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12.: Afghanistan: An Anniversary Few Celebrate From: Rick Rozoff

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1.: CYBERCOM Commander: Pentagon Needs "Offensive Capabilities"

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Thu Oct 7, 2010 2:08 pm (PDT)

http://frontpagemag.com/2010/10/07/the-cyber-arms-race/

FrontPage Magazine
October 7, 2010

The Cyber Arms Race
Alan W. Dowd

The European Union is proposing a treaty to "protect the web from political interference." In a similar vein, a group of 15 countries, including the United States, has pledged to begin cooperating to reduce attacks on, and threats to, their computer networks.

According to The Washington Post, the group is calling on the UN to "create norms of accepted behavior in cyberspace, exchange information on national legislation and cybersecurity strategies, and strengthen the capacity of less-developed countries to protect their computer systems." An unnamed Obama administration official calls the UN plan "a step forward."
....
We caught a glimpse of a much more likely source of peace in cyberspace, perhaps not coincidentally, just a few weeks after the UN announced its plan. The Pentagon, at long last, has been given a green light to treat cyberspace like any other military domain and is developing capabilities to "deceive, deny, disrupt, degrade and destroy" enemy information systems.

"We have to have offensive capabilities, to, in real time, shut down somebody trying to attack us," according to Gen. Keith Alexander, who leads the Pentagon's nascent Cyber Command.

Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn calls this a "fundamental shift in the U.S. approach to network defense."
===========================
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2.: Clinton: Georgia In NATO, Russia Out Of South Caucasus

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Thu Oct 7, 2010 2:08 pm (PDT)

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=15565657&PageNum=0

Itar-Tass
October 7, 2010

US supports Georgia's integrity and drive for NATO membership - Clinton

WASHINGTON: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton confirmed her country's support for Georgia's territorial integrity and its striving to join NATO.

"The United States will not waver in its support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. That support is a core principle of our Charter on Strategic Partnership, and it is fundamental to our bilateral relationship," Clinton said at the U.S.-Georgia Charter on Strategic Partnership Omnibus Meeting on Wednesday, October 6.

"The United States remains committed to Georgia's aspirations for membership in NATO, as reflected in the Alliance's decisions in Bucharest and Strasbourg-Kehl. We strongly support Georgia's efforts related to its Annual National Program, which promotes defence reform and guides cooperation with NATO. And we continue to support Georgia's efforts on defence reform and improving defence capabilities, including NATO interoperability and Georgia's contributions to ISAF operations in Afghanistan," she said.

There are four separate working groups operating within the U.S.-Georgian commission on strategic partnership. Georgia hopes to expand cooperation in the fields of economy, education and healthcare.

"We have a quite ambitious agenda," Georgian Prime Minister Nikoloz Gilauri said before the meeting.

Among the areas of cooperation, he named the construction of oil refineries and LNG plants on the Black Sea coast.

He believes that the implementation of these projects could enhance Europe's energy security.

Gilauri thanked Clinton for supporting Georgia's aspirations for NATO membership. "Next summit will be taken in Lisbon and we are hoping for your extended support there as well," he said.

The prime minister said another important issue to discuss in Washington would be Georgia's action plan with regard to the so-called "occupied territories".

"We are going to pursue these steps. Georgia is committed to creating a society – free society based on democratic values. We are carrying most of the reforms towards that goal," he said.

Clinton supported "the objectives of Georgia's State Strategy on Occupied Territories, and we are prepared to undertake activities that reinforce these important objectives."

The U.S.-Georgia Charter on Strategic Partnership was signed on January 9, 2009, and covers bilateral cooperation in the fields of defence, security, economy, and culture.
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3.: Rasmussen: Global NATO Ready For More Afghan War-Style Missions

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" r_rozoff@yahoo.com r_rozoff

Thu Oct 7, 2010 2:08 pm (PDT)

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6963CY20101007

Reuters
October 7, 2010

NATO says must stay capable of Afghan-size missions
By David Brunnstrom

-"No other organization can marshal, deploy and sustain NATO's military power. I am totally unconvinced by the media suggestions that after Afghanistan, NATO might never take on another big mission."

BRUSSELS: NATO must ensure it can conduct future operations like that in Afghanistan, the alliance's chief will say Friday, while warning that Washington will look for other allies if Europe fails to pull its weight on security.

In a speech on a new mission statement for the alliance due to be approved at a summit next month, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen will argue against excessive cuts in defense spending as a result of the financial crisis.

"There is a point where you are no longer cutting fat; you're cutting into muscle, and then into bone," Rasmussen will say in Brussels, according to excerpts provided to Reuters.

"We have to avoid cutting so deep that we won't, in future, be able to defend the security on which our economic prosperity rests. And we cannot end up in a situation where Europe cannot pull its weight when it comes to security."

Rasmussen will say that this would make the European Union's ambition to exert more political influence in the world "a hollow shell."

"And the United States would look elsewhere for its security partner. That is not a price we can afford."

Governments throughout Europe are looking to slash billions from their defense budgets as they try to cope with the economic crisis, raising questions about whether even bigger EU powers will be able to mount expeditionary operations in future.

Rasmussen will stress the need for NATO to retain the ability to mount major missions around the world.

"No other organization can marshal, deploy and sustain NATO's military power," he will say. "I am totally unconvinced by the media suggestions that after Afghanistan, NATO might never take on another big mission.

"First and foremost, because I have no doubt that we will succeed in Afghanistan. And second, because there will be other missions in future for which only NATO can fit the bill. We will have to be ready."

While arguing against cuts Rasmussen will highlight efforts to streamline NATO's command structure to deliver better value for money and to encourage the alliance's 28 members to pool resources to reduce waste.

(Reporting by David Brunnstrom, Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
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4.: Afghan War: Seven German Soldiers Killed, Injured; Civilians Wounded

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" r_rozoff@yahoo.com r_rozoff

Thu Oct 7, 2010 2:08 pm (PDT)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11494843

BBC News
October 7, 2010

Afghanistan suicide blast kills German soldier in north

A German soldier was killed and six others injured, two of them seriously, in a suicide bomb attack in northern Afghanistan, German authorities said.

Afghan authorities said the attack occurred near Pol-e Khomri, the capital of Baghlan province.

Correspondents say attacks such as these - while still infrequent in relatively peaceful north Afghanistan - have grown more common in recent years.

Meanwhile, Nato says an unmanned drone has crashed in the east.
....
Thursday's attack in Baghlan took place in the early afternoon in the village of Shahbudin near the capital.

A senior Afghan intelligence official told the BBC there were also civilian casualties.

Germany says the latest death takes to 44 the number of its soldiers killed in Afghanistan since it sent troops to assist the Nato-led mission.

The relatively peaceful north has been the base for the German contingent, the third largest foreign troop deployment after the United States and Britain.
----------------------------------------------------------
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/southasia/news/article_1589851.php/German-soldier-killed-by-suicide-bomber-in-Afghanistan-Roundup

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
October 7, 2010

German soldier killed by suicide bomber in Afghanistan (Roundup)

Kunduz, Afghanistan: A suicide bomber targeted a German military patrol in northern Afghanistan on Thursday, killing one soldier and injuring six others, German officials said.
....
The Defence Ministry said two of the wounded were in grave condition. A German news website, Bild.de, said doctors believed one of them was so critically wounded that he would probably die.

The bomber, who had strapped explosives around his body, detonated himself close to the Germans in Baghlan Province, provincial governor Munshi Abdul Majeed said.

Alam Khan, a member of the provincial council, said that the bomber targeted the German forces close to the city of Puli Khumri, the provincial capital. He said the area was cordoned off by German troops.

German accounts said the patrol had been deployed to guard a road leading into the town. The Germans came under mortar and rifle fire after the detonation and the skirmish apparently lasted for several hours.
....
Up to 5,350 German soldiers are based in the northern region, as part of the 150,000-strong, NATO-led contingent currently stationed in Afghanistan.
===========================
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5.: NATO To Spend Almost $1 Billion Euros On Cyber Warfare, Missile Shie

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" r_rozoff@yahoo.com r_rozoff

Thu Oct 7, 2010 2:08 pm (PDT)

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKLDE6961HW20101007

Reuters
October 7, 2010

NATO plans 930 mln euros for security projects

PRAGUE: NATO plans to spend nearly a billion euros over the next few years on projects including cyber security, detection of improvised bombs and missile defence technology, the western alliance said on Thursday.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation announced the plan at an industry seminar in Prague, saying it would seek technology suppliers for information sharing, satellite communication for the Afghan mission, maritime security information systems and logistics and missile defence.

The conference was organised by NATO's Consultation, Command and Control Agency (NC3A), which is in charge of procuring advanced technologies.

"The top priority right now is Afghanistan ... but there are projects like missile defence that have wider range," Kevin Scheid, deputy general manager of NC3A, told Reuters.

Projects should start to be implemented in 2011 or 2012, provided they are approved by heads of state at a NATO summit in November.

"Pending political approval, NATO is looking at beginning to invest up to 930 million euros ($1.3 billion) in 2011 and 2012 in multi-year projects to address key security challenges, such as cyber defence, support to NATO's Afghanistan effort and maritime security," NC3A said in a statement.

One area where NC3A wants to increase spending is cyber defence, where the total value of orders might go up to 35 million euros in next several years.

"The attacks are increasingly sophisticated," said Brian Christiansen, NC3A's chief for cyber defence.

"Earlier, the attacks were by individual hackers that wanted to show themselves. Now it's by serious organisations and we are being probed constantly," he told Reuters.

(Reporting by Roman Gazdik; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
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6.: Three More NATO Soldiers Killed In Afghan Attacks

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" r_rozoff@yahoo.com r_rozoff

Thu Oct 7, 2010 2:08 pm (PDT)

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/southasia/news/article_1588915.php/NATO-Three-foreign-soldiers-killed-in-Afghanistan

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
October 7, 2010

NATO: Three foreign soldiers killed in Afghanistan

Kabul: Three soldiers with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) were killed in separate attacks in southern and eastern Afghanistan Monday, the military said.

Two of the soldiers died in roadside bomb attacks in the southern region, while the third was killed following an insurgent attack in the country's east, ISAF statements said.

The military did not reveal the nationalities of the deceased, nor did it provide further details about the nature of the attacks or their exact locations.

Around 560 foreign soldiers have been killed in the war so far in 2010, according to icasualties.org, which tracks Western military deaths in Afghanistan.

This has been the bloodiest year for the international forces since their deployment to the country following the ouster of the Taliban regime in late 2001.

More than 150,000 US and NATO troops are currently based in Afghanistan.
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7.: Northern Kosovo: NATO Deploys Troops Against Serbs

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Thu Oct 7, 2010 2:08 pm (PDT)

http://www.todayonline.com/BreakingNews/EDC101007-0000212/NATO-deploys-100-troops-in-Kosovos-north-move-called-provocation-by-Serbian-official

Associated Press
October 7, 2010

NATO deploys 100 troops in Kosovo's north; move called provocation by Serbian official

LEPOSAVIC, Kosovo: NATO has deployed over 100 troops in Kosovo's north in a response to violent incidents that have plagued the ethnically tense region,

Serbia's top official for Kosovo Goran Bogdanovic said late Wednesday, shortly after the force was deployed, that the deployment was "a psychological propaganda war against the Serbs in the north of Kosovo."

NATO troops backed by a local police force manned checkpoints on the main road linking Kosovo and Serbia to search passengers and car trunks for weapons. Armored vehicles rattled on the sides as floodlights lit the potholed asphalt road.

The increase in security comes after a series of violent incidents between the majority ethnic Albanians and minority Serbs.

Kosovo and Serbia are smarting over EU-backed talks aimed at resolving Kosovo's contested status.
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8.: Problems With New START and Missile Defense

Posted by: "arn specter" arnpeace@yahoo.com arnpeace

Thu Oct 7, 2010 2:08 pm (PDT)

Problems With New START and Missile Defense
by Arn Specter, Editor, The Nuclear Review,
Thursday, October 7, 2010
The United States seems intent in pursuing a vote and ratification
on the New START Treaty, in the full Senate in November, despite serious
objections on missile defense by Russia. Unless a separate agreement is made
between the US and Russia on missile defense Russia may well not ratify the New
START Treaty. Or if Russia does ratify the treaty it may withdraw from it if
the US pursues missile defense developments in Russia's region of the world-
which is likely. The US plans for missile defense expansion now includes
Poland, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Romania (as well as at least 6 Middle
East countries).

To say that the US is ignoring and disrespecting Russia would be true yet an
understatement as well. For as the New START Treaty speaks about reducing
nuclear weapons by both nations as well as nuclear verification rules for
nuclear weapons and plants by both sides, and other nuclear reduction rules and
regulations, the United States is strongly increasing its nuclear facilities as
well as designing plans for producing new and more powerful nuclear warheads and
weapons. Funding for these developments have already been approved by the Obama
Administration and Congress.

So, as the New START Treaty is being negotiated by the Senate
and possibly the Duma in Russia the US is increasing it's missile defense
deployments in Eastern and Southern Europe, as well as
increasing and improving it's nuclear facilities and warheads while Russia
objections continue to go unheeded.  Cautionary perspectives and proposals by
NGO groups and activists in the United States have been communicated to the
Obama administration and Congress in recent months (actually over the last few
years) to little or no avail.

It seems no one is listening to any serious desires for nuclear disarmament and
non-proliferation in the US government or military. The US nuclear industry is
gaining very large contracts and profits to come from the current hawkish
policies of the US government - much to the future dangers to the billions of
people in the world threatened more now with the increased proliferation of
nuclear weapons, missile defense (offensive) systems.

The New START Treaty is in trouble despite accolades by members of the
Senate and negotiators of the treaty such as Assistant Secretary of State Rose
Gottemoeller along with the US administration and State Department. By ignoring
the real concerns of the Russian government and military as well as thousands of
peace activists in the world the US is dooming the Treaty before it is even
ratified.

Speaking yesterday to the U.N. General Assembly's Disarmament and International
Security Committee, Gottemoeller said the United States and other nations would
together consider other possible avenues for advancing arms control dialog.
(Lederer, Associated Press).

Meanwhile, Russia yesterday pressed all nuclear-armed nations to join future
arms reduction negotiations with Moscow and Washington, Interfax reported.

"The reduction in the gap in the size of the arsenals of our countries, and
other [recognized nuclear-weapon states], is insistently raising the issue of
the gradual accession of other countries having nuclear arsenals to the
Russian-American disarmament efforts," Russian Foreign Ministry official Anatoly
Antonov, the top Russian negotiator of "New START," told the General Assembly
panel.

The five recognized nuclear powers are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom
and the United States.

Continued nuclear disarmament "will be simply impossible at a certain stage"
without the participation of countries that possess such weapons outside the
Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, Antonov said. Those known or suspected
nuclear-armed states are India, Israel, North Korea and Pakistan (see related
GSN story, today).
Arsenal reductions mandated by "New START" would make "further deep cuts
impossible without due account for all other processes taking place in the
sphere of international security," Antonov said.

Other potential obstacles to nuclear disarmament include "the formation of
regional missile defense systems without due account for the security of
neighboring countries, the prospect of the appearance of arms in space, the
plans of developing strategic carriers with conventional warheads, the
unilateral buildup of the potential of strategic missile defense, the growing
imbalance in the sphere of conventional armaments [and] the deployment of
nuclear weapons in the territories of non-nuclear states," he said

(see GSN, Sept. 22; Interfax, Oct. 5: Obama Administration Pursues Landslide
"New START" Vote, Wednesday, below)

In order to set a new course on nuclear weapons and missile defense developments
that makes sense and has a chance for success a new mindset needs to be
cultivated with the United States government, military and nuclear industry.
This mindset needs to include a genuine interest and desire for nuclear
reductions and non-proliferation which includes the concerns of Russia, the
other 7 (seven) nuclear nations, and the many

non-nuclear nations as well. An effort that would include the
United Nations would make a great deal of sense for all parties and the world
community.

Already cooperative plans for missile defense between the US, NATO and Russia
have been discussed and a high level NATO meeting in Lisbon in November is meant
to clarify and set policy for NATO's position on missile defense in Europe.
This will play a strong part in any negotiations with the US and Russia on
reductions or any further expansion of missile defense by the US.
While there will be an opportunity to gain more stability in the region if there
is a cooperative arrangement worked out, the opposite is also possible.

If Russia is slighted or ignored she will most likely respond with threats of
missile deployments of her own in the region and even pursue a 'asymmetric
response' announced by one of Russia's noted scientists and political analysts
recently. Therefore, it is critical that the US reduce it's missile defense
plans in Europe in order to facilitate a successful New START Treaty and more
stability in the Eastern and Southern European regions. This may require new
policy by the Obama administration which would likely upset the Pentagon and
Defense Secretary Robert Gates who seem intent on making the expansion of
missile defense worldwide a priority.

It has been shown that missile defense is, in fact, not a strong deterrent. in
effect it induces an arms race for building a stronger defense by other nations
rather than defending or stabilizing a region. The US therefore needs to change
course by reducing the missile defense deployments and expand diplomacy and
non-violent means of cooperation in troubled situations and regions of the
world. The use of conflict resolution and other techniques would be especially
helpful in bringing people together, working out differences in cooperative and
non-violent ways.

For decades now the United States has increased world militarization with bases
and troop deployments in many countries of the world as well as engagements in
wars and conflicts seemingly without short-term resolutions or endings. This has
caused an increase in arms races and the buildup of tensions in the world as
well as the tremendous expansion of the US military-industrial-complex.
Hundreds of countries are now armed "to the teeth" trying to ensure they have
adequate defense against unknown enemies who someday might be aggressive against
them.
The US provides most of these arms sales throughout the world.

The US has a cold war mindset that believes military power and dominance will
subdue the enemy while expanding US power and control over countries and
regions. This makes for a good climate for the expansion of it's capitalistic
enterprises and profit making businesses. This is not just left-wing Marxist
ideology, rather a look at reality. Too, when the "system" fails, as it did
recently, it produces devastation of US and global economies which had and have
ripple-effects in many industrial nations today. Recent protests in Europe speak
of the difficulties now for working people and those who need social services
programs shut down by the economic downturns caused by faulty US corporate
practices and lack of regulations.

The US pressures other nations to support US business and US political policies
and objectives. Representatives from the State Department and the military
"visit" these nations offering trade, loan and other incentives in exchange for
cooperation on US expansionist efforts. The recent "capitulation" of Poland and
the Czech Republic, despite massive protests by activists in those nations, have
led to the build-up of missile defense in Eastern Europe... the Middle East
countries are now following suit with massive procurements of arms and missiles,
bolstering the US power and influence in the region.

The US is bent on a military course of failure and destruction.
Throughout history "great" nations have risen and fallen due to their failures
in respecting and providing, first and foremost, for their men, women and
children, and the positive growth and development of their cultures. Today, the
US is falling. Signs are everywhere that the culture is falling apart with high
unemployment, over militarization, poor health care system, housing
foreclosures, social service cutbacks, environmental problems, family and
educational "disorientations", a drastic decline of support for President Obama,
all contributing to a climate of hopelessness and despair for it's 300 million
people.

More pressure is needed to help move the US government, military and
military-industrial -complex away from it's current policies and plans to much
more humanistic and cooperative initiatives...presently to detour current
movements on New START and missile defense onto much more progressive
directions.

Arn Specter, Editor, The Nuclear Review, Oct.7,2010, Phila.
----------------------------------------------------------Obama
Administration Pursues Landslide "New START" VoteWednesday, Oct. 6, 2010

The Obama administration believes senators could vote by a significant margin in
favor of ratifying a new U.S.-Russian nuclear arms control treaty, Assistant
Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller said yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 5).

(Oct. 6) - U.S. B-52H strategic bomber jet engines, shown in 2007 at Barksdale
Air Force Base, La. The Obama administration hopes U.S. senators will vote
overwhelmingly to ratify a new nuclear arms control treaty with Russia, the
pact's top U.S. negotiator said yesterday (Paul Richards/Getty Images).

President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in April signed "New
START," which requires their nations to each cut their deployed strategic
nuclear weapons to 1,550 warheads, down from the maximum of 2,200 allowed by
2012 under an earlier agreement. They must both also restrict their active
nuclear delivery vehicles to 700, with another 100 platforms allowed in reserve.
The pact is awaiting a ratification vote in the Senate, where the 67 votes
required for passage must include at least eight Republicans in this Congress.
The treaty's prospects for approval are "good" during the congressional session
following November's midterm elections, the Associated Press quoted Gottemoeller
as saying.
"We are hoping that we will have the same kind of vote which was the vote for
the [1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty], 95-0 against," said Gottemoeller,
the top U.S. negotiator of the new agreement. "We're looking for that kind of
vote this time around as well."
Addressing whether the treaty could be ratified in 2010, she said, "Absolutely,
yes." Obama wants to have the pact "ratified and on its way to entering into
force by the end of this year," Gottemoeller said.
Speaking yesterday to the U.N. General Assembly's Disarmament and International
Security Committee, Gottemoeller called for movement on the Comprehensive Test
Ban Treaty and the resumption of negotiations aimed at producing a fissile
material cutoff treaty (see GSN, Sept. 27; Edith Lederer, Associated
Press/Washington Post, Oct. 5).
The international Conference on Disarmament in Geveva, Switzerland, in 2009
broke a deadlock that had lasted for more than 10 years, agreeing to a work plan
that would address four issues: nuclear disarmament, a fissile material cutoff
pact, the prohibition of space-based weapons, and an agreement by nuclear-armed
states not to use their strategic weapons against nations that do not possess
such armaments. Pakistan initially endorsed the plan, but later withdrew its
consent and demanded further consideration of the program. Decisions at the
conference are made by consensus.
"I have to tell you that I expressed some disappointment at the fact that the
Conference on Disarmament over the last years has been less energetic in terms
of pursuing its overall agenda," Agence France-Presse quoted Gottemoeller as
saying after U.N. talks failed to break the impasse.
"We will do everything so that we can have talks go forward -- there is no
reason to stand still," she added.
"We will definitely continue to press" for a fissile material pact, she said.
"We regard this delay as unwarranted and out of step with the expectations of
the wide majority of states seated here today" (Agence France-Presse/Google
News, Oct. 5).
In a cautionary note targeting Pakistan, Gottemoeller said governments would
consider other possible means for advancing disarmament negotiations if the
deadlock in Geneva persisted, AP reported.
The United States and other nations would together consider other possible
avenues for advancing arms control dialogue, she said without elaborating
(Lederer, Associated Press).
Meanwhile, Russia yesterday pressed all nuclear-armed nations to join future
arms reduction negotiations with Moscow and Washington, Interfax reported.
"The reduction in the gap in the size of the arsenals of our countries, and
other [recognized nuclear-weapon states], is insistently raising the issue of
the gradual accession of other countries having nuclear arsenals to the
Russian-American disarmament efforts," Russian Foreign Ministry official Anatoly
Antonov, the top Russian negotiator of "New START," told the General Assembly
panel.
The five recognized nuclear powers are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom
and the United States.
Continued nuclear disarmament "will be simply impossible at a certain stage"
without the participation of countries that possess such weapons outside the
Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, Antonov said. Those known or suspected
nuclear-armed states are India, Israel, North Korea and Pakistan (see related
GSN story, today).
Arsenal reductions mandated by "New START" would make "further deep cuts
impossible without due account for all other processes taking place in the
sphere of international security," Antonov said.
Other potential obstacles to nuclear disarmament include "the formation of
regional missile defense systems without due account for the security of
neighboring countries, the prospect of the appearance of arms in space, the
plans of developing strategic carriers with conventional warheads, the
unilateral buildup of the potential of strategic missile defense, the growing
imbalance in the sphere of conventional armaments [and] the deployment of
nuclear weapons in the territories of non-nuclear states," he said

(see GSN, Sept. 22; Interfax, Oct. 5).
----------------------------------------------------------

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9.: NATO Loses Drone Near Afghan-Pakistani Border

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" r_rozoff@yahoo.com r_rozoff

Thu Oct 7, 2010 2:08 pm (PDT)

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/145671.html

Press TV
October 7, 2010

NATO drone crashes in E Afghanistan

An unmanned aerial vehicle operated by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has crashed in eastern Afghanistan, near the Pakistani border.

The drone crashed on Thursday in the remote Paktika province near the border with Pakistan's troubled South Waziristan, the ISAF confirmed in a press release.

The US-led alliance however did not announce the exact location of the incident.
....
A recovery force was immediately sent to retrieve the drone.
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10.: China, India: NATO To Extend Global Reach, Deploy Beyond Borders

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" r_rozoff@yahoo.com r_rozoff

Thu Oct 7, 2010 2:09 pm (PDT)

http://sify.com/news/nato-chief-wants-to-reach-out-to-china-india-news-international-kkhwEeafgia.html

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
October 7, 2010

NATO chief wants to 'reach out' to China, India

Brussels: NATO should extend its global reach by striking new partnerships with emerging countries such as China and India, the Western military alliance's chief said Thursday.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen's remarks came ahead of the November 19-20 Lisbon summit, where a new 'strategic concept' - a document charting the alliance's future mission - is set to be adopted.

'We should reach out to new and important partners, including China and India. We should encourage consultations between interested allies and partners on security issues of common concern, with NATO as a hub for those discussions,' Rasmussen said in a video post on his blog.

He stressed that the 'pillars' upon which NATO was founded in 1949 - including the principle of collective defence, a powerful military capability and strong transatlantic relations - were 'still fundamental'.

But he argued that the alliance also needed to look beyond its borders, as it had done in Afghanistan, where its military mission is supported by 19 non-NATO countries, in addition to the alliance's 28 members.

'Defence of our territory and our citizens no longer begin at our borders. Threats can originate from Kandahar or from cyberspace....As a consequence, NATO must build more partnerships and engage more with the wider world,' Rasmussen pointed out.
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11.: Two U.S. Drone Strikes Kill Nine In Northwest Pakistan

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Thu Oct 7, 2010 2:57 pm (PDT)

http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?232273

Pakistan Tribune
October 7, 2010

Nine killed in two drone attacks in NWA

MIRAMSHAH: Nine persons were killed in two separate US drone attacks in North Waziristan Agency on Wednesday, official and tribal sources said.
Four people were killed in yet another attack by the US drones on a house in Darpakhel Sarai in Miramshah town in North Waziristan Agency, on Wednesday. The house was hit by two missiles. However, government officials, as well as the Taliban sources, denied any loss of life in the attack, saying only four people were injured.

Officials said five US unmanned aircraft were flying over Miramshah and one of the drones struck a house with two missiles. A security official, who requested anonymity, said that four people had lost their lives in the missile strikes. He said a car parked inside the house was also damaged.

The villagers said they saw thick smoke rising from the house after the attack. Other government officials and militant sources denied any loss of life in the attack. Pleading anonymity, they said only four people sustained injuries in the attack and were taken for treatment to the Agency Headquarters Hospital in Miramshah town.

Taliban sources said that the drone fired two missiles at a room while the people, suspected to be militants, were sitting in an open area at the centre of the house. "They suffered multiple injuries and were shifted to the hospital after an hour. No one could enter the house as the drones continued to fly over the town for almost an hour after the missile strikes," said a local militant commander, who wished not to be named.

Meanwhile, five more people were killed in another drone attack on a house at Hurmuz village of the Mir Ali subdivision. Tribal sources said the unmanned spy aircraft fired two missiles and pounded a house owned by a local tribesman, Salim Khan Dawar. The house was located in the middle of a field near the Hurmuz village. There was no way to check the identity of the slain people.
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12.: Afghanistan: An Anniversary Few Celebrate

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Thu Oct 7, 2010 2:57 pm (PDT)

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-10/07/c_13546150.htm

Xinhua News Agency
October 7, 2010

In Afghanistan, an anniversary nobody seems to care
by Wang Yan

KABUL: In Oct. 7, 2001, U.S. and British forces launched the Afghan War with airstrikes and bombardment. However, exactly nine years after, few Afghans seem to remember, or care about the anniversary of the Afghan War, even though it brought about changes to the life of many Afghans, in a better way or the opposite.

On Thursday, no ceremonies were hosted by authorities to mark the anniversary. Local media gave brief coverage about what happened nine years ago, but reported extensively about a peace council seeking reconciliation with the Taliban and reported secret talks between the government and the hard-line militants.
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[N]ot all the Afghans see an improved life nine years after the war broke out. Some of them, whose life remains unchanged or even gets deteriorated, do not hesitate to express their disappointment.

In a dusty road in western suburb of Kabul, a peddler Nayem stood by his trolley and sold bottle beverage to passengers.

"Nine years ago, I was a peddler; now I am still a peddler," said Nayem. Nayem said he earned some 150 Afghanis (about three dollar) a day, but has to pay the rent for his house and trolley of 2,300 Afghanis (about 51 dollars) every month.

"Taliban were ousted, nine years has passed and I don't see any development and positive change in my country," he added.

Nine years after the launch of the war, the conflicts are still going on in many parts of the country. In western Kabul, some 800 refugee families, who fled their hometown in southern Helmand and Kandahar provinces because of the wars, have lived in a refugee camp of shaggy mud houses for almost three years.

Khoja, a former Helmand resident, is one of the refugees. All the eight members of Khoja's family have to live in two small mud houses without any window or furniture.

In one of the houses of only ten square meters, sheets and quilts were spread directly on the ground, while a few sacks were put aside at another corner with a bowl of leftover on the top.

Khoja said they had land and houses in their hometown before the war, but as the conflicts between foreign troops and Taliban militants escalated, they fled their hometown in southern Helmand province three years ago. Now, they have nothing.

To make a living, Khoja and his children have to do part-time jobs at construction sites, and earned some 150 Afghanis a day.

Sunken into despair, Khoja said the situation had not been improved and it is getting worse.

"Ten year ago, at least I could grow wheat or other kinds of plant, but now I am living in here in a cave," he said. "My family has eight members and most of time we don't have food."

"The current operations conducted by NATO will not bring any peace," he added. "For example if my children are killed in NATO bombings of course the next day I would joint Taliban."

"This war is likely not winnable unless they should separate insurgent from local population first," said Khoja.
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