World at War

Reports from the Islamic Republic News Agency said that the prototype of the first Iranian Air Force fighter jet that has the ability to evade radar. The newly designed jet was tested on Friday.

Commander Brigadier General Pilot Hassan Shahsafi said, “In line with Supreme Leader’s nomination of the current Iranian year as the Year for Innovations and Blossoming, we successfully passed the last stage of our first radar evading fighter jet, and are testing a new air-to-air missile to be mounted on it.”

The Iranian Air Force introduced the thermal air-to-air missile to reporters the same day. The range of the missile is 100 kilometers and has the ability to follow an enemy-launched missile.

The official position of the Iranian military is to adopt measures to deal with modern warfare. Most of the country’s leaders point to the importance of countering an invasion by another nation, specifically the U.S.

Just a little over a week in the Obama administration and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has announced that she would like to engage Iran. Following the lead of President Obama, she stated that the country has a clear opportunity to engage meaningfully with the United States as well as others around the world. Clinton also pointed to the fact there is already a six-party talk scheduled for next week. The State Department hopes that Iran will end its uranium enrichment program.

She continued stating that the U.S. is ready for direct talks with the country regarding it prospects, but says Iran needs to request a unilateral meeting.

This signals a strong departure from the Bush administration and comes on the heels of a review of the former president’s policy on Iran.

Commenting on the President’s recent interview on Al-Arabiya, Clinton said, “There is a clear opportunity for the Iranians, as the President expresses in his interview, to demonstrate some willingness to engage meaningfully with the international community. Whether or not that hand becomes less clenched is really up to them.”

The meeting next week will also include Russia, China, United Kingdom, France and Germany.

Indian’s navy announced that they would be joining with their Russian counterparts and begin conducting joint drills in the Arabian Sea. The operation, entitle INDRA, is aimed at supporting cooperation between the two countries. The two nations will practice the enforcement of maritime law and combating terrorists, pirates and drug smugglers. The exercise will involve live-fire drills.

The first stage of the operation includes a joint mission between the Russian Northern Fleet’s Pyotr Veliky cruiser and the India’s Delhi destroyer. This will include basic maneuvers and docking in ports in India. This will be followed by meetings of further ships from Russia’s Pacific Fleet, joining with more Indian ships before shipping out to the Somalian coast for more drills.

This marks increased cooperation between the two nations.

According to Sri Lanka’s army, the rebel group Tamil Tigers have been cornered in the jungle. The military claims it is clearing the last of several villages, bringing one of the longest-running civil wars to a close. Brigadier Udaya Nanyakkara reported that the rebels are making a final stand in their mini-state in the northern area of Sri Lanka.

“Presently we have confined them to 300-square kilometers. They are firing their mortars, they are firing small arms, especially operating in small pockets in forward areas,” the Brigadier reports. “We are successfully confronting them and gaining control of the area step by step.”

The United Nations has reported concern over the civilians that are trapped in the war zone, calling the situation a humanitarian crisis. Food supplies have dwindled and untold numbers have been caught in the crossfire between Sri Lanka miltary forces and the rebel Tamil Tigers led by Velupillai Prabhakaran.

The conflict began in the 19^th century. The Buddhist majority imposed the Sinhalese language on the Hindu Tamils. When the English colonial government left, the conflict grew bloody, igniting into a civil war between north and south.

According to a report released by RIA Novosti, the Georgian Foreign Ministry reported that the country has declined to allow Russian officials to inspect their military installations.

Russia made the official request on both January 19 and 21 to allow their experts to access the Georgian military installations for verification and evaluation inspections. According to a Vienna OSCE document from 1999, Russia has the right to request to inspect installations on the grounds of building confidence with its neighbors and preserving security-building measures.

The ministry released a statement that stated, “”There are no guarantees that Russia will not attempt again to conduct aggressive actions and to use information obtained during the inspections to harm Georgia’s national interests.”

Last August, Russia invaded Georgia after the country attempted to regain control of the breakaway republic of South Ossetia. The war lasted for only five days and Russia successfully forced Georgian troops to pull out of the region. South Ossetia and another breakaway republic, Abkhazia, were both recognized by Russia to be independent states. Most residents of the region now have Russian citizenship.

Moscow and Tbilisi have had a strained relationship since and the Russian government believes Georgia is accepting shipments of weapons from its neighbor Ukraine, another country embroiled in diplomatic strife with Russia.

The day after President Barack Obama was inaugurated and took over position as commander-in-chief of the U.S. armed forces, Coalition forces in Afghanistan have confirmed that two Taliban leaders in the southeastern part of the country have been killed. Along with the two leaders, 20 other militants were killed and 11 captured.

Mullah Patang, a senior Taliban leader who has carried out countless roadside bombings and attacks against military personnel and civilians, was killed in Kapisa province. In addition to those attacks, Patang was responsible for numerous attempts on the lives of Afghan officials. His mulit-building compound was raided by Coalition forces who used close-air precision munitions to finish the confrontation.

In Kandahar, a senior Taliban commander named Mullah Abdul Rahim Akund had his compound raided, which revealed multiple weapons including 105mm artillery. Akund had been responsible for coordinating hundreds of bombings throughout the area.

Additional raids were carried out in Khowst and Zabol provinces. After investigation, Afghan and Coalition forces revealed that Haqqani militants from outside the country have joined forces with the Taliban in an effort to destabilize the regime.

Beijing reports it has suffered its fourth case of bird flu since the beginning of the year. A teenager, identified as Wu, from Hunan province in China has been diagnosed with H5N1 and hospitalized. Reports have him listed in serious condition.

According to local news agencies, the 16-year old boy had contact with infected poultry that has now been culled.

Although no one in contact with Wu has developed symptoms, his family and close associates are under close observation. “The people who had close contact with the patient are under medical observation.”

The first bird flu death occurred on January 5, followed by a second last Saturday. One other 2-year old girl is also infected, however, the source of her infection is unknown.

H5N1 is the deadly strain of bird flu that can impact humans with severe symptoms and possible death. According to Chinese officials, the country’s medical and security personnel have been doing everything they can in order to contain the infection and prevent an outbreak.

Although there is a vaccine for H5N1, the volume of shots needed for China or the rest of the world is unprecedented.

According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, China delivered eight jet trainers on Friday to the Pakistan Air Force. A ceremony was held at an undisclosed base to honor the delivery.

The aircraft are Karakoram K-8P basic and advanced jet trainers. They have been developed by a joint operation between Pakistan and China over the past few years.

The Pakistan Air Force Academy in Risalpur, 50 kilometers from Peshawar, is currently using the aircraft to train its new recruits, the addition of eight more trainers means the Academy can expand its number of cadets.

According to U.S. Intelligence, these aircraft have increased the proficiency of Pakistan’s pilots and created a smooth transition to the next generation of fighters soon to be adopted by the Air Force.

A statement released by the Pakistani Deputy Chief of Staff of Operations said, “It is a sign of Pak-China friendship, which has stood the test of time and grown stronger”

South Korean and Japanese media have reported that North Korean leader King Jong Il has finally named his successor. After suffering a stroke last year, speculation has been rampant about who would take the place of the North Korean leader upon his death.

According to South Korean reports, Kim Jong Un, Kim Jong Il’s youngest son, will take over when the leader dies. However, Japanese media reports that Kim Jong Nam, the oldest son, will be the successor.

Neither report can be confirmed due to the fact that Pyongyang keeps its information heavily guarded.

Kim Jong Il himself assumed power in South Korea in 1994 when his father, Kim Il Sung died.

After years of denials and mixed messages, a Bush administration official has finally admitted to the fact that the U.S. military tortured a 9/11 co-conspirator .

Susan Crawford, administrator of the military commissions system in Guantanamo Bay, told the Washington Post newspaper that Mohammed al-Qahtani, the alleged “20^th hijacker,” was subject to hard interrogation techniques. These techniques included forced nudity, sleep deprivation, prolonged exposure to cold and sustained isolation.

Crawford stated that these torture methods left Qahtani in a position in which his life was in threat.

The White House responded stating that is not the position of the Bush administration to condone torture.

The U.S. Air Force officially launched the Global Strike Command stationed at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. It will be aided by Air Combat Command and Air Force Space Command as it prepares to consolidate all nuclear operations under a single organization.

Brigadier General James Kowalski was issued command and is implementing Global Strike Command’s directives. Its goals are to standup the organization, establish a final location and headquarters and determine what manpower and resources will be required to operate effectively.

This creates a change in military nuclear strategy as the strike capabilities of the past have been divided amongst different organizations within the armed forces and overseen by civilian representatives at the Pentagon. Global Strike Command essentially has complete control over the U.S. arsenal of nuclear weapons and answers directly to the Commander in Chief and his staff.

President-elect Barack Obama announced today his choices for director of national intelligence and CIA director. Obama chose Retired Navy Admiral Dennis Blair or national intelligence director and Leon Panetta, a former chief of staff to President Clinton, as CIA director.

“I am confident that Dennis Blair and Leon Panetta are the right leaders to advance the work of our intelligence community,” said Obama. “They are public servants with unquestioned integrity, broad experience, strong management skills, and the core pragmatism we need in dangerous times.”

If confirmed, Blair will oversee 16 intelligence agencies, including military intelligence and the CIA. He will report directly to the president, while Panetta will run the best-known intelligence agency in the world.

Obama has come under fire from members of his own party for not consulting with them before picking his appointments. In addition, there has been much criticism over the fact that the two are not intelligence insiders, however, most insiders were involved with the Bush Administration’s CIA actions of recent years. Transition team insiders have commented on the wise choice of choosing appointments that had nothing to do with Guantanamo Bay and “enhanced interrogation techniques.”

The Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), a fleet of naval ships from 20 different countries, today announced the creation of Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151). The task force will work on joint counter-piracy operations. Rear Admiral Terry McKnight, from the U.S. Navy, has been named commander of the task force. The home base for the force will be the Gulf of Aden and operations are expected to commence in mid-January.

This is not the first time a joint operational task force has been instituted. During the onset of Operation Enduring Freedom, the CMF established CTF-150 to be a deterrence against destabilization forces as well as drug and weapon trafficking.

CTF-150 will remain on its established mission as CTF-151 focuses on piracy issues.

The border regions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have become the subject of much scrutiny since the beginning of the year. As the Taliban continues its control of the borderland, those that hold power have began to institute a parallel government with laws all too familiar to the citizens.

On January 2, regional women were forced to give up their identification cards that bore photographs and banned from shopping. In addition, widows were prohibited from accepting government handouts. Television was barred and DVD stores were closed.

In the following days, girls were restricted from going to school and alcohol was made illegal.

Taliban spokespersons stated that they are merely enforcing Islamic Shari’a law and violations of these decrees are punishable by death.

Russia continues to battle Ukraine over a dispute regarding gas deliveries to Western Europe. Russian gas giant, Gazprom, announced at a Moscow news conference that Ukraine’s gas company has threatened to cut off supplies that flow through a key pipeline.

25% of the gas flowing to Western Europe is supplied by Russia and the country signed an agreement with Ukraine for use of the pipeline until 2010.

Ukraine claims that the agreement ended in 2008 and has not been renewed due to a $2 billion debt that Ukraine owes Gazprom. In addition, Gazprom has threatened to double the current rate Ukraine pays 1000 cubic meters of gas from $418 to $836.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin warns of strained relations between the two countries if the pipeline is closed.

Ukraine has announced it will no longer lease its Crimean naval base at Sevastopol to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. The present agreement between the two countries states that Russia has access to the base until 2017, with a possible extension. President Viktor Yushchenko, however, stated that it will not extend the present agreement and negotiations regarding the matter will not take place.

Russia has responded by stating that it will open a base at Ochamchira, located in the separatist region of Georgia’s Abkhazia. Abkhazia became a focal point in the recent Russo-Georgian conflict and has been recognized by Russia as an independent state.

The base is slated to be functional by the 2017 cutoff, raising the tension level in the region between Russia and the other former Soviet countries.

According to Spanish police on Wednesday, a bomb exploded in the northern city of Bilbao, a stronghold for the Basque separatist movement. The offices of television station EITB was evacuated after a warning was issued by terrorist group ETA. The organization stated that a bomb would explode in the area in a telephone call to police. A suspicious vehicle was found with its owner bound and gagged in a mountain near the area. After the bomb exploded, no injuries have been reported.

The Basque group has been responsible for the deaths of 825 people since its inception in 1968. They launched a campaign for independence in the Basque region, an area overlapping the northern areas of Spain and the southwestern portion of France. French officials have reported a major crackdown of the separatist group.

Bangladesh has mobilized hundreds of thousands of civilian monitors and security forces for their election on December 29. The national parliamentary balloting established the return to power of a democratically elected government despite the installation of a provisional regime in 2007. The army has claimed control of the country since that year, removing the previous regime from power in a bloodless coup. Bangladesh won its independence from Pakistan in 1971 and has gone through three military coups, each one deposing the previous democratically elected regime.

The show of strength in the streets assisted the military in installing its preferred leaders in an election that has been condemned by international monitors. The mobilization is the final act of the military following violent clashes between rival factions, the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

The fight has spilled over into the battle between Sheik Hasina of the Awami League and the BNP’s Kaleda Zia. In all, on the day of the election, nearly 150 of the candidates on the ballots were facing murder or corruption charges.

Despite nearly a quarter million observers, a clear winner has yet to be determined.

VOA News reported that an emergency meeting of the Arab League was held regarding the continuing situation in Gaza. The group met in Egypt to discuss the military campaign against Hamas launched recently by Israel. Nearly 400 Palestinians have died in the recent combat.

Secretary-General Amr Moussa requested the United Nations Security Council address the issue in their upcoming session. In addition, Saudi foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal requested a reconciliation between rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah.

The Arab League joins a growing choir of nations who have called for an end to the conflict. The United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia have called for an immediate cease-fire. Japan has also appealed to Israel to halt its bombing campaigns and the Turkish Prime Minister will visit Syria and Jordan to discuss the situation. France has also invited the Israeli foreign minister to visit Paris to broker an arrangement.

According to a press release from RIA Novosti, Russia has received 12 orders for their Mi-28N helicopter gunships from foreign countries. The orders come from various nations around the world, most notably Turkey and Venezuela.

Turkish government officials stated they were purchasing 32 used Mi-28N Night Hunters for $1 billion. Turkey originally wanted to purchase Cobra and Super Cobra gunships from the United States, but talks broke down recently.

Washington is concerned about the reports of Venezuela receiving gunships as relations between the two countries are strained due to the conflicts with President Hugo Chavez.

The Russian Air Force has begun ordering a next generation helicopter and selling its previous stocks in order to facilitate its modernization process.