Obama sets in motion US pullout from Afghanistan

US President Barack Obama announced a phased pullout of troops to end a costly war in Afghanistan, but the country faced fresh turmoil after a court overturned results from last year's fraud-tainted election.























Obama's plan to withdraw 10,000 troops by the end of the year and a further 23,000 by the end of next summer won immediate support from France's president.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Washington's ally in an relationship made uneasy by allegations of incompetence and corruption, welcomed the plan and said Afghans increasingly trusted their security forces.
But the Afghan Taliban, resurgent a decade after being toppled from power following the September 11, 2001 attacks, dismissed the announcement and said only a full, immediate withdrawal of foreign forces could stop "pointless bloodshed."
They rejected any suggestion of US military gains.
In a prime-time televised appearance Wednesday, Obama said he would withdraw 10,000 troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2011, with a further 23,000 by the end of next summer. Remaining troops would be steadily withdrawn after that.
He vowed that the United States -- struggling to restore its global image, shore up the economy and reduce unemployment at home -- would exercise new restraint with military power.
"Tonight, we take comfort in knowing that the tide of war is receding," Obama said in a 15-minute statement, heralding the gradual reduction of US forces in Iraq and limited US involvement in the international air campaign against Libya.
"America, it is time to focus on nation building at home."
Obama's plan, which will bring home the entire "surge" force he sent to Afghanistan in 2010, pits him against military advisers unhappy at the prospect of any hasty drawdown.
The cuts went further than many expected, in particular options offered by General David Petraeus, outgoing commander of US and Nato troops in Afghanistan, now due to lead the CIA.
Outgoing Defence Secretary Robert Gates backed Obama's plan. But it is unlikely to sit well with the Pentagon's top brass who worry insurgents could regain lost territory.
Even after the withdrawal of 33,000 troops, about 70,000 will remain, about twice the number when Obama took office. Some US lawmakers, impatient with a war that costs more than $110 billion a year, said Obama should have cut deeper and faster.
Since the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, the Obama administration has argued more forcefully that it must adopt a narrow, defensive approach to Afghanistan, focussing on lawless havens insurgents can use to launch attacks.
A senior military official in Pakistan, where Washington has been seeking intensified efforts against militants, said Obama's strategy would be successful if accompanied by "a robust and strong political effort" to engage the Taliban.

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US drops Laden charges

The United States has formally dropped criminal charges against former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was killed in a US military raid in Pakistan last month.
In federal court in Manhattan on Friday, prosecutors disposed of a 1998 indictment that charged Laden with murder and conspiracy to kill Americans for his role in attacking US embassies in East Africa in 1998.
The bombing of US embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, killed 224 people.
A raid by US special operations forces killed bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 2.
Preet Bharara, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, asked for the change, a request that Judge Lewis Kaplan granted in a brief order.
The action came after a thorough analysis confirmed that bin Laden did indeed die after Navy SEALs raided his compound. The officials noted that facial recognition and photograph analysis confirmed the identity, along with DNA testing of the body.

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Egypt court suspends order to remove Mubarak name

 








An Egyptian court Saturday suspended its order to remove the names of former President Hosni Mubarak and his wife Suzanne from public institutions.

Officials seeking to win presidential favor routinely named streets, schools, military installations and remote rural clinics after Mubarak in the years before the popular uprising which toppled him in February.

Lawyers filed a suit seeking cancellation of the court's original ban in April.

Judge Mohamed el-Sayed said the court had temporarily suspended its verdict pending a review of the case Wednesday.

Mubarak has been ordered to stand trial on August 3 on charges of killing of protesters, which could carry the death penalty. He is also accused of abuse of influence, wasting public funds and unlawfully making private financial gains.

He was admitted to hospital in April after reportedly suffering heart problems during his initial questioning.

Suzanne Mubarak was released from detention in May after agreeing to give up her assets but is still being investigated into whether she amassed wealth illegally.

She too was admitted to hospital after suffering symptoms of a heart attack shortly after she was ordered detained.

Their two sons, Gamal, who was once viewed as a possible future president, and Alaa, are also in jail and will also stand trial alongside their father.

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Indonesia beefs up security as Islamist cleric faces verdict

  Indonesian militant cleric Abu Bakar Bashir faces a court verdict Thursday that could see him jailed for life for funding a group that aimed to kill the country's president.

Jailing Bashir would be an important step in the Indonesian government's efforts to weaken terror groups, but may not reduce the threat of attacks in the most populous Muslim country as others seek to push an Islamist agenda.

Bashir does not command widespread support in Indonesia, but a guilty verdict could inflame hardcore Islamists, some of whom have vowed reprisals after the U.S. killing of Osama bin Laden.

Underlining that risk, an anonymous text message circulating through the capital this week warned of 36 bombs exploding in across the country the moment the judge in the south Jakarta court announces a verdict for Bashir.

"Give me strength to fight against the infidels, Islam's enemies," said Bashir in a prayer at the court to hundreds of his followers, many of whom traveled from other cities for the conclusion of a long trial.

Police have stepped up security, with 2,900 officers at the court alone, where phone lines were scrambled and balaclava-wearing snipers took positions on surrounding buildings.

The frail 72-year old cleric is being tried on charges of supporting a paramilitary group that aimed to destabilize Southeast Asia's largest economy, and turn the officially pluralist and mostly moderate Muslim country into a state with Islamic law.

Indonesia has seen success in recent years in tackling militant groups, and a period of political stability and strong economic growth has turned it into an emerging market favorite among investors, though security risks remain.

Militants linked by police to Bashir's group Jema'ah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT) have been involved in recent shootouts with police, and a suicide bombing at a police mosque in Java, leading analysts to conclude they are changing tactics from focusing on Western targets to attacking local institutions.

Police say Bashir was also the spiritual leader of regional group Jemaah Islamiah (JI), blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed over 200 people.

This is the third attempt for Indonesian law enforcers to try the white-bearded cleric on terror charges. Previous trials only kept him briefly behind bars for other crimes such as immigration offences.

Prosecutors want life in jail for Bashir, though the maximum penalty for the charges is death.

The cleric denied his involvement in the training camp based in Aceh province, which is governed by Islamic law.

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Healing the Wounds: Libya

s: Libya

Latest news:  Libya
Field Blog: CIVIC From the Field: Libya

The Conflict

In February 2011, following a spate of protests in countries around the region, protests broke out in several areas of Libya challenging Col. Muammar Qaddafi's 42-year rule. In late February, as the government's response to these protests turned increasingly violent, the UN Security Council responded by passing Resolution 1970 to impose sanctions on Qaddafi and refer the situation in Libya to the International Criminal Court (ICC). In early March, the UN General Assembly suspended Libya's membership to the Human Rights Council.
On March 17th, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1973 calling for a no-fly zone to deter the bombardment of civilian targets by government forces. Resolution 1973 marks the first time the Security Council passed a resolution to authorize the use of force with an explicit reference to the responsibility to protect.
An ad hoc coalition composed of the US, France, and the UK began implementing the no-fly zone immediately after the adoption of Resolution 1973. On March 27th, NATO assumed command of the military operation in Libya. NATO follows Resolution 1973 in banning all flights in Libyan airspace, except those for humanitarian and aid purposes, to make sure that civilians and civilian populated areas cannot be subjected to air attack by Qaddafi forces.
The Libyan rebels and pro-Qaddafi forces have both gained and lost territory as NATO's airstrike campaign continues. While pro-Qaddafi forces, armed with better weapons, were initially able to force the Libyan rebels back, increased coordination between the rebels and NATO have led to more effective NATO airstrikes and territorial gains. Britain, France, and Italy have sent military liaison officers to help the rebels organize their nascent forces. The fighting continues, often intensely, in several parts of the country.
Qaddafi's forces have reportedly used cluster munitions and landmines, and have targeted civilian areas and medical facilities. These allegations are documented by both the UN High Commissioner for ,civis,public,Human Rights as well as independent human rights organizations.

CIVIC's Work

CIVIC consistently calls on all parties to the conflict to avoid civilians, including pro-Qaddafi forces, the rebels, militias and NATO.
In the absence of any means by which to evaluate the effectiveness of actions taken in accordance with either Resolution 1973 or 1970, CIVIC calls for the immediate and comprehensive recording of all civilian casualties, followed-up by full investigations as soon as feasible. NATO should develop a civilian casualty tracking, analysis and response mechanism with personnel in both Naples and in Benghazi. In addition to cataloguing all available known data, the cell would also recognize and investigate all allegations of civilian casualties, in anticipation of future development of an amends system. The mechanisms employed should be transparent and open to public scrutiny.
CIVIC traveled to Eastern Libya in April 2011 to work on practical ways the Libyan opposition and NATO can track and investigate civilian harm, and make amends when appropriate. Access to many parts of the country, including Tripoli, is not possible at this time. This work is ongoing.

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