USA preping for WAR with Iran.

...word has reached STRATFOR that the government is laying the groundwork to permit the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to be tapped. The SPR, which sets aside more than 700 million barrels of crude oil, was designed expressly to keep the country running in the event of a war in an oil-producing region.

Meanwhile, in the Mediterranean, the United States and Israel are conducting their largest and most complex bilateral ballistic missile defense exercises -- exercises that were uncharacteristically delayed by a week before they started.

SOURCE:


Gerald

Update:

The "counter-proposal" incorporating this ultimatum, which was conveyed by Iran's nuclear negotiator to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna Friday, cancels out the whole point of the plan offered, to reduce the level of uranium stocks usable by Iran for making a nuclear bomb. Tehran also called for more negotiations before Tehran delivered its final response.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, rotating presidency of the European Union, told AP that Iran's approach of "back-and-forth talks" were reminiscent of its "same old tricks."

Saturday, president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad issued a veiled warning: "We hope the negotiations continue and evil powers don't indulge in mischief because the Zionist regime and other domineering powers are unhappy with the talks," he said in an Iranian state TV interview: "Today, Westerners know that without engaging Iran, they cannot rule the world, because Iran… rules world public opinion."

SOURCE:

.

Pushtun War of Revenge Against Taliban

Genius work:


Potential Pushtun War of Revenge Against Taliban

Attacks on Pashtuns could trigger war of revenge: analysts
Daily Times, March 4, 2008

* Former Tribal Areas security chief says all institutions representing Pashtun society have been targeted
* Editor says situation could ignite tribal enmities

ISLAMABAD: A spate of suicide attacks by militants could spark a war of revenge among ethnic Pashtun tribesmen in the NWFP just as moderate, secular political parties appear poised for power, analysts say.

The militants want to destabilise President Pervez Musharraf, and convince Pakistanis his alliance with the United States is the root cause of conflict in the area.

For their part, Pakistan's Western allies want its new prime minister and government, once they emerge from the hung parliament, to provide the democratic legitimacy for the war on terrorism that Musharraf has been unable to engender.

"You may not question Musharraf's policy on terrorism, you may say it's all right but the point is nobody is ready to own this policy," said Talat Masood, a former general and security analyst.

"The greatest advantage of the civilian government will be that the policy will be owned by the people of Pakistan."

The remote Waziristan region has seen the worst of the violence over the past few years, in recent months hitherto dormant tribal areas have erupted in violence. At least 40 people were killed on Friday in a suicide attack in Swat during the funeral of a policeman hours after he was killed in a roadside attack.

On Sunday, another 40 people died and scores were wounded when a young bomber blew himself up as hundreds of tribesmen left a jirga, that had discussed how to restore peace in Darra Adam Kheil.

The army has been fighting militants in Swat since October, and just last week had claimed it had cleared all but a few pockets of resistance.

But attacks like a roadside bomb that killed 13 members of a wedding party, including the bride, on February 22, again in Swat, demonstrated the insecurity ordinary families are encountering. Analysts noted a "dangerous trend" towards attacks that struck at the heart of Pashtun society.

"These are direct attacks on Pashtun society," said Mahmood Shah, a former security chief for the Tribal Areas.

Institutions:"All institutions, which represent Pashtun society, the mosque, a wedding, a funeral or a jirga, they have all been targeted.

"They want to bomb the entire Pashtun society into submission."

Pashtuns, whose lands straddle both sides of the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, live to a code of honour, commonly known as Pashtunwali, that calls on men to take revenge if a family member is killed. The attacks on the funeral and the jirga could trigger inter-tribal feuds, in a region where guns are commonly referred to as "Pashtun jewellery".

Enmities: "This situation could ignite tribal enmities. This will create a very explosive and dangerous situation for the government," said Rahimullah Yusufzai, a newspaper editor and an expert on Pashtun affairs.

A moderate Pashtun party, the Awami National Party, won the most seats in the NWFP by trouncing religious parties and is likely to lead the provincial government in a coalition with the PPP, but if they fail to quell the violence voters will soon become disenchanted, analysts said. afp
SOURCE:

g

.

WAR and Anthropologist

U.S. deploys latest tactic in Iraq: anthropology
By Peter Graff

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - As David Matsuda tells it, he's probably the last person you'd expect to see in a U.S. military uniform climbing out of an armored vehicle in Iraq.

An anthropology professor from the East Bay campus of California State University near San Francisco, he's a self-described peacenik who opposed the war in Iraq, did his academic research in Guatemala and never carries a gun.

"I'm a Californian. I'm a liberal. I'm a Democrat," he says. "My impetus is to come here and help end this thing."

Matsuda is part of the U.S. military "Human Terrain Team" (HTT) program, which embeds anthropologists with combat brigades in Iraq and Afghanistan in the hope of helping tactical commanders in the field understand local cultures.

The program is controversial: the American Anthropological Association denounced it in October, saying it could lead to ethics being compromised, the profession's reputation damaged, and worst of all, research subjects becoming military targets.

Matsuda says the concern is based on a misunderstanding of what he has signed on to do.

"There's been a knee-jerk reaction in the anthropology community, that you've been co-opted, that you're a warmonger, like you're clubbing baby seals or something," he said. "I came here to save lives, to make friends out of enemies."

Soldiers in northeastern Baghdad -- an area transformed over the past year from one of the most violent parts of Iraq to one of the best illustrations of the security improvements of late 2007 -- say they are grateful for Matsuda's expertise as they make the transition from fighting to peacemaking

VIOLENT STRONGHOLD

"It's a huge asset," said Staff Sergeant Dustin "Boogie" Brueggemann who, as a tactical psychological operations specialist, has spent the past year trying to win hearts and minds in Adhamiya, until a few months ago one of the most violent strongholds of Sunni Arab militants in Iraq.

"The guys who were out with him were saying: 'Dr Matsuda's so smart!' Soldiers even on the lowest level now, we see the big picture just by listening to him talk," he said.

"He gave me so much information that had I known it a year ago I could have done things differently," he said. "He gave me a history of the Ubaidi tribe. A lot of people here are members of that tribe. I knew a little bit about them, but I didn't realize just how big they were."
( Interesting seems he has no OSINT capabilities, or he would have known. )

Further up the command chain, Lieutenant-Colonel David Oclander, deputy commander of the 5,000 soldiers of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division, said Matsuda had given a presentation on how Iraqis resolve conflicts that proved valuable in approaching Shi'ite clerics.

"The HTT has been a great help in making sure that when we dialogue with them, we dialogue with them in a way they understand and appreciate," he said.

Matsuda says he arrived at exactly the right time, when a sudden sharp decline in violence opened new opportunities for engagement in his unit's area.

The brigade is a classic example of last year's new U.S. strategy in Iraq that saw greater numbers of troops deployed to Iraq and more emphasis on interaction with civilians.

Before the troop buildup, the entire area of northeastern Baghdad -- including about half of the capital's population -- was covered by just a single battalion of about 800 U.S. troops who suffered some of the worst casualties in Iraq

SADR CEASEFIRE

Now the area is covered by the brigade's six battalions, including four combat battalions each covering separate neighborhoods as diverse as Sunni Arab stronghold Adhamiya and Sadr City, the giant Shi'ite slum of more than 2 million people.

In the past six months violence plummeted, as Adhamiya's Sunni tribal leaders turned against al Qaeda militants, and Moqtada al Sadr, the Shi'ite cleric whose Mehdi Army militia controls Sadr City, declared a ceasefire.

In December 2006, there were 450 killings in the area, mostly by sectarian death squads trying to drive rival groups out of their neighborhoods. There were just 15 killings last month, mainly by ordinary criminals, said Oclander.

On Saturday, Matsuda -- wearing a U.S. military uniform but unarmed -- spent two hours with soldiers from 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry lingering on a street in Adhamiya where a few months ago U.S. forces would have had to fight either in or out.

They meandered in and out of shops, bought falafel sandwiches and ate them on a street corner while playing with local children who already seemed to know their names. Periodically they knocked on doors and asked permission to come inside homes for a chat. They never turned down an offer of tea.

Most of local people were friendly, although they complained about a lack of electricity and their suspicion of the Shi'ite-led government and its security forces.

Matsuda said he had learned a lot that day -- about who was moving into vacant houses and who was renting them out, how a local clinic got its medicines, how shop owners were getting funding to reopen their shops.

"We have a window of opportunity here to make a difference for these people. We have to take it," he said.

(Editing by Andrew Dobbie)

http://www.theusdaily.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=273661&type=ScienceArch

http://snipurl.com/1z8gf

Loosing the Internet Security WAR

Top Ten Cyber Security Menaces for 2008

Twelve cyber security veterans, with significant knowledge about emerging attack patterns, worked together to compile a list of the attacks most likely to cause substantial damage during 2008.

Participants included Stephen Northcutt, Ed Skoudis, Marc Sachs, Johannes Ullrich, Tom Liston, Eric Cole, Eugene Schultz, Rohit Dhamankar, Amit Yoran, Howard Schmidt, Will Pelgrin, and Alan Paller.

Here's their consensus list in ranked order:

1. Increasingly Sophisticated Web Site Attacks That Exploit Browser Vulnerabilities - Especially On Trusted Web Sites

   Web site attacks on browsers are increasingly targeting components, such as Flash and QuickTime, that are not automatically patched when the browser is patched. At the same time, web site attacks have migrated from simple ones based one or two exploits posted on a web site to more sophisticated attacks based on scripts that cycle through multiple exploits to even more sophisticated attacks that increasingly utilize packaged modules that can effectively disguise their payloads. One of the latest such modules, mpack, produces a claimed 10-25% success rate in exploiting browsers that visit sites infected with the module. While all this is happening, attackers are actively placing exploit code on popular, trusted web sites where users have an expectation of effective security. Placing better attack tools on trusted sites is giving attackers a huge advantage over the unwary public.

2. Increasing Sophistication And Effectiveness In Botnets

   The so-called Storm worm (which was not really a worm at all) started spreading in January, 2007 with an email saying, "230 dead as storm batters Europe," and was followed by subsequent variants. Within a week it accounted for one out of every twelve infections on the Internet, installing rootkits and making each infected system a member of a new type of botnet. Previous botnets used centralized command and control; the Storm worm uses peer-to-peer control, so there is no central controller to take down. Additional variants have used messages with different subjects and improved the capabilities of the rootkit. In 2008 additional variants and continually increasing sophistication will keep this worm and other even more sophisticated worms near the top of any list of menaces.

3. Cyber Espionage Efforts By Well Resourced Organizations Looking To Extract Large Amounts Of Data - Particularly Using Targeted Phishing

   One of the biggest security stories of 2007 was disclosure in Congressional hearings and by senior DoD officials of massive penetration of federal agencies and defense contractors and theft of terabytes of data by the Chinese and other nation states. In 2008, despite intense scrutiny, these nation-state attacks will expand; more targets and increased sophistication will mean many successes for attackers. Economic espionage will be increasingly common as nation-states use cyber theft of data to gain economic advantage in multinational deals. The attack of choice involves targeted spear phishing with attachments, using well-researched social engineering methods to make the victim believe that an attachment comes from a trusted source, and using newly discovered Microsoft Office vulnerabilities and hiding techniques to circumvent virus checking.

4. Mobile Phone Threats, Especially Against iPhones And Android-Based Phones; Plus VOIP

   Mobile phones are general purpose computers, so worms, viruses, and other malware will increasingly target them. Google's recent announcement of "android" and the formation of the "open handset alliance" is a watershed moment for the mobile industry. A truly open mobile platform will usher in completely unforeseen security nightmares. The developer toolkits provide easy access for hackers. And hackers are taking note. The author of Metasploit, H.D. Moore, plans a mobile payload presentation webcast this month.
   
   Attacks on VoIP systems are on the horizon and may surge in 2008. VoIP phones and the IP PBXs have had numerous published vulnerabilities. Attack tools exploiting these vulnerabilities have been written and are available on the Internet. In short, the VoIP attack surface is enormous.

5. Insider Attacks

   Insider attacks are initiated by rogue employees, consultants and/or contractors of an organization. Insider-related risk has long been exacerbated by the fact that insiders usually have been granted some degree of physical and logical access to systems, databases, and networks that they attack, giving them a significant head start in attacks that they launch. More recently, however, security perimeters have broken down, something that allows insiders to attack both from the inside and from outside an organization's network boundaries. Insider-related risk (as well as outsider risk) has thus skyrocketed. Organizations need to put into place substantial defenses against this kind of risk, one of the most basic of which is limiting access according to what users need to do their jobs.

6. Advanced Identity Theft from Persistent Bots

   A new generation of identity theft is being powered by bots that stay on machines for three to five months collecting passwords, bank account information, surfing history, frequently used email addresses, and more. They'll gather enough data to enable extortion attempts (against people who surf child porn sites, for example) and advanced identify theft attempts where criminals have enough data to pass basic security checks.

7. Increasingly Malicious Spyware

   Criminal and nation-state attackers continue to refine the capabilities of their malicious code, expanding on flux techniques to obscure their infrastructure, making it even harder to locate their servers. Additionally, the recent Storm variants' capabilities of being able to detect investigators' activity and then respond with a flooding attack against the investigators will become more mainstream and even more powerful, protecting the attackers and making investigation more difficult. Tools will also increasingly target and dodge anti-virus, anti-spyware, and anti-rootkit tools to help preserve the attacker's control of a victim machine for as long as possible. In short, malware will become stickier on target machines and more difficult to shut down.

8. Web Application Security Exploits

   Large percentages of web sites have cross site scripting, SQL injection, and other vulnerabilities resulting from programming errors. Until 2007 few criminals attacked these vulnerable sites because other attack vectors were more likely to lead to an advantage in unauthorized economic or information access. Increasingly, however, advances in XSS and other attacks have demonstrated that criminals looking for financial gain can exploit vulnerabilities resulting from web programming errors as new ways of penetrating important organizations. Web 2.0 applications are vulnerable because user-supplied data cannot be trusted; your script running in the users' browser still constitutes "user supplied data." In 2008, web 2.0 vulnerabilities will be added to more traditional programming flaws and web application attacks will grow substantially.

9. Increasingly Sophisticated Social Engineering Including Blending Phishing with VOIP and Event Phishing

   Blended approaches will amplify the impact of many more common attacks. For example, the success of phishing is being radically increased by first stealing IDs of users of other technologies. Salesforce.com users were targeted for an "FTC complaint" phishing email. Monster.com users were targeted for a job offer phishing email. Even if it is non-targeted, event phishing is gaining in sophistication. Tax filing scams and scams based on the U.S. Presidential elections will be widely used this year, and many of them will succeed. A note with the subject "Hillary drops out of the race" or "Rudy and female staffer caught on film" could generate huge new botnets of people who are interested in politics, but may not have patched their systems fully. Add to those opportunities potential bogus fund raising sites and even political dirty tricks going digital, and you'll have an explosive junction of hacking and politics.
   
   A second area of blended phishing combines email and VoIP. An inbound email, apparently being sent by a credit card company, asks recipients to "re-authorize" their credit cards by calling a 1-800 number. The number leads them (via VoIP) to an automated system in a foreign country that, quite convincingly, asks that they key in their credit card number, CVV, and expiration date.

10. Supply Chain Attacks Infecting Consumer Devices (USB Thumb Drives, GPS Systems, Photo Frames, etc.) Distributed by Trusted Organizations

    Retail outlets are increasingly becoming unwitting distributors of malware. Devices with USB connections and the CDs packaged with those devices sometimes contain malware that infect victims' computers and connect them into botnets. Even more targeted attacks using the same technique are starting to hit conference attendees who are given USB thumb drives and CDs that supposedly contain just the conference papers, but increasingly also contain malicious software.

SOURCE:

XXXXXXXXXXX

From IntelFusion:
CIA reveals another reason to focus on Insider Threats

CIA Official: North American Power Company Hacked:

"We suspect, but cannot confirm, that some of these attackers had the benefit of inside knowledge," he said. "We have information that cyberattacks have been used to disrupt power equipment in several regions outside the United States. In at least one case, the disruption caused a power outage affecting multiple cities. We do not know who executed these attacks or why, but all involved intrusions through the Internet."

Protecting our nation's computer infrastructure is tough enough, and something that we haven't reliably accomplished yet, but how do you protect against the malicious acts of employees against their own companies? That's the domain of defense against Insider Threats. I have some ideas about that hard problem that I'm spending this week fleshing out.

From IntelFusion:

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Internet Security is falling Further behind in the security war, we are subject to more attacks, threats than ever before. And many of them untraceable with current technology.

G

.

Paradigm shift, war to police action.

Paradigm Intel: War status.
PARADIGM SHIFT:
There is some evidence that the struggle has or will switch from a "War"
to a "Police Action". After Iraq.

A "running hammer,( snipers and special squad )" and "burn ( Battalion; ready for air drop )" may be more effective, and put fewer troops in the field. Ability to hit "them" 24/7 with snipers and supper supported squad.

Snipers allow pin point, individual, targeting with almost no collateral damage. Engage them anywhere, anytime.

Drop in a squad of 4 to 8 in support of sniper teams.

The squad, like the CIA team that fought the WAR of Afghan, would have the backing and power of a battalion, and full air support, gunships, c-130, B-52's, drones, arty everything..
Snipers take out some Taliban and when the rest come after the snipers
use air power to take out rest of Taliban.

Taliban take over a town drop in 4 sniper teams backed by the special squad.
Start shooting Taliban: quit when they are all dead. Use the burn for blocking.

5 to 10 of these special squads with snipers could run the Taliban to ground.

Use the sniper teams as bait and grind al Qaeda and Taliban up.
Don't react to village take overs, chase them, switch from reaction to chasing.

They don't have enough forces to protect every village,
but do have enough forces to chase them 24/7.
Switch snipers and 'team' out every 12 hours.
Hot teams running them all the time.



Gerald

USA is facing maybe 20,000 terrorist world wide, minus guns for hire.
Afghan its a third of that at most, mostly farmers,
about half with any Military training, very little medical support.
Problems with addiction, poor performance and high turn over rates
internal fighting, language problems, payroll and food supplies and keeping morale up. Freezing and their leader is hiding in a cave.

They switched context, USA hasn't yet.

G
Is anyone checking the suicide bombers remains for drugs???

.

RED Alert

Recognition of a emerging Internet threat.

We have posted on the potential threat of Global WWW shut down, and have documentation of THREE attempts,

( The most significant attack in recent years came on Feb. 6, when six of 13 root-zone servers were slammed by an army of "zombie computers," which were compromised by hackers, the Cardozo Law School professor said at the think tank event....
October 22 2002 Nine of the internet's 13 "root DNS" servers are disabled in a massive attack by a bot herder advertising his services....
2006 Peer-to-peer communication protocols pass command of the botnet between compromised PCs to evade bot hunters. Automated retaliatory attacks start on anything trying to find or interfere with a botnet. IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, NO ORDER WAS GIVEN TO TAKE NODES DOWN. )

and the Estonia cyber attack, one of the worlds best protected systems.
(On May 9, the peak day of the attack, Estonian networks
were hit every second with an average of four million packets
of data, a huge amount. Directed from Russia.
Targets rose to the hundreds, then thousands; ranging from government
sites and banks to newspapers and universities.)


We have posted on the Chinese 750,000 bot net in USA, and the probability of more: billions of sleeping bots.
( The unknown attackers managed to access a non-classified computer maintained by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, China is suspect. AND "Two senior PLA Air Force colonels ( China )wrote "Unrestricted Warfare", presented here in summary translation, to explore how technology innovation is setting off a revolution in military tactics, strategy and organization. "Unrestricted Warfare" discusses new types of warfare which may be conducted by civilians as well as by soldiers including computer hacker attacks, trade wars and finance wars.")

We are all aware of the criminal RBN ( Russian Business Network ) and their ability for stealth.
( They have gone underground. I suspect the "new KGB" involvement, check the last 2 paragraphs here. )

And we are all aware of the very active criminal element on the web.
( Again this problem stems from the World Governments inability to deal effectively with Global Internet Crime, the current paradigm is to almost ignore it and prosecute cases of convenience. We tried helping surfers, tracking the perps, local cops won't do anything, or don't have jurisdiction, and when we did a big case and got them busted in Spain, they were out on bail next day, scamming again, we could watch them on Internet Cafe sec. cams. They were convicted, months in jail or Probation, and NO restitution for the victims. They were allowed to keep the money....
Now this criminal element has become Global and can threaten the Internet, and there is no Paradigm for dealing with them....
Awhile back we ran into 400 American Express CC for sale, with some free cards and info , we quickly notified owners or the FREE cards and American Express, their security offices in Chicago and NY, neither were interested in the other 400 cc. Do they make a profit from stolen cards?)

And the Terrorists desire to harm Western Civilization.
They are inexperienced and lack training but that is temporary.
We took down, al-jihan and burned the head hacker. ( out of Syria )
And burned the newest Islamic hacker. ( out of Saudi Arabia )

And the term of the Millenium, is "asymmetric warfare".
The USA is still playing catch up on asymmetric warfare, on many fronts as the target.

Dancho Danchev's Blog has some GREAT research on the developing paradigm for
asymmetric warfare on the WWW.

"Combating Unrestricted Warfare"
and
"Phishers, Spammers, and Malware Authors Clearly Consolidating"
and
China's Irregular Civilian Hacking forces

Our previous posts and these posts suggest a new WWW attack paradigm.

An financial alignment with or alliance with the criminal element and state sponsors or Terrorists.

It would seem it is just a matter of time.
The WWW is vulnerable.
There are motivated actors, stealthed and capable.
And we have limited time to prepare.

China maintains their hackers with a state stipend, and allows them independence, which provides plausible denieablity and some command and control. And they are not adverse to working with criminals.

Russia: will or has linked up with the RBN.

USA largely ignores its Civilian Irregular Troops, doesn't work with them and refuses any criminal connections to talent that is unavailable elsewhere. The creators of the Internet playing catch up. And one of the USA's biggest threats lives in a CAVE.

THE LACK OF OUT OF THE BOX THINKING, AND REFUSAL TO USE RESOURCES IS GOING TO COST USA AT SOME POINT.

"The first rule of unrestricted warfare is that there are no rules; no measure is forbidden. It involves multidimensional, asymmetric attacks on almost every aspect of the adversary's social, economic, and political life. Unrestricted warfare employs surprise and deception and uses both civilian technology and military weapons to break the opponent's will." Quote from Dan's site. Unrestricted Warfare Symposium Proceedings Book.

"Technology alone is never going to solve the IA problem. We have no informed national defensive strategy in this area. quote from above"

We have proposed a 3 part paradigm to help,

#1) an "Info WAR". and...
Expose al QAeda lies and their Bastardizing Islam in every village, world wide.
( no volunteers = no al Qaeda. ) And a push for World wide PC security.

#2) An info war and locking out all those with out PC security. Tested at the ISP level.
Lack of security could shut down the WWW, if an attack comes from a nation we can expect the administrators of the WWW to close that country off. PC Security is like car insurance, only more important. You HAVE TO HAVE IT. ( Security = no zombies ) OR at least turn off those without proper security in case of a internal bot attack.

And:

#3) A possible solution is a WWW police force with Internet Courts and powers of warrant and police powers to go after targeted computers and ISPs and players, world wide. Funded by fines, seizures etc.. This will require a treaty. They can go after the Bot masters using REWARDS and do it 24/7.


Gerald
Without funding we, IA will have to severely curtail activities in 2008.

.
UP DATE: 02.04.08
Is the Russian Business Network protected by the Federal'naya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti (FSB)?.

Paradigm Intel: Future of Terrorist sites: www WAR

Paradigm Intel: Future of Terrorist sites:

The most powerful and savvy media nation in the world is loosing the "info war"
to a man hiding in a cave in the Mountains, without access to a computer.

Currently the energy is towards shutting down the Terrorist web sites.
So far there hasn't really been a question of free speech and a good definition of a terroris web site.
Like porno I know it when I see it.

Every time we shut down a web site they loose some information, some data bases and some members.

They can email contact info and the sites new URL when they start a new site, but some mail will be lost to spam and some won't bother to sign back up again.

So as we take down the web sites we whittle away at their membership and fragment their groups.
Into more and smaller and smaller groups.

We get smaller concentrations of crazy.
Fewer crazys, and easier targets, harder to hide in a smaller group, and fewer resources to smaller groups.

Eventually they will migrate to servers in "enemy" countries.
At that point we need cyber forces with cyber arms.
The ability to "crash" a server, a web site, a web page even a post...
take it down and keep it down, with rootkit bots, dos bots etc.
And order physical,kinetic Ops against three dimensional addresses.
Web masters home in a theater of operations.


So we may have a paradigm to handle the Insurgents web sites.

But that misses the crux of the problem.
Recruiting is fruitless if they get no volunteers.
There is an on going battle on the Internet for minds and hearts
of the most influential and intelligent and wealthy Muslims. The ones with computers and Internet. One of their Victims.

USA has to develop a "Info WAR" capability.

When the cyber forces are recognized as valuable as troops in the field
then we can fight the battle for the hearts and minds of the Ummah the
demographic where the jihadists are recruited from.

The Islamofacisists have some of the most powerful motivators in human nature
at work for them; sex, the 72 virgins; testosterone, war, guns, explosives; religion, Bastardized Islamism:
hero's, Bin Laden: foreign adventure, a chance to break away from the parents, and obtain high family esteem.

A formidable repertory indeed. It works.

And USA is AWOL from the Info war for the most part.

The terrorist propaganda is bought and used by Western Press services and it does influence the American people.

What does a Info war trooper do?
He runs ops, simple ones, and confronts lies, and propaganda anywhere he finds it on the web.
He utilizes 2,000 well organised bots (combination spiders and search engine) looking for key words and phrases and reporting back results 24/7, this establishes a knowledge base to draw from and develop replies.
The aim is not to convert the hard core jihadist but to influence the "lurker" there are estimates that for every post there are 50 readers that never post (lurkers).
The lurkers are where the future recruits come from.
And the ones that USA wants to influence.

Each trooper should have one terrorist forum and one terrorist web site he monitors, tracks, responds to and reports on.
This is modeled on one of our associates, who is pro-Islam and vehemently anti-al Qaeda and anti-taliban, Bill at Infovlad
And ranked by their ability to respond to lies and propaganda, with cogent, logical replies, or even spin.
And the ability to call on help for replies or action situations, or bring down a server or web site.

Right now USA could use about 5,000 of these troops, using fast computers, and heavy ram and good security.
They have the potential to stop or cut down on recruitment, suicide bombers, even prevent operations.
Or track and engage the Internet enemy kinetically thru proxys.
Kill or arrest terrorist web masters when tracked to an IP, and physical address.

This kind of operation has the potential to severely reduce terrorist suicide bombers, volunteers.

Develop counter terrorist web sites, an "anti-al qaeda" web site, " anti-Taliban", Afghan and Pakti sites with USA videos, stories, and analysis and countering lies, false videos and terrorist spin posts. And info on USA support to these regions on a daily basis.

The score now is Terrorist about 4,000 web sites and forums vs USA zero, almost none. ( Except for the Civilian Irregular Forces. and they receive no funding, how about anonymous donations, put it in your budget. )

The capability is available we seem to be lacking in the will to engage.

Gerald
Anthropologist

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Follow up:
Current State and Future of Cyber Warfare:

Al-Qaeda has established the first effective cyber warfare division.
By a man hiding in a cave.
Their influence on the American elections and the Moslem ummah cannot be denied.

Their cyber division includes Command and Control, training, recruitment and a media psyops division second to none.

Their media arm is able to maintain moral in public view of heavy losses.

They have identified their demographic and pander to it very effectively.

They have mobile web sites on maybe 20 servers, use public servers to distribute their elaborate weekly terrorist magazines ( est. 12 ) and videos ( About 12 active outlets ).
On the Internet a hand full of key people and expenses taken out of pocket are winning the Info war against the worlds most savvy media nation. Cheap sucessful asymmetric warfare.

They have several fake news sites to distribute their propaganda.
And an all volunteer distribution network.

They have the ability to comment on real time events with in an hours time.

Their distribution network is public and its publications are in several languages.

The distribution network is hardened by redundancy, some files may be loaded to 40 or 50 public sites and files. The location and urls of these files are then distributed. The files are in multiple formats also.

Their hacking abilities are limited to a few sites with software downloadable for DOS attacks. ( Which we took down and burned the head hacker.)

While N. Korea and China have dedicated hacking forces functioning full time.

One of the counter tactics for their media operations would be saturation, flooding the 'market' with competing media targeted to the same demographic.

Since the Islamo fascist's cyber warfare tactics are intuitive they are predictable.

The USA Army's efforts have been limited to a few successful psyops programs and mostly academic analysis. And the Air force have some future plans based primarily in the future and security based.

Israeli efforts have been more extensive private initiatives based on OSINT distribution, analysis and some web defacement.

Our own efforts have been limited by funds and primarily BETA model operations. While our operations have been successful and had significant impact they have been low volume. Bill at Infovlad

The strongest weapon in the cyber army arsenal seems to be the
TRUTH, and huge distribution. These tools seem to have the most impact on public opinion.

The Israeli Lebanon war is a good example. While Lebanon suffered 3,500,000,000 USD in damages and Israel suffered $10,000 worth of pot holes to fill in, and Lebanon suffered 4,500 deaths and Israeli suffered around 400 deaths, Lebanon was viewed as the winner in the war from media efforts from the Islamo fascist's media arm.

In the future I envision the USA will have several battalions of cyber troops, each trooper with their own computer. Just posting to forums, news groups and news media sites presenting the truth and monitoring the internet for breaking news, spin and OSINT, WORLD WIDE and responding to same in real time. Posting in eight hour shifts around the clock on current events and most languages countering the Islamo fascist's lies, spin and propaganda. And a psycops core producing analysis, video, magazines and text for the posters.

Another division of hackers tracking their media computers and leaders, disrupting their command and control and influencing moral through PC crippling viruses.

There is a universal psychology operating on the Internet that tends to believe anything posted often and broadly enough is believed as the "TRUTH" ie if it isn't the truth it would be confronted. Kind of like if it is in the Newspaper it must be true or they would be sued.

I have seen this in operation on the internet related to a product where there was certain scientific proof the product was safe but was ruled against by the USA government based on the false info posted all over the internet, the false info was perceived as the truth without confirmation, over scientific proofs in their own studies.

This psychology is being used to great effect by the Islamo fascists on the Internet. Lies posted over a wide range of sites often enough, un-confronted are perceived as the truth by the public, Moslem and American.

And selective edited videos can be spun as the whole truth even though they are propaganda. As evidenced by the TV company that ran the story of the insurgent sniper videos as NEWS rather than as propaganda.

After all seeing, is believing. Even if the video is one sided and selectively edited to present a slanted view or just the partial story favorable to the insurgents. And this can and does influence the American public and our elections and the Moslem ummah.

Cyber warfare in the future will center on media wars and demographic battles. Which we are not even fighting now, we are loosing by default.
Both the Moslem ummah and the USA public are loosing and being influenced by un-confronted lies and propaganda on the Internet. Much of the public believe the terrorists speak for Islam, which will eventually have deafening and devastating blow back for the ummah.

While we could win the war and all the battles in reality, we could loose in the arena of public opinion and not be viewed as the victors encouraging future wars and insurgencies and a take over of Islam, and unfairly influencing American elections through successful propaganda all by default. The USA government and the ummah have a responsibility to answer these lies and propaganda to insure their own respective survivals.

Gerald
Anthropologist

UPDATE:12.13.07
.....effectively mining the Internet and other open sources for information. Such an
effort, it is suggested, also will enable the Community to achieve a better tactical
understanding of how jihadists use the Internet’s web-television capabilities, chat
rooms, and “news” sites, to train forces and raise money. Ultimately, these observers
suggest, the United States must develop the capability to understand and influence
foreign populations — “not in their council of states but in their villages and slums”
— if it is to effectively counter the threat posed by jihadists. In such circumstances,
it is argued, the information that should matter most to policymakers can be derived
from open sources.2
The debate over the relative value of open source information, compared to that
of classified data, is occurring at a time when the global information environment is
viewed by some as having reached a “post-modern” stage.3 In such an environment,
secret information may be less important than the combination of open source information, information sharing, computer networking, and an ability to sift and analyze a dizzying volume of open source information. Indeed, one former senior intelligence officer suggested that whereas the 20th century was the century of secrets, the 21st century may well prove to be the century of global information. If the Intelligence Community as a whole accepts and understands this change, according to some observers, it may gain an edge in confronting current threats, particularly those posed by terrorism.
SOURCE: CRS
.
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UPDATE ii; SAME DATE:

Success On The Playing Field

( Missing the paradigm, parens by Gerald)

This new Command's ability to wage cyberwarfare will be judged based on its success in three areas:
( while this development is crucial it is but a small part of cyberwarfare, the leading Paradigm of actual Internet WAR will be MAD, "Mutually Assured Destruction", many nation states and criminal gangs are on the verge of being able to bring down the www, which is a disadvantage to most everyone including the criminal element. The clearer best use of cyber forces will be in the "Information WAR" arena. Confronting the lies and propaganda spread by the Terrorist. All way down to the village level. The key new weapons will be easy convenient OSINT COLLECTIONS, and response to propaganda. )

• ( this will be a small reserve component ): Real-world experience and rapid (open source) innovation. Most, if not all, of this experience and innovation in cyberwarfare is gained through criminal activity. Innovation is a product of rapid cycles of competition with software vendors and computer security companies.
• Massive self-replication. Think in term of small teams (the smarter, the better) designing software that seizes control of tens of millions of computer systems through various forms of infection.
• Deniability. Nearly all of the successful operations conducted in offensive cyberwarfare will require deniability. Post-attack forensics must not point back to a government since these wars/battles will be fought in peacetime.

What This Means

Given these requirements, this new Command will likely fail (and badly). To provide contrast, the Russian Business Network (the RBN is a computer criminal syndicate responsible for an estimated 60% of online criminal activity), gets top marks in all of these areas. Here's a round up of what this means:

• Nation-states that protect or maintain close ties to computer criminal networks will gain advantages in emerging cyberwarfare capability. Early example: Russia's use of the RBN against Estonia and China's use of vigilante hackers for control of domestic dissent and computer espionage.
• US institutional cyberwarfare will create public embarrassments as it attempts to operate in this environment. This will generate friction with allied nation-states and run afoul of domestic privacy advocates. As a result, ROEs will tighten mightily (debilitating).( RBN has a very sucessful history of Deniability, no one knows who they are.)
  
• The Command will become almost exclusively defensive over time. It won't be able to innovate at rates even remotely comparable to the competition. As a result, its activity will likely devolve to the "active" defense of government systems (most corporations will stay with private security companies for support). Additionally, its scale will be only a small fraction of the competition's hundreds of thousands of contributors and its tens of millions of infected computers (it will be out-mobilized). ( disagree completely, a billion sleeper bots in reserve for MAD, is all that is required, the Internet infra structure its self will learn to deal with DDOS on massive scales for reasons of self preservation. Every Industrial nation in the world will join against any massive DDos on the WWW. This function will in time be nullified and obsolete. )
  

NOTE: Cyberwarfare, although nascent today, will become a major form of warfare in the next decade as computing power increases by 100 fold and computer automation creeps into every nook and cranny of the global economy. NOTE2: Much of this analysis/synthesis will also apply to the emergence of open source biowarfare in the next decade.

Posted by John Robb on Wednesday, 12 December 2007 at 07:58 AM | Permalink

( Gerald )
There are two considerations we are reviewing, one is the criminal element alone or coupled with a state actor, AND, the Deniability factor.
If the attacks are traced back to a state, then the practicability of the situation is it will be considered prima facia evidence of a state attack, and the state will be held responsible. As there doesn't seem any other way to successfully deal with the stealth factor.

Again this problem stems from the World Governments inability to deal effectively with Global Internet Crime, the current paradigm is to almost ignore it and prosecute cases of convenience.

Now this criminal element has become Global and can threaten the Internet, and there is no Paradigm for dealing with them.

Awhile back we ran into 400 American Express CC for sale, with some free cards and info , we quickly notified owners and American Express, their security offices in Chicage and NY, neither were interested. Do they make a profit from stolen cards?

The Estonia cyber attack suggest a workable paradigm,
If an attack comes from a state it is considered an attack by that government, and that governments reasponsiblity to stop it,
and is subject to counter attacks.

The basis for this threat stems from the number of unprotected computers connected to the Internet, which makes them subject to conversion to Zombies. In the future all IPS will be required to verify computer security before they let a computer connect to the Internet.
I estimate this will reduce the number of bot nets by at least 70%.
And remove most of the threat to the WWW.
Currently if there is a massive attack the only choice is to shut off that country, WWW node, off from the Internet.

A possible solution is a WWW police force with Internet Courts and powers of warrant and police powers to go after targeted computers and ISPs and players.




Gerald


.

Limited Progress in Afghan War

U.S. Notes Limited Progress in Afghan War

Strategic Goals Unmet, White House Concludes

( But we reported significant military victories, what happened?

A Quiet Triumph May be Brewing)

By Karen DeYoung

Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 25, 2007; Page A01

A White House assessment of the war in Afghanistan has concluded that wide-ranging strategic goals that the Bush administration set for 2007 have not been met, even as U.S. and NATO forces have scored significant combat successes ( as Internet Anthropologist forecast ) against resurgent Taliban fighters, according to U.S. officials. (About the Trap:)

"CLASSIFIED" OPS in Malawa valley

Tora Bora Goat trails and entrails

Tora Bora Bleeds Taliban, al qaeda

Tora bora, Malawa valley Intel. UPDATE

Taliban, dead, dead, dead and DEAD

EXCLUSIVE: Malawa valley Intel.

The evaluation this month by the National Security Council followed an in-depth review in late 2006 that laid out a series of projected improvements for this year, including progress in security, governance and the economy. But the latest assessment concluded that only "the kinetic piece" -- individual battles against Taliban fighters -- has shown substantial progress, while improvements in the other areas continue to lag, a senior administration official said.

This judgment reflects sharp differences between U.S. military and intelligence officials on where the Afghan war is headed. Intelligence analysts acknowledge the battlefield victories, but they highlight the Taliban's unchallenged expansion into new territory, an increase in opium poppy cultivation and the weakness of the government of President Hamid Karzai as signs that the war effort is deteriorating.

The contrasting views echo repeated internal disagreements over the Iraq war: While the military finds success in a virtually unbroken line of tactical achievements, intelligence officials worry about a looming strategic failure.

"There is a key debate going on now between the military -- especially commanders on the ground -- and the intelligence community and some in the State Department about how we are doing," said one Afghanistan expert who has consulted with the National Security Council as it continues to "comb through conflicting reports" about the conflict.

Why is Karzai grovelling? SMART?...

Musharraf says: reconciliation

Over the past year, all combat encounters against the Taliban have ended with "a very decisive defeat" for the extremists, Brig. Gen. Robert E. Livingston Jr., commander of the U.S. task force training the Afghan army, told reporters this month. The growing number of suicide bombings against civilians underscores the Taliban's growing desperation, according to Livingston and other U.S. commanders.

But one senior intelligence official, who like others interviewed was not authorized to discuss Afghanistan on the record, said such gains are fleeting. "One can point to a lot of indicators that are positive . . . where we go out there and achieve our objectives and kill bad guys," (Top Taliban Commander killed) the official said. But the extremists, he added, seem to have little trouble finding replacements.(Life of Abdullah Mehsud)

Although growing numbers of foreigners -- primarily Pakistanis -- are joining the Taliban ranks, several officials said the primary source of new recruits remains disaffected Afghans fearful of opposing the Taliban and increasingly disillusioned with their own government.

Durand Line, Talibans stealth Border, how they JOIN ( move the border )

Overall, "there doesn't seem to be a lot of progress being made. . . . I would think that from [the Taliban] standpoint, things are looking decent," the intelligence official said.

Senior White House officials privately express pessimism about Afghanistan. There is anxiety over the current upheaval in neighboring Pakistan, where both the Taliban and al-Qaeda maintain headquarters, logistical support and training camps along the Afghan border. But "in all honesty, I think it is too early to tell right now" whether political turmoil will undermine what U.S. officials already consider lackluster counterinsurgency efforts by Pakistani forces, the senior administration official said.SOURCE:

Taliban as Tribe

Taliban Map.

Map Afghan & Pakti: Musa Qala,

Nuristan-Kunar Corridor

Pitigal Valley, resort for Taliban leaders

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Middle East situation report ...

Afghan peoples fed up with Talbi

Swat opinion from Swat

Big risk, careful balance

At the moment, several officials said, their concern is focused far more on the domestic situation in Afghanistan, where increasing numbers are losing faith in Karzai's government in Kabul. According to a survey released last month by the Asia Foundation, 79 percent of Afghans felt that the government does not care what they think, while 69 percent felt that it is not acceptable to publicly criticize the government.

Although 42 percent remained optimistic that things are moving in the right direction -- slightly lower than in a similar survey in 2006 -- most of those who thought otherwise cited insecurity as the biggest problem, followed by poor governance and the economy. Just a year ago, security was cited as the biggest reason for optimism.SOURCE:

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The hearts and minds can only be won with an "Information WAR" and USA is MIA in this theater.

Our cyber army is missing in action

U.S. Efforts in Afghanistan vs Pakti, may help

Ray Robison UpDATE, Outlook

Gerald

.

Anthropologist Debate WAR

There is some discussion about Anthropologist in WAR.

You know my feelings.

But I think anthropologist should not fear the study of war, even from the inside.

I think anthropology has a moral obligation to help stop terrorist with our discipline.

Anthropology is strong enough to be applied to the study of war, as a participant observer,
no one says it would be easy, but when has anthropology been easy?

We need some observations from with in the Military by anthropologists.

What could be more useful in evaluating our contribution to War than participant observation, the basis of our discipline.



Gerald
anthropologist

Loss in Info WAR may loose Pakti

Excerpted: full articles at "Source" links.

Musharraf deployed units of the paramilitary Rangers throughout the capital on Saturday just prior to declaring the state of emergency. The constitution was suspended and replaced by a Provisional Constitutional Order. In an attempt to control the flow of information***, communications inside Islamabad were shut down--telephone service was interrupted, cable stations, and news organizations were ordered off the air***.

Musharraf then moved against Pakistan's Supreme Court, his primary political enemy over the past year. The Supreme Court building in Islamabad was quickly surrounded. Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and seven other justices declared the state of emergency "illegal and unconstitutional" and pleaded with the powerful army corps commanders, the military and civilian leadership, to reject the oath of Musharraf's new constitution.

Chaudhry, along with hundreds of political opposition leaders, lawyers, and members of the media have since been arrested. Aitzaz Ahsan, the president of Pakistan's Supreme Court Bar Association and an influential member of Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's party, was also arrested along with Hamid Gul, the formerleader of Pakistan's infamous Inter Services Intelligence agency and architect of the Taliban movement.

Upon hearing the news of the imposition of the state of emergency, Benazir Bhutto boarded a plane in the United Arab Emirates and landed in Karachi. Bhutto was met at the airport by police and was escorted to her home, which remains surrounded by government forces.

In his address to the nation, Musharraf cited the rise in terrorist attacks, the creeping power of Pakistan's Supreme Court, and an economic downturn as the reasons for taking such drastic action. "( NUCLEAR ) Pakistan is on the verge of destabilization," Musharraf declared. But the reasoning behind Musharraf's imposition of a state of emergency is more likely due to his weakening political situation, not the rise of Islamist militancy in the country.

( here we see it differently, if his political situation weakens he can't fight the Militancy of Islamists )

And to is unclear what effect, if any, the state of emergency will have on the sagging morale of the Pakistani military and police, which have performed poorly in the tribal areas of Waziristan and the settled district of Swat. Soldiers have been captured by the hundreds and surrendered or deserted by the dozens***. The Taliban has beheaded well over a dozen soldiers and policemen. The Pakistani military also boasts an inordinately high number of Pashtuns in its security forces, many whom are sympathetic to the Islamists***. Other Pakistani soldiers resent the thought of fighting what they perceive as an American war against their own citizens***.

Musharraf's control over the security forces will be tested over the coming months. It has been widely speculated that significant numbers of junior and senior military officers, as well as enlisted men, are covertly supporting the Taliban, and much of the Inter Services Intelligence agency is thought to covertly support the Taliban***.

In the tribal agencies and settled district of the Northwest Frontier Province, the government's writ is likely to diminish, not expand, as Musharraf attempts to consolidate his political control in Islamabad. Unless Musharraf opts to leverage the full weight of the military into the hinterlands of the Northwest Frontier Province, unenforced peace accords are likely to be the order of the day.

The court's decisions were prominently noted in Musharraf's speech to the nation. The court has ordered the release of over 60 al Qaeda suspects being held without charge. The court also ordered the release of all those detained in the assault on the radical Red Mosque in Islamabad, save Abdul Aziz, one of the two pro-Taliban leaders of the mosque.

Excerpted from: Bill Roggio edits the Long War Journal and is a contributor to THE WORLDWIDE STANDARD.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

On November 3, Pakistan's President Musharraf declared a state of emergency and martial law in Pakistan, suspending the Pakistan constitution, stating that Pakistan's ( NUCLEAR) sovereignty was at stake. This emergency declaration was made as the continuing growth of power and influence*** of the Taliban has turned the area of Swat into a mini-state within M Pakistan, as Pakistan army and police are surrendering to Taliban, and as the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. (NWFP) government has publicly offered to meet the demands of the Taliban to enforce Shariah throughout the Swat area.

....reports of growth of Pakistan Taliban armaments and tolerance of Taliban in major cities*** within Pakistan. This emergency declaration also comes less than a week after a suicide bomber attack near the heavily-fortified Pakistani Army HQ in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, which houses President Musharraf's office. Pakistan's internal security has been challenged in the past several months with a continuing series of suicide bombings and attacks, including one on Benazir Bhutto's convoy last month that killed 145 people.

....he put Pakistan under martial law based in part on "visible ascendancy in the activities of extremists and incidents of terrorist attacks, including suicide bombings, IED explosions, rocket firing and bomb explosions and the banding together of some militant groups have taken such activities to an unprecedented level of violent intensity posing a grave threat to the life and property of the citizens of Pakistan." In the declaration, Musharraf also stated that "some members of the judiciary are working at cross purposes with the executive and legislature in the fight against terrorism and extremism" and that "the police force has been completely demoralized*** and is fast losing its efficacy to fight terrorism and Intelligence Agencies have been thwarted in their activities and prevented from pursuing terrorists". Moreover, Musharraf stated that "some hard core militants, extremists, terrorists and suicide bombers, who were arrested and being investigated were ordered to be released" and "[t]he persons so released have subsequently been involved in heinous terrorist activities, resulting in loss of human life an property."

...In addition to this issue, the Musharraf government had differences with the Pakistan Supreme Court on "concessions" given to Lal Masjid (aka "Red Mosque") Islamist clerics. On October 2, the Pakistan Supreme Court ordered the government to re-open the pro-Taliban Lal Masjid mosque. On October 10, the Musharraf government filed a petition of review with the Pakistan Supreme Court "asking that the concessions given to the former clerics of Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa be withdrawn". On October 18, the pro-Jihadist, Islamist political organization Jamaat-e-Islami petitioned the Pakistan Supreme Court to move "against the deployment of the armed forces in the tribal areas".

While some view Musharraf's declaration of emergency to be a ploy to retain power, there remains a very real battle for the identity of Pakistan between Islamists and moderates, a battle in which the Islamists are gaining ground and influence in this nuclear nation. The Pakistan Taliban's goal of enforcing Islamist Shariah throughout Pakistan is one that a majority of Pakistanis would agree with based on recent public opinion polls.

The Pakistan Army has faced a series of humiliating defeats in recent days, with 48 soldiers surrendering to the Taliban on November 2, and 120 policemen and paramilitary soldiers surrendering to the Taliban on November 3. The surrendering Pakistanis were released after being paraded and announcing their surrender to the "mujahedeen". Moreover, the surrendering military have stated publicly that "[w]e did not want to fight these Muslim brothers who are striving for the enforcement of Islamic sharia"***.

Indian intelligence has reported mass casualties, desertions, suicides, discharge applications*** in the Pakistani military, which have been echoed in other reports of serious problems in the Pakistan Army by media sources Christian Science Monitor, Washington Post, and Newsweek, among others.

The September 2006 peace pact between Pakistan and the Taliban has allowed both the Taliban and Al Qaeda to regroup in Waziristan and carry out terrorist attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In August 2007, while President Musharraf was holding meetings with Taliban representatives, encouraging the Taliban to become a mainsteam political organization, the Taliban has continued to solidify a base in the North-West Frontier (NWFP) Province of Pakistan.

This NWFP base of the Taliban is centered in the Swat area, where the Taliban and Al Qaeda have created a mini-state within Pakistan, where pro-Taliban cleric Maulana Fazlullah uses FM radio*** to broadcast the Islamist ideology of the Taliban to the public. Pakistan Daily Times reports that Milt Bearden, a former CIA station chief in Pakistan, states that "losing Swat is shocking... the Pakistanis, and by extension the United States, have almost no control of events... I don't think anyone in Washington really gets it." The influx of 2,500 troops into the Swat area has not deterred the efforts of the Taliban. Pakistan Daily Times reports that Jihadist Abdul Samad states that he traveled in recent weeks to North Waziristan and recruited scores of militants to reinforce Fazlullah's followers in Swat. Samad says "It's not just in Swat or in Waziristan or in Bajaur. We are getting stronger everywhere in the area."***

On November 2, Pakistan Federal Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani stated that some Pakistani politicians were directly supporting terrorists, and that such individuals would be exposed. Durrani also stated that the government and the media needed to unite against the Taliban.***

However, the October 22 Christian Science Monitor reports, "the Taliban are viewed differently here than they are in the West***, not least because they are Pakistani. While the West sees an Islamist war against its liberties, many here see a US-led war against Islam itself. Voicing an opinion commonly heard on Pakistani streets, Mr. Gul says: 'This is a false war. People are not convinced that 9/11 was done by Al Qaeda.'"***

....On Friday, a bomb blast destroyed 14 shops in Peshawar market selling selling CDs, TV sets and music albums. Bombing of non-Islamist businesses and threatening the lives of non-Muslims if they do not cover to Islam is becoming a relatively routine occurrence in Swat and other parts of the NWFP in Pakistan.

Sources and Related Documents: November 4, 2007 - London Times: Pakistan in turmoil as 'martial law' imposed
November 3, 2007 - CNN: Pakistan under martial law
November 3, 2007 - Pakistan Dawn: Text of emergency proclamation
November 3, 2007 - Daily Telegraph: Pakistan State of Emergency - Timeline of the crisis
November 3, 2007 - The Hindu News: Musharraf declares emergency, sacks Chief Justice
November 3, 2007 - Pakistan Daily Times: Qaeda gaining ground in northwest
November 3, 2007 - AFP: Militants seize 120 police, soldiers in Pakistan
November 3, 2007 - ANI: Al Qaeda, Taliban exploited Waziristan pact to regroup: General Ehsan ul-Haq
November 3, 2007 - Pakistan Daily Times: Blast destroys 14 shops in Peshawar market
November 3, 2007 - Pakistan Daily Times: Martial law not acceptable: US
November 3, 2007 - UPI: U.S. commander meets Musharraf
November 3, 2007 - DPA: Pakistan considers Taliban rule in volatile valley
November 2, 2007 - Pakistan Daily Times: NWFP government sets up body on Sharia in Malakand
November 2, 2007 - Pakistan Daily Times: Talibanization increases prices of weapons in Darra Adam Khel
November 1, 2007 - Pakistan Polls and Growing Support for Islamism - Jeffrey Imm, Counterterrorism Blog
November 1, 2007 - AP: Pakistani militants show off captured soldiers in humiliating display for Musharraf government
November 1, 2007 - Pakistan Daily Times: 'Most Pakistanis oppose force against Qaeda'
October 31, 2007 - BBC: Pakistan militants firm on Sharia
October 31, 2007 - Pakistan Daily Times: Some Pakistan politicians are 'supporting' terrorism: Federal Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani
October 31, 2007 - Washington Post: U.S. and Pakistan: A frayed alliance -- As military efforts falter, trust suffers
October 31, 2007 - Times of India: Multiple conflicts bleed Pak army
October 22, 2007 - Christian Science Monitor: Pakistan's Army: Unprepared to tackle terrorism?
October 31, 2007 - BBC: Pakistan militants firm on Sharia
October 31, 2007 - Pakistan Daily Times: Some Pakistan politicians are 'supporting' terrorism: Federal Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani
October 31, 2007 - Compass Direct: Pro-Sharia rebels threaten Christians
October 30, 2007 - Pakistan Tribune: 8 dead in Pindi suicide blast
October 29, 2007 - Newsweek: Where the Jihad Lives Now
October 26, 2007 - Jihad, Islamism, and the Challenge of Anti-Freedom Ideologies - Jeffrey Imm - Counterterrorism Blog
October 19, 2007 - Pakistan: Bomb Attack - Attempt to Assassinate Bhutto - Jeffrey Imm - Counterterrorism Blog
October 18, 2007 - Pakistan Daily Times: SC moved against military action in Tribal Areas
October 10, 2007 - Pakistan Daily Times: Government to approach SC against Lal Masjid concessions
October 2, 2007 - AP: Pakistan's Supreme Court orders reopening of raided pro-Taliban mosque
September 17, 2007 - 9/11 and the Inconvenient Truths about Jihad and Islamism - Jeffrey Imm
August 13, 2007 - Pakistan President Seeks Mainstream Taliban - Jeffrey Imm, Counterterrorism Blog
Wikipedia: Waziristan Accord

By Jeffrey Imm Link

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The armed forces have in the past enjoyed the trust of the nation to an extent unimagined in many countries. It was once a common sight to read slogans like ‘Salute to Pak army’ inscribed on the back of private trucks and buses. There is need by the military’s higher command to undertake soul searching as to why it no longer enjoys the previous admiration and prestige***....

According to a newspaper comment, After a brief two-day lull, fighting in Swat has resumed. A further 20 people have died, and bodies have been exchanged between warring militants and paramilitary forces. The grotesque mutilations inflicted on some of the bodies underscore, in their own words, the intention of the extremists to send out a ‘clear-cut’ message. No immediate solution to the crisis is Swat appears to be in sight. Terrorised people, including women and children, have been seen fleeing the worst affected areas on foot. Others report being trapped in their homes for hours or even days. Whereas the much heard talk of dialogue and negotiation is probably well intentioned, it is worth noting that, in the past, similar talks have resulted only in clumsy efforts to appease the militants. This has happened both in Waziristan and at the Lal Masjid. Indeed, concessions made to Lal Masjid clerics early on in the sordid affair, granting them permission to reconstruct mosques, acted only to encourage them, accelerating the crisis and contributing to the bloody outcome which came several months later.

the the situation in Swat should have been tackled much earlier. The antics of Maulana Fazlullah, who astride his white steed, was known for setting out on missions to collect ‘donations’ in cash and jewellery from people, and preaching a fiery brand of extremist Islam which included opposition to education for girls, should never have been tolerated***. Yet, instead of addressing the issue head-on, the former MMA government, with administrative control over the Provincially Administered Tribal Area (PATA) opted for a flawed policy of accord. In exchange for permitting the polio vaccination drive in the areas of Malakand that he effectively controlled, Fazlullah was allowed to continue to operate the illegal FM ***radio station that he used to propagate his retrogressive, and indeed unlawful, message. In addition, as authorities turned a blind eye, he was also able to amass a considerable arsenal of arms, as the present fighting has shown, and raise an organised private militia of some four or five thousand men.

Permitting the coercive hold of Fazlullah to continue much longer could only have aggravated the situation, and worsened the plight of Swat’s people — who over the last decade have helplessly seen a major source of income — tourism — stolen away from them by the extremists. But armed action alone*** cannot, on a long-term basis, solve the problems of Swat. This can happen only when people everywhere in the country, especially in large urban centres that form the hub of decision-making and influence, take up the battle against militancy as their own. Till now, there has been a silent indifference to events in various parts of the country — and while this persists, there can be little hope of winning a battle that so far has pitched extremists against the state, with citizens remaining largely detached and somewhat disinterested***. For the violence in places like Swat to be resolved, this indifference must end before it is too late to win the ongoing war.

By

Muhammad Khurshid

November 2, 2007

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

*** = These all indicate the failure to initiate an Information WAR.
Again the terrorist are controlling the Information Paradigm.
Controlling the HEARTS AND MINDS.
What Pashtoon language Inatives Has the USA initated? USA is not feeding the truth to these minds.
And force alone will not win.
Talbi are lying to the Pashtoons, and they control the communications Paradigm, winning by default.

Gerald
anthropologist

Info WAR Grist:

Taliban SERVANT of al Qaeda

Middle East situation report ...

Taliban Sports, Kabul Stadium

Taliban's military plans

Pitigal Valley, resort for Taliban ...

Life of Abdullah Mehsud

Islam's abomination: in Allah's eyes

Toro Bora TRAP

Kidnappers beheaded in public by ...

"CLASSIFIED" OPS in Malawa valley

al Qaeda running Taliban NOW.

al Qaeda suckered the Taliban

12 YR OLD BEHEADS MAN

al Qaeda propaganda for Americans:

The ammo is there, it is not being used, USA, Pakti are loosing the "INFO WAR",

AND THE HEARTS AND MINDS.

( FOR IRAQ THERE IS THE GOOGLE TRANSLATION ENGINE, THE CIVILIAN FORCES

CAN PUT OUT INFO IN ARABIC....THERE IS NO PASHTOON TRANSLATION ENGINE,

AND THAT IS WHERE THE INFO WAR IS BEING LOST.)

VOA in Pakti, TV ???

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UPDATE: 05.20.09

Al Qaeda, Taliban have out-communicated the US: Hillary - Zee News

Our post was from 2007. G

.

.