Tuesday, December 13, 2011 – Hezbollah militant group on Monday claimed to release identities of CIA officers working undercover in Lebanon.
The identities of the CIA agents were made public in a broadcast Friday night on a Lebanese television station, al-Manar.
The exposure creates new security risks for CIA officers in a country where American espionage operations had already been damaged by Hezbollah’s capture of a group of agency-paid informants.
Hezbollah MP Nawwaf Moussawi quoted by Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International LBCI said, “There are currently open meetings held by American intelligence agents in Lebanon in restaurants and nightclubs in Dbayyeh and Jounieh,”
Mr. Moussawi further added, among the agents are a doctor, a researcher and a journalist, and asked them to surrender to the Lebanese security services or to the resistance’s security apparatus.
A CIA spokeswoman said the agency would not comment on “spurious claims”.
CIA spokeswoman Jennifer Youngblood said, I think it’s worth remembering that Hezbollah is a dangerous organization, with al-Manar as its propaganda arm. That fact alone should cast some doubt on the credibility of the group’s claims.”
This comes as Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah earlier this year said, at least two of his group’s members had confessed to spying for the American intelligence agency but the claim by Hezbollah was denied by CIA.
The National Guard, the oldest component of the Armed Forces of the United States and one of the nation’s longest-enduring institutions, celebrates its 375th birthday today on December 13, 2011. The National Guard traces its history back to the earliest English colonies in North America. Responsible for their own defense, the colonists drew on English military tradition and organized their able-bodied male citizens into militias.
The colonial militias protected their fellow citizens from Indian attack, foreign invaders, and later helped to win the Revolutionary War. Following independence, the authors of the Constitution empowered Congress to “provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia.” However, recognizing the militia’s state role, the Founding Fathers reserved the appointment of officers and training of the militia to the states. Today’s National Guard still remains a dual state-Federal force.
Throughout the 19th century the size of the Regular Army was small, and the militia provided the bulk of the troops during the Mexican War, the early months of the Civil War, and the Spanish-American War. In 1903, important national defense legislation increased the role of the National Guard (as the militia was now called) as a Reserve force for the U.S. Army. In World War I, which the U.S. entered in 1917, the National Guard made up 40% of the U.S. combat divisions in France; in World War II, National Guard units were among the first to deploy overseas and the first to fight.
Following World War II, National Guard aviation units, some of them dating back to World War I, became the Air National Guard, the nation’s newest Reserve component. The Guard stood on the frontiers of freedom during the Cold War, sending soldiers and airmen to fight in Korea and to reinforce NATO during the Berlin crisis of 1961-1962. During the Vietnam war, almost 23,000 Army and Air Guardsmen were called up for a year of active duty; some 8,700 were deployed to Vietnam. Over 75,000 Army and Air Guardsmen were called upon to help bring a swift end to Desert Storm in 1991.
Since that time, the National Guard has seen the nature of its Federal mission change, with more frequent call ups in response to crises in Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo, and the skies over Iraq. Most recently, following the attacks of September 11, 2001, more than 50,000 Guardmembers were called up by both their States and the Federal government to provide security at home and combat terrorism abroad.
In the largest and swiftest response to a domestic disaster in history, the Guard deployed more than 50,000 troops in support of the Gulf States following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Today, tens of thousands of Guardmembers are serving in harm’s way in Iraq and Afghanistan, as the National Guard continues its historic dual mission, providing to the states units trained and equipped to protect life and property, while providing to the nation units trained, equipped and ready to defend the United States and its interests, all over the globe.
The National Guard, the oldest component of the Armed Forces of the United States and one of the nation’s longest-enduring institutions will celebrate 375 years on December 13, 2011. Watch to learn more about the history of the ANG and why they are so important today.
KABUL, Afghanistan —
Afghan troops have shot dead a would-be suicide bomber trying to approach the gate of a NATO base in the country's northwest.
Delbar Jan Arman, the governor of Badghis province, says Afghan security forces became suspicious of the man and killed him before he was able to detonate his explosives.
Arman says the attacker's explosives-packed vest detonated during the incident. He says no one else was harmed in the explosion.
Tuesday's incident occurred outside the base in Qalay-e-Naw, the capital of Badghis province, about 340 miles (550 kilometers) northwest of Kabul.
A mix of military and international civilians work at the Spanish-run base to improve provincial governance, services and infrastructure in the area.
Attack targeted civilians helping the Frontier Corps conduct a search operation to weed out terrorists.
By Nazar Ul Islam / AFP | Posted on Dec. 13, 2011.
Militants opened fire on Pakistani villagers on Dec. 13‚ killing at least five civilians and wounding another six‚ before fleeing to safety in the tribal badlands bordering Afghanistan‚ government officials said.
The attack took place in the Shalobar area of Khyber‚ part of Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal belt where the military is fighting homegrown militants‚ led by warlord Mangal Bagh.
“Five villagers were killed and six were injured‚” Syed Ahmad Jan‚ a senior government official in Khyber said. “Militants came in a pick-up and fired on the villagers who were standing on the side of the road‚” Jan added.
An intelligence official in Khyber said the villagers were helping the Frontier Corps (FC) dislodge militants‚ confirming that paramilitary troops had launched a search operation in the area on Dec. 13.
Elsewhere in Shalobar‚ seven people‚ including two children and three women‚ were wounded when a mortar shell slammed into their home‚ Jan said.
Al Qaeda-linked militants have carved out strongholds in Pakistan’s tribal belt‚ also a rear base for Taliban fighting U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
(Reuters) - Two U.S. Army helicopters crashed on Monday during training exercises at a Washington state military base, killing four aviators on board, the base said in a statement.
Brendalyn Carpenter, a spokeswoman for Joint Base Lewis-McChord, confirmed that "there was an accident" in the evening and that military police and emergency personnel were en route to the accident scene at the base near Tacoma.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends and loved ones of the soldiers involved in this tragic accident," said Major General Lloyd Miles, acting senior Army commander at the base.
"We will conduct a thorough investigation into this incident, and we will do everything in our power to support the families of the brave soldiers who died this evening," he added.
The base identified the aircraft involved in the crash as a pair of OH-58 Kiowa observation helicopters. Local television station KIRO 7 reported that the helicopters had crashed in Thurston County in a wooded training area, and that there were no survivors.
Temperatures at the base were around the mid-20 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday evening, and local media reported a likelihood of fog in the woods where the crash was said to have occurred.
(Reporting by Laura L. Myers, Editing by Cynthia Johnston)
KARACHI: More than 50 children and men were found shackled in the basement of a seminary off Super Highway on Monday night.
According to Malir SSP Rao Anwar, police raided Jamia Masjid Zakriya Kondali and recovered people whose ages ranged between 15 and 40.
The senior superintendent of police said they were drug addicts and the seminary`s administration was running a detoxification unit. A signboard at the seminary said that drug addicts were treated there.
Police said the inmates had been brought there by their families for treatment of addiction. However, keeping them in fetters was highly objectionable and illegal, the SSP said.
The caretaker of the seminary, Qari Dawood, fled, but three members of the management were detained, police said.
The place was raided after a television channel broadcast a report about the seminary, Mr Anwar said.
Several detained children told media personal at the seminary after their freedom that they used to be beaten up by the management of the seminary.
Most of the children were from Karachi while a few others were from Peshawar.
Monday, December 12, 2011 – Afghan police officials in northern Afghanistan on Monday said, more than 2 tons of explosives and ammunitions along with 50 various types of arms have been handed over to Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups (DIAG) by Afghan police forces which were recovered during the past 2 months from various parts of northern Baghlan province.
Northern Baghlan provincial police chief Gen. Asadullah Shirzad while speaking during the Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups (DIAG) arms handover ceremony said, the weapons and ammunitions were recovered from the militants by Afghan police forces in central Baghlan, Dahan-e-Ghori, Nahrin and Dushi districts, which will be handed over to DIAG today.
Gen. Shirzad further added, the ammunitions and arms includes 140 rounds of mortar missiles, 40 rounds of BM1 missiles, 7 rounds of RPG7 missiles, 4 boxes of heavy machine gun ammunitions, more than 40 Pakistani made pistols and various other types of ammunitions, which was handed over to DIAG.
According to Gen. Shirzad, no arrest has been made by Afghan security forces in respect of the arms and ammunitions and said, Afghan police forces have investigations in this regard.
In the meantime, residents of the northern Baghlan province welcomed the move by the Afghan police forces and urged for further actions to disarm other militant groups in this province.
According to police officials, this is the fourth time that Afghan security forces have handed over the arms and ammunitions belonging to irresponsible armed groups to Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups (DIAG) during the current year.
KABUL, Afghanistan - A combined Afghan and coalition security force discovered a drug cache in Maiwand district, Kandahar province, today.
The cache consisted of approximately 500 pounds (227 kg) of hashish. The hashish was destroyed on without incident.
In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout
Afghanistan:
South
A combined Afghan and coalition security force discovered a drug cache in the Panjwa'I district, Kandahar province, today. The cache consisted of approximately 200 pounds (90 kg) of marijuana. The marijuana was destroyed on site without incident.
A combined Afghan and coalition security force captured a Taliban facilitator during an operation in Dand district, Kandahar province, today. The facilitator traveled to and from Pakistan to provide insurgent groups with explosives and supplies for use in attacks throughout the region.
A combined Afghan and coalition security force conducted an operation in search of a Taliban leader in Daman district, Kandahar province, today.
The leader conducts attacks against Afghan forces in Arghandab and Khakrez districts and distributes explosives throughout Kandahar. The security force detained multiple suspected insurgents during the operation.
East
Today, in Sabari district, Khost province, a combined Afghan and coalition security force conducted an operation in search of a Haqqani leader. The leader conducts attacks on Afghan forces and coordinates the movement of bomb making materials throughout the area. Multiple weapons were confiscated by the security force and three suspected insurgents were detained during the operation.
A combined Afghan and coalition security force discovered a weapons cache during a routine patrol in Bagram district, Parwan province, yesterday. The find was based on a tip from a local civilian and included six rocket-propelled grenade rounds, one 82 mm mortar round, 11 RPG rockets and 13 anti-tank mines. All of the weapons were seized by the security force to be destroyed at a later date.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011 – Hezbollah militant group on Monday claimed to release identities of CIA officers working undercover in Lebanon.
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