In a recent, inadvertently released Canadian training manual on "Torture Awareness," Canada has linked the United States and Israel among others like China, Syria and Iran as countries that have prisoner interrogation techniques that include Torture. The manual mistakenly came to light during an investigation of abuse by Canadian soldiers against prisoners in Afghanistan.

Canada puts U.S., Guantanamo and Israel on torture 'watch list'

Canada has put the United States and Israel on a torture watch list, according to CTV. A Canadian government document cites the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and interrogation techniques that include "forced nudity, isolation, and sleep deprivation."
...

A Foreign Affairs Department training manual, titled "Torture Awareness Workshop Reference Materials," provides legal definitions of torture and instructs Canadian consular officials how to detect signs of abuse among detainees held abroad. It lists Guantanamo Bay and the United States, along with Afghanistan, China, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Syria.

The manual was inadvertently released to lawyers working on a lawsuit involving abuse of Afghanistan detainees by Canadians, the Canadian Press reported.

One Canadian prisoner at Guantanamo Bay, Omar Khadr, is due before a U.S. military commission in early February. The Pentagon has charged him with "murder by an unprivileged belligerent" for allegedly throwing a grenade that killed U.S. Delta Force soldier Christopher Speer in Afghanistan in 2002. Khadar was 15 at the time.

Nato troops in Afghanistan save the life of a six year old boy by defusing a bomb strapped to his body at a military checkpoint. He was sent by the Taliban to blow himself up on a suicide mission. HE WAS 6 YEARS OLD!

The Religion of Peace...

Just makes you warm all over doesn't it? I bet his mother was proud as hell.

Nato accuses Taliban of using children in suicide missions

Children as young as six are being used by the Taliban in increasingly desperate suicide missions, coalition forces in Afghanistan claimed yesterday.

The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), to which Britain contributes 5,000 troops in southern Afghanistan, revealed that soldiers defused an explosive vest which had been placed on a six-year-old who had been told to attack Afghan army forces in the east of the country.

The boy was spotted after appearing confused at a checkpoint. The vest was defused and no one was hurt.

The claim came only hours after the second report this week that civilians had been killed in Nato military operations...

"They placed explosives on a six-year-old boy and told him to walk up to the Afghan police or army and push the button," said Captain Michael Cormier, the company commander who intercepted the child, in a statement. "Fortunately, the boy did not understand and asked patrolling officers why he had this vest on."

Lieutenant Colonel David Accetta, ISAF eastern regional command spokesman, told the Guardian: "In the past we have not seen the Taliban sink that low, to use children as suicide bombers. The personnel secured the vest to make sure the child was safe."

Lt Col Accetta said the procedure for dealing with an armed minor had so far been untested in Afghanistan.

"It would have been difficult to know what to do considering it was a six-year-old boy and he was presumably going to push the button himself or someone was going to detonate it for him remotely," Lt Col Accetta said.

I hope they didn't send him home. His parents would probably accuse him of being an infidel, and kill him. It's obvious they view little children the same as they do donkeys.

See the latest tactic in Muslim warfare... "The Donkey Bomb."

The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend?
More than likely with Iran, the Enemy of my Enemy is my Enemy.

The Blotter on ABCNews.com has apparently secured a report by a senior coalition official stating they have evidence that Iran has been shipping heavy weapons and explosives to the Taliban in Afghanistan in support of their fight with the U.S. and other coalition forces.

Ahmadinejad sleeping with the enemy... who'd a thunk?

Iran Caught Red-Handed Shipping Arms to Taliban

NATO officials say they have caught Iran red-handed, shipping heavy arms, C4 explosives and advanced roadside bombs to the Taliban for use against NATO forces, in what the officials say is a dramatic escalation of Iran's proxy war against the United States and Great Britain.

"It is inconceivable that it is anyone other than the Iranian government that's doing it," said former White House counterterrorism official Richard Clarke, an ABC News consultant.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates stopped short earlier this week of blaming Iran, saying the U.S. did not have evidence "of the involvement of the Iranian government in support of the Taliban."

But an analysis by a senior coalition official, obtained by the Blotter on ABCNews.com, concludes there is clear evidence of Iran's involvement.

"This is part of a considered policy," says the analysis, "rather than the result of low-level corruption and weapons smuggling."

Iran and the Taliban had been fierce enemies when the Taliban was in power in Afghanistan, and their apparent collaboration came as a surprise to some in the intelligence community.

"I think their goal is to make it very clear that Iran has the capability to make life worse for the United States on a variety of fronts," said Seth Jones of the Rand Institute, "even if they have to do some business with a group that has historically been their enemy."

The coalition analysis says munitions recovered in two Iranian convoys, on April 11 and May 3, had "clear indications that they originated in Iran. Some were identical to Iranian supplied goods previously discovered in Iraq."

The April convoy was tracked from Iran into Helmand province and led a fierce firefight that destroyed one vehicle, according to the official analysis. A second vehicle was reportedly found to contain small arms ammunition, mortar rounds and more than 650 pounds of C4 demolition charges.

A second convoy of two vehicles was spotted on May 3 and led to the capture of five occupants and the seizure of RPG-7mm rockets and more than 1,000 pounds of C4, the analysis says.

Also among the munitions are components for the lethal EFPs, or explosive formed projectiles, the roadside bombs that U.S. officials say Iran has provided to Iraqi insurgents with deadly results.

"These clearly have the hallmarks of the Iranian Revolution Guards' Quds force," said Jones.

The coalition diplomatic message says the demolition charges "contained the same fake U.S. markings found on explosives recovered from insurgents operating in the Baghdad area."

"We believe these intercepted munitions are part of a much bigger flow of support from Iran to the Taliban," the message says.

The Taliban receives larger supplies of weapons through profits from opium dealing, officials say, but the Iranian presence could be significant.

"It means the insurgency in Afghanistan is likely to be prolonged," said Jones. "It would be a much more potent force."

I'm shocked and appalled.

UPDATE: U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates: Iran sending weapons to Taliban

Today, May 19, 2007 is Armed Forces Day. To those dedicated men and women of our U.S. Armed Forces charged with protecting America, we offer our heart felt gratitude. Especially those heroes currently risking their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan fighting this "War on Terror."
"America Supports You"
A Tradition of Heroes

On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy and Air Force Days. The single-day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under one department -- the Department of Defense. Each of the military leagues and orders was asked to drop sponsorship of its specific service day in order to celebrate the newly announced Armed Forces Day. The Army, Navy and Air Force leagues adopted the newly formed day. The Marine Corps League declined to drop support for Marine Corps Day but supports Armed Forces Day, too.

In a speech announcing the formation of the day, President Truman "praised the work of the military services at home and across the seas" and said, "it is vital to the security of the nation and to the establishment of a desirable peace." In an excerpt from the Presidential Proclamation of Feb. 27, 1950, Mr. Truman stated:

Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 20, 1950, marks the first combined demonstration by America's defense team of its progress, under the National Security Act, towards the goal of readiness for any eventuality. It is the first parade of preparedness by the unified forces of our land, sea, and air defense.

The theme of the first Armed Forces Day was "Teamed for Defense." It was chosen as a means of expressing the unification of all the military forces under a single department of the government. Although this was the theme for the day, there were several other purposes for holding Armed Forces Day. It was a type of "educational program for civilians," one in which there would be an increased awareness of the Armed Forces. It was designed to expand public understanding of what type of job is performed and the role of the military in civilian life. It was a day for the military to show "state-of-the-art" equipment to the civilian population they were protecting. And it was a day to honor and acknowledge the people of the Armed Forces of the United States.

God Bless our troops... God Bless the USA
More @
PeteRepublic.org
Thurber's Thoughts

While taking full credit for the election of Democrats to U.S. Congress this past November, al-Qaeda's deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahri, in a video broadcast on Al-Jazeera TV, told the United States Democrats that they should be negotiating with them about the U.S. situation in Iraq if the U.S. wants to be successful.

Al Qaeda Sends a Message to Democrats - by Brian Ross and Hoda Osman

Al Qaeda has sent a message to leaders of the Democratic party that credit for the defeat of congressional Republicans belongs to the terrorists.

In a portion of the tape from al Qaeda No. 2 man, Ayman al Zawahri, made available only today, Zawahri says he has two messages for American Democrats.

"The first is that you aren't the ones who won the midterm elections, nor are the Republicans the ones who lost. Rather, the Mujahideen -- the Muslim Ummah's vanguard in Afghanistan and Iraq -- are the ones who won, and the American forces and their Crusader allies are the ones who lost," Zawahri said, according to a full transcript obtained by ABC News.

Zawahri calls on the Democrats to negotiate with him and Osama bin Laden, not others in the Islamic world who Zawahri says cannot help.

"And if you don't refrain from the foolish American policy of backing Israel, occupying the lands of Islam and stealing the treasures of the Muslims, then await the same fate," he said.

The fact that al-Qaeda is watching and working the U.S. political system should not come as a surprise to anyone in the U.S.. They know they are in a much better situation with the Democrats in power and will, in my opinion try to strike us at home again.

It's all about timing. I can see them waiting till we withdraw our forces from the middle east, knowing the Democrats would never attempt to re-deploy troops to strike them back anywhere in the world.

It's a good plan if you ask me. Hell, we got hit six times during the last administration, and all we did to retaliate was to blow up an aspirin factory in the desert and kill a camel with a 10 million dollar missile.

Is Osama bin Laden dead or alive?

In March 2006, Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., told the Philadelphia Inquirer that Osama bin Laden had died of natural causes in Iran. He claimed an Iranian exile code-named "Ali," told him that bin Laden was hiding in Iran and that he had knowledge of his death. "He died in Iran," Ali said.

WorldNetDaily.com is reporting today, an interview with Hamid Mir, saying bin Laden is alive and well.

Hamid Mir: Al-Qaida chief shuttles between Pakistan and Afghanistan

Rumors of Osama bin Laden's death are greatly exaggerated and the al-Qaida leader is preparing his next video broadcast to be aired on al-Jazeera, reports an acclaimed Pakistani journalist who has interviewed him.

In an exclusive interview with Paul L. Williams, author of the new book, �The Dunces of Doomsday,� and David Dastych in Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin, Hamid Mir says bin Laden is not only alive and well but in the process of preparing a video-taped appearance for al-Jazeera, the Qatari Arabian news network.

Mir, who conducted the only post-9/11 interviews with bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, says that he remains in sporadic indirect contact with the elusive emir and other al-Qaida officials.

During one of Mir's interviews, bin Laden announced that he had managed to acquire nuclear weapons for use in the great jihad against the United States.

"It is not difficult [to obtain tactical nukes]," the al-Qaida chieftain said, "not if you have contacts in Russia with other militant groups. They are available for $10 million and $20 million."

But contrary to accounts by Weldon, Mir maintains that bin Laden found shelter in the frontier regions of Pakistan, not Iran, in the wake of the bombing of his mountain fortress at Tora Bora. Among the Pashtun tribes, bin Laden remained protected by the Islamic code of mimesis, which demands protection for fellow Muslims who seek shelter in their country -- even if such shelter means risking their lives.

Read Full

The Forgotten War. Based on an interview with journalist Hamid Mir, by Alexandra von Maltzan from All Things Beautiful.

"A major blowback of the war on terror, according to Mir, is that Iran and Russia are now allied in Afghanistan on the side of their old enemy." - This is a real shocker.

"While the Bush administration is on the defensive for its conduct of the war in Iraq, the real setback in the U.S. war effort is coming in Afghanistan where the Taliban is alive, well and thriving throughout the countryside and even in much of neighboring Pakistan.

The news comes in part from an interview with Hamid Mir, the only journalist to conduct face-to-face interviews with Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri in the wake of 9-11.

Mir, who has just completed an extensive tour of both countries, says that Pakistanis in government vehicles are no longer permitted to enter Waziristan, Baluchistan, and other tribal areas without the permission of local Taliban commanders. Muslim men who wander into this area without beards are routinely cast into prison as apostates. Kafirs (non-Muslims) are assumed to be enemy agents; most are put to death. Women are only permitted to appear in public in full burqa. And Shariah has become the rule of the land with regular occurrences of stoning, crucifixion and decapitation.

Over 1,500 Pakistanis in recent months, according to Mir, have been publicly executed for saying something in support of the regime of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and the coalition forces. Most were beheaded. The victims, Mir says, were "not ordinary people but very prominent people."

Regarding the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, Mir contends that Afghan police are "weak"; that the coalition forces "limited in number"; and that the Pashtun people remain fiercely dedicated to Osama bin Laden and his jihad against the West.

Mir claims he has personally visited 12 provinces of Afghanistan in the past few weeks and has received first-hand confirmation that the Taliban has regrouped, recaptured much of the country, and remains intent upon ousting the coalition forces and toppling the puppet regime of President Hamid Karzai.

Support for the Taliban in the form of munitions and money is coming from Iran and Russia.

Read Full Post

Children Respond is an update on a past post called "Child Bride" by Kevin Sites - Hotzone

Back by popular demand due to an overwhelming viewer response and comments from other children.

On March 20 the Hot Zone published a story about Gulsoma, an Afghan girl who was forced into marriage at the age of four. Her new family members tortured and beat her close to death, until she escaped at age 11. Gulsoma now lives in an orphanage in Kabul, where she is recovering from her horrific past and displaying strength beyond her years.

In the overwhelming reader response, we discovered a number of comments from children close to Gulsoma's age. We are featuring some of them here, as originally posted, with no changes to spelling or grammar.

"Dear Gulsoma, I am 12, also, and I can't imagine going through that. I am so proud that you kept the faith and kept praying, and that you weren't bitter. You Have such joy! Not happiness, joy. Grace form Michigan"

"I'm 12 as well and it frightens me just to think of such torture, much less experience it. Gulsoma, if you ever read this, please know that this is a wonderful and inspiring story that I will be sure to share."

Read Full
Read original post here.

Kim Barker of the Chicago Tribune captures the importants of this case on Afghanistan's future.

The potential death sentence for an Afghan man who converted from Islam to Christianity is perhaps the biggest crisis that the fledgling Afghan democracy has faced since the fall of the Taliban.

It is almost impossible to overstate the importance of this case to Afghanistan's future. The international pressure to free Rahman has been tremendous, from Christian groups in America, President Bush, European leaders and human-rights groups. Pressure from powerful Afghan clerics to kill Rahman has been equally strong.

Reuters is reporting today that Abdul Rahman will undergo a medical examination tomorrow to determine his mental state of mind.

"I don't want to die. But if God decides, I am ready to face up to my choices, all the way," he was quoted as saying in Sunday's La Repubblica newspaper.

Read Kim Barker's Article

Read Reuter's Article

Michelle Malkin is staying on this story with a great article by Mark Steyn:

The fragile Afghan state is protected by American, British, Canadian, Australian, Italian and other troops, hundreds of whom have died. You cannot ask Americans or Britons to expend blood and treasure to build a society in which a man can be executed for his choice of religion. You cannot tell a Canadian soldier serving in Kandahar that he, as a Christian, must sacrifice his life to create a Muslim state in which his faith is a capital offense.

As always, we come back to the words of Osama bin Laden: "When people see a strong horse and a weak horse, by nature they will like the strong horse." That's really the only issue: The Islamists know our side have tanks and planes, but they have will and faith, and they reckon in a long struggle that's the better bet. Most prominent Western leaders sound way too eager to climb into the weak-horse suit and audition to play the rear end. Consider, for example, the words of the Prince of Wales, speaking a few days ago at al-Azhar University in Cairo, which makes the average Ivy League nuthouse look like a beacon of sanity. Anyway, this is what His Royal Highness had to say to 800 Islamic "scholars":

Read Full article from Mark Steyn:
Will we stick our necks out for his faith?

As the government of Afghanistan struggles with increasing international pressure from both western countries and religious groups, and their own constitution based on Islamic Sharia law, the people of Afghanistan say: "Put him to Death"

By Sanjoy Majumder
BBC News, Kabul

"Who is America to tell us what to do? If Karzai listens to them there will be jihad (holy war)." says Mohammed Qadir a Kabul resident.

Just a couple of the many comments from these peaceful, tolerant, and kind people published by the BBC today.

"The Prophet Muhammad has said several times that those who convert from Islam should be killed if they refuse to come back," says Ansarullah Mawlafizada, the trial judge.

"Islam is a religion of peace, tolerance, kindness and integrity. That is why we have told him if he regrets what he did, then we will forgive him," he told the BBC News website.

"According to Islamic law he should be sentenced to death because God has clearly stated that Christianity is forbidden in our land," says Mohammed Qadir, another worshipper.

"The courts should punish him and he should be put to death."

Read Full Article from the BBC

Michelle Malkin has been leading the pack on this story.

Robert at Jihad Watch has more.

Senior Muslim clerics demanded Thursday that an Afghan man on trial for converting from Islam to Christianity be executed, warning that if the government caves in to Western pressure and frees him, they will incite people to "pull him into pieces."

"Rejecting Islam is insulting God. We will not allow God to be humiliated. This man must die," said cleric Abdul Raoulf, who is considered a moderate and was jailed three times for opposing the Taliban before the hard-line regime was ousted in 2001.

Fearing that the government of Afghanistan will release Abdul Rahman from jail due to western pressure moderate Muslim clerics warn he'd be killed if set free.

"If he is allowed to live in the West, then others will claim to be Christian so they can too," he said. "We must set an example. … He must be hanged."

The clerics said they were angry with the United States and other countries for pushing for Rahman's freedom.

"We are a small country and we welcome the help the outside world is giving us. But please don't interfere in this issue," Nasri said. "We are Muslims and these are our beliefs. This is much more important to us than all the aid the world has given us."

Read Full Article

Abdul Rahman 42, faces the death penalty in Afghanistan for converting to Christianity 16 years ago in Pakistan while working as a medical aid worker for an international Christian group helping Afghan refugees. He returned to Afghanistan after the Taliban was remove and was turned into the authorities by his own family. He now sits in jail awaiting his almost certain execution.

It appears his life is in the hands of a Mr. Shinwari, the Chief Justice, who is an old man and an intolerant Taliban remnant hell bent on killing him.

A very distubing portion of his lastest court hearing where the prosecutorquestions him is available now.

View this short video clip via Dutch TV
Translation of short Video:

Abdul was taken into custody and a court case has followed. The story hit public TV on Thursday, March 16. The newscaster stated that an Afghan citizen by the name of Abdul Rahman converted to the Christian religion 16 years ago.

He was questioned, "Do you confess that you have apostacized from Islam?"

He responded, "No, I am not an apostate, I believe in God."

Question: "Do you believe in the Koran?"

Response: "I believe in the Injil (New Testament) and love Jesus Christ.

Michelle Malkin has been all over this story for some time now trying to help save his life.

Italy and Germany have joined together in protest:

The sharia laws, which rule many Muslim countries, forbid conversion to other religions on pain of death .

Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini on Tuesday said Italy would raise the case of Abdul Rahman with the Afghan ambassador in Rome, European Union diplomatic representatives in Afghanistan and EU human rights bodies.

If you would like to help:
Write the embassy of Afghanistan:

Ambassador Said T. Jawad
Embassy of Afghanistan
2341 Wyoming Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20008
info@embassyofafghanistan.org

Contact the State Department:

U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520

Main Switchboard:
202-647-4000

Talk about Freedom for Some...
This touching story Posted by Kevin Sites, is the perfect example of the Religion of Peace.
Married at the age of four, an Afghan girl was subjected to years of beatings and torture, finally escaping to discover that within all the world's cruelty, there is also some kindness.

Eleven-year old Gulsoma lay in a heap on the ground in front of her father-in-law. He told her that if she didn't find a missing watch by the next morning he would kill her. He almost had already.

Enraged about the missing watch, Gulsoma's father-in-law had beaten her repeatedly with a stick. She was bleeding from wounds all over her body and her right arm and right foot had been broken.

She knew at that moment that if she didn't get away, he would make good on his promise to kill her.

Her story begins in the village of Mullah Allam Akhound, near Kandahar.

"When I was three years old my father died, and after a year my mother married again, but her second husband didn't want me," says Gulsoma. "So my mother gave me away in a promise of marriage to our neighbor's oldest son, who was thirty."

"They had a ceremony in which I was placed on a horse [which is traditional in Afghanistan] and given to the man."

Because she was still a child, the marriage was not expected to be sexually consummated. But within a year, Gulsoma learned that so much else would be required of her that she would become a virtual slave in the household.

At the age of five, she was forced to take care of not only her "husband" but also his parents and all 12 of their other children as well.

Though nearly the entire family participated in the abuse, her father-in-law, she says, was the cruelest.

"My father-in-law asked me to do everything — laundry, the household chores — and the only time I was able to sleep in the house was when they had guests over," she says. "Other than that I would have to sleep outside on a piece of carpet without even any blankets. In the summer it was okay. But in the winter a neighbor would come over and give me a blanket, and sometimes some food."

When she couldn't keep up with the workload, Gulsoma says, she was beaten constantly.

"They beat me with electric wires," she says, "mostly on the legs. My father-in-law told his other children to do it that way so the injuries would be hidden. He said to them, 'break her bones, but don't hit her on the face.'"
You must read this full article.

And then, remind me again why we should believe in Islam. This Religion of Peace.

** UPDATE: Child Bride: Children Respond **