Alla inlägg under april 2014

Av loren adams - 11 april 2014 09:04

From the commander: the 949th personnel at Ft Hood are all safe. Lots of Soldiers do not have cell phone access. So we wanted to notify everyone we are all safe!!!!! 


 

Av loren adams - 11 april 2014 07:30

 

The Afghan intelligence – National Directorate of Security (NDS) said Thursday that the Afghan security forces arrested foiled 262 suicide attacks aimed at disrupting the elections.

NDS officials told reporters that the Afghan security forces arrested 262 suicide bombers during the military operations over the past one month. 

Afghan security forces also discovered and seized 65 vehicles packed with explosives, NDS officials said.

According to the NDS officials, militant groups including the Taliban group, Haqqani Network and Jindullah militants group were looking to disrupt the elections.

The officials also added that foreign spy agencies also attempted to disrupt the elections, however the Afghan security forces managed to successful ensure security due to increased cooperation and coordination among the security institutions, and cooperation of the Afghan people with the security forces.

Despite the security threats, the participation of the voters was higher and over 7 million voters participated in presidential and provincial council elections.

The anti-government armed militant groups attempted to carry out numerous attacks to disrupt the elections.

According to the defense officials, militants carried out 690 attacks across the country during the presidential and provincial council elections on Saturday.

Defense ministry spokesman, Gen. Zahir Azimi said Saturday that the attacks by militants included direct fire, rocket attacks, improvised explosive device (IED) attacks and suicide attacks.


Av loren adams - 10 april 2014 09:46

But let me to my story: I must own,

If I have any fault, it is digression,

Never leaving my Troops fo proceed alone, 

While I soliloquize beyond expression.

 

Av loren adams - 9 april 2014 13:15


 

Millions of Afghans have defied the Taliban and turned out to vote in the weekend's presidential election.

World leaders have praised the courage of Afghan voters, who cast their ballots in unexpectedly large numbers.

There is a sense of relief across Afghanistan as election day passed without any major attack, despite the Taliban's threat to do whatever it can to disrupt the poll.

"We are so happy that the election took place in a peaceful environment," says one local.

"There was good security around the country and everywhere was peaceful."

 

An estimated seven million Afghans voted; more than 30 per cent were women - a much better-than-anticipated turnout.

Afghan MP Shukria Barakzai is among leaders praising their people for defying the extremists.

"The way the Afghans were participating in the election - the turnout of the people in the polling stations, women and men in bad weather conditions, in an extreme high security threat - that was a fantastic slap in the face of enemy of Afghanistan," she said.

 

Counting the votes is expected to take six weeks.

It could be the start of a potentially dangerous period for Afghanistan at a time when the war-ravaged country desperately needs a leader to stem rising violence as foreign troops prepare to leave.

Voters are hopeful that results will be established quickly.

"We want the election result to be finalised in the first round," says one.

"Our people, government, and economy are very weak.

"If it goes to the second round, it will be a challenge for our security forces."

That challenge was underscored on Sunday in the northern province of Kunduz, when a roadside bomb hit a truck carrying ballot boxes as they were being taken to a counting centre.

Three people onboard were killed.

Thomas Ruttig, a veteran Afghan watcher with the Afghanistan Analysts Network, says one aspect of election day that is troubling are reports that many voting booths ran out of ballot papers.

"In recent elections have sometimes been the sign that there has been some tampering, which we cannot exclude," he said.

"Maybe also, if there's an unexpected turnout, the problem is that you don't have a voter registry in Afghanistan, where the people are linked to certain polling stations.

"So then people start driving around and looking for a polling station which still has ballot papers and so on."

The three main frontrunners to succeed Hamid Karzai as President are Abdullah Abdullah, Ashraf Ghani and Zalmai Rassoul.

If none of these candidates get more than 50 per cent of the vote, a run-off election between the two top vote-getters will be held later this year.

Av loren adams - 9 april 2014 11:39

Mountains and seas divide us, but I claim

No tears, but tenderness to answer mine;

Go where you want, to me you are the same---

A loved regret which I had to resign.

There yet are two things in my destiny,--

A world to roam through, and a home for me.

 

Av loren adams - 9 april 2014 06:41

 

Jens Stoltenberg, former prime minister of Norway, was selected as the next leader of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, putting him at the helm as the alliance faces a historic challenge.

Mr. Stoltenberg, who succeeds Anders Fogh Rasmussen, will take office Oct. 1, becoming secretary-general as NATO faces an array of new challenges in the wake of Russia's incursion into Ukraine.

There had been some discussion in the run-up to the decision about appointing a secretary-general from one of NATO's newer members in Central or Eastern Europe, given that many have belonged to the alliance for at least a decade, diplomats said. But Mr. Stoltenberg's credentials won him broad support. The only other major candidate was Italy's Franco Frattini, a former defense minister, officials said.

Mr. Stoltenberg is well-known to NATO leaders from his nine years as premier of oil-rich Norway. He became known on the global stage in 2011, taking a very public role in helping his nation recover from a terror attack staged by Anders Behring Breivik, who claimed the lives of 77 people.

The choice was announced in advance of a NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels next week that will focus largely on Ukraine.

"The Ukraine-Russia crisis shows need for continued strong [and] determined leadership," Mr. Rasmussen, a former Danish prime minister who had led NATO since mid-2009, tweeted after the announcement. "I've known Jens Stoltenberg for many years [and] know he's the right man to build on NATO's record of strength and success."

The Obama administration also hailed Mr. Stoltenberg's appointment. "As prime minister, he built Norway's military capabilities and actively contributed to NATO operations and political dialogue," the White House said in a statement. "We are confident he is the best person to ensure the continued strength and unity of the NATO Alliance."

NATO, created to contain the former Soviet Union, had been struggling to define its purpose in recent months, especially with the mission to Afghanistan winding down. But the Ukraine crisis has pushed the 28-member organization into the spotlight, given its role as a collective defense group with some members bordering and in proximity to Russia.

 

Speaking at a news conference in Oslo, Mr. Stoltenberg said that NATO had "once again proven its relevance in a critical situation in Europe.

"I believe very strongly that what we've seen in Ukraine just reminds us of how important NATO is and that the idea of NATO collective defense is just becoming even more important when we see how Russia is using force to change borders in Europe," he said.

Still, the alliance's immediate response to Russia's aggressiveness has been limited to actions such as ramping up air patrols over the Baltic region. Leaders from NATO countries are holding a summit in Wales in September to discuss the alliance's future, and PresidentBarack Obama is expected to underscore the need for solidarity in response to events in Ukraine.

Mr. Stoltenberg is known for his advocacy of causes such as fighting global climate change rather than as a military leader. But he has a reputation as a strong NATO supporter during his time at Norway's helm and is seen as a steady and pragmatic politician.

 

U.S officials believe that Russia is massing troops along the Ukraine border in possible preparation for an invasion. Meanwhile in Kiev, Ukrainian nationalists rallied outside parliament. Via The Foreign Bureau, WSJ's global news update. Photo: AP

"It takes a lot more strength to be patient than to be angry," Mr. Stoltenberg said in a 2011 book, referring to the challenges of keeping together a three-party coalition government.

Mr. Stoltenberg was known in his early years as a critic of NATO, but some analysts attributed that to his youthful participation in politics.

"In Norway you have a very strong culture of youth parties," said Erik Dale, a Norwegian and online editor for Bruegel, a Brussels-based think tank. "Sure, he could have been seen as anti-American or anti-NATO in his youth, but that was 30 years ago."

The appointment of Mr. Stoltenberg, a leader of Norway's center-left Labor Party for 12 years, comes after his government's swift decision to contribute six F-16 aircraft to the 2011 NATO bombing campaign in Libya, as well as the participation of Norwegian troops in Afghanistan.

Norway is also playing a significant role in the mission to dismantle Syria's chemical weapons program, which isn't a NATO operation, but nonetheless a major international security initiative.

Mr. Stoltenberg's experience in dealing with Russia was cited by diplomats as a last-minute sweetener to his candidacy. He negotiated a 2010 deal with Moscow on the Barents Sea, ending a decadeslong border dispute and opening the area for oil and gas exploration.

But like other European leaders, Mr. Stoltenberg has firmly criticized Russia for its incursion into Ukraine.

Mr. Stoltenberg, 55, the son of diplomat and former minister Thorvald Stoltenberg, became a government minister at 34 and prime minister at 41.

A terrorist attack in downtown Oslo and the summer camp of Labor's youth association on July 22, 2011, which left 77 people dead and destroyed several government buildings, heavily affected his tenure.

"The answer to violence is even more democracy. Even more humanity. But never naiveté," Mr. Stoltenberg said after the attack.

 
Av loren adams - 7 april 2014 11:51

 

I am fine here.. relaxing...  i have been kinda busy out here due to the election going on.

i have been teaching other younger soldiers.

But i will have to go soon and meet with some young officer...Teaching them skills on Map reading.
because we are leaving here soon...we need to teach them what to do.

Av loren adams - 6 april 2014 21:11

Vote counting is well under way in Afghanistan after Saturday's landmark poll to elect a new president.

More than seven million Afghans turned out to vote, defying Taliban militant threats to the poll.

The election marks the country's first democratic transfer of power.

It will take at least another week before the winner is confirmed. If none of the eight candidates gets more than 50% of the vote, Afghans will vote again in a second round.

But the BBC's Lyse Doucet in Kabul says many Afghans feel their country has already won by holding a relatively peaceful poll.

Turnout was double that of the last presidential election in 2009, despite major Taliban attacks in the run-up to voting and a cold, rainy polling day.

Long queues built up at some polling stations on Saturday


 
Complaints are now coming in about alleged irregularities, including shortages of ballot papers in some areas, but our correspondent says there is greater confidence in the electoral machinery than before and a hope that all the candidates will accept the result.

Electoral officials have urged patience, saying partial results could come as early as Sunday, but it is likely to be at least a week before a complete picture emerges.

More than 1,200 complaints had been received by the Election Complaints Commission (ECC) by Sunday morning, spokesman Nadir Mohsini said.

"Complaints include late opening of polling centres, shortage of ballot papers, encouraging of voters to vote for certain candidates and mistreatment of some election officials," he added.

Although there are eight candidates for president, only three are considered frontrunners - former foreign ministers Abdullah Abdullah and Zalmai Rassoul, and former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai.

Analysts say Dr Abdullah has fought a polished campaign, Mr Ghani has strong support among the new urban youth vote, and Dr Rassoul is believed to favoured by Mr Karzai.

Dr Abdullah, who pulled out of the 2009 vote before the second round amid allegations of irregularities, hailed Saturday's poll as a success. However, he complained that many voters had been deprived of their right to take part because of a lack of ballot boxes.

For some voters, a finger stained with identifying ink became a badge of pride - and defiance

The UN Security Council has issued a statement applauding preparations for the vote, and urging the candidates and their supporters to "respect the electoral institutions and processes".

Thijs Berman, the head of the European Union's election assessment team in Kabul, praised the courage of Afghan voters.

"This in itself is a victory over violence and a victory over all those who wanted to deter democracy by threats and violence," he said.

Mr Karzai, barred by the constitution from seeking a third term, said after polls closed: "Despite the cold and rainy weather and possible terrorist attack, our sisters and brothers nationwide took in this election and their participation is a step forward."

US President Barack Obama said in a statement: "We commend the Afghan people, security forces, and elections officials on the turnout for today's vote."

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statementement: "It is a great achievement for the Afghan people that so many voters, men and women, young and old, have turned out in such large numbers, despite threats of violence."

Nato military alliance chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the elections were "a historic moment for Afghanistan".

Nato has co-ordinated much of the work of foreign forces in Afghanistan - most of them US and British troops - in a mission that will end this year.

Meanwhile, the Afghan authorities say at least 13 suspected Taliban insurgents were killed on Saturday in separate American drone attacks in the east of the country.

In the first attack, seven militants died in the district of Ghaziabad in Kunar province, near the border with Pakistan. Later, after nightfall, six Taliban militants were killed in the same district.

The Taliban carried out several attacks on polling stations and security forces in Kumar province during the presidential poll on Saturday.

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