Pakistan may be subjected to deeper US strikes in future
March 24, 2009
At present America is carrying on covert war in Pakistan in the unruly tribal areas. President Barrack Obama and his national security advisors are considering expanding the American covert war in Pakistan to the areas considered as Taliban power centre of Baluchistan, where top rebel leaders are presumed orchestrating attacks into southern Afghanistan.
According to the New York Times, in separate reports, groups led by both general David H Petraeus, commander of US forces in the region, and lieutenant general Douglas E Lute, a top White House official on Afghanistan, have recommended expanding US operations to reach the major sanctuary of the Taliban and other insurgent groups in and around the city f Quetta.
At present, the missile strikes being carried out by CIA-operated drones have been limited to the tribal areas, and never been extended into Baluchistan, a sprawling province under the authority of the central government. However, the US government fears that extending the raids would probably worsen tensions with Pakistan complaining that the strikes violate its sovereignty.
One senior administration official said:
“It is fair to say that there is wide agreement to sustain and continue these covert programs. One of the foundations on which the recommendations to the president will be based is that we have got to sustain the disruption of the safe havens.”
Nuclear-powered submarines loaded with nuclear weapons crash in Atlantic
February 22, 2009
British and French sub-marines carrying nuclear weapons recently collided in the Atlantic Ocean. The HMS Vanguard, Britain’s first Trident class nuclear-armed submarine, and the French Le Triumphant submarine collided, while traversing the ocean, suffering minor damage.
Defence Ministry of France issued a statement saying the ballistic missile submarines had been carrying out routine patrols when they collided.
“They briefly came into contact at a very low speed while submerged. There were no injuries. Neither their nuclear deterrence missions nor their safety were affected”.
A British official stated on the condition of anonymity, that there was no danger to Vanguard’s deterrent capability as it remained unaffected and at the same time there was no compromise to the nuclear safety. All the crew members are safe as none of them are injured.
France’s defence ministry echoed the same observation. The Vanguard capable of carrying up to 16 nuclear-armed Trident Missiles was towed back to submarine base in Scotland reported BBC. The Le Triomphant, though it suffered damage to a sonar dome in the front of the submarine, returned under its own power to its base on L’Tle Longue on France’s western tip.
Your water worries will vanish in thin air soon.
November 24, 2008
All humans worry about impending water shortage as a result of climate change. You can set aside the anxiety. Water shortage may soon be a thing of the past. Researchers have created a gadget that has the capacity to create drinking or irrigation water.
The gadget is appropriately christened ‘Water Mill’. A Canadian Company called, Element Four, a research and marketing development firm has developed the gadget.
The gadget using similar technology as that of a common dehumidifier condenses water vapour and purifies it. The Water Mill draws moisture out of the atmosphere, cools it and filters it, thereby providing a ready supply of drinking water.
Electric energy requirement is same as that used by three light bulbs. The production capacity of the Water Mill, is 12 litres of water a day and is capable of trapping up to 40 percent of the liquid content of the surrounding air.
The gadget costing £800 a piece, will be available in the market from February next year. The only snag is that the gadget is ineffective in areas with under 30 percent relative humidity.
World wide water shortage can easily combated by the use of Water Mill. Inventor Johnathan Ritchey said: “The demand for water is off the chart. People are looking for freedom from water distribution systems that are shaky and unreliable.”
The three feet wide gadget can procure you water at just 20 British pence per litre.
Extra British troops likely for Afghanistan
November 14, 2008
Up to 2,000 extra British troops will most likely be sent to war-hit Afghanistan probably next year, according to the BBC NEWS. Ministers are seriously considering to send an reinforcement to the country to meet a request from Barack Obama, expected from him after he becomes US president.
In talks, Afghan leaders have told Gordon Brown that more troops are needed. It emerged two Royal Marines succumbed in the south of the country. The last few days in Afghanistan have witnessed bloody fighting. At least 21 deaths – military and civilian – have been reported.
During a visit to London, Hamid Karzai, the Afghanistan’s President, told Brown all efforts were being made by them ‘to bring violence down’. The Afghan foreign minister had already urged Britain to dispatch more troops. Hamid Karzai told BBC News:
“The troops have been based in the very difficult part of Afghanistan. They have suffered, and have sacrificed their lives in Afghanistan. The Afghan people are indeed very grateful for what the country has done in Afghanistan.”
However, among Britons, there seems to be a rising urge to pull out. A new BBC-commissioned poll indicated nearly 70% of the people favoured recalling the troops.
Civilian UK ships must be protected against pirates
October 8, 2008
A senior Royal Navy commander has called for merchant shipping to use mercenaries so that they fight off the rising danger of piracy; this is at a time when a record number of ships are being hijacked – off the coast of Somalia, causing the cost of cargo insurance to rise.
The statement was made by Commodore Keith Winstanley. He believes that the situation has become serious. Time has come that civilian vessels need to be armed, he added. He stated private security firms deployed in Afghanistan or Iraq could be better employed.
If his plea gets adopted, it will be for the first time merchantmen will get significantly armed, since the Second World War. Cdre Winstanley, who commands 11 Royal Navy ships, felt greater efforts were required to prevent the surge in piracy.
He said, “We have never seen so many ships hijacked or crews held hostage. Now they are attacking as well as seizing vessels over 70,000 tonnes. There is an active debate about whether or not the shipping community worldwide employs armed security detachments at the moment. It is a measure that we are encouraging people to consider. This should be a business decision. It is going to cost money.”
British armed forces facing mental illness onslaught
October 6, 2008
According to The Sunday Telegraph, ex-servicemen’s charities have seen 53% mammoth increase in numbers of veterans seeking help since 2005, a rate that will probably “swamp” them within a few years. The official figures show that up to 2000 members of the armed services are being diagnosed every year with a psychiatric condition after serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The list of armed force servicemen is supplemented by former service personal that fought in earlier campaigns stretching back to the Second World War, coming forward for treatment after similar psychological problems, which have emerged years later some even after decades. It came to light that manic depression, mood swings, and drug and alcohol dependency are some of the major problems faced by the armed personnel necessitating treatment.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior MoD official revealed the magnitude of the problem. The officer said: “We are facing an explosion of psychiatric problems not just from serving military personnel but also from those who served in campaigns dating all the way back to the Second World War. It is a huge problem and something which requires a cross-governmental solution.”
The official’s statement found support Combat Stress, the ex-services mental welfare charity, which has seen an increase in the number of referrals of veterans rise by 53% since 2005.
Taliban evades tracking by British intelligence
September 15, 2008
Internet phones have come to the rescue of Taliban. While British intelligence rely on using the latest technology to track down Taliban activity, the militant group, in a bid to evade tracking, relies on internet phones to avoid detection in war-ravaged Afghanistan.
According to a report in the Daily Mail, militants are using ‘Spyke’, a popular software that allows free calls over the web, to communicate with cells across the country. The unknown source revealed:
“The trouble with this technology is that it is easily available but devilishly hard to crack. The technology can now be accessed on mobile Internet devices and the country’s cell phone network is expanding rapidly. In fact, M16 is finding it virtually impossible to intercept calls made via the Internet by the Taliban targeting British and US forces, as they are heavily encrypted.”
Sir David Pepper, the head of GCHQ, the British government’s top-secret listening post, revealed to the MP’s that Internet calls are ‘seriously undermining’ his organisation’s ability to monitor Taliban communications. To counter the vexed problem, both UK and US are investing considerable resources to crack the codes. The UK, the government is bent on promogulating legislation to force Internet service providers to log all web activity.
Technology certainly is a two edged sword!
Pakistani High Commissioner thinks US raids in Pakistan may provoke attacks in UK
September 15, 2008
Recent controversial raids against Taliban and Al-Queda militants on Pakistani soil by US-led forces can have far reaching consequences in the UK. The raids on the Pakistani soil may even spark terror attacks in the British capital, Islamabad’s envoy in London has warned.
According to Pakistan’s High Commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hasan, the US bombings had killed ‘hundreds of civilians, but had failed to target any al-Qaeda leader.
Hasan’s outspoken remarks are attributed to over five attacks in the past 10 days, including a ground assault in a village in the tribal belt bordering Afghanistan where 20 people were killed.
Outrage erupted in Pakistan over the US raids. Pakistan insists that those killed were civilians, including women and children. Claims and counter claims are going to be traded. Authorities will revert to all possible means to flush out disgruntled elements to curb terrorist activities as the latter do every thing possible to gain an upper hand.
The cat and mouse chase will go on, and it seems there is no immediate end in sight.
Spy dogs in war zones to cut down casualty rates
July 26, 2008
British Army Special Air Service team (SAS) is planning to parachute German Shepherds in Iraq and Afghanistan with the aim to curtail casualty rates. Dogs are trained to leap from planes at as high altitudes as high as 25,000 feet. The dogs will be wearing their own oxygen masks and will be strapped to SAS teams.
Once in the war zone, the dogs with masks fixed to their heads, will be sent ahead to seek out revolutionaries hide outs. Live TV pictures, beamed by the cameras back to the troops, showing ambushers, or showing enemy leader’s locations, will warn the troops of possible ambush enabling them to take timely actions. ‘Who Dares Wins’ regiment’s, scaling casualties will come down considerably due to the implementation of the amazing tactic.
According to SAS source, “The dogs will be exposed to very high levels of danger on these operations.” The operation requires the dogs to be used in a technique known as High Altitude Opening, requiring the dogs to jump as much as 35 kilometers from their targets and gliding towards them for up to 30 minutes. Hats off to the `jumping dogs` who stand and justify by the saying, `a dog is man’s best friend!`
God willing, if all goes well, UK troops will enjoy New Year at home
July 25, 2008
Prime Minister Gordon Brown indicated, as a result of improved security situation in the war-torn country, that British troops in Iraq might be withdrawn as early as next year
Brown, who was recently on a one day visit to Iraq, said, “Iraqi forces would soon take over the Basra airport, the main British military headquarters.”
According to Gordon’s plans, training and strengthening the Iraqi troops, will go a long way in achieving ultimate withdrawal of British forces. As per the promise made by Gordon Brown in last October, that by spring, troops will be cut down to 2500. About 4100 troops were stationed at Basra airport.
As per the report in The Observer, Brown however, made it clear that he would not “set any artificial timetable.” Surely not only the family of the troops but also all the British people will pray for early return of the troops, perhaps before the year end.
