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WARSANTIMES: JAN 2010 |
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Obama: Air security
system failed |
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Obama has ordered
a wide-ranging review of US airport security and
intelligence gathering [AFP] |
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"systemic failure" of US intelligence and security measures
paved the way for Friday's botched bomb attack on a US airliner,
Barack Obama, the US president, has said.
Demanding quick action to resolve the problems, Obama said
the failures that allowed a Nigerian man carrying explosives to
board the Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight was a
potentially "catastrophic breach of security".
Speaking in Hawaii, he said errors had emerged in the process
of collecting and sharing intelligence and in the homeland
security system which could have prevented the attack.
"We need to learn from this episode and act quickly to fix
the flaws in our system because our security is at stake and
lives are at stake."
Obama has ordered two urgent reviews, which he said began on
Sunday, examining airport security procedures and the US system
of watch lists.
He said there were several points at which red flags should
have been raised to prevent 23-year-old Umar Farouk
Abdulmutallab from smuggling explosives onto a plane to the US.
 In
the immediate aftermath of the attempted attack it emerged that
Abdulmutallab's father, a prominent Nigerian banker, had alerted
US authorities about his son.
As a result, his name was added to one advisory list but was
not put on the more restrictive so-called "no fly" list.
On top of that, airport screening equipment did not detect
the explosives Abdulmutallab allegedly carried on board the
Northwest Airlines flight carrying nearly 300 people.
"When our government has information on a known extremist and
that information is not shared and acted upon as it should have
been… a systemic failure has occurred and I consider that
totally unacceptable," Obama said.
Obama's comments follow widely-criticised remarks at the
weekend from his homeland security chief, Janet Napolitano, who
said that the attempted attack showed the aviation security
system worked.
She has since contended that her remarks were taken out of
context and that the response system had worked after the
attacker was subdued.
Abdulmutallab is currently being questioned by US
investigators and has reportedly told them he received his
training and explosives in Yemen.
A group calling itself "Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula"
said in an online statement that it had planned the attack.
Following that claim Yemen's foreign minister said he
believed there could be up to 300 al-Qaeda fighters within the
country.
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Abdulmutallab is accused of trying to blow up a flight as it
landed in Detroit [Reuters] |
Speaking to the BBC Abu Bakr Al-Qirbi called for more help
from the West to train Yemeni security forces, warning that
further attacks could be in the planning stages.
"Of course there are a number of al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen
and some of their leaders. We realise this danger," he said.
"They may actually plan for attacks like the one we have just
had in Detroit," he said.
Al-Qirbi said it was important for countries to improve their
intelligence sharing with Yemen, so that authorities there could
be alerted to the movement of suspects.
"We have to work in a very joint fashion in partnership to
combat terrorism," he said. "If we do that, the problem will be
under control."
Detainees
Meanwhile the alleged Yemeni roots of Friday's attempted
airliner attack could also complicate Obama's efforts to empty
the Guantanamo Bay detention centre, where nearly half the
remaining detainees are from Yemen.
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Nearly half the
remaining detainees at Guantanamo are from Yemen
[GALLO/GETTY] |
Finding a home for those remaining detainees is key to the US
administration's pledge to close the camp.
But critics of the plan are likely to seize upon the airliner
plot to highlight concerns about Yemen's capacity to contain and
counter a growing al-Qaeda safe haven within its border.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula counts two former
Guantanamo detainees among its leaders, and some in the US
Congress have warned against sending any more detainees to
Yemen.
Speaking to the Associated Press, David Remes, a lawyer who
represents Guantanamo detainees, said he feared those concerns
could block the repatriation of any inmates to Yemen, including
those already cleared for release.
"In theory, what's going on in Yemen should have nothing to
do with whether these men are transferred," he said.
"The politics of the situation may turn out to be
prohibitive, at least in the short run, and that would be a
tragedy." |
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Iran rally leaders 'enemies of God'
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Clashes between protesters and security
forces on Sunday left at least eight people dead [AFP] |
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 A
representative of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei has said opposition leaders were "enemies of God"
who should be executed under the country's sharia law.
"Those who are behind the current sedition in the country
... are mohareb (enemies of God) and the law is very clear
about punishment of a mohareb," Abbas Vaez-Tabasi, the
representative of Khamenei, who possesses ultimate authority
in Iran, said in a statement on Tuesday.
Under Iran's Islamic sharia law the sentence for "mohareb"
is execution.
The statement coincided with rallies by tens of thousands
of government supporters calling for opposition leaders to
be punished for fomenting unrest after June's disputed
presidential election, state media said.
Meddling
Earlier, Iran called on the British ambassador to respond
to accusations of his government's "interference" in the
Islamic Republic, as pro-government rallies continue.
Manouchehr Mottaki, the Iranian foreign minister, told a
news conference that the ambassador had been summoned over
Britain's interference in Iran's domestic affairs.
"If Britain does not stop talking nonsense it will get a
slap in the mouth," he said.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president, also said that recent
opposition rallies in the country are "masquerade" backed by
the US and Israel.
The UK said that the envoy would be robust in the face of
any Iranian criticism and reiterate that Tehran must respect
human rights.
The summons came hours after the Revolutionary Guards
security force said opposition groups were working with
Tehran's foreign enemies, implicating London.
Iran's primary reformist party has said that the
government is not respecting Iranian law in battling
opposition protesters.
"The Green Movement is peaceful and law-abiding. It
avoids any violence and will press ahead on its path," the
Islamic Iran Participation Front (IIPF) said in a statement
carried by an opposition website.
"The IIPF condemns attacks on defenceless people and
believes the incidents after the presidential election and
especially on Ashura indicate the complete failure of the
coup d'etat and not the strength of government."
State television reported that tens of thousands of
people rallied nationwide in support for the government of
Ahmadinejad, stating that the demonstrations had taken place
spontaneously.
'Maximum punishment'
Earlier, Iranian MPs called for opposition protesters
arrested following clashes with police on Sunday to face the
"maximum punishment" allowed by law.
Hundreds of people were arrested as fierce battles were
fought on the streets of the capital Tehran.
Many more, including aides to opposition leaders and
pro-reform clerics, have reportedly been detained since.
Shirin Ebadi, the country's Nobel prize-winning human
rights activist, said on Tuesday that her sister was among
those arrested.
Intelligence officers reportedly raided Dr Nooshin
Ebadi's house as part of its sweeping clampdown on the
country's opposition.
"My sister Dr Nooshin Ebadi was arrested at 9pm [16:30
GMT] on December 28 by four intelligence agents at her home
and sent to prison," Ebadi said in a statement carried by
the opposition Rahesabz website.
"I am not aware of the place of her detention or the
reason for her arrest."
'Counter-revolutionaries'
MPs accused the protesters, who poured onto the streets in
the latest display of anger at the disputed presidential
election in June, of being "anti-religion" and
"counter-revolutionaries".
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Over the past six months, violence has been
used, a lot of people have been arrested, tens of people
have been killed, but yet you don't see any decrease in
the level of demonstrations"
Muhammad Sahimi, University of Southern California
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Ali Larijani, the parliamentary speaker, said the
legislative body "wants the judiciary and intelligence
bodies to arrest those who insult religion and impose the
maximum punishment on them without reservation".
He also said parliament condemned "disgusting comments" of
foreign governments after Sunday's unrest.
Barack Obama, the US president, has called on Monday for
Iran to release those rounded up in the crackdown and "to
respect the rights of its own people".
Larijani responded on Tuesday saying Obama should be more
concerned about "the behaviour of his troops in Guantanamo,
Abu Ghraib, Afghanistan and Iraq".
"Your admiration for the opposition movement protesters
will ruin your reputation and will also reveal where the
movement of this anti-religious group is linked to," he
said, reading from a statement prepared on behalf of the
Iranian parliament.
Tear gas
Clashes broke out after police used teargas, batons, and
eventually live rounds to try to disperse thousand of
protesters.
Muhammad Sahimi, an Iran expert at the University of
Southern California in the US, said the government's
crackdown was unlikely to stop the opposition.
"If they were going to be cowed, they should have been by
now," he told Al Jazeera.
"Over the past six months, violence has been used, a lot of
people have been arrested, tens of people have been killed,
but yet you don't see any decrease in the level of
demonstrations," he said.
Sahimi said that as the government sought to suppress the
movement by force, support for the opposition instead grew,
expanding across the country.
"The demands have gone way beyond cancellation of
elections, and now people are demanding fundamental change
in the system" of government, he told Al Jazeera.
"The goal right now, is at the minimum, to weaken the
position of [Iran's ] supreme leader, to make him sort of a
figure head ... if not outright elimination of the supreme
leader, and the writing of a new constitution." |
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Somali pirates free
Chinese ship |
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The De Xin Hai was hijacked by pirates in
October, northeast of the Seychelles [Reuters] |
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Somali pirates have released a Chinese cargo ship and its
25 crew more than two months after capturing it off the Horn
of Africa, Chinese state media has reported.
The state-run Xinhua news agency said that the De Xin
Hai was freed on Monday, but did not confirm claims
from the pirates that a $4 million ransom had been paid.
Jiang Yu, a spokeswoman from the Chinese foreign
ministry, said the bulk carrier was now under the protection
of Chinese warships.
"We will carry out medical checks for the crew, send them to
safe waters and bring them back to China as quickly as
possible," Jiang said
The bulk carrier was captured in mid-October, northeast
of the Seychelles as it was sailing from South Africa to
India.
It was carrying about 76,000 tonnes of coal.
The De Xin Hai was the first Chinese vessel to be
hijacked since China deployed a three-ship squadron to the
Gulf of Aden last year, joining Britain, India, Iran, the
US, France and other countries in anti-piracy patrols.
Ransom dropped
A purported pirate, who identified himself as Hassan, told
the Reuters news agency on Sunday that the crew and the
vessel would be released in the coming days after the ransom
had been paid.
"A helicopter dropped the ransom money on to the ship. We
have received $4 million," he said.
"We hope to disembark in a few hours.
"The crew is safe and, although they will not have their
freedom for a few more days, they are all happy now."
 Heavily
armed gangs from Somalia have made tens of millions of
dollars hijacking vessels in the Indian Ocean and
the strategic Gulf of Aden.
The hijacking has highlighted China's growing presence on
global shipping
lanes, and brought warnings that Beijing could use military
force against the pirates.
Pirate attacks in the area nearly doubled in 2009 over a
year earlier, despite the deployment in December 2008 of the
European Union Naval Force, the first international force
specifically to counter Somali pirates.
Somali pirates currently hold at least 10 vessels and
more than 200 crew members for ransom. |
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Gaza aid convoy to change course
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Egypt accused the French protesters of lying
and trying to embarrass it [AFP] |
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Organisers of the Viva
Palestina aid convoy, which is trying to reach the Gaza
Strip, have agreed to travel via Syria en route to Egypt.
The agreement came after a
Turkish mediator reached a deal with the Egyptian consul in
Jordan's Red Sea port of Aqaba.
The convoy will now head to the Syrian port of Latakia to
sail from there to the Egyptian port of El Arish, and then
to Gaza.
The Viva Palestina convoy, which has been stranded in
Aqaba for the past five days, is led by George Galloway, a
British MP.
A statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Information
said that Galloway had been told by November 10 that the
convoy had to travel through El Arish.
'Disregarding directives'
"Egypt was surprised with Galloway's insistence
to disregard the Egyptian directives," the statement said.
"In light of Egypt's feeling that the convoy organisers
are seeking to impose a fait accompli and disregard the
Egyptian directives, Egypt announced that it will not allow
the convoy access, except through Arish port."
Turkey dispatched an official on Saturday to try convince
the Egyptians to allow the convoy to go through the Red Sea
port of Nuweiba, the most direct route to Gaza after Egypt
insisted that the convoy can only enter through El-Arish, on
its Mediterranean coast.
Viva Palestina and another convoy, the Gaza Freedom
March, were planning to arrive on Sunday to commemorate the
first anniversary of Israel's war on Gaza that killed 1,400
Palestinians and 13 Israelis.
Meanwhile, at least 300 French participants of the Gaza
Freedom March spent the night camped out in front of their
embassy in Cairo, bringing a major road in the Egyptian
capital to a halt as riot police wielding plexiglass
shields surrounded them.
Egypt angry
Hossam Zaki, an Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman, accused
the French protesters of lying and trying to embarrass
Egypt.
"They claimed they had aid to carry to the Palestinians in
the Gaza Strip, which is a lie," the MENA news agency quoted
Zaki as saying.
"They want media exposure and to pressure and embarrass
Egypt," he said.
On Sunday, police briefly detained 38 international
participants in the Sinai town of El-Arish, organisers said.
"At noon (10:00 GMT) on December 27, Egyptian security
forces detained a group of 30 activists in their hotel in
El-Arish as they prepared to leave for Gaza, placing them
under house arrest," they said.
"Another group of eight people, including American,
British, Spanish, Japanese and Greek citizens, were detained
at the bus station of El-Arish in the afternoon of December
27."
On Sunday, Egyptian police also stopped some 200
protesters from renting boats on the Nile to hold a
procession to commemorate those who died in the Gaza war.
On December 31, participants are hoping to join Palestinians
"in a non-violent march from northern Gaza to the Erez-Israeli
border," the organisers said. |
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Madaxweynaha Soomaaliya Sheekh
Shariif oo khudbad ka jeediyay xaflad lagu saxiixayay heshiiskii
madaxda Gal-Mudug (DAAWO SAWIRRO)
 Talaado,
December 29, 2009: Madaxweynaha Soomaaliya ayaa hambalyo u
hambalyeeyay Mas'uuliyiintii isku hayay maamul goboleedka
Galmudug, isagoo kaga hadlay shir saxaafadeed uu qabtay arrimo
badan oo ay ka mid yihiin xaaladda dalka uu marayo.
Xafladda ayaa waxaa ka qaybgalay wasiirro, labadii mas'uul ee
tanaasulka isku sameeyya, xildhibaanno iyo marti-sharaf kale,
waxaana Madaxweyne Sheekh Shariif uu ka dalbaday shacabka
Soomaaliyeed inay ka shaqeeyaan sidoo looga shaqeyn lahaa
ammaanka guud ee dalka.
"Tallaabadii uu qaaday Axmed-shariif Cali Hilowle waaa mid
geesinimo mudan ayna tahay in mas'uuliyiinta kale ee
Soomaaliyeed ay ku daydaan, waxaana labada mas'uul looga baahan
yahay inay si wadajir ah iskula shaqeeyaan" ayuu yiri Madaxweyne
Sheekh Shariif oo hadal dheer jeediyay.
 Madaxweynuhu
wuxuu si kooban uga hadlay maamul goboleedyada dalka kusoo
badanaya, isagoo sheegay inay keeni karaan khilaafyo dhanka
xuduudaha ah, balse laga doonayo dadka sameynsanaya maamul
goboleedyada inay ogaadaan in dhulka ay wada leeyihiin oo uu
wada deeqo.
"Dowladda waa mid ku dhisan qaab Federaal ah, waana soo
dhaweynaynaa in la dhiso maamul goboleedyo, balse ay noqdaan
kuwo heshiis lagu hayay, waayo in lagu dagaalamo waa mid sii
kordhin karta dagaal beeleedyada" ayuu yiri Sheekh Shariif.
Col. Max'ed Axmed Caalin oo ah madaxweynaha xilka Galmudug
looga tanaasulay oo xafladda ka hadlay ayaa sheegay inuu soo
dhaweynayo tanaasulka uu sameeyay walaalkiis isagoo sheegay inay
tahay mid ku dayasho mudan.
Sidoo kale mas'uulkii tanaasulka sameeyay oo isaguna hadal
kooban ka jeediyay kulanka ayaa sheegay inuu ku faraxsan yahay
in tanaasulka uu sameeyay uuna la shaqeyn doono walaalkiis
Caalin; waxaana labada mas'uul u hambalyeeyay Wasiirka
Wasaaradda Macdanta iyo Biyaha Gen. Cabdi Xasan Cawaale (Qaybdiid).
Mas'uuliyiinta Galmudug ee tanaasulka sameeyay ayaa ku
saxiixay Madaxweynaha Soomaaliya hortiisa heshiiska ay
wada-gaareen ee tanaasulka sababay, iyadoo khilaafkan uu kasoo
dhexjiray mas'uuliyiintan muddo lix bilood ah.
Muqdisho, Soomaaliya
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