WASHINGTON, July 10, 2008 – The Senate has confirmed Army Gen. David H. Petraeus as commander of U.S. Central Command and Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno to receive his fourth star and succeed Petraeus as commander of Multinational Force Iraq. The full Senate confirmed Petraeus by a vote of 95-2 and Odierno by a 96-1 margin. Odierno is the Army’s 3rd Corps commander and served as commander of Multinational Corps Iraq for 14 months. The changes put Petraeus -- who implemented the U.S. surge into Iraq -- in charge of U.S. military forces in a dangerous part of the world. The command stretches from Pakistan to Egypt and from Kazakhstan to the Saudi Arabian peninsula. It includes the war in Afghanistan and, until Oct. 1, also includes control of Joint Task Force Horn of Africa based in Djibouti. Petraeus will take over CentCom after giving his assessment on the post-surge conditions in Iraq. The last surge brigade will leave Iraq at the end of this month. Petraeus called for -- and Defense Department leaders agreed to -- a pause before bringing the U.S. force in Iraq down any further. The decision on further withdrawals probably will not come until mid-September, and Petraeus will not leave the Iraq command until that is complete, officials said. In another general officer announcement today, the White House has officially nominated Gen. Norton A. Schwartz to be Air Force chief of staff and Air Force Gen. Duncan J. McNabb to succeed Schwartz as commander of U.S. Transportation Command, at Scott Air Force Base, Ill. Senate officials could not say when the confirmation hearings for the men would be. Biographies:
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates speaks with reporters at the Pentagon.
MG Michael Oates Iraq Briefing - 10 July 2008 MG Michael Oates, Commander of Multi-National Division-Center, and 10th Mountain Division, speaks via satellite with reporters at the Pentagon, providing an operational update.
Freedom Watch Afghanistan - 11 July 2008 - The latest from Operation Enduring Freedom showing the activities of American troops in country. Produced by AFN-Afghanistan.
Around the Services - July 10, 2008 - A new Middle East threat emerges as Iran fires off a set of missiles. The Pentagon reopens bidding on an Air Force tanker contract. Plus, Army doctors perform a miraculous procedure.
The commander of US forces in Iraq said on Wednesday that Iran was continuing to train militants despite Tehran's pledge to cut all support for the insurgency. General David Petraeus said he was uncertain if supplies of weapons flowing into Iraq from Iran was decreasing, but said that Iranian training of militants posed a serious threat to Iraq's stability. Asked whether Iran had stopped the flow of money and weapons into Iraq, Petraeus told reporters: "We honestly don't know, it is unclear. We do know that training (of Iraqi militants in Iran) has continued.
"It is at an important scale, because these are individuals with considerable skill who can train other individuals in Iraq. "It is a very unhelpful addition to the mix. We call it a lethal accelerant to a situation in Iraq that already has enough challenges."
US President George W. Bush said on Saturday after meeting Petraeus in Kuwait that Iran had to stop supporting the militia special groups that attack Iraqi and coalition forces. "Iranian agents are in our custody, and we are learning more about how Iran has supported extremist groups with training and lethal aid." Petraeus, on a visit to the Zurbitiyah border post which lies east of Baghdad on the frontier with Iran, said he was uncertain whether the level of weapons coming into the country from Iran was rising or falling. "The signature attacks that employ Iranian-provided weapons have decreased substantially," he told a small group of reporters. "The EFPs (explosively formed penetrators) had been running at a low level until about the first 10 to 12 days of this month, when we saw a noticeable increase but in the last several days they have gone down again. "We are uncertain if that was a trend or not, so we will just have to watch the scene for a while." "We are obviously hoping to confirm that the Iranians are living up to their pledges... to stop the funding, training, arming and directing of extremist groups in Iraq. Only time will tell." Petraeus was inspecting the border post at Zurbitiyah where coalition forces established a presence two years ago in a bid to stop weapons and insurgents from slipping into Iraq. New technology has been installed at the post to screen trucks, luggage and people.
The head of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, has expressed "grave doubts" that Iran has mothballed its nuclear weapons program as reported last month in the U.S. National Intelligence Estimate, reports Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. The U.S. report was blasted again last week by a furious President Bush on his visit to Israel. His anger was reinforced by an MI6 report supported by Israel's Mossad intelligence service. MI6 chief John Scarlett and Mossad leader Meir Dagan believe the U.S. report not only has undermined efforts to impose tough new sanctions on Iran but, ironically, makes a pre-emptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities more likely. The prospect of that attack came closer when Israel's new ambassador in London, Ron Prosor, said that Iran "will have enough uranium to make an atomic bomb by 2009." Proser is one of Israel's leading experts on Iran's nuclear program. Mossad and MI6 agents working under deep cover in Iran concluded days before Bush began his historic Middle East trip that Iran's 10 nuclear facilities were still fully operational, producing enriched uranium and bomb casings at Natanz and the other eight nuclear facilities. Meanwhile, Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin also reports that Countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council also apparently do not accept the findings of the most recent National Intelligence Estimate. The growing military threat from Iran is prompting Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates quietly to make significant increases in arms purchases. Iran's Arab neighbors remain concerned that Tehran would attack in response to a U.S. strike against its nuclear facilities. The Gulf nations already have given notice that the U.S. cannot use their bases to launch attacks against Iran.
Iran still training militants - Petraeus :By Bryan Pearson in London
THE commander of US forces in Iraq said during a tour of an Iraq-Iran border crossing that Tehran was still training militants despite its pledge to cut support for the insurgency. General David Petraeus said he was uncertain if supplies of weapons flowing into Iraq from Iran were decreasing, but that Iranian training of militants continued to pose a serious threat to Iraq's stability. Asked whether Iran had stopped the flow of money and weapons into Iraq, General Petraeus said: "`We honestly don't know, it is unclear. We do know that training (of Iraqi militants in Iran) has continued. "It is at an important scale, because these are individuals with considerable skill who can train other individuals in Iraq," he said. "It is a very unhelpful addition to the mix. We call it a lethal accelerant to a situation in Iraq that already has enough challenges." After meeting with General Petraeus last weekend, US President George W. Bush said Iran had to stop supporting the militia special groups that attack Iraqi and coalition forces. "Iranian agents are in our custody, and we are learning more about how Iran has supported extremist groups with training and lethal aid." General Petraeus could not say whether the level of weapons coming into the country from Iran is rising or falling. "The signature attacks that employ Iranian-provided weapons have decreased substantially," he told a small group of reporters accompanying him on his visit to the border post, which was lined with long queues of empty trucks waiting to cross to pick up goods on the other side. "The EFPs (explosively formed penetrators) had been running at a low level until about the first 10 to 12 days of this month, when we saw a noticeable increase but, in the last several, days they have gone down again. "We are uncertain if that was a trend or not, so we will just have to watch the scene for a while." General Petraeus was inspecting the border post at Zurbitiyah, east of Baghdad in Wasit province, where coalition forces established a presence two years ago in a bid to stop weapons and insurgents from slipping into Iraq. New technology has been installed from mid-2007 at the post to screen trucks, luggage and people and further upgrades are on the way, US commanders said. "It is one of the important border crossings which we have been putting a lot of effort into in the last six months," he said. "All the people, baggage, vehicles and cargo are searched so we do think it has a deterrent effect. And it has made it more difficult for illegal contraband to come into Iraq." The general spent time inspecting facilities at the desert-post, stopping to greet the long queues of Iranians crossing the border to reach Karbala for the three-day Shiite Muslim festival of Ashura. Up to one million pilgrims are expected to descend on Karbala in time for the climax of the annual rituals on Saturday. "Iraqis will be happy to see you; they need your trade," General Petraeus told one group of pilgrims. Speaking later at a stopover at a US military base, General Petraeus told reporters religious tourism from Iran, such as what is taking place this week, is very important to improving relations between the neighbours. "Not all Iranian influence is bad. There is nefarious Iranian influence and there is normal commercial activity, religious tours and academic exchanges. "We share the concerns of Iraqi officials about a neighbour arming, funding training and equipping its citizens who then carry out acts of violence." He could not give numbers of those believed being trained by the Iranians but said recent insurgents recently arrested had given a good insight into the extent of the operation. "Even small numbers can be very important because they are capable of training others in the use of very lethal munitions," General Petraeus said.
Iran speeding up development of missiles, head of U.S. agency says :By Karel Janicek : ASSOCIATED PRESS : January 16, 2008 More World news
PRAGUE, Czech Republic – The head of the United States' missile defense program sought Wednesday to bolster Washington's argument for anti-missile sites in Europe by warning that Iran has sped up development of long-range missiles. Facing tough opposition from Russia and increased skepticism from Poland, where the U.S. wants to place part of the missile defense system, U.S. officials are trying to convince the Europeans that program is crucial to guarding against an emerging threat from Iran.“They are developing missiles today in an accelerated pace,” Lt. Gen. Henry Obering said at the Foreign Ministry in the Czech Republic, one of the two European sites Washington has in mind. Obering, director of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency, said Iran was the third most active country in flight-testing missiles last year, behind Russia and China.“They're developing ranges of missiles that go far beyond anything they would need in a regional fight, for example, with Israel,” Obering said.“Why are they developing missiles today that ... will be possible to reach Europe in few years?” he asked.The U.S. is in talks with the Czech government about plans to place a missile tracking radar system at a base in a military area near Prague. Washington also wants to place 10 interceptor missiles in Poland as part of the defense shield.Iran recently announced that it has manufactured a new missile – the Ashoura – with a range of 1,200 miles, capable of reaching Israel and U.S. bases across the Middle East.“They also made statements that once you reached that range, getting beyond that is fairly easy,” Obering said.“Currently, there's no protection in Europe against the intermediate-range or long-range weapons,” he said. The Czech government has been receptive to the proposal. But Moscow argues that an installation so close to its border threatens Russia's security. Months of negotiations with Moscow and the U.S. insistence that the system is not aimed at Russia have failed to ease those worries.In another complication for Washington, Poland's newly elected government has responded cautiously to the plans and has sought consultations on the matter with NATO.Fearing the security risk that would come with having the interceptor battery on its soil, Poland has asked for U.S. aid to upgrade its own air defenses. Senior diplomats from both countries reported progress in those discussions Tuesday in Warsaw.U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried told reporters in Warsaw that Washington understands the concerns.“The Poles have made a sound case that missile defense can expose them to additional risks,” Fried said after meeting with the Poland's foreign minister. In Prague, Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said Czech and U.S. officials could sign a framework agreement in the next few months that “should open new possibilities for mutual partnership on missile defense, including research, development, design, testing, deployment, and support of an integrated ballistic missile defense system.”Obering said the U.S. has made “tremendous progress” in winning over NATO allies for the missile defense shield but acknowledged “frankly, less progress with the Russians.”
مردک خجالت بکش
مردم دارند از سرما تلف میشوند، فقر و گرسنگی و فحشا و فساد و اعتیاد و بیکاری در جامعه بیداد میکند و تو داری از فرهنگ عاشورا حرف میزنی؟ 30 سال است که چسبیده ائید به همین مزخرفات و تنها چیزی که براتون مهم نبوده همان سعادت ملت ایران است. ان چیزی که ما از فرهنگ عاشورای شما شاهد بوده ائیم فلاکت محض کشور بوده است و وقاحت و پر روئی بیش از اندازه شما ها. ان موقع خودمان گاز صادر میکردیم و حالا در سایه بی عرضگی و بی لیاقتی حکومت اسلامی تبدیل شده ائیم به کشور وارد کننده گاز و نفت. دست شما درد نکنه با این حکومت
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Light of the Aryans, the greatest lover of all
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Payandeh Iran - Sarfraz baad Iran e Novien
Death to the Islamic Republic of Idiots- the butchering fascist mafia's of Qom and Tehran
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AHURAMAZDA
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NU ROOZ E TON PEEROZE BAD
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