Suspect's Trail Gets Hot

Documents were captured in Sherwangei, Pakistan today as the Pakistan Army captured the the city under Taliban control. One of the documents recovered by Pakistani military officials was that of 9/11 terrorist suspect Said Bahaji. Bahaji is a German citizen of Moroccan descent and is suspected of being a member of a terrorist cell in Germany. The cell he was a member of is believed to have supplied money to the hijackers that were involved in the 9/11 attacks. Bahaji is wanted by several governments for terrorism charges including Germany, Spain and is a person of interest for the United States. Said has been on the run since Sept 3, 2001 after being tipped off about the upcoming attacks on 9/11, he is now said to be a senior propagandist for AL Qaeda.

This article is quite interesting to me, I find it very intriguing that eight years after the terrorists attacks on 9/11 that there are still terrorists directly linked to the attacks at large. Its great to hear that there are new leads in the case of Said Bahaji and I hope that he is found soon. I feel strongly that the 9/11 terror suspects should be a top priority to help bring justice for the attacks as soon as possible. Another thing that interests me about this article is the location of documents found. Having these documents found in an ally nation brings into question at least to me what is going on in Pakistan? How is it that Taliban have such a strong hold in areas of Pakistan and how can a country be so divided? It is scary to think about how many of the United State's enemies could be hiding in an allied country. Whats even more scary to think about is what power does the Taliban actually have in the country and knowing that Pakistan does have nuclear weapons, what could the Taliban do if they got a hold of Pakistani weapons. To close I hope for the capture of Said Bahaji and for the the ousting of the Taliban from Pakistan.

Passport with 9/11 suspect's name found in Pakistan - CNN.com

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/10/29/terror.suspect.passport/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Paying For Loyalty

This Wednesday president Obama signed a defense bill for $680 billion which will pay for military operations through 2010. Under this bill there is a program whose job it is to pay Taliban fighters to switch sides is receiving $1.3 billion to help start the process. The goal of the entire program is to pull the Afghani fighters away from their leaders, since a lot of the fighters are fight because they have no option for another job. Its believed that many of the soldiers fighting for the Taliban do so for a source of income and not because of political ideas or loyalty. 

This idea I find extremely interesting and intriguing. I believe that a program like this could have a possibility for success. I do think that many of the people currently fighting for the Taliban regime in Afghanistan do so out necessity instead of choice. For a lot of these people it is the only job available and they don't have another option do get money. If we can offer them a source of income and protection I can see the appeal for the fighters to change sides and leave the Taliban. But I do also feel strongly that we need to help offer other economic means for the Afghan people. If jobs and more steady means of income become an option the people of Afghanistan will happily accept. If it takes money to change peoples minds why not try it, it could end up helping the situation in an increasingly hostile Afghanistan.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/28/afghanistan.taliban.pay/index.html?eref=rss_topstories 

Death Toll Rising

As more information about the massive car bombing in Baghdad this Sunday the death toll continues to rise. At 10:30 on Sunday morning two twin car bombs were set off in succession to one another. The targets of the attack were the governorate building, the other the justice ministry both were severely damaged. Current numbers have 160 killed and at least 540 people wounded in the attacks.

This attack in Iraq is horrible news for the Iraqi people as they try and gain a greater sense of stability in the country. The attacks occurred in Baghdad in the supposed safe zone of the capital. The attacks goals are thought to be motivated by the chance to derail the upcoming election in the country. I feel that this was a speed bump in the road to stability in Iraq I think this was a minor step back. But I also feel that now some Iraqis have tasted the fruits of freedom and are not willing to go back to the form of government the terrorists are trying to achieve. The people of Iraq are going to stay strong and work towards gaining more freedom and choice. Although it is terribly sad to have to pay such a large price for these basic human rights hopefully it will only get better. 

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/10/25/iraq.violence/index.html

Helicopter Crash Kill 14

Fourteen American servicemen and women where killed Monday October 26, 2009. The servicemen died in two separate crashes over the day. The first crash occurred on a helicopter heading from Kabul the Afghan capital to the western part of the nation. The helicopter went down with 7 servicemen and 3 civilians killed, its believed that the helicopter didn't go down because of enemy fire. The second crash occurred when two helicopters collided in mid air over southern Afghanistan four servicemen were killed.
More sad news came out of Afghanistan today as the United State loses 14 more servicemen. It is extremely sad considering that both crashes were apparent accidents. Neither helicopter came down due to any enemy fire, I really hate to see incidents like this where we lose soldiers in accidents like this, just knowing that something could have been done to save them. Both crashes also had civilian casualties which makes the whole thing alittle bit harder to handle. I hope to hear more about these cases when the official report becomes available both are under investigation. My heart goes out the families of the people lost in this terrible accident and I would like to thank the servicemen serving in Afghanistan right now.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/10/26/afghanistan.chopper.crashes/index.html 

Living In the Past

In a recent trip to the former Soviet Union U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the United States and Russia need to get over the Cold War to help current day relations. Clinton goes on to say that both governments have members who can't get over what happened during the cold war. Both the US and Russia can't trust each other now because for the past four decades the two countries have been fighting each other. Neither can agree on issues like missile defense and arms control.
I feel that the United States and Russia do need to move past what happened in the Cold War. Even though the Soviet Union crashed and Russia is no longer Communist, Russia can still be considered a major power and decision maker in the world. The United States can tackle such big global issues like missile defense and arms control alone, the United States need global support to see issues like this go through. The key to success between the United States and Russia is to find common ground on these difficult issues. These two world powers are major world decision makers and we need to find compromise. Common ground between us is what will help not only our two countries relationship but also global relationships.

The Cost of War

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are currently cost the the United States billions each year. Now as these wars become more and more unpopular almost reminiscent of the Vietnam war people want to see a change in spending. Because of the federal budget process both the president and congress prepare the federal budget. The money the president wants for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have to be approved by congress, no funding is giving with out congressional approval. This is where the group against the war feel they can stop the excessive spending on the war. Thay feel that the war is unpopular and that the billions of dollars that are being spent on war can be put to better use to help America. The other side of the argument feel that the president is the commander in chief of all military issue and the president has the sole power to decide what needs to be done to ensure victory. This side also fears the a cut in spending on the war effort will put United States troops in even more danger with out proper funding the troops don't get the things they need to win. The president can also veto any legislature passed by congress to cut spending and both sides are in a relative deadlock.

In my person opinion there is no way that we can cut the amount of money paying for the war. People say just cut back stop paying for the war and we'll be done with it, we'll leave. But what people don't realize that when we stop paying for the war our troops are the one that get hardest. With out a proper flow on money into the effort troops are forced to go with out essential material. Materials that keep US troops alive, cuttting funding put troops at risk and the United States have an obligation to protect its troops they fight for our freedom. The people need to remember why we're fighting this war and how it keeps us safe. A person that has a similar opion and knows what its going to take to win is General Stanley A. McChrystal the commander of US forces in Afghanistan.

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