FACTBOX-Security developments in Pakistan, July 25

July 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Following are security developments in Pakistan at 1630 GMT on Sunday.

* denotes new or updated items.

* SOUTH WAZIRISTAN – Two U.S. drone planes fired four missiles into a militant hideout in the lawless region of South Waziristan on the Afghan border, killing five militants and wounding four, intelligence officials in the region said.

Hours later, three drone missiles killed three Pakistani militants in a strike on a house in the same area.

The latest strikes came a day after a similar drone attack killed at least 16 militants in South Waziristan, once known as a stronghold of militants led by Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud.

The Pakistan army says forces largely cleared the area in last year’s operation.

* NORTH WAZIRISTAN – Two missiles fired by a pilotless drone plane struck killed four militants in North Waziristan region, a hotbed for al Qaeda and Taliban militants on the Afghan border, security officials said.

United States has stepped up drone strikes in Pakistan’s border region since last year. (Compiled by Islamabad Bureau) (For more Reuters coverage of Pakistan, see: here)

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Factbox: Key facts in U.S.-Pakistan relations

July 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Islamabad on Sunday, hoping to bolster shaky U.S. relations with a close ally in the struggle against militant insurgents in both Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan.

Here are some facts about the importance and problem areas of the relationship, what aid has been given, what Pakistan wants and what is to come:

STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE

Pakistan is of huge strategic importance and a main ally for the United States as it seeks to defeat al Qaeda and cripple the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the September 2001 attacks on the United States, is believed to be hiding somewhere along the lawless border with Afghanistan. The leaders of the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan are also believed to be hiding in Pakistan.

Washington is also pressing for Pakistan to step up the fight against its own homegrown Taliban militants, which U.S. officials believe were behind the attempted bombing in New York’s Times Square on May 1.

Washington needs Pakistan as it seeks to stabilize Afghanistan as U.S. President Barack Obama sends in an extra 30,000 troops in the coming months.

SECURITY COOPERATION

Much of Clinton’s meetings will focus on how to improve security cooperation, from intelligence-sharing to more equipment from the United States for its ally.

The two sides held an earlier round of talks in March and agreed to fast-track pending Pakistani requests for military equipment including helicopters, fighter jets and pilotless drones.

Washington has also pledged to deliver 1,000 laser-guided bomb kits to Pakistan and is considering more weapons sales to help Pakistan with insurgents in the Afghanistan border region.

KEY IRRITANTS

There is mistrust on a range of issues, from security cooperation to how aid is delivered. Most opinion polls show a majority of Pakistanis hold an unfavorable view of the U.S. government and are suspicious of its intentions. Pakistan’s government bristles when Washington complains it has not done enough to tackle militants in a war that has killed more than 2,000 soldiers and weighed on the economy.

Civilian deaths from drone strikes are also unpopular in Pakistan, although the civilian government is believed to privately support them.

A recent source of U.S. irritation has been delays in granting visas for U.S. officials wanting to audit how aid is spent while Pakistan complains about increased security checks for its citizens visiting the United States.

Clinton, in a visit to Pakistan in October, publicly expressed puzzlement that its government had been unable to find scores of al Qaeda leaders including Osama bin Laden who are believed to be hiding in rugged border territory that divides Pakistan and Afghanistan.

AID PROGRAMME

The United States is Pakistan’s biggest aid donor and has given about $15 billion in direct aid and military reimbursements since 2002, about two-thirds of it security related.

While Pakistan is being propped up by an $11.3 billion International Monetary Fund loan, a new U.S. aid package triples non-military assistance to Pakistan to $1.5 billion a year over the next five years.

The flow of money is being held up, however, as the Obama administration changes how it distributes that aid. Instead of largely using U.S. contractors and non-governmental organizations, it wants to funnel much of the aid via the Pakistani government and domestic NGOs in the hope this will bolster local capacity.

NUCLEAR COOPERATION

Pakistan would like a civilian nuclear cooperation deal with the United States, similar to the one Washington has with India, but there were scant signs of progress on this front during the March meetings.

The United States is leery of such a deal out of concern for how it might affect ties with New Delhi.

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari recently visited China amid signs that Chinese companies were ready to move ahead with plans to build two nuclear reactors for Pakistan, which could raise concerns in both Washington and New Delhi about nuclear proliferation.

(Editing by John O’Callaghan and Chris Allbritton)

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Death toll from Pakistan bomb attack reaches 102

July 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Pakistan (Reuters) – The death toll from a suicide attack in a volatile border region of Pakistan climbed to 102 on Saturday, showing the militants’ continued ability to stage deadly strikes despite losing ground in army offensives.

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Taliban Movement of Pakistan, claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack in Mohmand, a Pashtun region on the northwestern border with Afghanistan, where security forces have stepped up operations against militants in recent months.

Friday’s attack is the deadliest Pakistan has suffered since an attack on a market in Peshawar in October last year that killed 105.

Five children, aged 5 to 10, and several women were among the dead, and the toll rose on Saturday as rescuers working throughout the night found more bodies in the rubble.

“We have recovered more bodies from the debris of dozens of shops that were razed to the ground by the blast and the number of dead has increased” to 102, said Rasool Khan, assistant political agent of Mohmand.

The bomber blew himself up outside Khan’s office. There were mixed reports that a car bomb was the source of a possible second blast.

Late on Friday, a TTP spokesman in Mohmand who identified himself as Ikramullah Mohmand, said anti-Taliban tribal elders from various peace committees who had come to Khan’s office were the target.

A senior elder and two others were killed in the attack.

Among nearly 80 wounded were several people displaced by fighting between security forces and militants, who were collecting relief goods near the blast side.

The latest militant attack underscored multiple security challenges facing nuclear-armed U.S. ally Pakistan, whose support is vital in attempts to stabilize neighboring Afghanistan, where U.S.-led NATO troops are fighting a raging Taliban insurgency.

The military has made progress over the past year when they pushed militants out of the Swat valley, northwest of Islamabad. In October the army began an offensive in the militants’ South Waziristan bastion on the Afghan border.

The offensive was extended to Orakzai in March as many of the militants who fled the South Waziristan operation took refuge there and in Mohmand. Hundreds of militants have since been killed in air strikes in the two regions.

Troops killed 20 militants in an overnight clash in South Waziristan after insurgents attacked a military checkpost in their previous stronghold of Makeen, intelligence officials said. There was no independent confirmation of the casualties.

Despite losing ground in military offensives, militants have proven their ability to bounce back, responding with a barrage of bomb attacks in towns and cities, killing hundreds of people.

Two suicide bombers killed at least 42 people in an attack on Pakistan’s most important Sufi shrine in the eastern city of Lahore last week.

While praising Pakistan’s efforts to fight homegrown militants, the unabated violence is a source of worry for the United States, which also wants Islamabad to go after Afghan militants who cross the border to attack U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

In a separate incident in Afghanistan, suspected Taliban militants attacked a bus carrying Pakistani Shi’a tribesmen traveling from the Kurram tribal region and heading to Peshawar via Afghanistan, killing 11 and wounding one, residents and government officials said.

Pakistani tribesmen take a circuitous route through Afghanistan to travel between Kurram and Peshawar as the road linking the two regions is often closed because of militants and Pakistani Army operations.

(Writing by Augustine Anthony; Editing by Chris Allbritton and Jeremy Laurence)

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Death toll from Pakistan bomb attack reaches 102

July 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, July 10 (Reuters) – The death toll from a suicide attack in a volatile border region of Pakistan climbed to 102 on Saturday, showing the militants’ continued ability to stage deadly strikes despite losing ground in army offensives.

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Taliban Movement of Pakistan, claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack in Mohmand, a Pashtun region on the northwestern border with Afghanistan, where security forces have stepped up operations against militants in recent months.

Friday’s attack is the deadliest Pakistan has suffered since an attack on a market in Peshawar in October last year that killed 105.

Five children, aged 5 to 10, and several women were among the dead, and the toll rose on Saturday as rescuers working throughout the night found more bodies in the rubble.

“We have recovered more bodies from the debris of dozens of shops that were razed to the ground by the blast and the number of dead has increased” to 102, said Rasool Khan, assistant political agent of Mohmand.

The bomber blew himself up outside Khan’s office. There were mixed reports that a car bomb was the source of a possible second blast.

Late on Friday, a TTP spokesman in Mohmand who identified himself as Ikramullah Mohmand, said anti-Taliban tribal elders from various peace committees who had come to Khan’s office were the target.

A senior elder and two others were killed in the attack.

Among nearly 80 wounded were several people displaced by fighting between security forces and militants, who were collecting relief goods near the blast side.

The latest militant attack underscored multiple security challenges facing nuclear-armed U.S. ally Pakistan, whose support is vital in attempts to stabilise neighbouring Afghanistan, where U.S.-led NATO troops are fighting a raging Taliban insurgency.

The military has made progress over the past year when they pushed militants out of the Swat valley, northwest of Islamabad. In October the army began an offensive in the militants’ South Waziristan bastion on the Afghan border.

The offensive was extended to Orakzai in March as many of the militants who fled the South Waziristan operation took refuge there and in Mohmand. Hundreds of militants have since been killed in air strikes in the two regions.

Troops killed 20 militants in an overnight clash in South Waziristan after insurgents attacked a military checkpost in their previous stronghold of Makeen, intelligence officials said. There was no independent confirmation of the casualties.

Despite losing ground in military offensives, militants have proven their ability to bounce back, responding with a barrage of bomb attacks in towns and cities, killing hundreds of people.

Two suicide bombers killed at least 42 people in an attack on Pakistan’s most important Sufi shrine in the eastern city of Lahore last week.

While praising Pakistan’s efforts to fight homegrown militants, the unabated violence is a source of worry for the United States, which also wants Islamabad to go after Afghan militants who cross the border to attack U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

In a separate incident in Afghanistan, suspected Taliban militants attacked a bus carrying Pakistani Shi’a tribesmen travelling from the Kurram tribal region and heading to Peshawar via Afghanistan, killing 11 and wounding one, residents and government officials said.

Pakistani tribesmen take a circuitous route through Afghanistan to travel between Kurram and Peshawar as the road linking the two regions is often closed because of militants and Pakistani Army operations. [ID:nSGE669GBL]

(Writing by Augustine Anthony; Editing by Chris Allbritton and Jeremy Laurence) (E-mail: augustine.anthony@thomsonreuters.com; Reuters Messaging: augustine.anthony.reuters.com@reuters.net; Islamabad newsroom: +92 51 281 0017)) (If you have a query or comment about this story, send an e-mail to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com)

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REFILE-Death toll from Pakistan bomb attack reaches 102

July 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Pakistan, July 10 (Reuters) – The death toll from a suicide attack in a volatile border region of Pakistan climbed to 102 on Saturday, showing the militants’ continued ability to stage deadly strikes despite losing ground in army offensives.

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Taliban Movement of Pakistan, claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack in Mohmand, a Pashtun region on the northwestern border with Afghanistan, where security forces have stepped up operations against militants in recent months.

Friday’s attack is the deadliest Pakistan has suffered since an attack on a market in Peshawar in October last year that killed 105.

Five children, aged 5 to 10, and several women were among the dead on Friday, and the toll rose after rescuers working throughout the night found more bodies in the rubble.

“We have recovered more bodies from the debris of dozens of shops that were razed to the ground by the blast and the number of dead has increased” to 102, said Rasool Khan, assistant political agent of Mohmand.

The bomber blew himself up outside Khan’s office.

Late on Friday, a TTP spokesman in Mohmand who identified himself as Ikramullah Mohmand, said anti-Taliban tribal elders from various peace committees who had come to Khan’s office were the target.

A senior elder and two others were killed in the attack.

Among nearly 80 wounded were several people displaced by fighting between security forces and militants, who were collecting relief goods near the blast side.

The latest militant attack underscored multiple security challenges facing nuclear-armed U.S. ally Pakistan, whose support is vital in attempts to stabilise neighbouring Afghanistan, where U.S.-led NATO troops are fighting a raging Taliban insurgency.

The military has made progress over the past year when they pushed militants out of the Swat valley, northwest of Islamabad. In October the army began an offensive in the militants’ South Waziristan bastion on the Afghan border.

The offensive was extended to Orakzai in March as many of the militants who fled the South Waziristan operation took refuge there and in Mohmand. Hundreds of militants have since been killed in air strikes in the two regions.

But militants have proven their ability to bounce back, responding with a barrage of bomb attacks in towns and cities, killing hundreds of people.

Two suicide bombers killed at least 42 people in an attack on Pakistan’s most important Sufi shrine in the eastern city of Lahore last week.

Despite praising Pakistan’s efforts to fight homegrown militants, the unabated violence is a source of worry for the United States, which also wants Islamabad to go after Afghan militants who cross the border to attack U.S. troops in Afghanistan. (Writing by Augustine Anthony; Editing by Chris Allbritton and Alex Richardson) (E-mail: augustine.anthony@thomsonreuters.com; Reuters Messaging: augustine.anthony.reuters.com@reuters.net; Islamabad newsroom: +92 51 281 0017)) (If you have a query or comment about this story, send an e-mail to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com)

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Sudan may ask U.N. to run key vote – party official

June 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Sudan may ask the United Nations to run a referendum on the future of a politically sensitive border region after northern and southern leaders failed to appoint organizers, a party official said on Sunday.

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The residents of Abyei are less than seven months away from a vote on whether their border territory, close to key oilfields, should be part of north or south Sudan.

The vote has regional significance because, on the same day, the people of south Sudan have been promised a ballot on whether to separate from the north to become an independent state.

Yasir Arman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), the dominant party in the south, said northern and southern leaders had failed to agree on who should join a commission to organize the Abyei vote despite months of debate.

“So far we have failed … If it becomes clear that we cannot agree then the only way out is the United Nations,” he told Reuters.

“The problems are the names. The National Congress cannot agree. We have been giving them the names, names from the civil service and lawyers, and hopefully we can still agree.”

If Abyei residents decide to join the south they could, at a stroke, become part of Africa’s newest country, taking their oil reserves and rich grazing land out of Khartoum’s control.

Political analysts have said time is running out to organize the votes and there is a risk of violence if southerners believe the north is trying to delay or disrupt the plebiscites.

Arman, the SPLM candidate in a presidential election held in April, said his party would submit a fresh set of names in a final attempt to reach agreement.

An official from the north’s National Congress Party (NCP) said Arman was trying to increase political pressure.

“I am sure we can still bridge the gap between the NCP and the SPLM on this. We have had differences before which we have settled,” said the NCP’s Rabie Abdelati.

No one was available to comment from the United Nations.

The votes, due in January 2011, are ensured as part of a 2005 accord that ended more than two decades of north-south war.

Abyei is occupied by two main groups, the Dinka Ngok, linked to south Sudan’s Dinka people, and nomadic Misseriya Arabs, associated with the north. Northern and southern forces have clashed there since the peace deal.

Arman said the NCP and SPLM were due to discuss Abyei and other issues related to the referendum in Mekele, the capital of Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray, this week.

Outstanding issues included the position of the north-south border, the nationality of southerners in the north and vice-versa, and the sharing of debts and oil revenues if the south, as widely expected, chooses to secede.

(Reporting by Andrew Heavens; editing by Andrew Dobbie)

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Sudan may ask UN to run key vote -party official

June 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

KHARTOUM, June 20 (Reuters) – Sudan may ask the United Nations to run a referendum on the future of a politically sensitive border region after northern and southern leaders failed to appoint organisers, a party official said on Sunday.

The residents of Abyei are less than seven months away from a vote on whether their border territory, close to key oilfields, should be part of north or south Sudan.

The vote has regional significance because, on the same day, the people of south Sudan have been promised a ballot on whether to separate from the north to become an independent state.

Yasir Arman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), the dominant party in the south, said northern and southern leaders had failed to agree on who should join a commission to organise the Abyei vote despite months of debate.

“So far we have failed … If it becomes clear that we cannot agree then the only way out is the United Nations,” he told Reuters.

“The problems are the names. The National Congress cannot agree. We have been giving them the names, names from the civil service and lawyers, and hopefully we can still agree.”

If Abyei residents decide to join the south they could, at a stroke, become part of Africa’s newest country, taking their oil reserves and rich grazing land out of Khartoum’s control.

Political analysts have said time is running out to organise the votes and there is a risk of violence if southerners believe the north is trying to delay or disrupt the plebiscites.

Arman, the SPLM candidate in a presidential election held in April, said his party would submit a fresh set of names in a final attempt to reach agreement.

An official from the north’s National Congress Party (NCP) said Arman was trying to increase political pressure.

“I am sure we can still bridge the gap between the NCP and the SPLM on this. We have had differences before which we have settled,” said the NCP’s Rabie Abdelati.

No one was available to comment from the United Nations.

The votes, due in January 2011, are ensured as part of a 2005 accord that ended more than two decades of north-south war.

Abyei is occupied by two main groups, the Dinka Ngok, linked to south Sudan’s Dinka people, and nomadic Misseriya Arabs, associated with the north. Northern and southern forces have clashed there since the peace deal.

Arman said the NCP and SPLM were due to discuss Abyei and other issues related to the referendum in Mekele, the capital of Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray, this week.

Outstanding issues included the position of the north-south border, the nationality of southerners in the north and vice-versa, and the sharing of debts and oil revenues if the south, as widely expected, chooses to secede. (Reporting by Andrew Heavens; editing by Andrew Dobbie)

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Sudan nomads attack flashpoint village-administrator

June 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

June 13 (Reuters) – Arab tribesmen attacked a village in Sudan’s highly charged Abyei border region, killing one civilian and injuring another, the territory’s chief administrator said on Sunday.

Tensions are mounting in Abyei ahead of a referendum due in January 2011 on whether the territory should join south Sudan — an oil-producing region that is preparing for a separate plebiscite on whether to split off as an independent country.

Abyei, which is close to key oil fields and includes rich pasture land, is used by two main groups, the Dinka Ngok, linked to south Sudan’s Dinka people, and nomadic Misseriya Arabs, associated with the north.

Some Misseriya leaders fear they would lose their grazing grounds if Abyei moved to the south — even though the southern government has promised to let nomads cross borders.

“There was a Misseriya attack on the village of Maker, 12 miles (19 km) north of Abyei town on Saturday morning,” Abyei chief administrator of Deng Arop Kuol said.

“They attacked it killing one civilian and wounding another man from the village … We feel it is politically motivated to cause disruption.”

Kuol said the attack on the Dinka Ngok village had come as a surprise as relations had been good in recent weeks.

A U.N. official confirmed the attack had taken place but said the identity and motivation of the attackers were unclear.

Both south Sudan’s independence referendum and the Abyei vote were promised in the 2005 peace deal that ended more than two decades of north-south civil war.

Northern and southern soldiers clashed in Abyei town in May 2008 and analysts fear the territory could be a flashpoint of trouble after the votes.

Seven months ahead of the referendums, leaders from both sides have still not agreed on the position of their shared border, or named commissions to organise the voting. (Reporting by Andrew Heavens)

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Petraeus says need to give credit to anti-Taliban ops in Pak

May 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

As pressure piles up on Pakistan to extend its military action against militants, a top US General has said the country should be given credit for going after the Taliban in its territory.

General David Petraeus, Commander of the US Central Command, said the Pakistani military went after the Taliban effectively last year in its northwest territories.

“There is a common enemy out there, and we all have to cooperate” in defeating it, Petraeus said in his key note address to the 2010 Joint War fighting Conference, in Virginia Beach.

Petraeus, who was in western Pakistan last week said: “It’s important to give Pakistan credit for what it has done”.

The praise for Pakistan Army’s anti-militant operations in its north west came as the Islamabad is under pressure to extend crack down to North Waziristan, believed to be the base of many al qaeda and Taliban leaders.

The US has been pursuing Pakistan to launch a military operation in North Waziristan, and the impetus has increased after the recent Times Square failed bombing attempt was found to have links to the region.

President Barack Obama has said that al Qaeda and the Taliban continue to plot from the Af-Pak border region.

“As we’ve seen in recent plots here in the United States, al Qaeda and its extremist allies continue to plot in the border regions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and a growing Taliban insurgency could mean an even larger safe haven for al Qaeda and its affiliates,” Obama said yesterday.

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US piles on pressure on Pak to pound terror training camps

May 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 7 (ANI): Amidst the wide scale outburst against Pakistan that it has to act against terror breeding groups flourishing on its soil especially after the failed New York bombing, the United States has stressed that Islamabad must not hesitate to take on the extremists threatening it and the world.

Addressing a regular press briefing here, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell romped up pressure on Pakistan to take stiff measures against terror training camps operating in the country.

Referring to the Times Square bombing plot, Morrell said the incident underlines the need for “all to continue aggressive operations in going after terrorists wherever they reside”.

He parried questions over the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operated drone strikes in Pakistan, but added that the incident would ‘reinvigorate’ both Washington and Islamabad to confront these threats more effectively.

Separately, Michele Flournoy, Under-secretary of Defence for Policy, also denied to comment on reports that US is contemplating expanding drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal regions, but admitted that the Obama Administration is concerned over the presence of militant training camps in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

“Afghanistan-Pakistan, that border region, has been the sort of locus of the sort of heartland, if you will, of Al Qaeda for many years,” Flourney said while testifying before the House Armed Services Committee.

“And so I think denying them sanctuary and safe haven there, disrupting them there has a powerful impact on the global network,” The Dawn quoted her, as adding.

Meanwhile, media reports quoting some ‘unidentified’ US officials said that the Obama administration had quietly allowed the CIA to expand drone strikes in Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal regions along the country’s border with Afghanistan. (ANI)

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‘Dear Uncle Adolf’: documentary details fan letters sent to Hitler

April 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, Apr.26 (ANI): A new documentary has detailed tens of thousands of surviving letters fans sent to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler during the Second World War.

‘Dear Uncle Adolf’ is said to be the first documentary detailing these letters that lay undiscovered in Russian archives till 2007.

On discovery, they formed the basis of a German book called ‘Letters to Hitler’.

Last night, according to The Telegraph, Austrian-born Hitler’s grip over Germany was unveiled as actors read out the letters.

They were letters that often accompanied gifts, in the case of Margarethe Wagner, a pair of socks sent in 1938 after Hitler occupied the Czech Sudetenland border region.

“I knitted these for you as you freed us,” she wrote.

Frau Troeltzsch of Berlin was another fan. She sent Hitler three silk handkerchiefs with pictures of Hitler sewn into them which Hitler deputy Rudolf Hess sent back saying “you do not have permission to send handkerchiefs with pictures of Herr Hitler!”

Such women were later put under Gestapo monitoring as Hitler feared that his cult of personality could lead to a destabilisation of home life in the Reich.

As he climbed further up the ladder of power, so the tempo of the letters increased.

So large was Hitler’s fan following that a special department was created in the postal services in both Munich and Berlin to deal with the tsunami of paper wending its way to him every day. (ANI)

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”Dear Uncle Adolf”: documentary details fan letters sent to Hitler

April 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, Apr.26 (ANI): A new documentary has detailed tens of thousands of surviving letters fans sent to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler during the Second World War.

”Dear Uncle Adolf” is said to be the first documentary detailing these letters that lay undiscovered in Russian archives till 2007.

On discovery, they formed the basis of a German book called ”Letters to Hitler”.

Last night, according to The Telegraph, Austrian-born Hitler”s grip over Germany was unveiled as actors read out the letters.

They were letters that often accompanied gifts, in the case of Margarethe Wagner, a pair of socks sent in 1938 after Hitler occupied the Czech Sudetenland border region.

“I knitted these for you as you freed us,” she wrote.

Frau Troeltzsch of Berlin was another fan. She sent Hitler three silk handkerchiefs with pictures of Hitler sewn into them which Hitler deputy Rudolf Hess sent back saying “you do not have permission to send handkerchiefs with pictures of Herr Hitler!”

Such women were later put under Gestapo monitoring as Hitler feared that his cult of personality could lead to a destabilisation of home life in the Reich.

As he climbed further up the ladder of power, so the tempo of the letters increased.

So large was Hitler”s fan following that a special department was created in the postal services in both Munich and Berlin to deal with the tsunami of paper wending its way to him every day. (ANI)

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In a first, Nato & Pak share tactical plans

March 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

WASHINGTON: Nato commanders in Afghanistan have begun traveling to Pakistan to share plans for military operations for the first time, a senior US official has said.

The apparent aim is to make sure that militants don’t slip back and forth the unmarked, mountainous border region to escape coalition or Pakistani forces. According to the official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, the sharing of tactical information represents a new level of cooperation for the forces battling the Taliban, al-Qaida and other militants.

“That has not happened before,” the official said. The official said Taliban leaders can no longer be certain of finding “safe haven” in Pakistan after battling coalition forces in Afghanistan. Missiles launched from US drones have reportedly killed dozens of militants in Pakistan in recent months, but American officials do not confirm the existence of the covert CIA programme.

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Pak-Afghan border region ‘critical’ for success in war on terror: Mullen

March 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Mar.5 (ANI): The Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, US Armed Forces, Admiral Mike Mullen has described the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan as ‘critical’ for the ongoing offensive against the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and other extremist groups in Afghanistan and for the larger war against extremism.

Addressing a group of US military officers at army’s Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, where Admiral Mullen also met Pakistani Envoy to the United States Hussain Haqqani, he said Washington is working towards restoring trust among Pakistani civilians.

Mullen said it is important to reduce the trust deficit which had increased manifold after the White House imposed certain sanctions on Islamabad in 1990’s.

“If you don’t trust each other we’re not going to work together well,” The Nation quoted Mullen, as saying.

Interacting with media persons after meeting Mullen, Haqqani underlined Pakistan’s tough stance against extremists, saying the recent arrests of top Afghan Taliban commanders in Pakistan clarifies that his nation is committed to support the efforts of the US.

“Pakistanis believe they have been doing a lot in the war on terrorism that has not been recognised by the world,” Haqqani said, adding: “Part of it was based on misperceptions rooted in history. Now I think it is very clear that Pakistan’s action, whether on the military front or on the terrorist front, are actions that are compatible with the international expectations.”

Haqqani, however, pointed out that the relationship between Pakistan and the United States would not improve only by cooperating with each other in the battlefields, rather association in other fields should also be given importance. (ANI)

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China denies any violation of Indian air space

September 1, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Beijing, Sep.1 (ANI): Chinese government on Tuesday said that there has been no violation of Indian air space and reports about such an occurrence by India media were baseless.

“Chinese military never crossed into the air space of other countries and its border patrols are conducted strictly “in accordance with law”, said Jiang Yu, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, in reply to a question about Chinese helicopters violating Indian air space.

Jiang termed the reports as “groundless” and said that the two countries have arrived at a consensus about making efforts to safeguard peace and tranquility on the border region while the border issue is being negotiated.

On Monday, the Indian Army said that China violated the Indian air space in Leh in Jammu and Kashmir.

It has happened. That is confirmed. But there is nothing alarming in it. I have given a written reply and that is the correct version, said Army Spokesperson Northern Command, Colonel Kachari,

Two Chinese helicopters reportedly violated the Indian air space in the recent months in Leh. The helicopters air-dropped some canned food in a barren land at Chumar, northeast of Leh, along the border on June 21.

The MI series helicopters were reported by residents living along the Pangong lake.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army has been crossing over into the Indian side in this region quite frequently with August reporting the maximum number of incursions.

In August, Chinese patrols entered into the Indian territory 26 times and walked away with petrol and kerosene meant for jawans of the border guarding forces. (ANI)

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Pak seals Afghan border to prevent spillover following US surge in Taliban’s heartland

July 11, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, July 11 (ANI): Pakistan has sealed its border with Afghanistan and has reportedly deployed huge number of troops along the region bordering the Helmand province in the neighboring country, where the US-led allied forces have launched a massive surge against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.

The border area in Nushki and Chagai districts have been completely sealed to prevent any spill over of the militants, sources said.

“In order to stop any entry of Taliban militants or terrorists into Pakistani territory from Helmand, the security has been tightened and more troops have been deployed along with border side,” The Nation quoted an official, as saying.

Fighter jets have been making frequent sorties in the border region, raising fears among the local people of a massive showdown in the coming days.

“We are strictly directed not to turn on lights and lamps at night because of security reasons while a large number of troops are present at border area that indicates some thing wrong at border,” a resident of Nushki said. (ANI)

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Pak Taliban eyes new allies in wake of renewed US offensive

July 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, July 10 (ANI): Increased pressure from the US and the Pakistani Army on the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and al Qaeda may force them to join hands with the militant Sunni radical group Jundallah, a group that staged attacks on Iran and strained Iranian-Pakistani relations.

Ashraf Ali, a Peshawar-based military specialist on the Taliban, said that given Jundallah’s historical connections with al Qaeda and the Taliban, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan might seek refuge in Balochistan or join the ranks of Jundallah.

“This would give a totally new dimension to the dynamics of Taliban/al Qaeda militancy in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region and may shift some of the problem to the Pakistan-Iran border region,” The Washington Times quoted Ali, as saying.

“This is very much possible, as apparently there seems to be no Pakistani troops deployment on the south of the conflict zone towards Balochistan,” he added.

Last week, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives at a hotel in Balochistan’s Kalat district, killing four people and injuring 11. The attack appeared aimed at disrupting supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan, since drivers of NATO supply vehicles were eating at the hotel, the Daily Times reported.

Analysts say the incident was a sign of rising Taliban/al Qaeda activities in Balochistan, as well as a possible indication of growing contacts between Waziristan-based militant groups and Jundallah.

Malik Siraj Akbar, a journalist in Quetta, said that Jundullah leader Abdul Malik Rigi studied at madrassas in Karachi where Taliban leaders also got their schooling.

The possibility of a new alliance among the Taliban, Al Qaeda and Jundallah could provide common ground among the United States, Pakistan and Iran against the terror threat. (ANI)

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“Resurgent” Taliban, Al-Qaeda’s increasing activities has Obama worried

June 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, June 27 (ANI): Terming the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region as ‘terror safe haven’, US President, Barack Obama has expressed concern over the increasing activities of a “resurgent” Taliban.

In a statement issued by the White House here, Obama highlighted that Al-Qaeda and the Taliban have intensified their activities in the ungoverned tribal regions along Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“The Taliban is resurgent and al Qaeda is increasing its attacks from its safe haven along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border,” The Nation quoted Obama, as saying.

Obama, who signed the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2009 on Friday, said the aid promised in the act would be used to carry out operations to root out Al-Qaeda from the region.

“The funding provided in this Act will ensure that the full force of the US is engaged in an overall effort to defeat al Qaeda and uproot this safe haven,” he said.

Obama said the aid would also help countries like Afghanistan and Iran to build a more responsive and transparent governance.

“These funds will assist Afghans and Iraqis in protecting and sustaining their infrastructure and building their capacity for more responsive and transparent governance,” said Obama. (ANI)

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US will exercise all options to secure Pak nukes : Obama

May 18, 2009 By 4 Comments

Washington, May 18 (ANI): US President Barack Obama has said that all options are open regarding the safeguarding of Pakistan’s nuclear assets, which may fall into the Taliban’s hand.

In an interview with Newsweek, Obama appeared assured about the safety Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, but also made it clear that United States would not hesitate to take emergency steps if the situation demanded.

He said America would certainly respect Pakistan’s sovereignty in the event of an emergency.

“Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal is safe. I don’t want to engage in hypotheses around Pakistan, other than to say we have confidence that Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal is safe; that the Pakistani military is equipped to prevent extremists from taking over those arsenals. As commander-in-chief, I have to consider all options, but I think that Pakistan’s sovereignty has to be respected,” Obama said.

Pakistan is beginning to shift its focus from India to troubles inside its own territory, and also recognizes that the real threat to it comes from extremism and not from India, Obama said.

“Over the last several weeks we’ve seen a decided shift in the Pakistan Army’s recognition that the threat from extremism is a much more immediate and serious one than the threat from India that they’ve traditionally focused on,” he said.

When asked at prompted him to send an additional 17,000 troops to Afghanistan, Obama said the existing strategy was not working in the region and the instability in the insurgency-hit region along the Afghan border was destabilizing Pakistan also.

“I think the starting point was recognition that the existing trajectory was not working, that the Taliban had made advances, that our presence in Afghanistan was declining in popularity, that the instability along the border region was destabilising Pakistan as well,” Obama added. (ANI)

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US keeps option to use troops to secure Pakistan’s n-arsenal

May 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 17 (IANS) President Barack Obama has reiterated his confidence that the Pakistani military is equipped to prevent extremists from taking over its nuclear arsenal, but would not rule out the option of sending US troops to secure them.

As the US tries to strengthen Islambad as a partner, he also sees ‘a decided shift’ in the Pakistan Army’s recognition that extremism is a much more immediate and serious threat than the one from India that they’ve traditionally focused on.

‘As commander in chief, I have to consider all options, but I think that Pakistan’s sovereignty has to be respected,’ he said in an interview with Newsweek when asked if he would be willing to have American troops secure Pakistan’s nuclear weapons if the country gets less stable.

However, Obama reiterated his confidence that Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal is safe and Pakistani military is equipped to prevent extremists from taking them over.

‘I don’t want to engage in hypotheticals around Pakistan, other than to say we have confidence that Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal is safe; that the Pakistani military is equipped to prevent extremists from taking over those arsenals,’ he said.

‘We are trying to strengthen them as a partner,’ Obama said. ‘And one of the encouraging things is, over the last several weeks we’ve seen a decided shift in the Pakistan Army’s recognition that the threat from extremism is a much more immediate and serious one than the threat from India that they’ve traditionally focused on.’

Asked how he reached the decision to send 17,000 additional troops into Afghanistan, Obama said as Taliban made advances there was a recognition ‘that the instability along the border region was destabilising Pakistan as well’.

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