Open Source Daily INTSUM: Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2005

[Airbornelawyer]

From Various Sources:

Middle East

Primary documents: National Strategy for Victory in Iraq (http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/iraq/iraq_strategy_nov2005.html), The White House, November 30, 2005.
Security incidents in Iraq, Nov 30 (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/KAM024637.htm) (Source: Reuters (http://www.alertnet.org))
Ongoing operations (http://www.mnf-iraq.com/releases.htm) – Miscellaneous releases from Multi-National Force Iraq (http://www.mnf-iraq.com/).
Ongoing operations (http://www.mnf-iraq.com/releases.htm) – Miscellaneous releases from U.S. Central Command (http://www.centcom.mil/CENTCOMNews/release_list.asp).
Iraq/US: Bush Rejects Calls for Iraq Withdrawal Timetable (http://www.voanews.com/english/2005-11-30-voa14.cfm) "President Bush says that setting an artificial deadline to withdraw from Iraq would send the wrong signal to allies and enemies of the United States. Speaking at the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland, Mr. Bush says U.S. forces will stay as long as necessary to complete the mission, and that he will listen to commanders on the ground to tell him how many troops are needed. He says if those commanders tell him more U.S. troops are needed, he will send more. But he says that as Iraqi forces assume more responsibility, U.S. forces will increasingly move out of Iraqi cities and conduct fewer patrols.…" (Source: VOA (http://www.voanews.com))
Iraq/Georgia: 23rd Battalion Depart for Iraq (http://www.mod.gov.ge/?l=E&id=48) "23rd Light Infantry Battalion of 2nd Infantry Brigade is leaving for Iraq. A departure ceremony has been held in Kutaisi Second Brigade today. 23rd Battalion is made up of 300 servicemen and includes one logistic and two combat companies. Georgian soldiers will perform peacekeeping mission in the city of Bakuba for the next eight months. 23rd Battalion will rotate the 1st Battalion personal staff now serving in Iraq. 1st Battalion of 1st Infantry Brigade will return to Georgia in December. During their mission in Iraq Georgian 23rd Battalion will be commanded by Major Giga Babunashvili.…" (Source: Ministry of Defense of Georgia (http://www.mod.gov.ge))
Iraq/Japan: Japan to extend Iraq troop mission by 1 yr-reports (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/T219756.htm) "Japan plans to extend a mandate for its troop dispatch to Iraq by another year and hopes to reach a final decision next week, Japanese media reported on Wednesday. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi faces a touchy decision on whether to extend Japan's dispatch of around 550 ground troops to Samawa in southern Iraq beyond Dec. 14, when the current mandate for their humanitarian and reconstruction mission expires.…" (Source: Reuters (http://www.alertnet.org))
Iraq/Poland: 2 Iraqi Army Brigade ready to take over Babil province (http://www.piomndcs.mil.pl/index.php?vhost=mndcs&akcja=news&id=542&limes=) "On November 29 the 2nd IA Brigade from Al Hillah has successfully accomplished the certification process. From 24 to 27 Nov military instructors from MNDCS have tested combat readiness of 2nd BDE IA HQ and subunits. The exam confirmed the 2 BDE is ready to plan and conduct military activities independently. It opens the way to hand over the responsibility for safe and secure environment in Babil Province from Coalition Forces to Iraqi Army units. From now 2nd BDE IA will plan and conduct independent operations within its AOR. The MNDCS support will be given only in emergency situations by providing QRF , MEDEWAC or air support. However, MNDCS military advisors and trainers will still monitor 2 BDE activities.…" (Source: Multinational Division Central-South (http://www.piomndcs.mil.pl/))
Yemen: Yemen clashes kill 15 Shi'ite rebels (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L30394880.htm) "Yemeni army tanks pounded Shi'ite rebel strongholds on Wednesday, killing at least 15 supporters of slain anti-U.S. cleric Hussein al-Houthi in the north of the Arab state, security officials said. They said the army launched the offensive early in the day near the northern province of Saada, adding that a series of clashes had erupted in the past few days.…" (Source: Reuters (http://www.alertnet.org))
Israel: IDF operation continues in Nablus (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1132475654476&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter) "An IDF operation in Nablus that began early Wednesday morning was continuing midday. Troops were surrounding a home in the Ras al-ein neighborhood where fugitives were reportedly hiding. The army confirmed that two of the fugitives had surrendered to troops, although the military could not confirm Palestinian reports that a third man, who was armed, had been wounded by troops in a gun battle. One of the men arrested was a member of Hamas, while the other man belonged to Fatah.…" (Source: Jerusalem Post (http://www.jpost.com))

South & Central Asia

Sri Lanka: Security Situation Report (http://www.army.lk/news/index.html). (Source: Sri Lanka Army (http://www.army.lk))
South Asia Terrorism Update (http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/detailed_news.asp?date1=11/30/2005) (Source: South Asia Terrorism Portal (http://www.satp.org))
Bangladesh: Bangladesh detains 22 after court bombings (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP170809.htm) "Police in Bangladesh said on Wednesday they had detained 22 suspected Islamist militants following suicide bomb attacks at court buildings which killed nine people.…" (Source: Reuters (http://www.alertnet.org))
Afghanistan/UK: UK troops face new Afghan challenge (http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4483876.stm) "Preparations are in full swing for an ambitious UK military deployment next spring to what is the country's number one drugs producing region. Several thousand soldiers and civilian advisers may end up being sent here in a plan aimed at strengthening President Hamid Karzai's government in this largely lawless province. Some additional troops will come from other European countries.…" (Source: BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/)). It takes the BBC about six paragraphs to get around to mentioning that the province in question is Helmand.
Afghanistan/Netherlands: US seeks to reverse Dutch doubts on Afghan mission (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L30760421.htm) "U.S. officials were due to visit The Hague on Wednesday to try to persuade the Dutch government to send more troops to Afghanistan as part of a NATO plan to expand peacekeeping amid increasing violence.…" (Source: Reuters (http://www.alertnet.org))

East Asia & the Pacific

Burma: Myanmar govt attacks ethnic villages, 1,000 flee (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/BKK173506.htm) "Myanmar troops have launched attacks on ethnic rebel villages near the Thai-Myanmar border, setting fire to homes and forcing 1,000 civilians to flee, a rebel leader said on Wednesday. Government forces raided six villages in Karen and Kaya states over the weekend, burning 100 homes and rice barns, Mhan Shar La Pan, secretary-general of the Karen National Union, told Reuters by telephone from his base in Myanmar.…" (Source: Reuters (http://www.alertnet.org)) – I see that Reuters defers to the Burmese junta and calls Burma Myanmar.
Burma: U.S. seeks Security Council debate on Myanmar (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N29178967.htm) "Washington pressed the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday to discuss "the deteriorating situation" in Myanmar after its military rulers extended the house arrest of opposition leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi by another year.…" (Source: Reuters (http://www.alertnet.org))
Philippines/Singapore: Manila wants to renew security ties with Singapore (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/MAN144745.htm) "The Philippine military wants to revive annual training exercises with Singapore as part of increasing counter-terrorism cooperation, the armed forces' chief of staff said on Wednesday. General Generoso Senga said the two Southeast Asian countries have been discussing ways to strengthen and deepen defence and military ties, including the signing of a status of forces agreement that would revive the annual war games.…" (Source: Reuters (http://www.alertnet.org))
Korea: New US envoy to Seoul not encouraged by N.Korea tactics (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SEO223519.htm) "The new U.S. ambassador to South Korea said on Wednesday he was not encouraged by the way North Korea was approaching an agreement to dismantle its nuclear programmes. In his first major address since taking the post, Alexander Vershbow also said Washington was concerned by friction between Seoul and Tokyo over the Japanese prime minister's visits to a war shrine.…" (Source: Reuters (http://www.alertnet.org))

[Airbornelawyer]

The Americas

USSOUTHCOM Headline News (http://www.southcom.mil/pa/News/AOR%20News/Today's%20News.doc) (Microsoft Word format)
Ecuador/Colombia: Ecuador police seize arms for Colombian guerrillas (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N29346468.htm) "Ecuador police seized an arms shipment and arrested an army sergeant suspected of being part of a ring that sold weapons to Colombian guerrillas, a police spokesman said on Tuesday. The weapons and ammunition were stolen from a military base in the capital of Quito and kept at the sergeant's home, according to the police. Among the seized weapons was a Soviet-made 120 mm cannon, an anti-armor rocket launcher and parts of an anti-aircraft gun.…" (Source: Reuters (http://www.alertnet.org))
Colombia: Colombian Officials Rescue 14 of 22 People Seized by Rebels (http://www.voanews.com/english/2005-11-30-voa5.cfm) "Colombian officials say security forces have rescued 14 of 22 people abducted by suspected leftist rebels in southeastern Guaviare state. Guaviare state police chief Colonel Angel Franco says the hostages were kidnapped Monday when the rebels set up a road block in a remote area near Guacamayas, about 280 kilometers southeast of the capital, Bogata.…" (Source: VOA (http://www.voanews.com))
Brazil: Brazil probe calls land invasions "terrorist act" (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N29219586.htm) "A congressional probe into rural violence on Tuesday called for farm invasions by landless activists to be declared "terrorist acts," marking a crushing defeat for Brazil's land reform movement. Lawmakers allied to the nation's farm sector put the proposal in the probe's final report over the objections of left-wing legislators. They had called for the prosecution of farm leaders suspected of forming armed militias to threaten and assassinate activists.…" (Source: Reuters (http://www.alertnet.org))

Africa

The Sudan: Darfur rebels injure 5 AU troops as talks begin (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L30423020.htm) "A splinter Darfur rebel group clashed with African Union monitors, injuring five soldiers, as the two main rebel groups began peace talks with the Sudanese government in Nigeria on Wednesday. It was the latest in a series of clashes involving the National Movement for Reform and Development (NMRD), a breakaway group demanding a seat at the Abuja talks where only two principal rebel groups are represented.…" (Source: Reuters (http://www.alertnet.org))
Ivory Coast: Ivory Coast's rebel leader proposes new peace plan (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L30191651.htm) "The leader of Ivory Coast's rebel movement has asked U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to help end a political impasse by drafting a new peace plan in which the two warring sides would share power. The world's top cocoa grower, split into a government-controlled south and rebel-held north by a 2002 civil war, is searching for a new prime minister to organise a presidential election by next October, as required by a U.N. resolution adopted last month.…" (Source: Reuters (http://www.alertnet.org))
Uganda: LRA rebels ask for peace talks with government (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/642ac049c85e91dc99bc19b46b689359.htm) "The rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has called for the resumption of peace talks with the Ugandan government, a call mediators say rekindles hope for a peaceful settlement of the 20-year civil war in the north of the country. The chief mediator in the on-and-off talks and former Ugandan minister, Betty Bigombe, said on Wednesday that LRA deputy commander Vincent Otti had contacted her and expressed willingness to resume talks with the government.…" (Source: Reuters (http://www.alertnet.org))
Somalia: IGAD calls for the lifting of arms embargo (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/cdf871573ada0ae60b850c8307633816.htm) "The subregional body that brokered Somalia's reconciliation process has called for the lifting of a UN arms embargo on that country to enable its transitional federal government (TFG) to establish security institutions. The council of ministers of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which met in the Somalia town of Jowhar, the temporary seat of the TFG on Tuesday, said Somalia had a legitimate government which should be allowed the create law enforcement agencies.…" (Source: Reuters (http://www.alertnet.org))
Somalia: Somali pirates release ship and 10 crew (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L3053867.htm) "Somali pirates have released a Kenyan-owned freighter hijacked nearly two months ago after traditional elders intervened, the owner of the ship's cargo said on Wednesday. The release of MV Torgelow, hijacked 52 days ago in Harardheere, 300 km (190 miles) south of the capital Mogadishu, means at least six other vessels are still held by pirates in Somalia, according to a maritime official. Piracy has become epidemic in the unpatrolled waters off the coast of Somalia, where at least 23 hijackings and attempted seizures have been recorded since mid-March.…" (Source: Reuters (http://www.alertnet.org))

Europe

Belgium: Belgium arrests 14 over links to suicide bomber (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L30455192.htm) "Belgian police arrested 14 people on Wednesday suspected of links to a Belgian woman who carried out a suicide attack near Baghdad earlier this month, a federal police spokesman said. Two of those arrested during raids concentrated in Brussels and Antwerp were Tunisians, three were Moroccans and the rest were Belgian nationals, the spokesman said.…" (Source: Reuters (http://www.alertnet.org))
Russia: Putin Calls For Joint Regional Efforts Against Threats (http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/11/C3D53CFA-957E-434A-9F89-2530E7D9758A.html) "Russian President Vladimir Putin today called upon members of a regional military grouping to join efforts in the fight against drug trafficking, terrorism and organized crime. Putin made the plea at a Moscow meeting of the defense and foreign ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (ODKB), a regional organization that is made up of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.…" (Source: Reuters (http://www.alertnet.org))
Georgia: Georgia Sees Russian Peacekeepers As Threatening Its Security (http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/11/C87AA373-C8C3-47BF-A189-6DE330ABD269.html) "Georgia says it considers Russian peacekeeping forces deployed in its breakaway republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia a threat to its security. The assessment is made in Georgia's national military strategy, which was posted today on the Georgian Defense Ministry's website after its recent approval by parliament.…" (Source: Reuters (http://www.alertnet.org)). And if you're really interested, the executive summary of the National Military Strategy of Georgia may be read here (http://www.mod.gov.ge/?l=E&m=3&sm=6).
UK: Anti-terrorist police seize man at motorway services (http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/core/Content/displayPrintable.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/11/30/nterr30.xml&site=5) " A 28-year-old man was arrested by armed police yesterday in an operation to disrupt a suspected attempt by Muslim terrorists to obtain firearms and ammunition. The man, believed to be a British national from east London, was held in the South Mimms area of Hertfordshire by officers from Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist branch and firearms squad, the Herts force and MI5.…" (Source: Daily Telegraph (http://portal.telegraph.co.uk))
Ukraine: Ukraine to join Southeastern European Defense Ministerial (http://www.eucom.mil/english/FullStory.asp?art=777) "Next week Ukraine becomes a member of a regional European security organization at a conference that U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will host here, a senior Defense Department official said today. …" (Source: U.S. European Command (http://www.eucom.mil/))
Bosnia: Bundesheer übernimmt Kommando über EU-Task-Force (http://www.bmlv.gv.at/cms/artikel.php?ID=2531) (Federal Army takes over command of EU Task Force) "Unter der Führung von Brigadier Karl Pronhagl übernimmt das Österreichische Bundesheer erstmals das Kommando über einen internationalen Militärverband. Ein Jahr lang leitet der 43-jährige Niederösterreicher die Task Force Nord, eine der drei Task Forces der EU in Bosnien-Herzegowina. Dort unterstehen ihm rund 1.650 Soldaten aus 13 Nationen. Pronhagl löst den finnischen Brigadegeneral Mika Peltonen ab. …" ("Under the leadership of Brigadier Karl Pronhagl, the Austrian Army has taken over for the first time command of the international military force. For a year, the 43-year old Lower Austrian will lead Task Force North, one of the three EU task forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Subordinated to him there are approximately 1,650 soldiers from 13 nations. Pronhagl replaces the Finnish Brigadier General Mika Peltonen.") (Source: Österreichisches Bundesheer (http://www.bmlv.gv.at))

[Airbornelawyer]

From the RFE/RL Newsline (http://www.rferl.org/newsline/):

Russia
RUSSIAN SECURITY CHIEF ACCUSES U.S. AND NATO OF CREATING INSTABILITY IN CENTRAL ASIA...
Russian Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov on 29 November accused the United States and NATO of causing tension in Central Asia, Russian news agencies reported the same day. Ivanov said the region is part of the zone of responsibility of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and is therefore of concern for Moscow. "What we see are practical attempts to interfere in the political life of new independent states under the guise of advancing democratic values and freedoms, by putting pressure on authorities via protest processes," Ivanov said according to mosnews.com and Interfax. "International terrorism and extremism in all their forms, the increase in the unlawful circulation of drugs, transnational organized crime and the reality of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction pose a serious threat for member states of the CSTO," he added. The CSTO, comprising Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia, held a meeting of its Defense Ministers' Council in Moscow on 29 November, "Kommersant-Daily" reported the next day.
...AND SAYS RUSSIA HAS NO PLANS FOR BASES IN CSTO COUNTRIES
Security Council Secretary Ivanov also said on 29 November that Russia has no plans to open any new military bases on the territory of CSTO member countries, RIA-Novosti reported the same day. He added the CSTO is "getting on its feet" and is "stepping up cooperation" with the Commonwealth of Independent States and has "started contacts with NATO" and the Eurasian Economic Community, the United Nations, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. "We are positive that cooperation with other organizations will help ensure our security," Ivanov said. Many analysts consider the CSTO an instrument of Russian foreign policy designed to prevent the further eastward expansion of NATO, RIA-Novosti reported. In other comments, Ivanov also warned Ukraine that technological cooperation between Kyiv and Moscow could be jeopardized should Ukraine join NATO, Russian news agencies reported the same day.
RUSSIA TO SUPPORT THAILAND'S CANDIDATE FOR UN SECRETARY-GENERAL
Russia plans to support Thai Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai in his bid to become the next secretary-general of the United Nations, Interfax and RIA-Novosti reported on 29 November. "Russia has reiterated its position on the next UN secretary-general in favor of the Asian candidate and took into consideration the candidacy of Thai Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai, who was backed by ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations]," a joint Russian-Thai statement, quoted by RIA-Novosti, said. The statement was released following talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Thai counterpart Khanthathi Suphamongkhon. Current UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's second five-year term expires in December 2006.
DAILY DOCUMENTS ALLEGED WAHHABI THREAT IN CENTRAL RUSSIA
"Izvestiya" reported on 29 November that Wahhabis are taking over the "largest Tatar town in Middle Europe," Srednyaya Yeluzan in Penza Oblast, and have assumed control over four of the town's seven mosques. Local authorities recently conducted a search of local mosques and found what they consider suspicious literature. The daily also noted the presence of more than 800 registered weapons in the town. The raion prosecutor Aleksandr Nalivaev considers the situation out of control. "There are three policeman for 10,000 people in Yeluzan," he said. "It is around 40 kilometers to the raion center. I wrote to the oblast Interior Ministry about the necessity of [establishing] a separate police department in Srednyaya Yeluzan, and the answer was that there were not enough resources. But who is going to take up the struggle against extremism?" According to the daily, Wahhabi mosques have managed to attract many of the town's young people.


Transcaucasus and Central Asia
EU ENDORSES GEORGIAN PEACE PLAN FOR SOUTH OSSETIA...
Meeting in Brussels with visiting Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli, EU Commissioner for Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana expressed support for Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili's most recent three-stage peace plan for South Ossetia, Georgian media reported on 30 November. Solana said the EU will actively participate in implementation of that plan.
...AS GEORGIA CONTINUES WAR OF WORDS AGAINST BREAKAWAY REGION
During his talks with NATO officials in Brussels on 28 November, Noghaideli claimed that Georgian special services have ascertained that large quantities of counterfeit euros and U.S. dollars are being produced on the territory of the unrecognized Republic of South Ossetia, Caucasus Press reported on 29 November. It is not clear whether he produced sample bank notes to substantiate that allegation. Several days earlier, the Georgian Interior Ministry accused top South Ossetian leaders of a variety of criminal offenses, including smuggling, arms trafficking, and abductions, but not counterfeiting. On 28 November, regnum.ru quoted South Ossetian Interior Minister Mikhail Mindzaev as rejecting those accusations, which he termed "insulting and provocative."
KAZAKHSTAN DENIES CLOSURE OF KYRGYZ BORDER
A spokesperson for Kazakhstan's National Security Committee (KNB) told "Kazakhstan Today" on 29 November that Kazakh border guards have stepped up patrols along the Kyrgyz border. Describing the measure as intended to prevent "the possible penetration into Kazakhstan of undesirable elements," the spokesperson specifically denied reports of a border closure. Quoting an unnamed spokesperson for Kazakh border forces, Kyrgyzstan's akipress.org had reported earlier the same day that Kazakhstan unilaterally decided on 28 November to close its border with Kyrgyzstan in the lead-up to Kazakhstan's 4 December presidential election.

Southwestern Asia And The Middle East
DISTRICT SECURITY HEAD KILLED IN SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN
The head of security in the Mizan district of Zabul Province and one of his bodyguards were killed and a police officer was wounded in an ambush on 28 November, the Kabul-based daily "Anis" reported on 29 November. Five suspects have been arrested in the case, the paper added. Mizan district chief Mohammad Yunos told AIP on 28 November that the Taliban were responsible for killing the security official, identified as Abdullah. Mohammad Yunos reportedly said that 15 people have been arrested in connection with the case. No one has claimed responsibility for carrying out the attack.
SWEDEN SET TO ALLOCATE MORE FORCES TO AFGHANISTAN...
The Swedish parliament decided on 29 November that Stockholm is prepared to send a total of 375 troops to Afghanistan for a two-year assignment, Stockholm's Ekot radio reported. The Swedish military is already planning to dispatch 200 new troops to Afghanistan. The 375 mark is the maximum number of Swedish troops that legislators have approved for deployment to Afghanistan, AFP reported on 29 November. Sweden currently has around 100 troops serving with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.
...WHILE NO SUSPECTS HAVE EMERGED IN DEADLY ATTACKS ON SWEDES IN NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN
It is still unclear who was responsible for planting the explosive device that killed one Swedish ISAF soldier and injured three others in Balkh Province on 25 November, Ekot radio reported on 29 November (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 28 November 2005). Swedish commander Haakan Syren said that Afghan authorities initially arrested six people in connection with the attack in Balkh, but those individuals were later released. The Swedish patrol was on a reconnaissance mission in anticipation of the deployment of additional personnel from that country when it was attacked. Balkh is not considered a neo-Taliban stronghold.