Israel tortures Gaza prisoners

GAZA, (PIC)-- The ministry of prisoners' affairs in Gaza has charged that the Israeli occupation authority was using cruel and internationally banned interrogation methods with detainees captured in Gaza during the Israeli onslaught.

The ministry, in a press release on Wednesday, said that the Israeli occupation forces took with them more than 200 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip after their withdrawal and subjected them to torture rounds in order to extract any information on resistance elements and places from where the homemade rockets are being fired at Israeli targets.

It pointed out that the prisoners were subjected to severe beating especially in the upper parts of the body, forced to sit in uncomfortable positions, deprived of sleep and forced to sit on children chairs while both hands and feet shackled in addition to violently shaking them and exposing them to extreme cold.

The ministry underlined that some of those detainees were moved to the Negev desert prison without any clothes, covers or other basic necessities, and noted that the IOA was dealing with those detainees as "unlawful combatants", which meant they had no rights and indefinitely detained without trial or specific charge or knowing the reason for their detention.

The ministry appealed to the Red Cross to inspect those detainees and to get a list of their names at least so as to ensure their relatives they are still alive and to deny the IOA the opportunity to tamper with their destiny. It noted that the IOF soldiers had executed tens of citizens after their arrest in the Strip's border areas and in Tal Al-Hawa suburb in Gaza city without posing any danger on the soldiers.

EGYPT SEES HAMAS AS "NATIONAL ENEMY"

Top Defense Ministry official: Egypt sees Hamas as 'national enemy'
By Haaretz Service and Reuters

Senior Defense Ministry official Amos Gilad said on Tuesday that Egypt views Hamas as a national enemy and a threat to its regime, and is now more willing than ever to fight against the ongoing smuggling of arms into the Gaza Strip.

"Egypt demonstrated extreme tolerance toward the Israel Defense Forces' activities [in Gaza]," said Gilad, who is Israel's top negotiating official on matters with Egypt. "Even today, Egypt is being very strict on Hamas and is not prepared to give the group anything - [including] the opening of the Rafah border crossing.

Gilad said that Egypt's determination against smuggling was unprecedented, saying even the international community has never demonstrated such willingness to curb the illegal flow of arms. Gilad said it remained to be seen whether these intentions would pan out, but he was optimistic that Israel and Egypt were on the same page regarding the smuggling threats..

"All of the understandings that Israel has forged with Egypt following the operation have a created a good basis," he said. "We will act directly with Egypt and make use of international forces."

"An attack like the one today will bring a response from Israel much larger than just closing border crossings and Hamas knows that. It is not in its interest to attack Israel.

Egypt warns EU against sending ships to patrol Gaza coast

Egypt warned European countries earlier Tuesday to think carefully before sending ships to patrol Gaza's coastal waters to prevent arms smuggling, saying such a move could have significant consequences on ties with Arab states.

The warning by Egypt Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit came after Britain, France and Germany offered to send warships to the Middle East to monitor and prevent arms smuggling to Gaza and to help consolidate a shaky ceasefire.

"In my discussions with European foreign ministers yesterday, I warned them and said: 'You must understand Arab and Muslim feelings,'" Aboul Gheit told a news conference, adding that if such a job was needed, the responsibility should be borne by Israel, not Europe.

"I urge you to look and consider this ... because it might have consequences in Palestinian and Arab relations with you," Aboul Gheit said, speaking after talks with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

The three European Union countries have sent a joint letter to the Israeli and Egyptian governments outlining their offer of naval support, according to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. They are also willing to help monitor border crossings in Gaza.

European officials stress their scope for action is limited while Cairo refuses to have a foreign presence on its soil to monitor the Egyptian end of a network of tunnels bringing in supplies - including arms, according to Israel - to Gaza.

Egypt, much criticised in the Arab world for cooperating in the Israeli blockade of Gaza over the past six months, has long been loath to allow any access by foreign troops to its own territory, fearing infringement on its sovereignty.

Aboul Gheit said earlier this month that Egypt would also not allow U.S. vessels to enter Egyptian waters to carry out anti-smuggling operations, and that any such operations should take place on the high seas.

That was after Washington and Israel signed a pact aimed at stopping smuggling that included technical assistance and the use of U.S. "assets" to prevent arms from reaching Hamas by air, land or sea, as well as deployment of vessels from NATO countries to prevent maritime smuggling.

France said on Friday it was sending a frigate carrying helicopters to patrol international waters off the Gaza coast as part of efforts to consolidate the ceasefire.

A statement from French President Nicolas Sarkozy's office said the surveillance, aimed at preventing arms trafficking by sea to Hamas-ruled Gaza, would be carried out in full cooperation with Egypt and Israel.

NATO: 3,000 US troops deploy near Afghan capital

KABUL, Afghanistan – Thousands of U.S. troops originally destined for Iraq have deployed south of Afghanistan's capital in the first illustration of a new military focus on the increasingly difficult fight in the South Asian nation, NATO said Tuesday.

Nearly 3,000 American soldiers with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Drum, New York, moved into the provinces of Logar and Wardak to the south of Kabul, the military alliance said. They will serve as part of the 55,000-strong NATO force in the country.

The latest deployment indicates the shifting focus in military operations from Iraq to Afghanistan, where the U.S. and its allies are trying to turn the tide of Taliban gains and prop up the government of embattled President Hamid Karzai.

President Barack Obama is expected to double the size of American troops in Afghanistan this year, as the country becomes one of his foreign policy priorities.

There are some 70,000 foreign soldiers, including 33,000 U.S. troops, in Afghanistan, the highest number since the Taliban were ousted from power in the 2001 U.S. invasion. The majority of the American troops, including the new brigade, fight under NATO command, which is headed by a U.S. four star general. The rest are part of 13,000-strong U.S. coalition.

Last year was the deadliest for foreign troops since the invasion, with 286 killed, up from 222 the previous year. NATO said two of its troops were killed Tuesday in the south.

The new brigade was originally slated to deploy to Iraq but was officially rerouted to Afghanistan in September, NATO said in a statement. It is not included in Obama's plan to send up to 30,000 more troops to the country.

Both provinces where the troops are deploying have become areas of near-daily insurgent activity and little government presence beyond provincial capitals and main roads, creating a sense of encirclement around the capital.

Vice President Joe Biden said Sunday that the world hasn't done enough to provide economic, political and military resources to Afghanistan and that the U.S. and its allies lack a coherent strategy. The result is a country backsliding into Taliban control, Biden said.

The focus of the brigade for the next year will be to help improve security in Wardak and Logar and help bring stronger government and better infrastructure to the local population, NATO said.

"Our first steps are to get forces out into these more populated areas and begin to interact with the people," Col. David B. Haight, the unit commander, said in the statement.

"Knowing the human terrain is as important as knowing the mountainous terrain surrounding our forward operating bases." Haight said.

Underscoring daily violence that afflicts the country, NATO said two of its troops were killed in southern Afghanistan, which is the center of the Taliban-led insurgency.

The military alliance did not provide the troops' nationalities or any other details on the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

In the same region, five Taliban fighters were killed in an overnight gunbattle with Afghan and international forces, said provincial police chief Assadullah Sherzad. There were no casualties among Afghan and foreign troops.

Southern Afghanistan is the center of the Taliban-led insurgency, which has spread over the last three years in many areas of the country. As part of their resurgence, militants have increasingly relied on roadside bombs in their campaign against Afghan and foreign forces.

A roadside bomb struck a police patrol and wounded two officers on Tuesday in southern Kandahar province. The bomb went off in the center of Kandahar city, the provincial capital, said provincial Police Chief Matiullah Khan Qateh.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan's Interior Ministry said three civilians were killed late Monday in eastern Nangarhar province when their minivan was hit by a remote-controlled bomb blast.

___

Associated Press writer Noor Khan in Kandahar contributed to this report from Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Israeli Soldiers Began Screaming

Now that the guns have fallen silent, Palestinian resistance fighters are finally getting a chance to give their account of what happened during 22 days of Israeli attacks.

In exclusive interviews with IslamOnline.net, members and leaders of Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, talked about some of their best resistance operations.

Date: January 5, 2009.

Location: Mount Al-Rayes, Al-Touffah neighborhood, Gaza City

Scene I :

Israeli tanks and armors roll through a passage near Mount Al-Rayes. Warplanes pound the area to allow Israeli armors to advance.

"We began executing our previously-prepared plan once the Israeli tanks began moving into the passage," said a Qassam fighter, who only gave the initials of his name as H.S.

Under the plan, Palestinian fighters discuss over their walky-talkies how that all routes are being manned by them expect one particular passage. "We know that the Israelis were listening and would fall into the trap of moving their troops into that passage," explains H.S.

Israeli jets began blitzing the area with missiles and smoke bombs to clear the way before the troops move in.

Then, a ten-tank convoy and four personnel carriers began advancing. "They moved very slowly and cautiously," recalls the Qassam fighter.

"Then special forces began coming out of the personnel carriers, passing by the first group of our fighters without noticing them.

"Then one of our fighter detonated anti-personnel and anti-armor mines," he said. "The Israeli soldiers began screaming."

Two more Palestinian fighters emerged from their hideout, opening fire at the Israeli soldiers. An Israeli tank began moving its cannon towards the attacking Palestinian fighters.

"But a third group of fighters emerged from underground, firing B-29 RC rockets at the tank, leaving it ablaze." During the fighting, a Palestinian fighter managed to capture an Israeli soldier.

"But an Israeli warplane fired a missile at them killing the soldier and wounding our fighter."

Scene II:

Under heavy shelling, Israeli helicopter gunships land to evacuate the wounded soldiers.

An Israeli force then advances into the passage to move the damaged tanks.

"As the force advances it was ambushed, coming under heavy shelling from Qassam's artillery teams and fighters," recalls H.S. "Several Israeli tanks were damaged in the ambush."

Coming to the rescue of the attacked troops, Israeli warplanes began pounding the area.

"But the Qassam fighters withdrew safely, leaving behind many Israeli soldiers dead and wounded."

Scene III :

Two Qassam fighters hide in an afforested area in Mount El-Rayes, armed with rifles, RPGs and mines. After 30 hours, an Israeli force is seen advancing into the area.

"As tanks rolled, the fighters detonated their explosives," says Abu Obeida, the Qassam spokesman.

Israeli planes began bombing the area. Then, a special force began advancing to clear the area from Palestinian fighters.

"As the force moved on, two of our fighters detonated explosives. Many Israeli soldiers fell to the ground screaming." Israeli aircraft again pounded the area, leaving the two fighters wounded.

"Then, the fighters withdrew into hiding, where they bled for more than 18 hours," says Abu Obeida. A group of Hamas fighters moved under heavy firing to evacuate their wounded comrades.

As a Hamas fighter moved his wounded colleagues out of their hideout, he was chased by Israeli tank shelling. But he still succeeded in evaluating them. "They were given first aid before being taken into Gaza City," says Abu Obeida.

Scene V:

An Israeli special force takes position at a house in Jabal Al-Kashif in eastern Gaza City. The house is surrounded by Israeli tanks to stave off any possible Palestinian resistance attack. Inside the house, Israeli commandoes are sitting comfortably, laughing.

Meanwhile, a group of Qassam fighters was moving into the house through a special tunnel. "At the same time, fighters began shelling the house from outside with RPGs and mortar shells to distract the attention of the soldiers inside," explains Abu Obeida.

Then, the Qassam fighters came out of the tunnel into the house. "In just a few minutes, they killed and injured all Israeli soldiers inside the house before detonating the building and withdrawing safely.

Source: IslamOnline

14 years passed since the "new-year" assault of Jokhar

Publication time: 2 January 2009

In the early morning, on the 31st of December the Russian armored armadas started assaulting of the Chechen capital. 90-thousand-gang of aggressors who had 6 thousand units of the heavy and light military hardware, artillery plants, rocket missile launch facilities and subsidiary weapons and equipment entered Jokhar (former Grozny) from three sides under the permanent aerial cover and massed air raids.

To the order of the Chechen headquarters the columns of the Russian military hardware so as on 26th of October in time of the assault of Grozny (today Jokhar) by the pro-Moscow opposition were admitted to go past at the center of the city. Then the famous Chechen counterattack started. During the only one day the advanced detachments and military equipment of the Russian army entered the city were annihilated.

The embittered battles were performed right near the President palace. The mobile groups of the Chechen soldiers and the village soldiers fired at the tanks and the fight machines of the foot from the grenade launcher. Some units of the Chechen tanks broke through at the center of the city from time to time and attacked the enemies. However, on the third day of fighting the Chechen headquarters had to refuse from using of that military equipment because the village soldiers shoot at the armored vehicles sometimes recognizing them as the military hardware of the enemy.

There were the vice-president of the Chechen republic Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev who executed the common governance on-site and the chief of the main staff of the armed forces of the Chechen republic Aslan Maskhadov who run directly the defense of the city. Dzhokhar Dudayev was at the reserve staff at the settlement Aldy in the west of Grozny at that time and coordinated with the operations of the armed forces of the Chechen republic.

The Chechen soldiers and people's home guard defeated utterly the assaulting Russian army in the battles on 31st of December, 1994. Then there followed many other storms where the Chechen fighters and the village soldiers showed unbending power and courage.

Hundreds of units of the military equipment and thousands of the annihilated aggressors' bodies rolled in the streets of the Chechen capital. The whole regiments and brigades had been sacked in those unexampled battles. Hundreds of the invaders were captured.

Struggles for Groznyy were proceeding for two months and a half. The total losses of the Russian army in battles for Groznyy were from 18 to 22 thousand of soldiers and officers. More than 1200 units of the military equipment were burnt by the Chechen grenade launchers. Only in the middle of March of 1995 the last large subdivisions of the Chechen army left the capital and to the order of Shamil Basayev blasted the television tower.

The Russian propaganda is still trying to disparage the complete military success of the Chechen army who practically 90 per cent consisted of simple village soldiers who took the submachine gun for the first time in their lives at those days.

The occupation command and the Russian generals piled up heaps of lie about the inexistent "Dudayev's pillboxes and bunkers", about many-tier "defensive lines" which had to be "overcome for the cost of the incredible efforts and heroism of the Russian soldiers", about mythical mercenary-professionals and Baltic biathlon-sniper girls who received 1000 dollars per day from Dudayev.

The author of this article as the first-hand participant of those events may be in charge of testifying to the effect that the Rokhlin's division, for instance, was being held back by some tens Chechen fighters during one month and a half (it is not the misprint - exactly some tens) who defended the positions of The Pioneer House, The Old Region Committee (Obcom), The Council of Ministers and the hotel "Caucasus". And the only insuperable line for the Russian armada was a plain Chechen village soldier who came to struggle relying on Allah's rescue.

Said Irbakhaev, especially for Kavkaz Center