The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Fresher than ever.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 6,700 times in 2010. That’s about 16 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 91 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 549 posts. There were 11 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 2mb. That’s about a picture per month.

The busiest day of the year was March 14th with 136 views. The most popular post that day was Afghan, Coalition Forces Kill 19 Militants.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were liveleak.com, youtube.com, search.aol.com, en.search.wordpress.com, and search.conduit.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for shindand afghanistan, fob shindand, shindand, mc-12 aircraft, and camp leatherneck.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

Afghan, Coalition Forces Kill 19 Militants May 2009

FOB Shindand Afghanistan March 2010
1 comment

MC-12 Flies First Combat Sortie June 2009

Marines Patrol Camp Leatherneck March 2010

YouTube – Marines In Afganistan Firefight With Taliban April 2010

Terrorist groups have said in the past that it would negotiate with the government only once foreign troops had left the country. This kind of bluster threatens to extend Taliban influence over the weak minded public, and not one inch in the field of battle. As the following story points out the number of terrorists available to make unreasonable demands is shrinking.

Taliban Leader’s Death Confirmed; Forces Seize Insurgent Sub-Commander

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, June 4, 2010 – A Taliban sub-commander was captured and several other suspected insurgents were killed or captured yesterday by Afghan and international security forces, military officials reported.

Officials also confirmed the death last week of Mullah Zergay, the senior Taliban commander for Afghanistan’s Kandahar City region, during a firefight with Afghan-international forces during an operation in the Zharay district.

During an operation in Logar province yesterday, a combined force captured a Taliban sub-commander who is responsible for improvised explosive device and small-arms attacks against coalition forces. The combined force was searching a compound in the village of Muchkeyl in the Kharwar district after intelligence information confirmed insurgent activity.

When confronted, the Taliban sub-commander, who has ties to the Haqqani network, immediately surrendered and identified himself as the targeted insurgent.

Also yesterday, a separate Afghan-international security force action resulted in the detention of several individuals suspected of insurgent activity in Ghazni province. The combined force detained the suspected insurgents while searching a compound in the village of Bar Nowruzk, Qarah Bagh district, after intelligence information confirmed insurgent activity. No shots were fired and no one was harmed during the above operations.

During another operation yesterday, a coalition helicopter attacked and killed multiple insurgents as they were moving to a fighting position in Farah province. Aircraft were directed to a cave complex in a rural area of Gulistan district, after intelligence information verified insurgent activity. After observing widely separated groups of armed men moving to prepared fighting positions away from the caves, aircraft engaged a group, killing the insurgents. A ground search force found two automatic rifles, ammunition and a grenade.

Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that Mullah Zergay, the Taliban commander of the Kandahar city area, was killed last week by Afghan-international forces during an operation conducted in the Zharay district.

Zergay had directed insurgent activities in the Arghandab and Zharay districts, including Kandahar City. He used explosives in nearly all of his operations and was directly responsible for multiple deaths in Kandahar City, alone. He rose to power through violent intimidation campaigns against civilians and by leading kidnappings and executions of government employees and village elders.

After tracking his location for several weeks, an Afghan-international security force moved to capture Zergay in a Taliban safe haven area south of Kudeza’i in Zharay district. As the assault force approached, several armed insurgents attacked it with machine-gun fire and rocket propelled grenades.

The assault force returned fire and during the ensuing firefight Zergay and several members of his security detachment were killed. Zergay’s death is considered to be a major loss for the Taliban leadership in southern Afghanistan.

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, May 24, 2010 – Afghan and international forces captured a Taliban commander in Kandahar, Afghanistan, last night, the second Taliban leader seized in the region in recent days, military officials reported.

An Afghan-international security force captured the man and several insurgents in the village of Kukaran after intelligence indicated insurgent activity there. The commander is believed to be responsible for leading Taliban fighters in southern Arghandab, coordinating attacks on coalition forces and distributing rockets, improvised explosive devices, small arms and ammunition to fighters throughout the area.

A combined Afghan-international force captured another Taliban commander northwest of Kandahar City on May 22. The man, who surrendered immediately when confronted, is believed to be responsible for ambushing coalition forces and other attacks in the southern Arghandab and Dand districts.

In other news from Afghanistan:

– A combined security force seized materials used to build improvised explosive devices following the search of a compound in the Chahar Darah district of Kunduz province last night.

– In Logar province last night, a combined force detained several suspected insurgents and seized a weapons cache following a search of a compound in Charkh district. The cache included several rocket-propelled grenades, multiple automatic rifles, ammunition, grenades and notes on how to conduct suicide bombings.

– In Zabul province last night, a combined force searched a compound in the Shah Joy district and detained a suspected militant for further questioning.

– In Helmand province yesterday, a combined patrol was given permission to search a mosque in Musa Qal’ah district where they seized a cache consisting of multiple AK-47s, 200 pounds of homemade explosives, pressure plates and a pro-Taliban painting. The cache was removed from the mosque and destroyed.

– Also in the Musa Qal’ah district yesterday, a combined patrol found a cache consisting of 550 pounds of opium and two AK-47s with loaded magazines. Two people were detained for further questioning.

– In western Afghanistan’s Farah province yesterday, a combined patrol confiscated a large weapons cache in a cave and tunnel complex in the Saji Valley. The cache contained two complete 82 mm mortar systems with extra tube and 34 mortar rounds, a 14.5 mm anti-aircraft gun with 200 rounds and three spare barrels, two 82 mm recoilless rifle rounds, seven RPGs, 175 mortar fuses, 14.5 mm and 12.7 mm ammunition, and small-arms ammunition.

- In the Kajaki district of Helmand province yesterday, an international patrol found a weapons cache consisting of two grenades, two mines, six smoke bombs and various explosive components. The cache will be destroyed.

- In the Washer district of Helmand province yesterday, a combined patrol discovered a weapons cache containing more than 1,200 machine gun rounds, three 82 mm mortars and four 120 mm mortars. The cache was destroyed.

In May 21 operations:

– In Helmand province, a combined force detained several suspected insurgents while searching a series of buildings in Lashkar Gah district.

– A combined force detained a suspected insurgent in Zabul while searching a compound in Sha Joy district.

– An international patrol discovered a weapons cache in the Pul-e Khumri district of Baghlan province. Recent heavy rains uncovered the previously buried munitions discovered by local children. The cache, consisting of 20 82 mm grenades, 15 mines and seven artillery rounds, was destroyed.

– An international patrol discovered a weapons cache consisting of four 82 mm rockets, a machine gun and a rocket-propelled grenade in the Panjwa’i district of Kandahar province. The cache was destroyed.

– A combined force destroyed an explosives factory with a precision air strike in Kandahar. The combined force was approaching a compound in a farming area in Zharay district when they discovered the area was heavily mined to protect the building. Once inside, the force discovered a high explosives factory used by insurgents to produce IEDs and mines. The security force called in the strike, which destroyed the building. No Afghan citizens were harmed during the operation.

– In the Bala Baluk district of Farah province, an international patrol found eight detonation devices that link several charges to one initiator, four pressure-plate initiation devices, 20 meters of detonation cord, five remote control initiation devices and 40 battery packs. The cache was confiscated to prevent its use in IEDs.

– In the Murghab district of Badghis province, a combined patrol found two pressure-plate IEDs. The devices were destroyed in place.

– In the Garm Ser district of Helmand province, an ISAF patrol found two bags of ammonium nitrate, a common ingredient in IEDs. The material was confiscated and destroyed.

– In the Now Zad district of Helmand province, a combined patrol found two IEDs, each with 10 pounds of homemade explosives. The devices were designed to detonate when stepped on. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the devices.

Muivah stayed in China for a fairly long time, his first trip, between 1967 and 1973. He holds that “this is the way towards a better society. We run our institutions based on revolutionary principles and the people’s desires – although in many ways there are shortcomings and weaknesses”.

Muivah, has been barred from his village located inside Manipur because the government there fears he will stir up ethnic passions, a vital tool to the Maoist insurgency. “Chairman Mao’s words are gospel truth” he has said. Confusing his recruits and the outside world are essential to his gaining personal power.

Muivah has said “we are talking with the government of India. As long as the political problem is approached politically, there is nothing to fear. But when one lacks the will that is required to bring about the solution, it is most unfortunate”. This is no doubt a show of confidence in his ability to achieve capitulation from the Indian government and an extension of the “fight, talk, fight” philosophy. “War will be a continuation of politics by other means.”

“The adversaries would do their best to exploit the situation, to stamp out the revolution. But the people do not easily abandon the cause. Both the masses and the revolutionary cadre cannot afford to perish”, he has said, proving his devotion to Maoist dogma. With the financial backing from Maoist China “power with which rulers unscrupulously suppress the right of the people must be crushed.”

“Nehru insisted on recognizing China’s “rights” in Tibet despite the pleas of the Tibetans, along with many Indians, that he weigh in against this new form of Chinese hegemony. His appeasement of the “New China” came back to haunt him in 1959 when Mao, having disposed of the Dalai Lama and his followers, began building military roads right up to the existing Indian-Tibetan border, and then ordered troops to cross over into India.

Chairman Mao initially supported Maoist-style Communist parties in Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Burma, India and Thailand. The Malaysian Communist Party launched an armed rebellion, which the Chairman supported until it became clear that the guerrillas were losing. Mao was encouraging indigenous Communist movements among the “bridge compatriots” of Southeast Asia.” ( http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=2073 )

“Over the years, the NSCN-IM has developed extensive linkages both within India and outside, and has also been receiving substantial assistance from neighbouring countries. The form of this assistance ranges from supply of arms and ammunition and other logistical support, to provision of safe havens, camping and training facilities. Till 1971, the US was a major provider of arms, finance and intelligence. The erstwhile East Pakistan had also provided assured supplies of money and arms, Till the late 1980s, China also provided support to the organisation. Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) now provides a large component of finance, arms and logistic support to the NSCN-IM.

The [NSCN-IM] has linkages with the Naga groups operating in Myanmar, and drug trafficking from Myanmar is a major source of income.” ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSCN#Linkages )

Portions of an interview with Thuingaleng Muivah:

KY: How do you view the present situation vis-à-vis the pre-ceasefire years?

TM: Nothing can be taken as a certainty. Yes, we are talking with the government of India. As long as the political problem is approached politically, there is nothing to fear. But when one lacks the will that is required to bring about the solution, it is most unfortunate. It would be as dangerous as taking comfort in an illusion. War will be a continuation of politics by other means.

The adversaries would do their best to exploit the situation, to stamp out the revolution. But the people do not easily abandon the cause. Both the masses and the revolutionary cadre cannot afford to perish. The only way available to them to survive is to rectify their mistakes and regenerate themselves together as a people. India has left no stone unturned to wipe out the Nagas and the force of their nationalism. The policy they are now resorting to is to wear us out by protracted design. But the Nagas know that their salvation does not lie in India.

Whether in war or peace, every organisation and human being must have ethics, for without ethics human being become worse than animals, which is against the law of creation. It hurts the conscience of society and people. In any war, killing innocent people is totally unjust, the greatest crime against humanity. For example, right from the inception of our resistance movement we have rarely used anti-personnel mines, because innocent people often become victims.

KY: How would you justify choosing to articulate the Nagas’ desire through the language of violence and military action?

TM: The Nagas could understand the danger of being suppressed. To the Nagas, freedom is more important than anything else. Freedom, for the Nagas, means that they themselves would decide their fate. This is the most decisive issue for every nation. When that freedom is given up, the Nagas know that their rights of existence are gone forever.

The BBC reports that Thuingaleng Muivah heads the NSCN (IM), and fails to report on the the NSCN-K led by S S Khaplang. They also fail to point out NSCM (IM) has only existed since they split in April of 1988. The BBC still claims that they were carrying out India’s longest-running insurgency until a ceasefire in 1997.

“The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) was formed on January 31, 1980 by Isak Chisi Swu, Thuingaleng Muivah and S.S. Khaplang opposing the ‘Shillong Accord’ signed by the then NNC (Naga National Council) with the [Indian government]. Later, differences surfaced within the outfit over the issue of commencing a dialogue process with the Indian Government and on April 30, 1988, the NSCN split into two factions, namely the NSCN-K led by S S Khaplang, and the NSCN-IM, led by Isak Chisi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah.” ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSCN#Formation )

The BBC can claim “It is not an easy job in a region which is not only racked with separatist violence but is also a frontier to south-east Asia, where India is competing for influence with China”, and ignore the hegemony of Maoist China. The world needs to be reminded of Mao’s map of China and the fact that China’s current government is seeking military expansion and has not repudiated Mao’s dream.

“But with the growing influence of China in Burma and other parts of Asia, India has reason to worry. This is after all critical to its strategic defense”. “If the north-east becomes a separate region, the Indian heartland is completely exposed.” BBC

If, as the BBC reports, “The north-east has often felt politically and culturally cut-off from India, untouched by the country’s economic boom”, and a “massive military presence”, has “furthered”, a “sense of alienation.” The world needs to ensure that the goals of communism will be not furthered by expounding upon the claims and not the roots of “revolutionary” movements.

This view of the current situation is in response to a BBC article (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8694107.stm) Road blockade chokes Indian state’s lifeline, which is just, in the majority, an attempt to mitigate the damage done by the recent death of 35 Indians murdered in an attack on a civilian bus.

She said on a visit to Tokyo that, despite Pyongyang’s denials, evidence the North had torpedoed the ship was “overwhelming”.

South Korea’s president said the response to the sinking must be “very prudent”. On doubt that the lack of an allie will ensure that it is, and futile too boot.

He also firmly blamed North Korea when he addressed his security council.

It was a “surprise military attack from North Korea [that came] while South Korean people were resting late at night”, President Lee Myung-bak said.

Foreign investigators said in a report that a torpedo had hit the ship, killing 46 people.

Experts from the US, the UK, Australia and Sweden found that parts of the torpedo retrieved from the sea floor had lettering that matched a North Korean design.

Mrs Clinton has called on North Korea to “stop its provocative behavior” and her forceful personality will be instrumental in deterring homicidal maniacs. Mrs Clinton said it could not be business as usual with North Korea, I am confident new sanctions will plunge the North Korean people into extended suffering.

Action at the UN is most likely to be blunted by the Chinese government that holds economic daggers to the heart of the west.

A senior US official told me it is clear that South Korea does not wish to go to war and will not take steps that run that risk.

He added there is also no evidence that North Korea is preparing to go to war despite all the rhetoric.

The BBC has been able to contribute to the forgive and forget tendency by portraying the action as a “a one-off action”, without regard to a long history of North Korean aggression. The BBC has shown it not qualified to comment on world affairs with the assertion that “North Korea’s motivations are still unclear”.

Secretary Clinton has revealed the Obama plan by stating “This will not be and cannot be business as usual. There must be an international, not just a regional, but an international response.” This of course means that the international community will be to blame when no action is taken.

South Korea’s president’s plan of action to include taking the evidence of an attack to the UN Security Council in an attempt to win support for tougher sanctions on North Korea, proves he is aware of the corner he is in.

President Lee told his security council the sinking of the Cheonan on 26 March had violated the UN Charter and the 1953 armistice which effectively ended the Korean War as have many other actions taken by the North. But, let us ignore history. “Since this case is very serious and has a grave importance, we cannot afford to have a slightest mistake and will be very prudent in all response measures we take,” he said.

South Korean Defence Minister Kim Tae-young told reporters at a separate briefing that the North would be “made to pay”.

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2010 – Afghan and international forces detained several insurgents and seized illegal drugs and weapons in recent operations in Afghanistan, military officials reported.

An Afghan-international security force pursuing a Taliban commander in Kandahar province detained two militants in the Zharay district last night.

The combined force went to a series of compounds after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity, and two men ran away as the force approached. The two men were captured after a lengthy chase. They told the patrol they were Pakistani fighters, and that they had rocket-propelled grenades and automatic rifles hidden at another location.

In Helmand province last night, a combined force searched a small compound northeast of Marja after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity and detained several suspects for questioning.

In Helmand’s Now Zad district yesterday, an International Security Assistance Force patrol found and confiscated 39 bags of suspected heroin with an estimated street value of $3 million. The drugs were confiscated.

In Helmand’s Nad-e Ali district yesterday, an Afghan-international patrol found an assault rifle, small-arms ammunition, five magazines and a bundle of electrical wire.

No Afghan civilians were harmed in these operations, officials said.

In other news from Afghanistan, an ISAF helicopter was struck by an insurgent-fired rocket-propelled grenade today as it prepared to land at a checkpoint in Nad-e Ali. No one was seriously injured, officials said. The helicopter is at a secure site and a damage assessment is under way.

By Lisa Daniel
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 20, 2010 – It is up to South Korea, not the United States, to determine how it will deal with a North Korean attack on one of its ships, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today.

Gates was asked by reporters at a Pentagon news conference whether a recent determination that North Korea sank the South Korean frigate Cheonan, killing 46 sailors on March 26, was an act of war.

“This was an attack on South Korea, and South Korea needs to be in the lead on the way forward,” he said.

Gates said the Defense Department supports the findings of a multilateral investigation into the attack that found a North Korean submarine fired a torpedo that sank the ship. “They’ve laid out some paths forward, and we will be consulting closely with them as they move forward.”

The military has not changed its normal readiness status in light of the findings, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at the news conference. Mullen said he spoke with his South Korean counterpart yesterday, as well as with Navy Adm. Robert Willard, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, and Army Gen. Walter “Skip” Sharp, commander of U.S. Forces Korea.

“We’re all focused on the stability of that region,” Mullen said. “Certainly, we’re concerned. They are a great friend and a great ally.”

Asked if U.S. forces are stretched too thin to increase operations in the area if needed, Gates said “absolutely not.”

“We’ve known for a long time that if there were problems in Korea, our main arms would be the Navy and the Air Force, and they are not stretched the way the Army and Marines are.”

Gates and Mullen also took questions on several other hot spots around the world.

Asked about the latest NATO military campaign in Afghanistan, Mullen said the Kandahar campaign already is under way, and that leaders are not surprised at the increasing insurgent violence there.

“We expect this to be a tough year,” Mullen said. “The poppy season is over, and they’ve gone back to get their weapons. That violence would rise doesn’t surprise me at all.”

The admiral added that he is optimistic about the Kandahar outcome. “We’ve got the right strategy and the right leadership,” he said.

Turning to Pakistan, Gates and Mullen said Pakistani leaders are fully on board with fighting terrorist groups in the country, and recognize they share that interest with the United States. Pakistan is planning to execute a mission in the volatile North Waziristan region, and has seven divisions and 140,000 troops there, they said.

“We now have a mutual interest in trying to stop this group, to stop them from carrying out attacks outside of Pakistan, especially in the United States,” Gates said.

On Iraq, Gates said the military is on track to complete President Barack Obama’s plan to reduce troop strength there to 50,000 by Sept. 1. Some of the drawdown was postponed due to the delayed national election in March, but, Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, commander of U.S. Forces Iraq, “has total flexibility” with how he wants to manage it, he said.

Asked about the recount of Iraq’s election results, Gates said it was “a positive development, in that it reaffirmed the original count and the legitimacy of the election.”

Finally, on the United Nations resolution for sanctions against Iran, Gates said it is “somewhat stronger” than he expected. The resolution is important, he said, because it is a reminder of Iran’s isolation, and it provides a legal platform for countries and organizations such as the European Union to take more stringent actions of their own against Iran.

There is evidence that the resolution is making an impact inside Iran, Gates said, noting the extent to which Iran is trying to keep it from passing. The resolution, coupled with any action by individual countries, “has the ability to change behavior” in the Iranian government, he said.

U.S. officials say they are considering a variety of options, ranging from useless U.N. Security Council action to additional insignificant U.S. penalties.

“North Korea should know that provocative acts have consequences,” said State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley, of course they need not be significant.

But looming over the discussions is concern that a harsh reaction could escalate tensions to the point of clashes. There is also concern an aggressive response could trigger the collapse of what is arguably the world’s most isolated and authoritarian regime, U.S. officials said. It must be pointed out that the Obama administration is planning negotiations over which sides of the streets in Seoul that the North may occupy.

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 20, 2010 – South Korean officials say they have proof that North Korea torpedoed the South Korean frigate Cheonan on March 26, killing 46 sailors.

Officials in the South Korean capital of Seoul said an investigation into the sinking of the Cheonan found residue of an explosive used in a North Korean torpedo, and also found other forensic evidence clearly implicating North Korea.

“The evidence points overwhelmingly to the conclusion that the torpedo was fired by a North Korean submarine,” a South Korean defense ministry statement said. “There is no other plausible explanation.”

The report reflects an objective and scientific review of the evidence, South Korean officials said. “It points overwhelmingly to the conclusion that North Korea was responsible for this attack,” officials said. “This act of aggression is one more instance of North Korea’s unacceptable behavior and defiance of international law. This attack constitutes a challenge to international peace and security and is a violation of the Armistice Agreement.”

Salvage experts raised the ship, which had broken in half, from the sea floor near Baengnyeong Island. The Cheonan had a crew of 104. Officials said the vessel was operating south of a disputed sea border on the western side of the peninsula in the Yellow Sea. The Cheonan, a 1,200-ton frigate built in 1989, was on a routine patrol mission.

A White House statement said President Barack Obama spoke with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and expressed his deep sympathy for the loss of the sailors. “The United States strongly condemns the act of aggression that led to their deaths,” the statement said. “The president spoke with President Lee on May 17 and made clear that the United States fully supports the Republic of Korea, both in the effort to secure justice for the 46 servicemembers killed in this attack and in its defense against further acts of aggression.”

The White House statement went on to say that North Korea must understand that belligerence toward its neighbors and defiance of the international community are signs of weakness, not strength.

“Such unacceptable behavior only deepens North Korea’s isolation,” the statement said. “It reinforces the resolve of its neighbors to intensify their cooperation to safeguard peace and stability in the region against all provocations.”

An international team of investigators from Australia, Great Britain, Sweden and the United States assisted South Korean experts in examining the forensic evidence left in the ship.

“We have reached the clear conclusion that [the] Cheonan was sunk as the result of an external underwater explosion caused by a torpedo made in North Korea,” said Yoon Duk-yong, of the investigation team. “The evidence points overwhelmingly to the conclusion that the torpedo was fired by a North Korean submarine. There is no other further explanation.”

South Korea formed the joint civilian-military investigation group after the sinking and carefully shielded the group from a rush to judgment on the cause of the sinking, South Korean officials said.

The group found that “a strong underwater explosion generated by the detonation of a homing torpedo below and to the left of the gas turbine room caused Republic of Korea Ship Cheonan to split apart and sink,” the South Korean defense ministry statement said.

The group also collected parts of the torpedo, including a propulsion motor with propellers and a steering section from the site of the sinking.

“The evidence matched in size and shape with the specifications on the drawing presented in introductory materials provided to foreign countries by North Korea for export purposes,” South Korean officials said. Markings on the torpedo in Hangul are consistent with the marking of a previously obtained North Korean torpedo, they added.

“The weapon system used is confirmed to be a high-explosive torpedo with a net explosive weight of about 250 [kilograms], manufactured by North Korea,” officials said.

Obama is preventing the Pentagon from calling the sinking an act of war.

From: Leftwing Monster: Mao Zedong, written by Steve Mosher and published by FrontPageMagazine.com on December 6, 2005. Sourced from:http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=2073