ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

A top US military general on Wednesday said Afghan national security forces will be equipped with drone capabilities in a bid to keep a watch on the tough terrain along its eastern border with Pakistan. Gen James Mattis, the commander of US Central Command, told members of the powerful House Armed Services Committee, “The Afghans do not have that capability yet. It’s one of the enablers that we are trying to build into them before we leave.” He said, “The long-term view is that we will continue this so long as we are there, and we will transition this capability, standing it up inside the Afghan forces so when we leave, they have the ability to keep an eye on that border area.” “I’ve operated in many areas around the world, and I’ve never had more difficult military terrain to operate in than along that border.” the US General said while referring to the difficult terrain along the Afghanistan and Pakistan border. In the meantime US Congressman Ron Barber expressed concerns r...

UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council slammed a new round of sanctions against North Korea on Thursday, amid escalating tension as it threatened a pre-emptive nuclear strike against the United States. The council unanimously passed a resolution, agreed by the United States and China, which added names to a UN sanctions blacklist and tightened restrictions on the North’s financial dealings, notably on “bulk cash” transfers. Ahead of the meeting, North Korea said a new war was “unavoidable” because of joint South Korean and US military exercises. The North’s foreign ministry said the military “will exercise the right to a pre-emptive nuclear attack to destroy the strongholds of the aggressors.” After carrying out three nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and the latest on Feb.12 — and after a rocket launch in December - North Korea now faces one of the toughest UN sanctions regimes ever imposed. And the 15-member Security Council’s resolution 2094 threatened “further significant measures” if t...

BAGHDAD: Iraqi officials say attacks across Iraq have killed six people and wounded 10. A police officer says a roadside bomb targeting a police patrol in northern Baghdad killed two civilians and wounded four on Thursday morning. Another officer says gunmen in a speeding car attacked a police patrol in southwestern Baghdad, killing a policeman and wounding four. Police in the northern city of Mosul say drive-by shooters killed two civilians. And in the northern city of Kirkuk, a policeman was killed and two were wounded in an exchange of fire with two militants who were planting a roadside bomb. One militant was also killed in the shootout. Health officials confirmed the causality figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to the media. Meanwhile, Iraq’s parliament approved a $118.6 billion national budget on Thursday after months of wrangling over how much should be allocated to foreign oil companies working in the country’s self-ruled ...

A top US military general on Wednesday said Afghan national security forces will be equipped with drone capabilities in a bid to keep a watch on the tough terrain along its eastern border with Pakistan. Gen James Mattis, the commander of US Central Command, told members of the powerful House Armed Services Committee, “The Afghans do not have that capability yet. It’s one of the enablers that we are trying to build into them before we leave.” He said, “The long-term view is that we will continue this so long as we are there, and we will transition this capability, standing it up inside the Afghan forces so when we leave, they have the ability to keep an eye on that border area.” “I’ve operated in many areas around the world, and I’ve never had more difficult military terrain to operate in than along that border.” the US General said while referring to the difficult terrain along the Afghanistan and Pakistan border. In the meantime US Congressman Ron Barber expressed concerns regardin...

DAMASCUS: President Bashar Al Assad yesterday hailed Turkish opposition to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s backing for the revolt that began in Syria nearly two years ago, in a statement seen by AFP. The statement comes after Assad met a Turkish opposition delegation. Assad told the Republican People’s Party delegation there was “a need to distinguish between the stance of the Turkish people, who support stability in Syria, and the positions of Erdogan’s government, which supports terrorism, extremism and destabilisation in the region,” it said. “The Syrian people appreciate the position adopted by forces and parties in Turkey that reject the Erdogan government’s negative impact on our societies, which are multi-religious and multi-ethnic,” Assad said. The Turkish delegation, headed by Hassan Akgul, stressed “the Turkish people’s refusal to interfere in Syrian affairs, and a commitment to good neighbourly relations,” the statement said. The visitors also “warned of the risks of t...

ISLAMABAD: The release of Taliban prisoners by Pakistan, once seen as a critical move to bolster peace process, has come across a temporary halt due to renewed distrust between Islamabad and Kabul. Officials said differences over the efficacy of the release of Taliban prisoners was the major factor in the momentary suspension of the process. Afghan authorities have claimed that many of the 26 mid-ranking to senior Taliban leaders freed by Pakistan last year had returned to the Taliban ranks. “They (Afghans) contend that the release was causing more damage than benefit because of the absence of a monitoring mechanism,” said a Pakistani diplomat. An Afghan official, speaking over phone from Kabul, looked sceptical about the effectiveness of the release of the detainees, a process started on the request of Afghan High Peace Council. “The biggest indicator before us is that there has been no major progress towards reconciliation and violence continues unabated,” he said.

By Tony Cartalucci March 07, 2013 - ' LD " - Hundreds of heavily armed terrorists have crossed from the Philippines and landed in the eastern Malaysian state of Sabah. Dozens are already dead, and the Malaysian military has brought in aircraft and armor to confront the audacious, bizarre invasion, scattering militants into the jungles of Borneo island. A seemingly headline news event, the invasion has been downplayed and spun by the Western media, many calling militant Al Qaeda-linked terrorists, an "armed Filipino clan." The West's woeful, irresponsible coverage of a burgeoning region-wide destabilization, fits in nicely with its coverage of US-Saudi funded/armed terrorism around the world, including in Syria where US-funded terrorists of the so-called "Free Syrian Army" have just taken dozens of UN peacekeepers hostage in the Golan Heights - just days after the US announced it would fund the terrorists further, to the tune of $60 million and the Wes...