Showing posts with label war. Show all posts
Showing posts with label war. Show all posts

PostHeaderIcon Gorbachev pessimistic over US winning the Afghan war

11/11/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post


A day after he attended the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in Germany, USSR's former president Mikhail Gorbachev, the architect of perestroika (rebuilding) in the 1980’s which led to Soviet Union's dissolution spoke his thought. He said the United States would not win in Afghanistan war.

Gorbachev advised against beefing up US troops to combat the lawless Taliban--- Thinking that it would be better to withdraw, he based his advice from USSR’s experience learned from the Soviet's military campaign in the 1980’s. The Russians concluded that Afghanistan was too fractious and divided by clans, making it very hard for the poorly developed country to be united.

As the 78-year old Soviet leader said this, he was not banking that Pres. Barack Obama would heed his advice. He thought there was nothing to be gained from continued engagement with the Afghans. So in 1988 till early 1989, Soviet forces pulled out from the Afghanistan.

“Obama is considering a military request to send as many as 40,000 more U.S. soldiers to Afghanistan, on top of the 68,000 due to be stationed there by the end of the year. Other North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces, comprising personnel from 42 countries, number about 36,000.”---- Bloomberg.com (11/10/09, Burns, C; Donohue, P.)

Afghanistan is struggling to control the heightened attacks of the Taliban who harbors the terrorist group Al Qaeda. Alhough Pres. Hamid Karzai is declared the winner in the contested election, his continued stay in power has to deal with massive government corruption which is difficult to eradicate. (Photo Credit: ctv.ca)=0=

=============================================================
Labels: , , , , , ,

PostHeaderIcon Iraqi troops take over US military servicemen in major cities

7/01/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post


After the successful surge spearheaded by Pres. George Bush, the time is now to pull out the US military servicemen who serve in major cities---This has stabilized a dangerous country before it is turned over to the Iraqi people.

It’s a kind of victory for peace that this is happening, but it will take time to know if the Iraqi military will be able to maintain the advance of peace and order in the area. This is a time to recall the great men and women of the US armed forces who put their lives in line to help a troubled country.

As thousands of Iraqi troops and police take over check-points, the barbaric elements of society raised their challenge to the Iraqi government by exploding bombs and killing people.

“A car bombing devastated a food market in the city of Kirkuk, killing at least 33 people and wounding 90. The early evening attack, which bore the hallmarks of Sunni extremist groups like al-Qaida in Iraq, was the second in the Kirkuk area since a truck bombing killed 82 people on June 20.”-----AP/ Yahoo News (06/30/09, Gamel, K; Barzanji, Y.; Gearan, A.)

Because militants still operate Iraq, it is hard to say what will be the outcome of the take over. The Iraqis are optimistic that the future is in the hands of their people. The world shares the people’s optimism that a regime of peace and democracy will usher in growth and prosperity for the country. If they slid back to the path of violence, a fresh round of social upheaval will waste the effort of those who make peace possible. (Photo Credit: Mccalibur) =0=

===============================================================
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,

PostHeaderIcon D-Day, 65th anniversary remembered: "I will not fail thee nor forsake thee"

6/06/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post


“The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. It was the deep knowledge -- and pray God we have not lost it -- that there is a profound, moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt.

You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One's country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. All of you loved liberty. All of you were willing to fight tyranny, and you knew the people of your countries were behind you...

Here, in this place where the West held together, let us make a vow to our dead. Let us show them by our actions that we understand what they died for. Let our actions say to them the words for which Matthew Ridgway listened:

“I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.”

Strengthened by their courage, heartened by their value [valor], and borne by their memory, let us continue to stand for the ideals for which they lived and died. Thank you very much, and God bless you all. “---Pres. Ronald Reagan, June 6, 1984, 40th D-Day Anniversary (Photo Credit: Poetvisions) =0=

=============================================================
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

PostHeaderIcon North Korea's nuclear threats

5/28/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post


Living in a delusion that dictatorships and rogue countries can be effectively handled with talks and negotiations, the United States and the United Nations are finding it increasingly hard to deal with the rising military posturing of North Korea.

The destitute communist country in Asia has detonated a 20 kiloton underground nuclear bomb in a display of belligerence against the will of the civilized world. The United States and its allies have still to find a way to curtail the provocations of Kim Jong Il which find it easy to ignore the lame warnings of the United Nations.

Unafraid of sanctions, North Korea is unimpressed by the 6-party disarmament talks aimed to diffuse tension and stop the dangerous proliferation of nuclear arms in the region. The puppet government of Kim Jong Il has come to the realization that rogue governments can have ways to brush aside UN resolutions, survive punitive sanctions, and earn dividends from wild stubborness. Seeing the weakness of Pres. Barack Obama and UN’s inability to effectively punish violators of covenants, the North Koreans are on a free rein to show their propagandistic power and terrorist capabilities.

“It is a laughable delusion for the United States to think that it can get us to kneel with sanctions… We've been living under U.S. sanctions for decades, but have firmly safeguarded our ideology and system while moving our achievements forward. The U.S. sanctions policy toward North Korea is like striking a rock with a rotten egg."---said an editorial in a North Korean newspaper. AP (05/27/09, Hyung-Jin Kim, Gutman, S; Ledere EM)

With this show of defiance, the United States and its allies must be ready to stop Pyongyang by considering strikes to destroy its nuclear facilities. Short of this, the world needs an effective deterrent and defense against the rising threat of nuclear proliferation. In the past, sanctions and resolutions have helped in some measure but aren't as effective as people want them to be.(Photo credit: Lucliu) =0=

=============================================================
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

PostHeaderIcon America honors heroes on Memorial day

5/25/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post


America's fighting men and women sacrifice much to ensure that our great nation stays free. We owe a debt of gratitude to the soldiers that have paid the ultimate price for this cause, as well as for those who are blessed enough to return from the battlefield unscathed.”----Allen Boyd




On March 25, 2009, the United States remembers and honors those who died for their country. The Memorial day is intended to pay tribute to all those who put their life on the line in America’s wars.



From the time of the civil conflicts that gave birth to American democracy to the wars that brought dedicated soldiers to the theaters of combat in Europe, Asia and the Pacific, and more recently to Iraq and Afghanistan, the heroism and sacrifices of countless men and women are recalled with gratitude.



The American people reach out to those who bravely offered their life in service to the country. To them and their loved ones, the nation is eternally thankful. (Photo Credits: PaJager; Torunaosuke; Hanneortal; mgegapicke; ArmyArchives; Hanneortal)=0=



"Cover them over with beautiful flowers,
Deck them with garlands, those brothers of ours,
Lying so silent by night and by day
Sleeping the years of their manhood away.
Give them the meed they have won in the past;
Give them the honors their future forcast;
Give them the chaplets they won in the strife;
Give them the laurels they lost with their life."
--~Will Carleton



===========================================================
Labels: , , , , , , ,

PostHeaderIcon 1.4 million civilians trapped as fighting between the Pakistani military and the Taliban continues

5/19/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post


As a result of the fighting between Pakistani military forces and the Taliban, the United Nations has reported an estimated 1.4 million refugees have been driven from their homes this month in Swat valley in the Northwest region of the country. This adds up to about 2 million people displaced since August 2008. It is believed that many civilians have been trapped in Mingora, a terrorist haven which is about 80 miles from the capital city of Islamabad.

The United Nations expects a rapidly changing humanitarian crisis lasting for months as the Pakistani government pursues its campaign against Taliban militants. An appeal for international aid is expected to be raised by the UN as the crisis grows worse---probably as bad as the emergency experienced by Rwandans in the 1994 African genocide,.

The Pakistani offensive has broad support from the people. United States is heavily invested in having the Zadari government prevail over the Taliban in part because of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal which may fall on the wrong hands. (Photo Credit: Stefabua Zamparelli) =0=

=========================================================
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

PostHeaderIcon Sri Lankan civil war ends with surrender of Tamil separatists

5/18/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post


After 25 years of war to gain a separate state for the Tamil minority, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) finally accepted defeat in a bloody culmination of their struggle. The civil war which claimed the lives of more than 70,000 since 1983 liberated thousands of trapped civilians in a coastline parcel of land, the last stronghold of the Tamil separatists.

"The military phase is over. The LTTE has been militarily defeated. Now the biggest hostage rescue operation in the world has come to a conclusion. The figure I have here is since 20th of April, 179,000 hostages have been rescued."---said Mahinda Samarasinghe, Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights at Colombo news conference, 17 May 2009. VOA.com (05/17/09, Herman, S.)

Thousands of Sri Lankans welcomed the surrender with lighting of fireworks and street dancing. The LTTE which is generally regarded as a terrorist group waged a protracted guerilla campaign which failed to earn them their ethnic liberation. As Sri Lanka prepares for a national celebration, human Rights groups are mulling on investigating the astrocities committed by the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan military. (Photo Credit: Sri Lankan Army/ AP)=0=

RELATED BLOGS: "50 civilians die as artillery fire hits hospital in Sri Lanka"
Posted by mesiamd at 5/14/2009; "As Sri Lankan government forces battle Tamil separatists, death toll rises" Posted by mesiamd at 5/11/2009

===========================================================
Labels: , , , , , ,

PostHeaderIcon 50 civilians die as artillery fire hits hospital in Sri Lanka

5/14/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post




A makeshift hospital was hit anew by artillery fire in the war zone where Tamil separatist rebels fight with Sri Lankan military forces. The protracted war of more than two decades brings daily casualties as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) hold on to their small strip of territory at the coast of Northeast Sri Lanka.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reports having a worker died during the mortar attack, but the organization isn’t clear on who is responsible for the death. Many civilians are afraid to go back to the hospital because it isn’t spared from mortar attacks and shellings. Foreign aid workers are encountering difficulties reaching people needing health aid and food supplies.

“ICRC spokesperson Sarasi Wijeratna in Colombo tells VOA News small fishing boats are the only way to offload the 25 metric tons of food and bring the wounded and sick on board to its chartered ship (the Green Ocean).” ---VOA News.com (05/13/09, Herman, S)

The United Nations agencies which give aid in the area of conflict said they have little access to an estimated 50,000 civilians who are trapped in the crossfire. A number of nations are asking both the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government to put an end to the fighting. (Photo Credit:AFP Graphic; AFP/ HO/ Tamil/ File) =0=

==========================================================
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,

PostHeaderIcon More Taliban fighting in nuclear-armed Pakistan

5/07/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post


There is cause to worry when about a million Pakistanis abandon their villages as Taliban extremists occupy their homes and put landmines in buildings. It is feared that if Pakistan's nuclear arsenal get into the hands of the Taliban radicals, the risk of a nuclear catastrophe becomes increasingly real. Aside from the Islamic insurgency, Pakistan faces border threats from neighboring India.

“Pakistani security forces killed 35 militants on Wednesday in fighting in a mountain valley 100km (60 miles) northwest of the capital, a paramilitary force said.”----Telegraph.co uk. (05/06/09, Wilkinson, I)

Clashes between the Taliban and Pakistani forces come as a consequence of the failure of a 3-month truce forged by the two opposing sides. The curtailment of the Taliban has been the focus of the US government which lends support to Pakistan's faltering campaign versus violence and extremism.

“The tribal areas of the Northern West Frontier Regional Province (NWFP) that border Afghanistan are steadily falling to a creeping Taliban-led militancy. Military operations have proved ineffective and the militants have rejected offers of any ceasefire while government offices, the Chief Minister's house and military camps are now under attack in the area as well.”----http://wwww.adnkronos.com

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Afghan president Hamid Karzai met with Barack Obama today to talk about the campaign against the Taliban. The Islamic militanta swept the Swat Valley and Buner areas about 60 miles from the Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad. As a consequence, 500,000 civilians had been caught in the crossfire, forcing them to leave villages and homes destroyed by a rebellion that wants to impose Islamic law.

“Acknowledging that 'the road ahead will be difficult,' Obama said he has made a 'lasting commitment' to not only defeat extremism in both countries but to salvage their shaky democracies.”----AP (05/06/07, Hurst, S)

Faced with a weak Zadari government and corruption in Afghanistan, the United States is left to work with its allies to counter the growing influence of the Taliban. Most of the military offensives done against the Taliban in recent years are inconclusive, needing more sustained effort and financial aid. America is saddled with this long and expensive war whose end remains unclear.(Photo Credit: Tanweeer x 2) =0=



=============================================================
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

PostHeaderIcon 82,000 flee war zone between the Tamil separatists and Sri Lankan military forces

4/23/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post


Of the hundred thousand civilians trapped in the last stronghold of Tamil rebels who fight the Sri Lankan government forces, an estimated 82,000 had escaped the area as fighting intensified in the 20 square kilometer stronghold where 43 Tamil fighters were killed in the last few days.

The Sri Lankan military also suffered casualties, but their numbers were not exactly known. According to Brig. Udaya Namakkara, the military spokesman, the cornered Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) insurgents were close to giving up their protracted fighting of 25 years. The government had demanded a final surrender from the Tamil tiger rebels holed in a tiny territory in the northeast part of the island nation.



“The Tamil people of the island of Ceylon (now called Sri Lanka) constitute a distinct nation. They form a social entity, with their own history, traditions, culture, language and traditional homeland. The Tamil people call their nation 'Tamil Eelam'. Founded in 1976, the LTTE is the most powerful Tamil group in Sri Lanka and uses overt and illegal methods to raise funds, acquire weapons, and publicize its cause of establishing an independent Tamil state.

The LTTE began its armed conflict with the Sri Lankan Government in 1983 and relies on a guerrilla strategy that includes the use of terrorist tactics. The group's elite Black Tiger squad conducts suicide bombings against important targets, and all rank-and-file members carry a cyanide capsule to kill themselves rather than allow themselves to be caught. The LTTE is very insular and highly organized with its own intelligence service, naval element (the Sea Tigers), and women's political and military wings.”---http;//www.globalsecurity.org/

The Tamils had been waging a bloody genocidal war to gain independence from government which had been under control of ethnic Sinhalese. A total of 70,000 people have died as a result of the conflict.



“The increasing cost of the war comes as Sri Lanka is seeking a $1.9bn (€1.5bn, £1.3bn) loan from the International Monetary Fund to boost its foreign exchange reserves and shore up rapidly depreciating currency. The island’s economy has been hit by falling exports and remittance income from its large number of overseas workers.” ----FT. com Financial Times Asia Pacific (04/21/09, Leahy, J)

In the last few months, the United Nations, Red Cross, and other aid groups, warned of humanitarian catastrophe as people had been held against their will and used as human shields, bringing a death toll of about 4,500 civilians since the start of the year.

From humanitarian groups, suggestions to have a ceasefire so that civilians can leave the site of violence are unheeded. Independent reporters aren’t permitted access to cover the war zone. Analysts believe that even if the LTTE lose their stronghold, the rebel group is hard to defeat and eradicate completely. (Photo Credits: Sri Lankan Army/ AP; Rajarata; Tamil Sydney Photo; Quarsan)=0=



===========================================================
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

PostHeaderIcon Finding the right term for the global war on terror

3/27/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post




The Obama administration wants to retire the phrase “global war on terror” and replace it with “overseas contingency operation”—- This is political correctness pushed by critics who think the old term used by Pres. George W. Bush “justifies human rights abuses including detention and interrogation methods.”

In a directive to administrators and speechwriters, the Obama government seeks to avoid terms like “long war” and “war on terror.” Not everyone supports this fancy recommendation though. Those who know that “a spade is a spade” dismiss this as a wimpy change which lessens the real threat posed by terrorists.

Americans cannot protect themselves by "softening" the terminologies of war. It is dangerous to assume that their enemies will be kind to them by such naive gesture. (Photo Credit: MrMoonKe88; lonesome:cycler) =0=

RELATED BLOG: "Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rebuffs Obama’s peace message" Posted by mesiamd at 3/22/2009

==========================================================
Labels: , , , , ,

PostHeaderIcon Tardy war compensation comes at the sunset of WWII Philippine heroes

2/20/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post


The $787 billion spending package signed by US Pres. Barack Obama on February 17, 2009 has a special goody for the Filipino World War II veterans. After a long-drawn campaign to get compensation for fighting in the American-Japanese war, an estimated 15,000 war heroes will have a part of the $198 million earmarked by the US government.

“Only 15,000 surviving Filipino and Filipino-American WWII veterans whose names are in the Revised Reconstructed Guerrilla Roster (RRGR) of 1948 are qualified to receive the tax-free lump sum payment. The RRGR is kept in the state of Missouri although certified true copies are available in other official sites."---Malaya (02/16/09, Ilustre, J)

The US Embassy in Manila is preparing to process applications next week that will give $15,000 for each elderly survivor (average age: 85 years) who is a US citizen and $9,000 for the non-US citizen. The cash reward doesn’t include the widows, children and dependents of veterans.

Of the 250,000 who fought with the US forces, about 6% (15,000) lived long enough be eligible for benefits. This opens the heart-breaking memories of the suffering Filipinos went through during the war and the injustice caused by the delay in the granting of compensation for the veterans.

Though the tardy award seems a victory of justice, one can sadly recall the thousands who valiantly fought, offered their lives, and died without seeing the liberation of the country. The horror of Bataan March must be an indelible reminder for all Filipinos. Let us pause and remember the heroism of those who died without seeing the fruits of the war effort. For them, we must pay respects and be eternally grateful. (Photo Credit: wtop) =0=

==========================================================
Labels: , , , , , , ,

PostHeaderIcon Iraq unveils a shoe monument

1/31/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post


We can forget Imelda Marcos’ shoes for a while. Iraqis are still elated and angered by the shoe thrown at Pres. George W. Bush and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki last December 2008 by journalist Muntadhir al-Zaidi. A brown shoe sculpture seems a funny retaliation by a culturally sequestered people who appreciate al-Zaidi and boil mad on the former US president even if they have been liberated from Saddam Hussein's tyrannical rule.

Surely, the Iraqis have strong reasons to be mad. The cost of war is high in places of ethnic strife and tribal clashes. Many human lives have senselessly been lost in the name of freedom. 5.1 million people were displaced and about an equal number of children were left without parents.

To vent their anger and send praises for the jailed shoe-thrower who dreams of getting an asylum status in Switzerland, Iraqis and children from the Tikrit Orphanage helped sculptor Laith al-Amiri make a symbolic shoe monument. A brown footware with a raggedly brown surface was mounted on a white cloth so the people could see and ponder.

Whatever thrill one gets in looking at the oversized shoe, the use of children to make a political point is disturbing. There is negatism and darkness young minds can't miss when they see the controversial shoe. The footware is less likely a symbol of disrespect and misplaced rage, but more a reminder of the derision the Muslims have for USA and Pres. George W. Bush.

Lacking gratitude after being saved from Saddam’s terroristic regime, some Iraqis have taken the low road of the warring militants who succeed in teaching generation(s) of children on selective memory and tough love. The faith-based beliefs against the "infidels" are still the driving force of hatred against the Western civilization. There are those who have become one-track thinkers--- intolerant, violent, self-righteous, and unforgiving in their political views. This is one reason why the culture of violence kills the innocents. And peace is so elusive in that part of the world. (Photo Credit: CNN) 0=

UPDATE: Feb. 1, 2009. Iraqi officials ordered the dismantling of the shoe monument in the Tikrit Orphanage. They say government facilities must not be used as a venue to air political views.
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

PostHeaderIcon Israeli air strikes leave 200+ dead in Gaza Strip

12/28/2008 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post


As Pope Benedict XVI calls for renunciation of violence during the holy season of Christmas, Israelis and Palestinians are on a bloody confrontation again in the Gaza Strip leaving at least 200 dead and injuring about 400 more. This is the result of heavy air strikes conducted by Israeli troops against militant Palestinian targets in Hamas-dominated territory a week after a 6-month ceasefire truce expired.

The resumption of bombings and killings on Saturday, December 27, 2008, is supposed to be Israel’s retaliation to months of Hamas’ mortar fires and indiscriminate rocket launches which terrorize about ¼ million Israelis who live in the area.

Hamas infrastructures and installations had been destroyed and many security officers were killed or hurt. Gaza residents had been on the state of panic as the death toll rose and the wounded victims flooded hospitals and clinics.

“The offensive sparked angry protests throughout the Arab world, and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the Vatican, the U.N. secretary-general and special Mideast envoy Tony Blair all called for an immediate restoration of calm. The Arab League scheduled an emergency meeting Sunday to discuss the situation.”--- YahooNews.com; AP (12/28/08 Barzak, Brahim)

Hamas, the radical group considered by Israel as a terrorist organization, called for revenge, but Isreali military authorities had been firm in their stance. In spite of the call for calm, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak vowed to widen the military offensive if needed. Israel did not set a time-line on when the air strikes would end.

The long-standing conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians has taxed peace-makers for decades, but a solution has been consistently elusive. Extremist Arabs and Muslims in the Middle East who support the Palestinians call for the annihilation of the State of Israel. (Photo Credits: AP/ Mohammed Zastari; AP/ Mohammed Zastari; AFP; AP/ Mohammed Zastari) =0=




=========================================================
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Topics/Categories

Feedjit Live Blog Stats

Topics/Categories

Add to Technorati Favorites

Ateneo de Naga HS Batch 74

Loading...

ABS-CBN News

Loading...

GMA News.tv

Loading...

Philippine Commentary

Loading...

Inquirer Breaking News

Loading...

Blogger Template created by AVGWEB.