifted the onus of monitoring obscene imagery online on to Internet Service Providers in India such as Bharti Airtel, BSNL and Reliance, saying that under their license conditions they are liable to block it.

Lawyers representing Google India also said that the section 79 of the Indian IT Act has granted protection to websites (like social networks) and tinkering with content would remove the protection they have been granted.

Cyber law expert Pavan Duggal differs. "Under section 79, the websites are duty bound to take suo moto action and remove such content if they obtain its knowledge. Thus websites can't go scot-free if they obtain such knowledge," Duggal adds. The Indian IT Act applies to any entity in the world whose services impact a computer system in India, Duggal adds.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/filter-content-or-face-blackout-delhi-hc-warns-facebook-google/articleshow/11464353.cms

Pak govt & army hold back fire; Kayani meets his key men!

America`s War on Terror has shifted the War zone in the South Asian Geopolitics. It helped the LPG mafia Rule and brahaminical Corporate Hegemony to segeregate and persecute the Excluded communities specifically the Muslims. Now, a bill to provide for effective prevention of terror financing, counterfeiting of Indian currency and to raise the period of banning an unlawful organisation from two to five years, was introduced in the Lok Sabha today.

Waman Meshram, the national President of Mulnivasi Bamcef has been repeatedly saying that it is Brahaminical terror only.In Gulbarga National convention he explained how Bomb blasts are evented to make the Micro Minority Brahamins Majority and how the brahamins Hinduise the Mulnivasi Bahujan!

Scams, murders and controversies reigned supreme in Uttar Pradesh in 2011 providing testing times for Chief Minister Mayawati amid heightened political activities which saw Congressand SP preparing to give a tough fight to the BSP in the coming assembly polls.


In the midst of the problems, the chief minister moved a proposal to divide the state into four parts and also got it hurriedly passed in 16 minutes in the assembly.


The move, seen by analysts as one to address to the demand being raised from different regions, especially Bundelkhand and Purvanchal, and in turn gain from it in the coming elections, also stunned her political opponents.


It not only pushed the ball back in the court of Central government and cornered the Congress but also forced others like the SP and the BJP to take a clear stand on the issue which either way is likely to benefit BSP's poll prospects.


The year also saw more than five ministers losing their berths following inquiry by the state Lokayukta who received complaints of serious corruption charges against 22 ministers and 28 MLAs, mostly of the ruling BSP.


With an eye on the assembly elections, all the major parties undertook extensive yatras with the Congress'Rahul Gandhi and SP's Akhilesh Yadav leading the way.


The Gandhi scion first went to Bhatta Parsaul followed by his arrest in May while expressing solidarity with farmers agitating for better land compensation and then undertaking massive mass contact programmes attacking the BSP.


The farmers' agitation brought into focus lacunae in land acquisition process underlining the need for a new bill. Land acquisition in various villages in Noida extension was also set aside by the court leaving thousands of allottees in the dark.


For the first time, Mayawati's family was also in the line of Opposition fire with the BJP launching a campaign against her brother Anand Kumar for allegedly floating fake firms in the NCR region in a scam which it claimed could run into Rs 10,000 crore.


The state witnessed major train and road accidents with 69 people losing their lives in Kalka Mail derailment in Fatehpur district in July and 38 others being killed when a passenger train rammed into an express train at an unmanned railway crossing in Kanshiram Nagar just a couple of days earlier.


As many as 41 people died in Ballia in August when the tractor trolley in which they were going overturned andITBP recruitment drive in Shahjahanpur in February saw the tragic death of 15 youth travelling on train tops.


Two sitting BSP MLAs Shekhar Tripathi and Anand Sen Yadav were convicted in the engineer Manoj Kumar Gupta and Shashi murder cases respectively of Auraiya and Faizabad.


The UP Assembly set a new record of sorts of holding the briefest winter session of a day which passed important resolution of division of state and supplementary demands.


Veteran Hindi litterateur Lal Shukla Amar Kant earned national acclaim winning Jnanpith award. But sadly, he died 10 days after receiving the award on October 18.


Besides, long time confidante Babu Singh Kushwaha falling out of favour of Mayawati and being shown the door, sitting SP Rajya Sabha MP Rashid Masood joined the Congress.


Sitting BSP MP from Jaunpur Dhananjay Singh considered a heavyweight was arrested in a murder case.

In the midst of a continuing army-government stand-off, President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday surprisingly flew to Dubaibut fears of a military coup waned with the focus shifting to a crucial hearing by the Supreme Court on Monday.

Both the powerful army and the government held back their fire a day after Prime MinisterYousuf Raza Gilani summarily sacked defence secretary Naeem Khalid Lodhi, a retired General backed by the army, after he appeared to have toed the line of the military in a case before the apex court.

Speculation that Gilani may act against the Army chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and ISI head Lt Gen Shuja Pasha did not come true.

Kayani, however, held a meeting with his top commanders at the General Headquarters in the Garrison city of Rawalpindi. The meeting was attended by both the Principal Staff Officers, or senior generals serving at the General Headquarters, and the Corps Commanders, who head formations across the country, sources said.

The issues that figured at the meeting could not be ascertained and there was no word from the military's media wing.

An emergency meeting of the National Assembly called to discuss the situation arising out of the Supreme Court's order adjourned after paying obituary references to spiritual and political leader Pir Saheb of Pagara Syed Mardan Shah and others. The assembly will meet again on Friday.

The day's surprise development was the sudden decision of Zardari to go to Dubai on a day's visit to attend the wedding of an undisclosed family friend and to possibly undergo a medical check up. He is expected to return home on Friday.

The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing on Monday of a case relating to alleged corruption at high places in which Zardari figures. It has come down heavily on Gilani for not not taking action in such cases and threatened to take action against him.

Observers here were of the view that the army was reluctant to stage a coup which may incur the wrath of the Supreme Court. But the possibility that the Court may take action against Gilani, which could lead to an early poll, was being speculated widely.

Gilani has called an emergency session of the National Assembly to consider the situation arising out of Supreme Court's order to the government to reopen high-profile corruption cases, including against Zardari.

Matters came to a head on Wednesday after the military warned that Prime Minister Gilani's criticism of the army and intelligence chiefs could have "grievous consequences" and the premiersacked the defence secretary, considered close to the Army chief.

Meanwhile, the media suggested that both the military and the government address their differences in an atmosphere of sanity to end the standoff bedeviling the country.

Noting that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's criticism of the army and ISI chiefs' actions as "unconstitutional and illegal" would have resulted in a coup 10 or 15 years ago, the influential Dawn newspaper said: "But with a raucous media and a fierce Supreme Court now in the mix, the space for a direct and unconstitutional intervention by the army appears to have been eroded."

"One week the country pulls back from the brink; the next week it is back on the brink none of it adds up to a prediction that can be made with any degree of certainty. We can only hope that better sense prevails all around," it said in its editorial titled 'Dangerous times'.

The current political crisis began when Pakistani- American businessman Mansoor Ijaz made public an alleged memo that sought US help to prevent a military coup after the killing ofOsama bin Laden in Pakistan in May last year.
Meanwhile,the Delhi high court today warned social networking site Facebook India and search engine Google India that websites can be "blocked" like in China if they fail to devise a mechanism to check and remove objectionable material from their web pages.

On the other hand,Caught in a row over his age, Army Chief Gen V K Singh today said the issue related to his "integrity and honour" but would desist from "vitiating" the atmosphere even as the government hoped the controversy would end as the matter had been dealt with "fairly and justly". Gen Singh said he had tackled the issue in "organisational interest" but remained evasive on whether he would accept the government's decision according to which he will have to retire on May 31 this year. "The issue (of age) has always been, I am emphasising it, the issue has always been that of integrity and honour," he said at a press conference when asked about the controversy. "The issue is that of integrity and honour, right from the time the issue came to the forefront... This issue has always been tackled by me in organisational interest," he said adding the matter would impact only on his family. Gen Singh had two sets of dates in the official records -- May 10, 1950 and May 10, 1951, leading to the controversy. He has been contending that May 10,1951 should be treated as his actual date of birth as it was mentioned in his 10th certificate but the Defence Ministry has rejected it as May 10, 1950 is the date entered in his UPSC entrance form. "It is an issue on which I will desist from answering anything for the simple reason that the issue is, somebody has gone to the court and all kind of speculations are going on and there is no point in vitiating the way things are," he said. Home Minister P Chidambaram later said, "We are unhappy that the controversy should have erupted but I am hopeful that the controversy will be resolved... The matter has been dealt with fairly and justly by the ministry concerned." At the same time, he said, "We hold the Army Chief in great respect. He is a fine soldier. He has done remarkable service to the country."

  1. War on Terror - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    The War on Terror (also known as the Global War on Terror or the War on Terrorism) is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the...
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    13 Sep 2001 – This part of the globalissues.org web site looks at the terrorist attacks in the U.S.A. that destroyed the World Trade Center and a part of the ...
  3. War on Terror, the application - available in the App Store 25/11/2011

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    War on Terror - The Boardgame. A board game based on the popular War on Terror - You're either with them or against them... Or sometimes you're both!
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    This is a source for news on our current conflicts, the War On Terror, including both Iraq & Afghanistan. War on Terror News©2007-2011,ARM,all rights reserved ...
  6. War on Terror - CBS News

    War On Taliban Shifts To Drug Lords. Alleged Kingpin Captured By U.S. Signals New Policy Of Targeting Heroin Trade Bankrolling Terrorists Read Full Story » ...
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    War On Terrorism One of the best Osama/Terrorist games! icon WOT_II SpecOps Four new missions to blow away terrorist scum bags! icon Al Quaidamon Your ...
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    9 Apr 2007 – Official CIA site offers statements and interviews, a handbook for chemical, biological and radiological incidents, and links.
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    War on Terror. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 confronted Americans with the stark reality of a fanatical Islamist enemy obsessed with the goal of destroying their ...
  10. MAYAN - War On Terror - YouTube

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhBeb3ZMyow3 Aug 2011 - 5 min - Uploaded by NuclearBlastEurope
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    Games at Miniclip.com - War On Terrorism War On Terrorism. Take a stand against terrorism and save the day. Play this free game now!
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The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, introduced by Minister of State for Home Jitendra Singh, includes provisions to prevent the use of biological, radiological, nuclear material or device for terror or other illegal acts. Nearly two years after Parliament responded to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack by updating the anti-terror legal framework, home minister P Chidambaram on Thursday moved the Lok Sabha to make production, circulation or smuggling of fake currency a terror act. Chidambaram also proposed amendments to India's primary anti-terror law — Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act — to expand the definition of terrorism to cover threats to economic security.

It also provides for attachment of property of accused charged with circulating counterfeit currency, equal to the face value of the counterfeit currency involved.

On the other way,the pending State visit to Israel by Indian external affairs minister SM Krishna marks a significant milestone in the Indo-Israel relationship. He will be the highest-ranking Indian official to visit Israel in more than a decade and the decision to send him was not made lightly or in haste. It is no coincidence that the visit is coming at the beginning of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries. But that is only slightly more than pretext. There are far more pressing issues that make it an appropriate time for an official of Krishna's status to come to Jerusalem.

In a move to tighten the law for terror funding, Chidambaram has proposed to outlaw raising and collection of funds from any source in the knowledge that the money was likely to be used — in part or full — by any terrorist gang or individual.

It would not matter if the money is eventually used for terror or not.

Also, the amendments seek to make every person including promoters of a company liable for prosecution if the company commits an offence under the anti-terror law. This provision was incorporated to deal with instances of a company's funds benefiting a terror group.
The senior management, other officers can escape prosecution if the they can prove that the offence was committed without their knowledge and they had exercised due diligence.



It provides for an increase in the period of declaration of an association as unlawful from two to five years, the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill said.


The Bill, which was brought on the basis of international commitments made by India, enlarges the scope of the Act relating to punishment for raising funds for terror acts.


It includes new provisions to "include within its scope, offences by companies, societies or trusts and provide for punishment".


The legislation also includes provisions for forfeiture and attachment of properties linked with terrorism or counterfeit currency.


India was recently admitted as the 34th member of the Financial Action Task Force, an Inter-Governmental organisation set up to devise policies to combat money laundering and terror financing.


On the basis of India's commitments to the Task Force, various legislative and legally-binding measures were required to be taken by March 31 next year.


In order to give effect to these commitments, the legislation was introduced to make the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of 1967 more effective in preventing terrorist and other unlawful activities.

Batla House encounter genuine: Chidambaram

Dismissing Congress leader Digvijay Singh's claim that the Batla House encounter was "fake", Home Minister P Chidambaram today said the 2008 gun fight between security forces and terrorists in Delhi was indeed genuine and there was no scope for reopening the case.


"After looking into the matter, after I took over as Home Minister, we came to the conclusion that the encounter was a genuine encounter," he said at a press conference here.


The Home Minister was responding to Singh's remarks in Azamgarh yesterday when he had said that he always believed that the Batla House encounter was "fake" and had tried to get Government and the Home Ministry to investigate the matter but could not succeed.


"The Prime Minister and the Home Minister were of the view that the encounter was true. That's why I did not press it further," Singh had said.


The Home Minister said that it was the view of Digvijay Singh from the very beginning and he (Chidambaram) respected his (Singh's) view.


"But every authority who has looked into it (the case), has agreed that it was a genuine encounter. So, while there is a difference of opinion, I think the matter rests where it stands today. I don't think there is any scope for reopening that matter," he said.


The encounter on September 19, 2008, at Batla House led to the killing of Delhi Police Inspector Mohan Chandra Sharma and two Indian Mujahideen terrorist while two other IM terrorists were arrested and another fled from the scene.
Just Learn How they BEHAVED with Aborigine Indigenous Mulnivasi Bahujan as Human safaris exploit Jarawas with cops' aid


A shocking video of the endangered Andaman tribal people, including their women folks who live uncovered waist up, dancing to entertain tourists published by the British newspapers The Observer and The Guardian has created a controversy with the authorities in the archipelago coming under attack from all quarters now.

Brahamin Bania Raj Upgraded to Corporate Zionist LPG Mafia Rule never did implement Fifth and sixth Schedule since the infamous Powe Trasfer and killed the Constitutional safeguards ensured by DR BR Ambedkar. Most of the Aborigine Mulnivasi Adivasi Humanscape is under Afpsa and monopolistic Aggression all on the e name of development and national integrity. The Tribal people are cut off from the mainstream lifeline of the nation and are rather subjected to continuous holocaust. we have been exposing the conspiracy from the forums of Mulnivasi Bamcef, Bharat Mukti Morcha, Rashtriya Mulnivasi Sangh and Adivasi Ekta Parishad. The Two Day National convention of the Parishad is scheduled to be held in Megh Nagar, Jhabua in MP which is a follow up of the Gulbarga Vasavanna Nagar Anubhav Mandap Mulnivasi Bamcef Convention. It is hightime that all Mulnivasi bahujan specifically SC,OBC and Minorities, Non Brahamin and Non Aryan Communities should stand united rock solid in resistance aignst the Persecution and ethnic cleansing of ST Communities. How Grave is the situation, it is megnified by the Andaman incident.The Jarawa tribe have lived in peace in the Andaman Islands for thousands of years. Now tour companies run safaris through their jungle every day and wealthy tourists pay police to make the women - usually naked - dance for their amusement. This footage, filmed by a tourist, shows Jarawa women being told to dance by an off-camera police officer.



Andaman Islanders 'forced to dance' for tourists - video

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The Jarawa tribe have lived in peace in the Andaman Islands for thousands of years. Now tour companies run safaris through their jungle every day and wealthy tourists pay police to make the women - usually naked - dance for their amusement. This footage, filmed by a tourist, shows Jarawa women being told to dance by an off-camera police officer.

Coming as a shocker from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, members of Jarawa tribes are being lured with food to dance for tourists, said a report.it is OMore dangerous than any Natural Disaster as Tsunami. As a earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale was reported from the Nicobar Islands at 12.57 pm on Friday, Jun 3, said an official, India Meteorological Department.

"It was of moderate intensity, and initially there are no reports of any damage or casualty," the official said. "There were no after shocks," said an official, Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, Hyderabad.


A video was released by 'The Observer' which shows the tribals being forced to dance after the police was paid a bribe.


According to sources, the 'human safari' is being overseen by the police.


"I've read the report in the newspapers, what I saw in the clips was disgusting. I've asked for a report and will certainly take action on it," said V Kishore Chandra S Deo, Tribal Affairs Minister.


Meanwhile,Airtel, one of country's leading private telecom operator, is going to connect Hutbay, the southernmost Islands of Andaman Group of Islands by April.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has asked for a status report on the Andaman tribals after a video of the Jarawa tribe allegedly being forced to dance surfaced. However, the Andaman police has downplayed the video, calling it an 'old one' and blamed the British journalist of forcing the Jarawas to dance for the tourists.

The controversies surround the tourist video of the Jarawas who are a little over 400 in number living in South Andamans.


The Union Home Ministry has reportedly asked for report from the local authorities following the report while Andaman police said it was shot in 2002 perhaps and not a new one.


The report by British journalist Gethin Chamberlain says a policeman commanded the tribal women to dance before the tourists who captured it on camera.


"The role of the police is to protect tribespeople from unwelcome and intrusive outsiders. But on this occasion the officer had accepted a £200 bribe to get the girls to perform. 'I gave you food,'he reminded them at the start of the video," the report posted on the Guardian website read, adding that the tourists throw bananas and other food at the tribal people as if they are animals in a safari park.


"What do you mean by Jarawa women made to dance naked? They are naked. They live naked. This video may be ten years old now being brought out for someone's purposes," said S B Deol, Director General of Police, Anadamans.


According to Survival International, the ancestors of the Jarawa and the other tribes of the Andaman Islands are thought to have been part of the first successful human migrations out of Africa.


It says the Jarawas hunt pig and monitor lizard, fish with bows and arrows, and gather seeds, berries and honey. They are nomadic, living in bands of 40-50 people. In 1998, some Jarawa started coming out of their forest to visit nearby towns and settlements for the first time.


According to Survival International, the principal threat to the Jarawa's existence comes from encroachment onto their land, which was sparked by the building of a highway through their forest in the 1970s.


"The road brings settlers, poachers and loggers into the heart of their land. This encroachment risks exposing the Jarawa to diseases to which they have no immunity, and creating a dependency on outsiders. Poachers steal the game the Jarawa rely on, and there are reports of sexual exploitation of Jarawa women," it said.


"Tourism is also a threat to the Jarawa, with tour operators driving tourists along the road through the reserve every day in the hope of 'spotting' members of the tribe. Despite prohibitions, tourists often stop to make contact with the Jarawa," it said.Andaman DGP SB Deol said that the video that has been released by 'The Observer' is a 10-year old video of the year 2002.

He also said that whoever shot the video violated the rules and will have to face action. "It is obvious that it is the videographer who is breaking the law of the land and who is inciting the tribals to dance," the Andaman DGP said in a statement.He refuted the allegations that the police took bribe to take the tourists to the Jarawa reserve.

The DGP also claimed that at the time when the video was recorded, most of the Jarawas did not wear clothes.

However, 'The Observer', the British newspaper that carried the report claims the video was not old. 'The Observer' journalist Gethin Chambarlain added, "Bribing the cops costs Rs 15,000 to the tourists. Six months back, a police officer was disciplined for doing so."

The journalist also refused to divulge when it was shot, but said it was not old.

Tribal Affairs Minister V Kishore Chandra S Deo asked for a report on the issue. "I've read the report in the newspapers, what I saw in the clips was disgusting. I've asked for a report and will certainly take action on it."
'The Observer' report says that the Jarawa tribes in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are being lured with food to dance for tourists, according to a report. The report says that what's being called a 'human safari' is conducted under the supervision of the policemen.

'The Observer' also released a video, which shows the tribals being forced to dance, allegedly after a bribe was paid to a policeman.

Such safaris brazenly flout laws that prohibit close contact with the rare tribals and photographing them. There are just 403 surviving members of the Jarawa tribe who live in reserve forests on south Andaman.

The Supreme Court had ordered that the Andaman Trunk Road be closed down in 2002. But in 2004, the Jarawa policy had recommended that the road should be open, but have limited traffic. The issue remained unsolved after that.

The Jarawas are one of the indigenous people of the Andaman Islands and in 1998 they started to venture out of the jungles. In 2007, the government created a buffer zone to protect the Jarawas from outside contact and exploitation. The Jarawas are said to be descendants of some of the first humans to move out of Africa.

Andaman Islands: Police involvement in human safaris exposed

Tuesday, 10 January 2012, 5:05 pm
Press Release: Survival International


January 9, 2012

Police involvement in 'human safaris' exposed in the Andaman Islands

British newspaper The Observer has revealed evidence of police involvement in 'human safaris' in India's Andaman Islands.

The scandal, first exposed by Survival International in 2010, involves tourists using an illegal road to enter the reserve of the Jarawa tribe. Tour companies and cab drivers 'attract' the Jarawa with biscuits and sweets.

The Observer has obtained a video showing a group of Jarawa women

being ordered to dance for tourists by a policeman, who had reportedly accepted a £200 bribe to take them into the reserve.

One tourist has previously described a similar trip: 'The journey through tribal reserve was like a safari ride as we were going amidst dense tropical rainforest and looking for wild animals, Jarawa tribals to be specific'.

In recent weeks the Islands' administration has again ruled out closing the road, known as theAndaman Trunk Road – but revealed for the first time that it plans to open an alternative route by sea to bypass most of the Jarawa reserve.

Survival International has called for tourists to boycott the road, which the Supreme Court ordered closed in 2002. Working with a local organization, SEARCH, Survival has distributed leaflets to tourists arriving at the Islands' airport warning of the dangers of using the road.

Survival International's Director Stephen Corry said today, 'This story reeks of colonialism and the disgusting and degrading 'human zoos' of the past. Quite clearly, some people's attitudes towards tribal peoples haven't moved on a jot. The Jarawa are not circus ponies bound to dance at anyone's bidding.'






French n-regulator nod for Jaitapur's EPR nuclear reactors!Government notifies 100% FDI in single brand retail!


French n-regulator nod for Jaitapur's EPR nuclear reactors!Government notifies 100% FDI in single brand retail!EC halts sub-quota for minorities in 5 States!LPG Mafia Rule already handed over natural resources, aborigin Mulnivasi Bahujan humanscape and national Security and Integrity to Global Zionist Manusmriti Corporate Order of War and civil War. Foreign policy is decided in Washington and Jerusalem!Coming soon, BrahMos Aerospace to develop world's fastest hypersonic missile!


India and Israel on Tuesday vowed to upgrade their relations in all fields and work out a joint strategy to "checkmate" terrorism, while deciding on a roadmap to elevate cooperation in multiple areas like defence, agriculture, trade and hi-tech over the next two decades.


Union Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, began pre-budget consultations with several stakeholders, including agriculturists and economists on Wednesday in New Delhi.On the other way,Terming religion-based quota for Muslims as a "dirty gameplan" of the Congress to divide the nation again, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday said it will oppose any such move by launching a nation-wide mass movement and exposing the "dirty face" of its rival party.


French n-regulator nod for Jaitapur's EPR nuclear reactors!Technical Director of Nuclear Power Corporation Of India Limited (NPCIL), S A Bhardwaj on Wednesday termed the Kudankulam nuclear plant in Tamil Nadu as the safest power plant in the world.

"It is based on our specifications, what are our regulatory requirements, what are the Indian requirements and this plant therefore has been typically designed for us. To my mind as being a nuclear technologist, this is the safest nuclear power plant of the world," he said.


Despite repeated assurances, residents of Kundakulam have stepped up their protests in the past few weeks, aiming to ratchet up pressure on the government to shutdown the Kudankulam project, fearing a possible recurrence of the recent disaster witnessed in the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan.


Bhardwaj further stressed that the plant does not pose any serious threat to the people of the state.


"There are rays which we use for purifying water that we use in plant, they will have some radioactivity. So this is the type of waste which a nuclear power station generates and these are very convenient to handle and they are handled right in the plant," he said.


Highlighting the need of nuclear power plants, Bhardwaj said at this point of time when prices of oil and gas prices are surging at fast pace, country needs such projects, which are cost and energy efficient.


"India is getting into the deep crises of power, deep crises because of the coal unavailability and oil and gas, as you know everyday the prices are going up. So nuclear is the answer. Yes, we will have as much of the solar power, as much of wind possible but that does not satisfy our need, therefore this is the demand of India," he added.


The project has also met the approval of former Indian President and country's eminent nuclear scientist, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who has vouched for the safety standards set up at the plant after visiting the site to check the existing mechanisms.


Established in a joint collaboration between India and Russia, the Kudankulam nuclear power project envisages to build two 1,000 MW VVER type reactors by end of December 2011.


However, in the wake of the Fukushima incident, several nuclear projects across India, such as the one at Jaitapur in western Maharashtra state, have run into rough weather as protesting locals and activists argued that such plants could adversely affect the environment.



Speaking to media in Chennai city, Technical Director of NPCIL, S A Bhardwaj said though they have constructed the plant imitating Russian design but it is based on Indian specifications.



Indian authorities are considering various locations to store nuclear waste generated by atomic power plants, a senior official of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) said here Wednesday. "We are studying locations for storing nuclear waste generated by atomic energy plants. The waste will be in very small quantities and would be stored underground with no possibility of radiation," S.A. Bhardwaj, NPCIL technical director, told mediapersons after a scientific meet on 'Radiation and Cancer'.


According to him, states like Bihar and Haryana have expressed their willingness to house nuclear power plants.


Stressing that the fast reactors are an integral part of India's policy to close the nuclear fuel cycle, Bhardwaj said: "We have to go for fast reactors as we do not have sufficient uranium. However, other countries are also planning to build fast reactors."


Bhardwaj also said India was capable of handling nuclear disasters if at all they happen.


"Nuclear power plant disasters are different from the likes of the Bhopal gas leak. In the case of nuclear power plant disasters, there will be sufficient time available for the people to take safety action. Further, the radiation level threshold stipulated in India for evacuating people is quite low which, in turn, is safe for people," he added.


Bhardwaj said the radiation dosage from Indian nuclear plants is far less than the average background natural radiation that people are exposed to daily.


Presenting the study on the health profile of employees of NPCIL, chief medical superintendent S.K.Jain said the employees working in nuclear power stations are not prone to any higher rate of occurrence of disease, particularly 'cancer', than the general public.


He said the average natural incident rate of cancer among the general public is 98.5 out of every 100,000 of population as against 54.05/lakh among the NPCIL employees.


Jain said the mortality due to cancer, the average death rate in the general public is 68/lakh as compared to 29.05/lakh among NPCIL employees.


Ruling out any linkage between nuclear power plants and cancer V. Rangarajan, head, Department of Bio-imaging at Tata Memorial Centre said the highest incidence of cancer is in the north-eastern states which do not have any atomic power plant.


He said the incidence of cancer in cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore with nuclear power plants near them are similar to other cities that do not have any atomic power plants.


Citing a Canadian study on 17,700 workers of uranium mining, he said the workers are found to be keeping better health than the general public in that country.



with a motive to receive feedback on the various policies which are to be incorporated in the budget for the financial year 2012-2013, Pranab Mukherjee will be holding a series of meetings with the industry bigwigs, sectoral experts and trade union leaders over the next three weeks.


The Union minister has scheduled to hold a meeting with trade union leaders on January 16, while a meeting with the experts from the social sector is slated for the next day.


Mukherjee would also hold discussions with the CEOs of banks and other financial institutions and take up issues like bank recapitalisation, access to affordable financial services and also interest rates.


On January 20, Mukherjee would meet renowned economists to finalise policies for better growth in the future, since the growth dipped to 6.9 percent in the second quarter, the lowest in nine quarters.


Earlier, Mukherjee had presided over a meeting of the Cabinet committee on Parliamentary Affairs to finalise the date for the presentation of the budget.


It is expected that the budget for 2012/13 will be presented after elections scheduled in five states.


Setting the ball rolling, Krishna, who is the first Indian foreign minister to visit Israel in over a decade, called Israel a "natural ally" in all frontiers of science during his over one and half hour breakfast meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today, a rare gesture accorded to only dignitaries from countries sharing special relations with Israel.

After his meeting with his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman, Krishna termed his visit as "excellent and productive".

"During our meeting we reviewed all areas of cooperation in our bilateral relations -- political, economic, scientific and cultural," he said.

Krishna said India and Israel, who on Tuesday signed two treaties -- one on extradition and the other on transfer of sentenced persons -- face the common problem of terrorism.

"So I think we will have to work out a strategy as to how we address ourselves the scourge of international terrorism which has become the curse for the entire humanity.

"I think are effort should be to checkmate it and ultimately eradicate terror from the face of the earth," Krishna said.

The minister, who held a series of meetings with top Israeli leadership, including President Shimon Peres, during his visit starting Monday, said "India is also keen to have Israel as a partner in several other sectors in which innovation and cutting edge technologies are essential for our continued growth".

These sectors include water management, bio-technology, telecom, hi-tech industries, homeland security and several others, he emphasised.

While the two sides discussed a number of bilateral and regional issues, both Krishna and officials said the focus was about setting the agenda for the next two decades.

"The principal focus was on future. How we should move this relationship in future," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin told PTI.

Asked about where he sees relations with India going, Israeli Foreign Minister Lieberman said, "Our relations are excellent. What we see is a very positive tendency. We enjoy cooperation at many levels and I really hope that we would accomplish in the next five years more growth in all fields, including political level.

"We have had positive engagement during the first twenty years and now want to further upgrade it".

Liberman added, "What is really the most important thing is the determination and intention of both sides to deepen our bilateral relations in all fields".

He said India has become one of the most popular destinations for young Israeli generation and "of course cooperation in the field of agriculture, water management and homeland security has become more efficient".

Krishna pointed out that Indian economy provides immense potential and opportunity for the application of Israeli research as well as for Israeli investment.

Krishna said a Free Trade Agreement was presently under negotiations and "we hope to finalise it soon".

"Several other innovative ideas of promoting financial and technologic cooperation are also being explored. We are also keen to further enhance tourism from Israel to India and to intensify cultural exchanges and thus increase mutual understanding and goodwill," he said.

Though diplomatic relations between Israel and India were set up only 20 years back, both sides have seen a steep increase in cooperation in all fields especially in trade and defence.

The bilateral trade and economic relations have progressed rapidly in recent years.

From a mere $200 million in 1992, the bilateral trade with Israel was expected to reach a $5 billion by last year-end. The figure does not include defence purchases.

Israel has also emerged as the second biggest defence supplier to New Delhi [ Images ] after Russia [ Images ].

From a buyer-seller relationship, both India and Israel are now trying to branch out to joint research and development initiatives.

"Both sides are looking at going beyond buyer-seller relations. We are looking at joint investments not just in production but also research, I-T and bio-technology," an official source said giving an insight into the talks that Krishna held with Israeli leadership.

Another area of discussion included energy as both the countries are trying to cooperate in renewable energy as well as wind energy. "The increasing idea is to do things together," the source said.

Asked if increasing relations with Israel would affect ties with certain other countries that are not at good terms with Tel Aviv, a source said, "our relations with countries are based on our bilateral interest. A relation with a country does not affect our relations with any other country. We have states positions on world issues".


Multinational Imperialist Nuclear Energy drive continues despite Mass Resistance. Nuclear liability Bill has already diluted compensation claims.Now India is in the process of holding technical level discussions with France and the US for its civil nuclear programmes!Worst ahead for euro zone, but it will survive!Global shares dawdle, euro struggles on funding worries!

Fiscal deficit will be 'very significantly' worse than budgeted 4.6%: Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

India no match for China on social indicators, says Amartya Sen.Joseph Stiglitz praises India's right to food proposal!


KOLKATA: Noble laureate economist Joseph Stiglitztoday praised India's right to food plans and said such an initiative is still not part of discourse in the US.


On India's the right to food proposal, Stiglitz said, "Such debates are still not a part of the discourse in America."


The proposed Food Bill pending in Parliament seeks to give legal entitlement to subsidised foodgrains to 63.5 per cent of the country's population.


Commenting on the economic growth, he said, "Today, we look with amazement at some of the rates of growth in the emerging markets. That growth is not small measure because these countries have learned how to close the knowledge gap."


He also said the emerging countries have learnt to close the knowledge gap with the developed countries.


The economist also cautioned India that it cannot afford to waste its resources to mitigate the impact of economic crisis.


He said that the US government had 'wasted' resources to mitigate the scale of devastation in the country's financial sector brought about by the recession.


"Let this be a warning for India. America is a rich country that can, perhaps, afford such waste. India is not," he said.


The economist stressed on the need for the government to play a major role in the growth and development of a "learning" society and not everything should be left to the market forces.


Stiglitz said that 'unfettered markets' in the US had led to the world-wide economic crisis which surfaced in 2008.


"We should be clear... recession is a failure of unfettered markets and the main failure of the government was not doing what it should have done - to restrain markets," Stiglitz said in the convocation speech at the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) here.


Earlier, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that the ISI had been playing a leading role in data collection and analysis exercise in India on the basis of which several important government policy measures had been taken over the years.


After Kolkata and Delhi, ISI would soon have a new centre in Chennai.

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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/Joseph-Stiglitz-praises-Indias-right-to-food-proposal/articleshow/11465732.cms

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Terrorism in India

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Terrorism
Definitions · Counter-terrorism
International conventions
Anti-terrorism legislation
Terrorism insurance
Types
Anarchist · Nationalist
Communist · Conservative
Left-wing · Right-wing
(Saffron terror)
Militia movement
Resistance movements
Tactics
Agro-terrorism · Aircraft hijacking (list)
Bioterrorism · Car bombing (list)
Dirty bomb · Dry run · Cyber terrorism
Environmental · Hostage-taking
Improvised explosive device
individual terror · Insurgency · Kidnapping
Letter bomb · Nuclear
Paper terrorism · Piracy
Propaganda of the deed
Proxy bomb · School shooting
Suicide attack (list)
Terrorist groups
List of designated terrorist organizations
State terrorism
State sponsorship · State terrorism
Iran · North Korea · Pakistan
Russia · Sri Lanka · United States
Organizations
Terrorist financing
Terrorist front organization
Terrorist training camp
Lone wolf fighter
Clandestine cell system
History of terrorism
Definitions of terrorism
Associations
Charities accused of ties to terrorism
Terrorist incidents

Terrorism in India is primarily attributable to religious communities and Naxalite radical movements.[citation needed]

The regions with long term terrorist activities today are Jammu and KashmirMumbaiCentral India (Naxalism) and the Seven Sister States (independence and autonomy movements). As of 2006, at least 232 of the country's 608 districts were afflicted, at differing intensities, by various insurgent and terrorist movements.[1] In August 2008, National Security Advisor M K Narayanan has said that there are as many as 800 terrorist cells operating in the country.[2]

Contents

  [hide

Chronology of major incidents

[show]
Terrorist attacks in India
(since 2001)

Western India

Maharashtra

Mumbai

Mumbai has been the most preferred target for most terrorist organizations, primarily the separatist forces from Pakistan.[citation needed] Over the past few years there have been a series of attacks, including explosions in local trains in July 2006, and the most recent and unprecedented attacks of 26 November 2008, when two of the prime hotels, a landmark train station, and a Jewish Chabad house, in South Mumbai, were attacked and sieged.[citation needed]

Terrorist attacks in Mumbai include:

Pune

Terrorist attacks elsewhere in Maharashtra:

  • 13 February 2010 - a bomb explosion at the German Bakery in Pune killed fourteen people, and injured at least 60 more

Jammu and Kashmir

Armed insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir has killed tens of thousands to date.[citation needed]

Northern and Northwestern India

Bihar

The existence of certain insurgent groups, like the CPI-ML, Peoples war, and MCC, is a major concern, as they frequently attack local police and politicians. Poor governance and the law and order system in Bihar have helped increase the menace caused by the militias. The State has witnessed many massacres by these groups. The main victims of the violence by these groups are helpless people (including women, children, and the elderly) who are killed in massacres. The state police is ill-equipped to take on the AK-47s and AK-56s of the militants with their vintage 303 rifles. The militants have also used landmines to kill ambush police parties.

The root cause of the militant activities in the state is huge disparity between the caste groups. After Independence, land reforms were supposed to be implemented, thereby giving the low caste and the poor a share in the lands, which was until then held mostly by high caste people. However, due to caste based divisive politics in the state, land reforms were never implemented properly. This led to a growing sense of alienation among the low caste.

Communist groups like CPI-ML, MCC, and People's War took advantage of this and instigated the low caste people to take up arms against establishment, which was seen as a tool in the hands of rich. They started taking up lands of the rich by force, killing the high caste people. The high caste people resorted to use of force by forming their own army, Ranvir Sena, to take on the naxalites. The State witnessed a bloody period in which the groups tried to prove their supremacy through mass killings. The police remained a mute witness to these killings, as they lacked the means to take any action.

The Ranvir Sena has now significantly weakened with the arrest of its top brass. The other groups are still active.

There have been arrests in various parts of the country, particularly those made by the Delhi and Mumbai police in the recent past, indicating that extremist/terrorist outfits have been spreading their networks in this state. There is a strong suspicion that Bihar is also being used as a transit point by the small-arms, fake currency and drug dealers entering from Nepal and terrorists reportedly infiltrating through Nepal and Bangladesh.

In recent years, these attacks by various caste groups have come down with better government being practised.

Punjab

The Sikhs form a majority in the Indian state of Punjab. During the 1970s, a section of Sikh leaders cited various political, social, and cultural issues to allege that the Sikhs were being cornered and ignored in Indian Society, and Sikhism was being absorbed into the Hindu fold. This gradually led to an armed movement in the Punjab, led by some key figures demanding a separate state for Sikhs.

The insurgency intensified during the 1980s, when the movement turned violent and the name Khalistan resurfaced and sought independence from the Indian Union. Led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who, though not in favour in the creation of Khalistan, was also not against it, they began using militancy to stress the movement's demands. Soon things turned extreme with India alleging that neighbouring Pakistansupported these militants, who, by 1983-84, had begun to enjoy widespread support among Sikhs.

In 1984, Operation Blue Star was conducted by the Indian government to stem out the movement. It involved an assault on the Golden Temple complex, which Sant Bhindranwale had fortified in preparation of an army assault. Indira GandhiIndia's then prime minister, ordered the military to storm the temple, who eventually had to use tanks. After a 74 hour firefight, the army successfully took control of the temple. In doing so, it damaged some portions of the Akal Takht, the Sikh Reference Library, and the Golden Temple itself. According to Indian government sources, 83 army personnel were killed and 249 were injured. Militant casualties were 493 killed and 86 injured.

During the same year, the assassination of Indira Gandhi by two Sikh bodyguards, believed to be driven by the Golden Temple affair, resulted in widespread anti-Sikh riots, especially in New Delhi. Following Operation Black Thunder in 1988, Punjab Police, first under Julio Ribeiro and then under KPS Gill, together with the Indian Army, eventually succeeded in pushing the movement underground.

In 1985, Sikh terrorists bombed an Air India flight from Canada to India, killing all 329 people on board Air India Flight 182. It was the worst terrorist act in Canada's history.

The ending of Sikh militancy and the desire for a Khalistan catalyzed when the then-Prime Minister of PakistanBenazir Bhutto, handed all intelligence material concerning Punjab militancy to the Indian government, as a goodwill gesture. The Indian government used that intelligence to put an end to those who were behind attacks in India and militancy.

The ending of overt Sikh militancy in 1993 led to a period of relative calm, punctuated by militant acts (for example, the assassination of Punjab CM, Beant Singh, in 1995) attributed to half a dozen or so operating Sikh militant organisations. These organisations include Babbar Khalsa InternationalKhalistan Commando ForceKhalistan Liberation Force, and Khalistan Zindabad Force.

New Delhi

2011 High court bombing

Main article: 2011_Delhi_bombing

The 2011 Delhi bombing took place in the Indian capital Delhi on Wednesday, 7 September 2011 at 10:14 local time outside Gate No. 5 of the Delhi High Court, where a suspected briefcase bomb was planted.[5] The blast killed 12 people and injured 76.

2007 Delhi security summit

The Delhi summit on security took place on 14 February 2007 with the foreign ministers of ChinaIndia, and Russia meeting in Hyderabad HouseDelhi, India, to discuss terrorismdrug traffickingreform of the United Nations, and the security situations in AfghanistanIranIraq, and North Korea.[3][4]

2005 Delhi bombings

Three explosions went off in the Indian capital of New Delhi on 29 October 2005, which killed more than 60 people and injured at least 200 others. The high number of casualties made the bombings the deadliest attack in India in 2005. It was followed by 5 bomb blasts on 13 September 2008.

2001 Attack on Indian parliament

Terrorists on 13 December 2001 attacked the Parliament of India, resulting in a 45-minute gun battle in which 9 policemen and parliament staff were killed. All five terrorists were also killed by the security forces and were identified as Pakistani nationals. The attack took place around 11:40 am (IST), minutes after both Houses of Parliament had adjourned for the day. The suspected terrorists dressed in commando fatigues entered Parliament in a car through the VIP gate of the building. Displaying Parliament and Home Ministry security stickers, the vehicle entered the Parliament premises. The terrorists set off massive blasts and used AK-47 rifles, explosives, and grenades for the attack. Senior Ministers and over 200 Members of Parliament were inside the Central Hall of Parliament when the attack took place. Security personnel sealed the entire premises, which saved many lives.

Uttar Pradesh

2005 Ayodhya attacks

The long simmering Ayodhya crisis finally culminated in a terrorist attack on the site of the 16th century Babri Masjid. The ancient Masjid inAyodhya was demolished on 5 July 2005. Following the two-hour gunfight between Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists based in Pakistan and Indian police, in which six terrorists were killed, opposition parties called for a nationwide strike with the country's leaders condemning the attack, believed to have been masterminded by Dawood Ibrahim.

2010 Varanasi blasts

Main article: 2010 Varanasi bombing

On 7 December 2010, another blast occurred in Varanasi, that killed immediately a toddler, and set off a stampede in which 20 people, including four foreigners, were injured.[5] The responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Islamist millitant group Indian Mujahideen.[6]

2006 Varanasi blasts

Main article: 2006 Varanasi bombings

A series of blasts occurred across the Hindu holy city of Varanasi on 7 March 2006. Fifteen people are reported to have been killed and as many as 101 others were injured. No one has accepted responsibility for the attacks, but it is speculated that the bombings were carried out in retaliation of the arrest of a Lashkar-e-Toiba agent in Varanasi earlier in February 2006.

On 5 April 2006 the Indian police arrested six Islamic militants, including a cleric who helped plan bomb blasts. The cleric is believed to be a commander of a banned Bangladeshi Islamic militant group, Harkatul Jihad-al Islami, and is linked to the Inter-Services Intelligence, thePakistani spy agency.[7]

Northeastern India

Northeastern India consists of seven states (also known as the seven sisters): AssamMeghalayaTripuraArunachal PradeshMizoram,Manipur, and Nagaland. Tensions exists between these states and the central government, as well as amongst the tribal people, who are natives of these states, and migrant peoples from other parts of India.

The states have accused New Delhi of ignoring the issues concerning them. It is this feeling which has led the natives of these states to seek greater participation in self-governance. There are existing territorial disputes between Manipur and Nagaland.

There is a rise of insurgent activities and regional movements in the northeast, especially in the states of AssamNagalandMizoram, andTripura. Most of these organisations demand independent state status or increased regional autonomy and sovereignty.

Northeastern regional tension has eased of late with Indian and state governments' concerted effort to raise the living standards of the people in these regions. However, militancy still exists in this region of India supported by external sources.

Nagaland

The first and perhaps the most significant insurgency was in Nagaland from the early 1950s until it was finally quelled in the early 1980s through a mixture of repression and co-optation. The National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM), demands an independent Nagaland and has carried out several attacks on Indian military installations in the region. According to government officials, 599 civilians, 235 security forces, and 862 terrorists have lost their lives between 1992 and 2000.

On 14 June 2001, a ceasefire agreement was signed between the government of India and the NSCN-IM, which had received widespread approval and support in Nagaland. Terrorist outfits such as the Naga National Council-Federal (NNC-F) and the National Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) also welcomed the development.

Certain neighbouring states, especially Manipur, raised serious concerns over the ceasefire. They feared that NSCN would continue insurgent activities in its state and demanded New Delhi scrap the ceasefire deal and renew military action. Despite the ceasefire, the NSCN has continued its insurgency.[citation needed]

Assam

After NagalandAssam is the most volatile state in the region. Beginning in 1979, the indigenous people of Assam demanded that the illegal immigrants who had emigrated from Bangladesh to Assam be detected and deported. The movement led by All Assam Students Unionbegan non-violently with satyagraha, boycotts, picketing, and courting arrests.

Those protesting frequently came under police action. In 1983 an election was conducted, which was opposed by the movement leaders. The election led to widespread violence. The movement finally ended after the movement leaders signed an agreement (called the Assam Accord) with the central government on 15 August 1985.

Under the provisions of this accord, anyone who entered the state illegally between January 1966 and March 1971 was allowed to remain but was disenfranchised for ten years, while those who entered after 1971 faced expulsion. A November 1985 amendment to the Indian citizenship law allows non-citizens who entered Assam between 1961 and 1971 to have all the rights of citizenship except the right to vote for a period of ten years.

New Delhi also gave special administration autonomy to the Bodos in the state. However, the Bodos demanded a separate Bodoland, which led to a clash between the Bengalis, the Bodos, and the Indian military resulting in hundreds of deaths.

There are several organisations that advocate the independence of Assam. The most prominent of these is the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA). Formed in 1979, the ULFA has two main goals: the independence of Assam and the establishment of a socialist government.

The ULFA has carried out several terrorist attacks in the region targeting the Indian Military and non-combatants. The group assassinates political opponents, attacks police and other security forces, blasts railroad tracks, and attacks other infrastructure facilities. The ULFA is believed to have strong links with the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN)Maoists, and the Naxalites.

It is also believed that they carry out most of their operations from the Kingdom of Bhutan. Because of ULFA's increased visibility, the Indian government outlawed the group in 1986 and declared Assam a troubled area. Under pressure from New Delhi, Bhutan carried a massive operation to drive out the ULFA militants from its territory.

Backed by the Indian ArmyThimphu was successful in killing more than a thousand terrorists and extraditing many more to India while sustaining only 120 casualties. The Indian military undertook several successful operations aimed at countering future ULFA terrorist attacks, but the ULFA continues to be active in the region. In 2004, the ULFA targeted a public school in Assam, killing 19 children and 5 adults.

Assam remains the only state in the northeast where terrorism is still a major issue. The Indian Military was successful in dismantling terrorist outfits in other areas, but have been criticised by human rights groups for allegedly using harsh methods when dealing with terrorists.

On 18 September 2005, a soldier was killed in Jiribam, Manipur, near the Manipur-Assam border, by members of the ULFA.

On 14th march 2011 militants of the Ranjan Daimary-led faction ambushed patrolling troop of BSF when on way from Bangladoba in Chirang district of Assam to Ultapani in Kokrajhar killing 8 jawans. [8]

Tripura

Tripura witnessed a surge in terrorist activities in the 1990s. New Delhi blamed Bangladesh for providing a safe haven to the insurgents operating from its territory. The area under control of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council was increased after a tripartite agreement between New Delhi, the state government of Tripura, and the Council. The government has since brought the movement under control, and the government of Tripura has so far succeeded to limit the terrorist activities.

Manipur

In Manipur, militants formed an organisation known as the People's Liberation Army. Their main goal was to unite the Meitei tribes of Burmaand establish an independent state of Manipur. However, the movement was thought to have been suppressed after a fierce clash with Indian security forces in the mid 1990s.

On 18 September 2005, six separatist rebels were killed in fighting between the Zomi Revolutionary Army and the Zomi Revolutionary Front in the Churachandpur District.

On 20 September 2005, 14 Indian soldiers were ambushed and killed by 20 rebels from the Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) terrorist organization, armed with AK-56 rifles, in the village of Nariang, 22 miles southwest of Manipur's capital Imphal. "Unidentified rebels using automatic weapons ambushed a road patrol of the army's Gorkha Rifles killing eight on the spot," said a spokesman for the Indian government.

Mizoram

The Mizo National Front fought for over two decades with the Indian Military in an effort to gain independence. As in neighbouring states the insurgency was quelled by force.

South India

Karnataka

Karnataka is considerably less affected by terrorism, despite having many places of historical importance and the IT hub of India, Bengaluru. However, recently Naxal activity has been increasing in the Western Ghats.

Bengaluru

Also, a few attacks have occurred, major ones including an attack on IISc on 28 December 2005 and serial blasts in Bengaluru on 26 July 2008.

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh is one of the few southern states affected by terrorism, although of a far different kind and on a much smaller scale.[citation needed] The terrorism in Andhra Pradesh stems from the People's War Group (PWG), popularly known as Naxalites.

The PWG has been operating in India for over two decades, with most of its operations in the Telangana[citation needed] region in Andhra Pradesh. The group is also active in Orissa and Bihar. Unlike the Kashmiri insurgents and ULFA, PWG is a Maoist terrorist organisation andcommunism is one of its primary goals.[citation needed]

Having failed to capture popular support in the elections, they resorted to violence as a means to voice their opinions. The group targetsIndian Police, multinational companies, and other influential institutions in the name of the communism. PWG has also targeted senior government officials, including the attempted assassination of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.

It reportedly has a strength of 800 to 1,000 well armed militants and is believed to have close links with the Maoists in Nepal and the LTTE ofSri Lanka. According to the Indian government, on an average, more than 60 civilians, 60 naxal rebels and a dozen policemen are killed every year because of PWG led insurgency. Also, one of the major terrorist attacks was the 25 August 2007 Hyderabad Bombing.

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu had LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) militants operating in the Tamil Nadu state up until the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. LTTE had given many speeches in Tamil Nadu led by Velupillai PrabhakaranTamilselvan, and other Eelam members. The Tamil Tigers, now a banned organisation, had been receiving many donations and support from India in the past. The Tamil Nadu Liberation Army is a militant Tamil movement in India that has ties to LTTE.[citation needed]

1998 Coimbatore bombings

Tamil Nadu also faced terrorist attacks orchestrated by Muslim fundamentalists. For more information, see 1998 Coimbatore bombings.

Kerala

For a long time, Kerala was considered as a terror free state and model of tolerance and prosperity. The wake-up call came in October 2008, when four young Malayalis were killed by Indian security forces in an alleged jihadi training camp in Kashmir. Last July a different threat emerged when a group of young Muslims cut off the hand of a Christian professor, condemning him for writing an exam question they said insulted the Prophet Muhammad. According to Time Magazine, migrants to the Persian Gulf were taking extremist ideology to Kerala.[9]

In popular culture

Terrorism has also been depicted in various Indian films, prominent among them being Mani Ratnam's Roja (1992) and Dil Se (1998), Govind Nihlani's Drohkaal (1994), Santosh Sivan's The Terrorist (1999), Anurag Kashyap's Black Friday (2004) on the 1993 Bombay bombings,Fanaa (2006), and recently Sikandar (2009) on Terrorism in KashmirRaj Kumar Gupta's Aamir (2008) and Amal Neerad's Anwar (2010) are other examples.

See also

References

Notes

  • ^ "Sleeping over security". (26 August - 8 Sep) Business and Economy, p 38

External links

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War on Terror

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
War on Terror
War on Terror montage1.png
Clockwise from top left: Aftermath of the September 11 attacks; US infantry in Afghanistan; a US soldier and Afghan interpreter in Zabul Province, Afghanistan; explosion of an Iraqi car bomb in Baghdad
DateOctober 7, 2001 – present (10 years,97 days)
Location Global (esp. Middle East, parts of Asia and Africa, Europe and North America)
StatusWar in Afghanistan (2001–present):

Iraq War (2003–2011):

Other:

Belligerents
 NATO participants:

Non-NATO participants:

International missions:

(note: most contributing nations are included in the international operations)

Main targets:

Others:

Commanders and leaders
United States Gen. Tommy Franks(CENTCOM commander 2001–2003),
United States Gen. John Abizaid (CENTCOM commander 2003–2007),
United States Adm. William J. Fallon(CENTCOM commander 2007–2008),
United States Gen. David Petraeus(CENTCOM commander 2008–2010, ISAF commander 2010-2011),
United States Gen. James Mattis (CENTCOM commander 2010-present),
United States Gen. Dan K. McNeill (ISAF commander 2007-2008),
United States Gen. David D. McKiernan (ISAF commander 2008-2009),
United States Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal(ISAF commander 2009–2010),
United States Gen. John R. Allen (ISAF commander 2011-present),

Pakistan Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani(Chief of the Army Staff 2007–present)
Pakistan Gen. Tariq Khan (Major General of FC)

Afghanistan Mohammed Omar
Afghanistan Baitullah Mehsud  
Afghanistan MullahDadullah  
Flag of al-Qaeda in Iraq.svg Osama bin Laden  
Flag of al-Qaeda in Iraq.svg Ayman al-Zawahiri
Flag of al-Qaeda in Iraq.svg Abu Musab al-Zarqawi  
Flag of al-Qaeda in Iraq.svg Abu Ayyub al-Masri  
Flag of al-Qaeda in Iraq.svg Anwar al-Awlaki  

The War on Terror (also known as the Global War on Terror or the War on Terrorism) is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other NATO as well as non-NATO countries. Originally, the campaign was waged against al-Qaeda and other militant organizations with the purpose of eliminating them.[1]

The phrase 'War on Terror' was first used by US President George W. Bush and other high-ranking US officials to denote a global military, political, legal and ideological struggle against organizations designated as terrorist and regimes that were accused of having a connection to them or providing them with support or were perceived, or presented as posing a threat to the US and its allies in general. It was typically used with a particular focus on militant Islamists and al-Qaeda.

Although the term is not officially used by the administration of US President Barack Obama (which instead uses the term Overseas Contingency Operation), it is still commonly used by politicians, in the media and officially by some aspects of government, such as the United States' Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

Contents

  [hide

Precursor to the 9/11 attacks

The origins of al-Qaeda as a network inspiring terrorism around the world and training operatives can be traced to the Soviet war in Afghanistan (December 1979 – February 1989).[2] In May 1996 the group World Islamic Front for Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders (WIFJAJC), sponsored by Osama bin Laden and later reformed as al-Qaeda, started forming a large base of operations in Afghanistan, where the Islamistextremist regime of the Taliban had seized power that same year.[3] In February 1998, Osama bin Laden signed a fatwā, as the head of al-Qaeda, declaring war on the West and Israel,[4][5] later in May of that same year al-Qaeda released a video declaring war on the US and the West.[6][7]

Following the bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania,[8] US PresidentBill Clinton launched Operation Infinite Reach, a bombing campaign in Sudan and Afghanistan against targets the US asserted were associated with WIFJAJC,[9][10]although others have questioned whether a pharmaceutical plant in Sudan was used as a chemical warfare plant. The plant produced much of the region's antimalarial drugs[11] and around 50% of Sudan's pharmaceutical needs.[12] The strikes failed to kill any leaders of WIFJAJC or the Taliban.[11]

Next came the 2000 millennium attack plots which included an attempted bombing of Los Angeles International Airport. In October 2000 the USS Cole bombingoccurred, followed in 2001 by the September 11 attacks.[13]

Terminology

The phrase "War on Terror" has been used to specifically refer to the ongoing military campaign led by the US, UK and their allies against organizations and regimes identified by them as terrorist, and excludes other independent counter-terrorist operations and campaigns such as those by Russia and India. The conflict has also been referred to by names other than the War on Terror. It has also been known as:

In 1984 the Reagan Administration used the term "war against terrorism" as part of an effort to pass legislation that was designed to freeze assets of terrorist groups and marshal the forces of government against them. Author Shane Harris asserts this was a reaction to the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing.[30]

On September 16, 2001, at Camp David, President George W. Bush used the phrase war on terror in an unscripted and controversial comment when he said, "This crusade – this war on terrorism – is going to take a while, ... "[31] Bush later apologized for this remark due to the negative connotations the term crusade has to people of Muslim faith. The word crusade was not used again.[32] On September 20, 2001, during a televised address to a joint session of congress, Bush launched the war on terror when he said, "Our 'war on terror' begins with al-Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated."[33] Bush did not say when he expected this would be achieved. "

US President Barack Obama has rarely used the term, but in his inaugural address on January 20, 2009, he stated "Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred."[34] In March 2009 the Defense Department officially changed the name of operations from "Global War on Terror" to "Overseas Contingency Operation" (OCO).[35] In March 2009, the Obama administration requested thatPentagon staff members avoid use of the term, instead using "Overseas Contingency Operation".[35]

Both the term and the policies it denotes have been a source of ongoing controversy, as critics argue it has been used to justify unilateral preventive warhuman rightsabuses and other violations of international law.[36][37]

US objectives

  NATO
  Major military operations (Afghanistan • Pakistan • Iraq •Somalia • Yemen)
  Other allies involved in major operations
Circle Burgundy Solid.svg Major terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda and affiliated groups: 1. Bali bombings 2002 • 2. September 11 attacks 2001 • 3. Madrid bombings 2004 • 4.London bombings 2005 • 5. Mumbai attacks 2008

The George W. Bush administration defined the following objectives in the War on Terror:[38]

  1. Defeat terrorists such as Osama bin Laden, Abu Musab al-Zarqawiand destroy their organizations
  2. Identify, locate and destroy terrorists along with their organizations
  3. Deny sponsorship, support and sanctuary to terrorists
    1. End the state sponsorship of terrorism
    2. Establish and maintain an international standard of accountability with regard to combating terrorism
    3. Strengthen and sustain the international effort to fight terrorism
    4. Work with willing and able states
    5. Enable weak states
    6. Persuade reluctant states
    7. Compel unwilling states
    8. Interdict and disrupt material support for terrorists
    9. Eliminate terrorist sanctuaries and havens
  4. Diminish the underlying conditions that terrorists seek to exploit
    1. Partner with the international community to strengthen weak states and prevent (re)emergence of terrorism
    2. Win the war of ideals
  5. Defend US citizens and interests at home and abroad
    1. Implement the National Strategy for Homeland Security
    2. Attain domain awareness
    3. Enhance measures to ensure the integrity, reliability, and availability of critical physical and information-based infrastructures at home and abroad
    4. Integrate measures to protect US citizens abroad
    5. Ensure an integrated incident management capability

US and NATO-led military operations

US Army soldier of the 10th Mountain Division in Nuristan Province, June 2007

Operation Active Endeavour

Operation Active Endeavour is a naval operation of NATO started in October 2001 in response to the September 11 attacks. It operates in the Mediterranean Sea and is designed to prevent the movement of militants or weapons of mass destruction and to enhance the security of shipping in general.[39] The operation has also assisted Greece with its prevention of illegal immigration.

Operation Enduring Freedom

Operation Enduring Freedom is the official name used by the Bush administration for the War in Afghanistan, together with three smaller military actions, under the umbrella of the Global War on Terror. These global operations are intended to seek out and destroy any al-Qaeda fighters or affiliates.

Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan

US Army Chinook helicopter in Afghanistan
Soldiers beside a mud wall
US Marines return fire on enemy forces in Marjeh, February 2010

On September 20, 2001, in the wake of the September 11 attacks, George W. Bush delivered an ultimatum to the Taliban government of Afghanistan to turn over Osama bin Laden and al-Qaedaleaders operating in the country or face attack.[33] The Taliban demanded evidence of bin Laden's link to the September 11 attacks and, if such evidence warranted a trial, they offered to handle such a trial in an Islamic Court.[40] The US refused to provide any evidence.

Subsequently, in October 2001, US forces (with UK and coalition allies) invaded Afghanistan to oust the Taliban regime. On October 7, 2001, the official invasion began with British and US forces conducting airstrike campaigns over enemy targets. Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan, fell by mid-November. The remaining al-Qaeda and Taliban remnants fell back to the rugged mountains of eastern Afghanistan, mainly Tora Bora. In December, Coalition forces (the US and its allies) fought within that region. It is believed that Osama bin Laden escaped into Pakistan during the battle.[41][42]

In March 2002, the US and other NATO and non-NATO forces launched Operation Anaconda with the goal of destroying any remaining al-Qaeda and Taliban forces in the Shah-i-Kot Valley andArma Mountains of Afghanistan. The Taliban suffered heavy casualties and evacuated the region.[43]

The Taliban regrouped in western Pakistan and began to unleash an insurgent-style offensive against Coalition forces in late 2002.[44] Throughout southern and eastern Afghanistan, firefights broke out between the surging Taliban and Coalition forces. Coalition forces responded with a series of military offensives and an increase in the amount of troops in Afghanistan. In February2010, Coalition forces launched Operation Moshtarak in southern Afghanistan along with other military offensives in the hopes that they would destroy the Taliban insurgency once and for all.[45]Peace talks are also underway between Taliban affiliated fighters and Coalition forces.

Operation Enduring Freedom – Philippines

US Special Forces soldier and infantrymen of the Philippine Army

In January 2002, the United States Special Operations Command, Pacific deployed to thePhilippines to advise and assist the Armed Forces of the Philippines in combating Filipino Islamist groups.[46] The operations were mainly focused on removing the Abu Sayyaf group and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) from their stronghold on the island of Basilan.[47] The second portion of the operation was conducted as a humanitarian program called "Operation Smiles." The goal of the program was to provide medical care and services to the region of Basilan as part of a "Hearts and Minds" program.[48][49]

Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa

The Fall of Mogadishu in December 2006 and the withdrawal of the ICU

This extension of Operation Enduring Freedom was titled OEF-HOA. Unlike other operations contained in Operation Enduring Freedom, OEF-HOA does not have a specific organization as a target. OEF-HOA instead focuses its efforts to disrupt and detect militant activities in the region and to work with willing governments to prevent the reemergence of militant cells and activities.[50]

In October 2002, the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) was established inDjibouti at Camp Lemonnier.[51] It contains approximately 2,000 personnel including US military and special operations forces (SOF) and coalition force members, Combined Task Force 150(CTF-150).

Task Force 150 consists of ships from a shifting group of nations, including AustraliaCanada,FranceGermanyItalyNetherlands, Pakistan, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The primary goal of the coalition forces is to monitor, inspect, board and stop suspected shipments from entering the Horn of Africa region and affecting the US' Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Included in the operation is the training of selected armed forces units of the countries of Djibouti, Kenya and Ethiopiain counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency tactics. Humanitarian efforts conducted by CJTF-HOA include rebuilding of schools and medical clinics and providing medical services to those countries whose forces are being trained.

The program expands as part of the Trans-Saharan Counterterrorism Initiative as CJTF personnel also assist in training the armed forces of ChadNigerMauritaniaand Mali. However, the War on Terror does not include Sudan, where over 400,000 have died in an ongoing civil war.

On July 1, 2006, a Web-posted message purportedly written by Osama bin Laden urged Somalis to build an Islamic state in the country and warned western governments that the al-Qaeda network would fight against them if they intervened there.[52]

Somalia has been considered a "failed state" because its official central government was weak, dominated by warlords and unable to exert effective control over the country. Beginning in mid-2006, the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), an Islamist faction campaigning on a restoration of "law and order" throughSharia law, had rapidly taken control of much of southern Somalia.

On December 14, 2006, the US Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer claimed al-Qaeda cell operatives were controlling the Islamic Courts Union, a claim denied by the ICU.[53]

By late 2006, the UN-backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia had seen its power effectively limited to Baidoa, while the Islamic Courts Union controlled the majority of southern Somalia, including the capital of Mogadishu. On December 20, 2006, the Islamic Courts Union launched an offensive on the government stronghold of Baidoa, and saw early gains before Ethiopia intervened in favor of the government.

By December 26, the Islamic Courts Union retreated towards Mogadishu, before again retreating as TFG/Ethiopian troops neared, leaving them to take Mogadishu with no resistance. The ICU then fled to Kismayo, where they fought Ethiopian/TFG forces in the Battle of Jilib.

The Prime Minister of Somalia claimed that three "terror suspects" from the 1998 United States embassy bombings are being sheltered in Kismayo.[54] On December 30, 2006, al-Qaeda deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri called upon Muslims worldwide to fight against Ethiopia and the TFG in Somalia.[55]

On January 8, 2007, the US launched the Battle of Ras Kamboni by bombing Ras Kamboni using AC-130 gunships.[56]

On September 14, 2009, US Special Forces killed two men and wounded and captured two others near the Somali village of Baarawe. Witnesses claim that helicopters used for the operation launched from French-flagged warships, but that could not be confirmed. A Somali based al-Qaida affiliated group, the Al-Shabaab, has confirmed the death of "sheik commander" Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan along with an unspecified number of militants.[57] Nabhan, a Kenyan, was wanted in connection with the 2002 Mombasa attacks.[58]

Operation Enduring Freedom – Trans Sahara

Operation Enduring Freedom – Trans Sahara (OEF-TS) is the name of the military operation conducted by the US and partner nations in the Sahara/Sahel region of Africa, consisting of counter-terrorism efforts and policing of arms and drug trafficking across central Africa.

Iraq

A British C-130J Hercules aircraft launches flare countermeasures prior to being the first coalition aircraft to land on the newly reopened military runway at Baghdad International Airport.

Iraq had been listed as a State sponsor of international terrorism by the US since 1990,[59] whenSaddam Hussein fell out of US favor. The regime of Saddam Hussein proved a continuing problem for the UN and Iraq's neighbors in its use of chemical weapons against Iranians and Kurds.

Iraqi no-fly zones

After the Gulf War, the US, French and British militaries instituted and began patrolling Iraqi no-fly zones, to protect Iraq's Kurdish minority and Shi'a Arab population—both of which suffered attacks from the Hussein regime before and after the Gulf War—in Iraq's northern and southern regions, respectively. US forces continued in combat zone deployments through November 1995 and launched Operation Desert Fox against Iraq in 1998 after it failed to meet US demands of "unconditional cooperation" in weapons inspections.[60]

Prior to Operation Desert Fox, US president Bill Clinton predicted "And mark my words, he will develop weapons of mass destruction. He will deploy them, and he will use them." Clinton also declared a desire to remove Hussein from power and in the same speech said, "The hard fact is that so long as Saddam remains in power, he threatens the well-being of his people, the peace of his region, the security of the world." In the aftermath of Operation Desert Fox, during December 1998, Iraq announced that it would no longer respect the no-fly zones and resumed its attempts to shoot down US aircraft.

Air strikes by the British and US against Iraqi anti-aircraft and military targets continued over the next few years. Also in 1998, Clinton signed the Iraq Liberation Act, which called for regime change in Iraq on the basis of its alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction, oppression of Iraqi citizens, and attacks on other Middle Eastern countries.

The George W. Bush administration called for the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to again send weapons inspectors to Iraq to find and destroy the alleged weapons of mass destruction and called for a UNSC resolution.[61] UNSC Resolution 1441 was passed unanimously, which offered Iraq "a final opportunity to comply with its disarmament obligations" or face "serious consequences."

Resolution 1441 did not authorize the use of force by member states. The Iraqi government subsequently allowed UN inspectors some access to Iraqi sites, while the US government continued to assert that Iraq was being obstructionist.[62]

In October 2002, a large bipartisan majority in the United States Congress authorized the president to use force if necessary to disarm Iraq in order to "prosecute the war on terrorism."[63] After failing to overcome opposition from France, Russia, and China against a UNSC resolution that would sanction the use of force against Iraq, and before the UN weapons inspectors had completed their inspections (which were claimed to be fruitless by the US because of Iraq's alleged deception), the US assembled a "Coalition of the Willing" composed of nations who pledged support for its policy of regime change in Iraq.

Operation Iraqi Freedom

American soldiers take cover during afirefight with guerrilla forces in the Al Doura section of Baghdad.
Map of the invasion routes and major operations/battles of the Iraq War as of 2007.

The Iraq War began in March 2003 with an air campaign, which was immediately followed by aU.S.-led ground invasion. The Bush administration stated the invasion was the "serious consequences" spoken of in the UNSC Resolution 1441. The Bush administration also stated the Iraq war was part of the War on Terror, something later questioned or contested.

Baghdad, Iraq's capital city, fell in April 2003 and Saddam Hussein's government quickly dissolved. On May 1, 2003, Bush announced that major combat operations in Iraq had ended.[64]However, an insurgency arose against the U.S.-led coalition and the newly developing Iraqi military and post-Saddam government. The insurgency, which included al-Qaeda affiliated groups, led to far more coalition casualties than the invasion. Other elements of the insurgency were led by fugitive members of President Hussein's Ba'ath regime, which included Iraqi nationalists and pan-Arabists. Many insurgency leaders are Islamists and claim to be fighting a religious war to reestablish the Islamic Caliphate of centuries past.[65] Iraq's former president, Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. forces in December 2003. He was executedin 2006.

In 2004, the insurgent forces grew stronger. The US conducted attacks on insurgent strongholds in cities like Najaf and Fallujah.

In January 2007, President Bush presented a new strategy for Operation Iraqi Freedom based upon counter-insurgency theories and tactics developed by GeneralDavid Petraeus. The Iraq War troop surge of 2007 was part of this "new way forward" and, along with US backing of Sunni groups it had previously sought to defeat, has been credited with a widely recognized dramatic decrease in violence by up to 80%.

Operation New Dawn

The war entered a new phase on September 1, 2010,[66] with the official end of US combat operations. The war was declared formally over in December 2011.[67]

International military support

The United Kingdom is the second largest contributor of troops in Afghanistan.

The invasion of Afghanistan is seen to have been the first action of this war, and initially involved forces from the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Afghan Northern Alliance. Since the initial invasion period, these forces were augmented by troops and aircraft from Australia, Canada,Denmark, France, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand and Norway amongst others. In 2006, there were about 33,000 troops in Afghanistan.

On September 12, 2001, less than 24 hours after the September 11 attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., NATO invoked Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty and declared the attacks to be an attack against all 19 NATO member countries. Australian Prime Minister John Howard also declared that Australia would invoke the ANZUS Treaty along similar lines.[68]

In the following months, NATO took a wide range of measures to respond to the threat of terrorism. On November 22, 2002, the member states of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) decided on a Partnership Action Plan against Terrorism which explicitly states that "EAPC States are committed to the protection and promotion of fundamental freedoms and human rights, as well as the rule of law, in combating terrorism."[69] NATO started naval operations in the Mediterranean Sea designed to prevent the movement of terrorists or weapons of mass destruction as well as to enhance the security of shipping in general called Operation Active Endeavour.

Support for the US cooled when America made clear its determination to invade Iraq in late 2002. Even so, many of the "coalition of the willing" countries that unconditionally supported the US-led military action have sent troops to Afghanistan, particular neighboring Pakistan, which has disowned its earlier support for the Taliban and contributed tens of thousands of soldiers to the conflict. Pakistan was also engaged in the War in North-West Pakistan (Waziristan War). Supported by US intelligence, Pakistan was attempting to remove the Taliban insurgency and al-Qaeda element from the northern tribal areas.[70]

International Security Assistance Force

Map of countries currently contributing troops to ISAF as of 5 March 2010. Major contributors (over 1000 troops) in dark green, other contributors in light green, and former contributors in magenta.

December 2001 saw the creation of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to assist the Afghan Transitional Administration and the first post-Taliban elected government. With a renewed Taliban insurgency, it was announced in 2006 that ISAF would replace the US troops in the province as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

The British 16th Air Assault Brigade (later reinforced by Royal Marines) formed the core of the force in southern Afghanistan, along with troops and helicopters from Australia, Canada and the Netherlands. The initial force consisted of roughly 3,300 British, 2,000 Canadian, 1,400 from the Netherlands and 240 from Australia, along with special forces from Denmark and Estonia and small contingents from other nations. The monthly supply of cargo containers through Pakistani route to ISAF in Afghanistan is over 4,000 costing around 12 billion in Pakistani Rupees.[71][72][73][74][75]

Fighting in Pakistan

Map detailing the spread of the Neo-Taliban Insurgency into Afghanistan from safe havens within Pakistan (2002–2006)
President Musharraf with President Bush
Diagram of Osama bin Laden's hideout inAbbottabad, Pakistan. He was killed there on May 2, 2011.

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, former President of Pakistan Pervez Musharrafsided with the US against the Taliban government in Afghanistan after an ultimatum by US President George W. Bush. Musharraf agreed to give the US the use of three airbases for Operation Enduring Freedom. United States Secretary of State Colin Powell and other administration officials met with Musharraf. On September 19, 2001, Musharraf addressed the people of Pakistan and stated that, while he opposed military tactics against the Taliban, Pakistan risked being endangered by an alliance of India and the US if it did not cooperate. In 2006, Musharraf testified that this stance was pressured by threats from the US, and revealed in his memoirs that he had "war-gamed" the United States as an adversary and decided that it would end in a loss for Pakistan.[76]

On January 12, 2002, Musharraf gave a speech against Islamic extremism. He unequivocally condemned all acts of terrorism and pledged to combat Islamic extremism and lawlessness within Pakistan itself. He stated that his government was committed to rooting out extremism and made it clear that the banned militant organizations would not be allowed to resurface under any new name. He said, "the recent decision to ban extremist groups promoting militancy was taken in the national interest after thorough consultations. It was not taken under any foreign influence".[77]

In 2002, the Musharraf-led government took a firm stand against the jihadi organizations and groups promoting extremism, and arrested Maulana Masood Azhar, head of the Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, chief of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, and took dozens of activists into custody. An official ban was imposed on the groups on January 12.[78] Later that year, the Saudi born Zayn al-Abidn Muhammed Hasayn Abu Zubaydah was arrested by Pakistani officials during a series of joint US-Pakistan raids. Zubaydah is said to have been a high-ranking al-Qaeda official with the title of operations chief and in charge of running al-Qaeda training camps.[79] Other prominent al-Qaeda members were arrested in the following two years, namelyRamzi bin al-Shibh, who is known to have been a financial backer of al-Qaeda operations, andKhalid Sheikh Mohammed, who at the time of his capture was the third highest ranking official in al-Qaeda and had been directly in charge of the planning for the September 11 attacks.

In 2004, the Pakistan Army launched a campaign in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan's Waziristan region, sending in 80,000 troops. The goal of the conflict was to remove the al-Qaeda and Taliban forces in the region.

After the fall of the Taliban regime many members of the Taliban resistance fled to the Northern border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan where the Pakistani army had previously little control. With the logistics and air support of the United States, the Pakistani Army captured or killed numerous al-Qaeda operatives such as Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, wanted for his involvement in the USS Cole bombing, the Bojinka plot, and the killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

The United States has carried out a campaign of Drone attacks on targets all over the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. However, thePakistani Taliban resistance still operates there. To this day it's estimated that 15 US soldiers were killed while fighting al-Qaeda and Taliban remnants in Pakistan since the War on Terror began.[80]

Osama bin Laden, the founder of al-Qaeda, was killed on May 2, 2011, during a raid conducted by the United States special operations forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan.[81]

Islamic terrorism after 9/11

Since 9/11, al-Qaeda and other radical Islamic groups have successfully executed major attacks in several parts of the world.

In addition, there have been several planned terrorist attacks that were not successful.

U.S. Military aid to other countries

Pakistan

In the three years before the attacks of September 11, Pakistan received approximately $9 million in American military aid. In the three years after, the number increased to $4.2 billion, making it the country with the maximum funding post 9/11.

Such a huge inflow of funds has raised concerns in the Indian press that these funds were given without any accountability, as the end uses not being documented, and that large portions were used to suppress civilians' human rights and to purchase weapons to contain domestic problems like the Balochistan unrest. Pakistan has stated that India has been supporting terror groups within the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Balochistan with the aim of creating unrest within the country.[82]

Lebanon

On May 20, 2007, a conflict began in north Lebanon after fighting broke out between Fatah al-Islam, an Islamist militant organization, and theLebanese Armed Forces in Nahr al-Bared, a Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli. The conflict evolved mostly around the Siege of Nahr el-Bared, but minor clashes also occurred in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon and several bombings took place in and around Lebanon's capital, Beirut.

Fatah-al-Islam has been described as a militant mujahid[83] movement that draws inspiration from al-Qaeda.[83] The US provided military aid to the Lebanese government during the conflict. On September 7, 2007, Lebanese government forces captured the camp and declared victory.

Yemen

The United States has also conducted a series of military strikes on al-Qaeda militants in Yemen since the War on Terror began.[84] Yemen has a weak central government and a powerful tribal system that leaves large lawless areas open for militant training and operations. Al-Qaida has a strong presence in the country.[85]

The US, in an effort to support Yemeni counter-terrorism efforts, has increased their military aid package to Yemen from less than $11 million in 2006 to more than $70 million in 2009, as well as providing up to $121 million for development over the next three years.[86]

Post 9/11 events inside the United States

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement helicopter patrols the airspace over New York City.

In addition to military efforts abroad, in the aftermath of 9/11 the Bush Administration increased domestic efforts to prevent future attacks. Various government bureaucracies which handled security and military functions were reorganized. A new cabinet level agency called the United States Department of Homeland Security was created in November 2002 to lead and coordinate the largest reorganization of the US federal government since the consolidation of the armed forces into the Department of Defense.[citation needed]

The Justice Department launched a Special Registration procedure for certain male non-citizens in the US, requiring them to register in person at offices of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

The USA PATRIOT Act of October 2001 dramatically reduces restrictions on law enforcement agencies' ability to search telephone, e-mail communications, medical, financial, and other records; eases restrictions on foreign intelligence gathering within the United States; expands the Secretary of the Treasury's authority to regulate financial transactions, particularly those involving foreign individuals and entities; and broadens the discretion of law enforcement and immigration authorities in detaining and deporting immigrants suspected of terrorism-related acts. The act also expanded the definition of terrorism to include domestic terrorism, thus enlarging the number of activities to which the USA PATRIOT Act's expanded law enforcement powers could be applied. A new Terrorist Finance Tracking Program monitored the movements of terrorists' financial resources (discontinued after being revealed by The New York Times newspaper). Telecommunication usage by known and suspected terrorists was studied through theNSA electronic surveillance program. The Patriot Act is still in effect.

Political interest groups have stated that these laws remove important restrictions on governmental authority, and are a dangerous encroachment on civil liberties, possible unconstitutional violations of the Fourth Amendment. On July 30, 2003, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed the first legal challenge against Section 215 of the Patriot Act, claiming that it allows the FBI to violate a citizen's First Amendment rights, Fourth Amendment rights, and right to due process, by granting the government the right to search a person's business, bookstore, and library records in a terrorist investigation, without disclosing to the individual that records were being searched.[87] Also, governing bodies in a number of communities have passed symbolic resolutions against the act.

In a speech on June 9, 2005, Bush said that the USA PATRIOT Act had been used to bring charges against more than 400 suspects, more than half of whom had been convicted. Meanwhile the ACLU quoted Justice Department figures showing that 7,000 people have complained of abuse of the Act.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) began an initiative in early 2002 with the creation of the Total Information Awareness program, designed to promote information technologies that could be used in counter-terrorism. This program, facing criticism, has since been defunded by Congress.

By 2003, 12 major conventions and protocols were designed to combat terrorism. These were adopted and ratified by a number of states. These conventions require states to co-operate on principal issues regarding unlawful seizure of aircraft, the physical protection of nuclear materials, and the freezing of assets of militant networks.[88]

In 2005, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1624 concerning incitement to commit acts of terrorism and the obligations of countries to comply with international human rights laws.[89] Although both resolutions require mandatory annual reports on counter-terrorism activities by adopting nations, the United States and Israel have both declined to submit reports. In the same year, the United States Department of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff issued a planning document, by the name "National Military Strategic Plan for the War on Terrorism" which stated that it constituted the "comprehensive military plan to prosecute the Global War on Terror for the Armed Forces of the United States...including the findings and recommendations of the 9/11 Commission and a rigorous examination with the Department of Defense".

On January 9, 2007, the House of Representatives passed a bill, by a vote of 299–128, enacting many of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission The bill passed in the US Senate,[90] by a vote of 60–38, on March 13, 2007 and it was signed into law on August 3, 2007 by President Bush. It became Public Law 110-53.

The Office of Strategic Influence was secretly created after 9/11 for the purpose of coordinating propaganda efforts, but was closed soon after being discovered. The Bush administration implemented the Continuity of Operations Plan (or Continuity of Government) to ensure that US government would be able to continue in catastrophic circumstances.

Since 9/11, extremists made various attempts to attack the US homeland, with varying levels of organization and skill. For example, vigilant passengers aboard a transatlantic flight prevented Richard Reid, in 2001, and Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, in 2009, from detonating an explosive device.

Other terrorist plots have been stopped by federal agencies using new legal powers and investigative tools, sometimes in cooperation with foreign governments.

Such thwarted attacks include:

The Obama administration has promised the closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, increased the number of troops in Afghanistan, and promised the withdrawal of its troops from Iraq.

Casualties

The Global War of Terror has seen fewer war deaths than any other decade in the past century.[91]

There is no widely agreed on figure for the number of people that have been killed so far in the War on Terror as it has been defined by the Bush Administration to include the war in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq, and operations elsewhere. Some estimates include the following:

  • Iraq: 62,570 to 1,124,000
  • Opinion Research Business (ORB) poll conducted August 12–19, 2007 estimated 1,033,000 violent deaths due to the Iraq War. The range given was 946,000 to 1,120,000 deaths. A nationally representative sample of approximately 2,000 Iraqi adults answered whether any members of their household (living under their roof) were killed due to the Iraq War. 22% of the respondents had lost one or more household members. ORB reported that "48% died from a gunshot wound, 20% from the impact of a car bomb, 9% from aerial bombardment, 6% as a result of an accident and 6% from another blast/ordnance."[92][93][94][95]
  • Between 392,979 and 942,636 estimated Iraqi (655,000 with a confidence interval of 95%), civilian and combatant, according to the second Lancet survey of mortality.
  • A minimum of 62,570 civilian deaths reported in the mass media up to 28 April 2007 according to Iraq Body Count project.[96]
  • 4410 US military dead. 31,844 wounded in action, of which 13,954 were unable to return to duty within 72 hours.[97]
  • Afghanistan: between 10,960 and 49,600
  • According to Marc W. Herold's extensive database,[98] between 3,100 and 3,600 civilians were directly killed by US Operation Enduring Freedom bombing and Special Forces attacks between October 7, 2001 and June 3, 2003. This estimate counts only "impact deaths"—deaths that occurred in the immediate aftermath of an explosion or shooting—and does not count deaths that occurred later as a result of injuries sustained, or deaths that occurred as an indirect consequence of the US airstrikes and invasion.
  • In a pair of January 2002 studies, Carl Conetta of the Project on Defense Alternatives estimates that "at least" 4,200–4,500 civilians were killed by mid-January 2002 as a result of the US war and airstrikes, both directly as casualties of the aerial bombing campaign, and indirectly in the resulting humanitarian crisis.
  • His first study, "Operation Enduring Freedom: Why a Higher Rate of Civilian Bombing Casualties?",[101] released January 18, 2002, estimates that, at the low end, "at least" 1,000–1,300 civilians were directly killed in the aerial bombing campaign in just the 3 months between October 7, 2001 to January 1, 2002. The author found it impossible to provide an upper-end estimate to direct civilian casualties from the Operation Enduring Freedom bombing campaign that he noted as having an increased use of cluster bombs.[102]In this lower-end estimate, only Western press sources were used for hard numbers, while heavy "reduction factors" were applied to Afghan government reports so that their estimates were reduced by as much as 75%.[103]
  • In his companion study, "Strange Victory: A critical appraisal of Operation Enduring Freedom and the Afghanistan war",[104] released January 30, 2002, Conetta estimates that "at least" 3,200 more Afghans died by mid-January 2002, of "starvation, exposure, associated illnesses, or injury sustained while in flight from war zones", as a result of the US war and airstrikes.
  • In similar numbers, a Los Angeles Times review of US, British, and Pakistani newspapers and international wire services found that between 1,067 and 1,201 direct civilian deaths were reported by those news organizations during the five months from October 7, 2001 to February 28, 2002. This review excluded all civilian deaths in Afghanistan that did not get reported by US, British, or Pakistani news, excluded 497 deaths that did get reported in US, British, and Pakistani news but that were not specifically identified as civilian or military, and excluded 754 civilian deaths that were reported by the Taliban but not independently confirmed.[105]
  • According to Jonathan Steele of The Guardian between 20,000 and 49,600 people may have died of the consequences of the invasion by the spring of 2002.[106]
  • Pakistan: between 1467 and 2334 killed in U.S. drone attacks as of May 6, 2011
  • Yemen
  • Germany
  • Somalia: 7,000+
  • In December 2007, The Elman Peace and Human Rights Organization said it had verified 6,500 civilian deaths, 8,516 people wounded, and 1.5 million displaced from homes in Mogadishu alone during the year 2007.[108]
  • USA

Total American casualties from the War on Terror
(this includes fighting throughout the world):

US Military killed 5,921[113]
US Military wounded 42,673[113]
US Civilians killed (includes 9/11 and after) 3,000 +
US Civilians wounded/injured 6,000 +
Total Americans killed (military and civilian) 8,800 +
Total Americans wounded/injured 46,000 +
Total American casualties 54,800 +

[114][115][116][117][118]

Costs

A March 2011 Congressional Research Service report, "The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11," analyzed the financial outlays that have been made for the conflicts during this nearly decade-long period. The report focuses on expenditures related to Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) Afghanistan and other counter terror operations; Operation Noble Eagle (ONE), providing enhanced security at military bases; and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). The report's total does not include supplementary economic, food and military aid to Pakistan or assistance to several countries in Africa. The report states that the price tag through fiscal year 2011 for such purposes as military operations, base security, reconstruction, foreign aid, embassy costs, and veterans' health care will be $1.283 trillion. If the fiscal year budget for 2012 is approved, the total global security and conflict-related costs will be $1.415 trillion. If deployed troop levels come down to 45,000 by 2015 and stay there through 2021, the total two-decade cost is estimated to be $1.8 trillion.[119]

Criticism

Participants in a rally, dressed as hooded detainees.

The notion of a "war" against "terror" or "terrorism" has proven highly contentious, with critics charging that it has been exploited by participating governments to pursue long-standing policy objectives, reduce civil liberties, and infringe upon human rights. Some argue that the term war is not appropriate in this context, since they believe there is no identifiable enemy, and that it is unlikely international terrorism can be brought to an end by military means.[120] The Director of Public Prosecutions and head of the Crown Prosecution Service in the United Kingdom, Ken McDonald has stated that those responsible for acts of terror such as the 7 July 2005 London bombings are not "soldiers" in a war, but "inadequates" who should be dealt with by the criminal justice system.[121] Other critics, such as Francis Fukuyama, note that "terrorism" is not an enemy but a tactic; calling it a "war on terror" obscures differences between conflicts.

The term terrorism has been characterized as unacceptably vague. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime stated that there is lack of agreement on a definition of terrorism and that has proven to be an obstacle to meaningful international countermeasures. It proceeds to declare that "Some have often commented that one state's 'terrorist' is another state's 'freedom fighter'". Governments in Iran, Lebanon, and Venezuela consistently use the term "terrorism" to describe actions taken by the United States.[122] The use of state terrorism by the US and the inherent hypocrisy of the term have been commented upon by Americans as well, including 3 star general William Odom, formerly President Reagan's NSA Director, who wrote:

"As many critics have pointed out, terrorism is not an enemy. It is a tactic. Because the United States itself has a long record of supporting terrorists and using terrorist tactics, the slogans of today's war on terrorism merely makes the United States look hypocritical to the rest of the world. A prudent American president would end the present policy of "sustained hysteria" over potential terrorist attacks..treat terrorism as a serious but not a strategic problem, encourage Americans to regain their confidence, and refuse to let al Qaeda keep us in a state of fright."[123][124]

Further criticism maintains that the War on Terror provides a framework for perpetual war; the announcement of such open-ended goals produces a state of endless conflict, since "terrorist groups" can continue to arise indefinitely.[125] George W. Bush pledged that the War on Terror "will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped, and defeated".[126] During a July 2007 visit to the United States, newly appointed British Prime Minister Gordon Brown defined the War on Terror, specifically the element involving conflict with al-Qaeda, as "a generational battle".[127]

The War on Terror has been criticized as inefficient, with a number of security experts, politicians, and policy organizations having claimed that the War on Terror has been counterproductive, that it has consolidated opposition to the US, aided terrorist recruitment, and increased the likelihood of attacks against the US and its allies. In a 2005 briefing paper, the Oxford Research Group reported that "Al-Qaida and its affiliates remain active and effective, with a stronger support base and a higher intensity of attacks than before 9/11. ...Far from winning the 'war on terror', the second George W. Bush administration is maintaining policies that are not curbing paramilitary movements and are actually increasing violent anti-Americanism." On September 19, 2008, the RAND Corporation presented the results of a comprehensive study for "Defeating Terrorist Groups" before the United States House Armed Services Committees, which said that "by far the most effective strategy against religious groups has been the use of local police and intelligence services, which were responsible for the end of 73 percent of [terrorist] groups since 1968."[128] The RAND Corporation recommended "[The US military] should generally resist being drawn into combat operations in Muslim countries where its presence is likely to increase terrorist recruitment." They stated that "moving away from military references would indicate that there was no battlefield solution to countering terrorism."

Others have criticized the US for double standards in its dealings with key allies that are also known to support terrorist groups, such as Pakistan. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly stated that in the "war against terrorism," "the central front is Pakistan"; Pakistan has also been alleged to provide Taliban operatives with covert support via the ISI.[129] These accusations of double dealing apply to civil liberties[130] and human rights as well as terrorism. According to the Federation of American Scientists, "[i]n its haste to strengthen the "frontline" states' ability to confront transnational terrorist threats on their soil, and to gain the cooperation of regimes of geostrategic significance to the next phases of the "War on Terrorism", the administration is disregarding normative restrictions on US aid to human rights abusers."[131] Amnesty International has argued that the Patriot Act gives the US government free rein to violate the constitutional rights of citizens.[132] The Bush administration's use of torture and alleged use of extraordinary rendition and black sites (secret prisons) have all fueled opposition to the War on Terror.[133][134][135][136]

An anti-war Tank Stencil

According to a sample survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, international support of the War on Terror has also faced a substantial decline, both in public opinion and by foreign state officials. In 2002, strong majorities supported the US-led War on Terror in Britain, France, Germany, Japan, India, and Russia. By 2006, supporters of the effort were in the minority in Britain (49%), France (43%), Germany (47%), and Japan (26%). Although a majority of Russians still supported the War on Terror, that majority had decreased by 21%. Whereas 63% of the Spanish population supported the War on Terror in 2003, only 19% of the population indicated support in 2006. 19% of the Chinese population supports the War on Terror, and less than a fifth of the populations of Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan support the effort. The report of the Pew Research Center also indicates that the Indian public support for the War on Terror has been stable.[137]Andrew Kohut, speaking to the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, noted that, according to the Pew Research Center polls conducted in 2004, "majorities or pluralities in seven of the nine countries surveyed said the US-led war on terror was not really a sincere effort to reduce international terrorism. This was true not only in Muslim countries such as Morocco and Turkey, but in France and Germany as well. The true purpose of the war on terror, according to the people surveyed, is American control of Middle East oil and US domination of the world."[138]

Stella Rimington, former head of the British intelligence service MI5, has criticized the war on terror as a "huge overreaction", and had decried the militarization and politicization of the US efforts as being the wrong approach to terrorism.[139] In January 2009, the British Foreign SecretaryDavid Miliband, wrote that "ultimately, the notion is misleading and mistaken" and later said "Historians will judge whether [the notion] has done more harm than good".[140][141][142]

Role of US media

Researchers in the area of communication studies and political science have found that American understanding of the war on terror is directly shaped by how the mainstream news media reports events associated with the war on terror. In Bush's War: Media Bias and Justifications for War in a Terrorist Age[143] political communication researcher Jim A. Kuypers illustrated "how the press failed America in its coverage on the War on Terror." In each comparison, Kuypers "detected massive bias on the part of the press." The researcher called the mainstream news media an "anti-democratic institution" in his conclusion. The findings of the research suggest that the public is misinformed about government justification and plans concerning the war on terror.

Others have also suggested that press coverage has contributed to a public confused and misinformed on both the nature and level of the threat to the US posed by terrorism. In his book Trapped in the War on Terror[144] political scientist Ian S. Lustick states "the media have given constant attention to possible terrorist-initiated catastrophes and to the failures and weaknesses of the government's response." Lustick alleged that the War on Terror is disconnected from the real but remote threat terrorism poses, and that the generalized War on Terror began as part of the justification for invading Iraq, but then took on a life of its own, fueled by media coverage.

Media researcher Stephen D. Cooper's analysis of media criticism Watching the Watchdog: Bloggers As the Fifth Estate[145] contains many examples of controversies concerning mainstream reporting of the War on Terror. Cooper found that bloggers' criticisms of factual inaccuracies in news stories or bloggers' discovery of the mainstream press's failure to adequately check facts before publication caused many news organizations to retract or change news stories.

David Barstow won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting by connecting the Department of Defense to over 75 retired generals supporting the Iraq War on TV and radio networks. The Department of Defense recruited the retired generals to sell the war to the American public. Barstow also discovered undisclosed links between some retired generals and defense contractors. Barstow reported "the Bush administration used its control over access of information in an effort to transform the analysts into a kind of media Trojan horse."

See also

References

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