Afghanistan....
The officials didn’t discuss the evidence in much detail, but the belief is that many of the attacks were timed to undermine the Karzai government, or in some cases to immediately follow up civilian deaths with a story to distract attention.
The SNC is demanding that the government sign off on US demands for a “transitional government” which doesn’t include President Bashar Assadbefore getting into any other details.
There’s still objection though, and it comes from Iraq’s political opposition. Iraqiya’s top Sunni politician, Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq, has hired a DC lobbyist to specific fight against selling arms to his government.
Afghan Officials: US Behind Some ‘Insurgent-Style’ Attacks
Attacks Meant to Draw Attention Away From Civilian Deaths
by Jason Ditz, January 27, 2014
The Karzai government has repeatedly taken the US military to task for killing large numbers of civilians in the occupation, but they may just be the tip of the iceberg, as Afghan officials say a case is being made suggesting the US has also engaged in “insurgent-style” attacks which were blamed on the Taliban.
The officials didn’t discuss the evidence in much detail, but the belief is that many of the attacks were timed to undermine the Karzai government, or in some cases to immediately follow up civilian deaths with a story to distract attention.
There is a fairly substantial list of “suspected” incidents, and incredibly enough it even includes the recent attack on a Kabul restaurant in the diplomatic district, though officials conceded there was no concrete evidence of that one yet, and its inclusion is based on timing.
US officials reacted to the report with anger, saying it “flies in the face of logic and morality,” though they have often reacted similarly to reports of civilian deaths in air strikes and night raids that are eventually proven.
Syria.......
Syria Talks End Early Over Regime Change ‘Impasse’
Govt Spurns US Demands Assad Not Be Involved in Future
by Jason Ditz, January 27, 2014
The Syrian government and the opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC) continue talks in Montreaux, but the question of regime change, which was pushed heavily by the SNC, seems to have stalled what little momentum the process had.
The SNC is demanding that the government sign off on US demands for a “transitional government” which doesn’t include President Bashar Assadbefore getting into any other details.
The Syrian government, by contrast, is saying that they believe the talks should begin without preconditions, and that international demands should not be driving the process.
Today’s talks ended early at the insistence of UN Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who said the tone was getting too confrontational for his taste. At the same time, UN officials say there is considerable interest in continuing the talks, though no obvious path of progress seems to exist on the matter.
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Iraq......
Clashes, Mortars and Gunmen: 63 Killed, 75 Wounded Across Iraq
by Margaret Griffis, January 27, 2014
The high casualty numbers of late held steady today thanks to the ongoing violence in Anbar. At least 63 people were killed, and 75 more were wounded.
Fighting and air strikes continued in Anbar province. In the Saqlawiya, two suicide bombers struck an army post, where they killed four soldiers and wounded 21 more. Security forces killed 27 militants during clashes in Falluja. Eight people were killed and 39 more were wounded in artillery or mortar attacks.
Elsewhere:
Gunmen killed four policemen and one Sahwa member, before beheading them inSamarra.
In Mosul, two policemen were shot dead. Gunmen also killed two soldiers. Security forces killed a militant leader.
In Baghdad, a shopkeeper was shot dead. Gunmen killed a captain in the Interior Ministry. An army major was killed and two soldiers were wounded in a small arms attack. Two civilians were wounded in a bombing in Doura.
Two people were killed in a blast at a Latifiya marketplace.
Mortars in Muqdadiya killed one person and wounded three more.
In Abu Ghraib, two soldiers were shot dead overnight.
Two policemen were shot dead in Baquba.
A man and his son were injured in Qesayba village during a mortar attack.
Gunmen injured two policemen in Tikrit.
Near Kirkuk, security forces killed two insurgents and wounded two more.
Iraq Opposition Leader Hires Lobbyist to Oppose US Arms Push
Senate Backs $6.2 Billion Attack Helicopter Deal
by Jason Ditz, January 27, 2014
Amid intense lobbying from President Obama as well as Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has removed its objection to selling 24 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to Iraq, nominally to fight al-Qaeda.
There’s still objection though, and it comes from Iraq’s political opposition. Iraqiya’s top Sunni politician, Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq, has hired a DC lobbyist to specific fight against selling arms to his government.
It’s an odd turn of events, but in keeping with the political realities on the ground in Iraq. Mutlaq is technically the second-highest ranked Sunni in the government, but Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi is living in exile because Maliki accused him of terrorism. Maliki has likewise leveled such allegations against Mutlaq himself, and there were major efforts to keep him from running at all in the last election.
The Senate objections to selling the helicopters centered around concerns that Maliki is persecuting the nation’s Sunni minority, and would be using the weapons he buys against them.
Though the objections have officially been removed, that concern remains very real, and the Maliki government is in the process of shelling the major Sunni city of Fallujah even as the deals are getting reached.
For the Obama Administration, selling arms has always been an end unto itself, but with Maliki showing hostile military intentions against the Sunnis and the Kurds, the sales are setting up Iraq’s next civil wars.
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