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 War
and Terror
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April 2010
AN ATOL EXCLUSIVE
How Iran and al-Qaeda made a deal
Iran trumpeted the release of Heshmatollah Attarzadeh, a diplomat held by
militants in Pakistan for 16 months, as proof of Tehran's "dominance in the
realm of intelligence". The Iranians certainly got their man back, but Asia
Times Online investigations show that in the process they released al-Qaeda
prisoners and supplied weapons to a top Taliban commander allied with al-Qaeda.
- Syed Saleem Shahzad (Apr 29, '10)
Muqtada unleashes new, improved
army
Iraqi kingmaker Muqtada al-Sadr is positioning himself to become spokesmen,
defender and leader for the poor of Iraq. He's been working hard to transform
his Mahdi Army, filtering out the undesirables, to end street violence and
sectarian tension. Instead, the Mahdi Army will extend an arm to Sunnis and
Kurds, making sure that no prime minister is brought to power without the full
consent of Muqtada. - Sami Moubayed (Apr 29,
'10)
Peace that could happen (but won't)
The notion that President Barack Obama's "hardball" tactics on Israel are
anything new is as fantastical as the United States abandoning its strategic
and economic objectives and forcing Israel into concessions on a two-state
solution. Virtually the entire world may agree on the Palestinians' basic
rights, but the US will continue to blink as Israel rejects peaceful means and
continues its blockade of "the world's largest prison". - Noam Chomsky
(Apr 28, '10)
Showdown looms in North Waziristan
An uneasy truce is in effect between Taliban-led militants and the army in
Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal area. Islamabad continues to resist pressure
from the United States to launch an all-out offensive against what Washington
sees as al-Qaeda's command center. Al-Qaeda-linked militants have no desire to
keep the status quo, and their capture of a high-level peacekeeping delegation
could help the US get what it wants. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Apr 27, '10)
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
Yes, we could ... get out!
One wouldn't know it listening to the political rhetoric and media reports, but
the United States could withdraw all of its troops from Iraq and Afghanistan
reasonably quickly and painlessly. But unfortunately, whatever the
administration, the urge to stay has seemed a constant. Much like the famed
guest who came to dinner, broke a leg and wouldn't leave. - Tom Engelhardt
(Apr 27, '10)
Obama gambles on
deterrence
The language of the Barack Obama administration's Nuclear Posture Review
suggests that the nuclear option would deter an Iranian conventional
retaliation against Israel or United States military targets in the region in
the event of an Israeli air attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. The danger
with this is that Iran could go further in the direction of nuclear weapons
rather than give in. - Gareth Porter (Apr 26,
'10)
India's
anti-Maoist strategy under fire
India's lack of a coherent anti-Maoist strategy became all too evident this
month, when 76 security personnel were killed in an ambush. As debate rages,
New Delhi says all options are open in dealing with the Maoists, triggering
speculation that the government may deploy armed forces into the trouble zones,
a scenario that could have disastrous results. - Sudha Ramachandran
(Apr 26, '10)
AN ATOL EXCLUSIVE
Confessions of a Pakistani spy
Retired squadron leader Khalid Khawaja, a former Inter-Services Intelligence
official with close ties to militant groups, last month disappeared in
Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal area. In video sent to Asia Times Online by
an al-Qaeda-linked militant group, Khawaja tells how he was being used to
broker a deal between militants and the army, and how he duped a radical cleric
into being arrested. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Apr
23, '10)
The 'Ugly American' in Kabul
United States relations with the Hamid Karzai administration have sunk so low
that warring over the plans for an Afghan jirga (peace council) has
become an exasperating vanity contest. Inflicting political pain on Karzai is
an irresistible temptation for Washington, but in the process it fails to see
that another chance for national reconciliation is slipping away. - M K
Bhadrakumar (Apr 23, '10)
Red sirens in the Middle East
Syria and Lebanon see Israel's accusation that Damascus sent Scud missiles to
Hezbollah as an early warning of plans for a new war in the Middle East, and
say the charges are false since large missiles are useless to a nimble
guerrilla force. For their part, United States lawmakers have joined the fray
on Israel's side, calling the development a "spit in the face" after the US
recently reached out to Damascus. - Sami Moubayed
(Apr 23, '10)
US warms to strike on Iran
United States President Barack Obama seems to be rapidly warming to the idea of
a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities, even as Tehran's army
chief warns that no American soldier in the region will return home alive
should US forces attack. While war is not inevitable, Obama's track record
suggests that once he decides, he will abandon all reserve and act swiftly. - Victor
Kotsev (Apr 22, '10)
Pakistan, US undeterred by Afghan
setback
The recent withdrawal of United States troops from the strategic Korengal
Valley in the eastern Afghan province of Kunar is a result of the Pakistan
military not being able to defeat militants in the Bajaur and Mohmand tribal
agencies, which serve as vital militant bases in support of the insurgency
directly across the border. All the same, ties between the armed forces of the
US and Pakistan have never been better. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Apr 22, '10)
Philippine reds export armed
struggle
Alarmed by credible reports that communist insurgents from the Philippines are
providing training in guerrilla tactics to groups in India and Thailand,
Manila's spy agency has warned foreign diplomats of the still potent dangers
posed by the New People's Army. But the rebels' export of expertise hints at
entrepreneurialism aimed at keeping their armed struggle in business as their
own ranks decline. - Al Labita (Apr 21, '10)
Bomb attack bears al-Qaeda's
signature
In the months preceding the devastating attack on Mumbai in November 2008, a
number of bomb attacks took place in other Indian cities. This is a feature of
the operations of Pakistani Ilyas Kashmiri, the chief of al-Qaeda's military
committee. The low-intensity blasts in Bangalore at the weekend could be a part
of such a pattern. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Apr
21, '10)
Baghdad and the US-Iranian balance
Four months from the deadline for pulling US troops from Iraq, the question
persists on who will hold the country together. In the balance is not only
Iraq, and whether the mass of parties share a foundation on which to build a
nation and hold the loyalty of the armed forces, but also Tehran's sway over
factions that may keep on warring. - George Friedman
(Apr 21, '10)
Bhutto probe: More than enough blame
Eight police officers have been made scapegoats following a United Nations
report that cites Pakistan's military, intelligence and government for security
lapses - among other charges - over the assassination of former premier Benazir
Bhutto in 2007. The report's findings will add to the growing
military-political divide, while its suggestion that the authorities
investigate the al-Qaeda connection is likely to be ignored. - Syed Saleem
Shahzad (Apr 20, '10)
 SPENGLER
How radical Islam might defeat the
West: A reprise
Iran has succeeded in horrifying the supine West into submission to its nuclear
ambitions, as the specter of military confrontation is too terrible for the US
and it allies to bear. This sort of paralysis is what radical Islam reckoned
with from the outset. Don't say you haven't been warned.
(Apr 19, '10)
Yemen dithers as US hunts to kill
After defying a bid by the United States to hunt down and kill a US-born Muslim
cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki, the Yemeni government now says he is being pursued for
alleged links to al-Qaeda. The indecisiveness illustrates the dangers Sana'a
fears if it cooperates in a lethal strike against Awlaki, whom many see as a
preacher rather than a terrorist. - Oliver Holmes
(Apr 19, '10)
The Afghan solution lies in the
valley
The United States has withdrawn a small contingent of troops from the Korengal
Valley in the eastern Afghan province of Kunar, but it's an area President
Hamid Karzai would do well to secure, given the dynamics that played out there
in the late 1980s as Soviet troops withdrew. - Brian M Downing
(Apr 19, '10)
US backtracks on Kandahar shuras
The United States has moved away from a plan to seek the consent of local
elders before going ahead with a large-scale military operation in the Afghan
province of Kandahar scheduled to begin in June. Some of the elders have
already stated their preference to negotiate with the Taliban rather than
confront them in battle. - Gareth Porter (Apr
16, '10)
Terrorism: The nuclear summit's
'straw man'
For most of the world - particularly the Middle East and South Asia -
inter-state conflict presents a much greater threat of nuclear annihilation
than from terrorism. This week's security summit deflects from that more
salient problem of disarmament, setting up a straw man in its place. This is
because the atomic arsenals of the US's allies maintain a strategic balance
that is favorable to Washington. - Shibil Siddiqi
(Apr 15, '10)
US reaps bitter 'Tulip'
revolution harvest
The people's revolt in Kyrgyzstan threatens the investment the United States
has made in hopes of ensuring its military presence in the strategically placed
country, particularly at Manas air base. Coming as the end game in Afghanistan
slides into view and as the US accelerates its plans for strategic expansion
into Central Asia, the events in Bishkek - where much will depend on interim
leader Roza Otunbayeva - are most untimely for Washington. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Apr 9, '10)
Israel's spies jolted again
In the latest setback for Israeli intelligence, about 2,000 classified military
documents are said to have made their way into private hands. From the point of
view of security, this spells trouble for Israeli deterrence, and raises the
likelihood of an enemy attack. It might also make Israel itself more aggressive
in the short term. - Victor Kotsev (Apr 9,
'10)
US raiders hid killings, says Afghan
official
Afghanistan's Ministry of Interior says it accepts accusations from family
members of the victims of a February raid by United States troops that soldiers
dug bullets out of the bodies in an apparent effort to cover up the incident.
The US's top man in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, originally
appeared to agree with the investigating team's conclusions, but has since
changed course. - Gareth Porter (Apr 9, '10)
Pakistan's divide grows ever
deeper
Pakistan's parliament on Thursday voted to change the name of North-West
Frontier Province to Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, to reflect the ethnic Pashtun
dominance of the region. The militant-infested area - scene this week of a bold
attack on the United States consulate - typifies the deep divisions in the
country. These fissures, compounded by a weakened central government, will be
exploited by militants. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Apr 8, '10)
India sets sights on killer drones
The Indian Air Force is looking to buy a fleet of attack drones - unmanned
aerial vehicles, in 
military parlance - from either the United States or Israel. Moves to add up to
30 of the smart weapons to a force of five are likely to have gained momentum
after 75 policemen were killed by Maoists this week. Until now, India has not
admitted to having killer drones in its arsenal. - Siddharth Srivastava
(Apr 8, '10)
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ATol Specials
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Syed Saleem Shahzad reports on
the Afghan war from the Taliban side
(Dec '06)
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How
Hezbollah defeated Israel
By
Mark Perry and
Alastair Crooke
(Oct '06)
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Mark Perry and
Alastair Crooke
talk to the 'terrorists'
(Mar, '06)
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The evidence for and against Iran's alleged
nuclear weapons program
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Nir Rosen goes inside the Iraqi
resistance
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Nir Rosen rides with the 3rd
armored cavalry in western Iraq
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Islamism, fascism and
terrorism
by Marc Erikson
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For earlier articles go to:
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