AUSTRALIANS AT WAR

AUSTRALIANS AT WAR
THE NEW AMERICAN CENTURY is a compelling factual history of neoconservatism and its influence on US Foreign Policy in the Middle East during the first decade of the twenty-first century. Click on image above for details.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

THE MUMBAI ATTACKS: A TRIGGER FOR U.S. ‘INTERVENTION’ IN PAKISTAN?

Whoever is responsible for the attacks in Mumbai, one thing is for certain; they were an extremely well armed, well equipped and highly organised group which puts them well outside of the usual rag-tag ‘terrorist’ groups that one would generally associate with these seemingly random attacks against civilian targets. The sophistication and their apparent coolness together with their well coordinated and simultaneous attacks against specific targets has all the hallmarks of a professional covert operation planned and coordinated in real time by persons other than those actually involved in carrying out the attacks.

The clear intention, as Fox News is already trying to do, is to blame the attacks on Pakistani extremists associated with ‘al Qaeda’ and the Taliban for the purpose of directly associating elements of the Pakistan intelligence services with ‘terrorism’ thereby, in turn, implying that some unknown Pakistani government personnel are supporters of extremists. Since Pakistan is a nuclear armed nation one can easily see where this is going.

Hawkish elements and neocons within the Bush administration have for some time expressed fears about where Pakistan might be headed after the pro-US President Musharraf was tossed out of power and would be looking for any excuse to ensure that Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal was secure and out of reach of hostile elements of the Pakistan government. Linking these attacks to elements of the Pakistan government is just one more step intended to get world public opinion on side for an ‘intervention’ by the US and their allies into Pakistani affairs. Indeed, I was very recently told personally by a senior Australian Defence official that Pakistan was of extreme concern to the Australian government and that the Australian government regards Pakistan as a highly dangerous nation and potential enemy of the west in the ‘very near future’.

Whether or not these attacks are designed to actually trigger an ‘intervention’ by the US and their allies against Pakistan or is simply part of a build up to ensure public opinion is on side for an ‘intervention’ at a later date is, as yet, unclear. What is clear, however, is that these attacks were not carried out by al Qaeda or the Taliban; they were far too sophisticated for that.

9 comments:

orana gelar said...

The weak arguments asserted by some so-called "Counterterrorism experts" for their reflexive claims that al-qāʿidah did it [whatever it is on any given day] are ridiculous.

"Attacking multiple targets simultaneously, as has occured in Mumbai," they'll [characteristically] point out is "characteristic of Al-Qaeda."

What?

And no-one else ever thinks that might be an effective tactic?

So, not one other group of people seeking to achieve something through violent means, not one in the whole wide world, has ever seen any potential in an approach Sun Tzu talked about thousands of years ago?

Are they telling us that in the 18th century, Pierre de Bourcet didn't conceive a “plan with branches” in which an army, by aiming at multiple targets, forces the enemy to divide his forces, thus making the enemy unable to defend all?

Or are they telling us he did, but only because he was "trained by Al-Qaeda" too?

orana gelar said...

Michael Evans, Defence Editor for The Times (UK), is building a platform for the idea:

"Signals intelligence “chatter” in recent weeks indicated that Osama bin Laden’s terrorist organisation might be plotting an attack “to grab the headlines” before Mr Obama takes over in the White House on January 20."

...

"This attack, however, involving the taking of Western hostages made it more likely that the operation’s masterminds were from the core leadership of al-Qaeda, which is based in the lawless tribal regions close to the Pakistan/Afghanistan border."

He stops short of openly calling for 'intervention' in those "lawless tribal regions" of Pakistan.

orana gelar said...

And AP are reporting:

"The Indian navy says its forces are boarding a cargo vessel suspected of ties to the Mumbai attacks that killed 101 people."

"Navy spokesman Capt. Manohar Nambiar said Thursday that the ship, the MV Alpha, had recently come to Mumbai from Karachi, Pakistan."

Pakistan is certainly being put in the frame by some people.

Some politicans will probably soon be calling for 'intervention' in Pakistan, but only after the is seeded by "experts" quoted by the big mainstream media outlets.

orana gelar said...

Meanwhile news outlets less well known (and less syndicated) than AP, are reporting that the MV Alpha, a Vietnamese registered ship, has now been cleared by the Indian Navy. Nothing suscpicous was found.

What do we suspect the news item will say tomorrow to readers in countries like the USA, UK, Canada, and Australia?

That a "suspect ship from Pakistan" was intercepted by the Indian Navy, or that it was cleared by the Indian Navy because there was nothing suspicious found on it?

I suspect there will be syndication of the AP article, perhaps with a mention that it was cleared, but with the Pakistan link still featuring as the key point of the story.

It will likely be a case of let's not let the truth that this ship probably wasn't involved in any way with what has happened get in the way of a good yarn that helps weave a narrative linking Pakistan to the attacks.

Anonymous said...

spot on ...

  .. orana gelar vis-à-vis Al Qaeda

G'day Damian,

Try this:

Expert analysis of the Mumbai terror attacks
Kerry O'Brien
27/11/2008

  «Rohan Gunaratna, a top international terrorist expert, with particular expertise in Al Qaeda and its offshoots joins the 7:30 Report from Singapore to discuss the terrorist attacks on two hotels in the Indian city of Mumbai.»

  «ROHAN GUNARATNA, GLOBAL TERRORISM EXPERT: The terrorist group that mounted this attack has claimed that its name is Deccan Mujaheddin.
But in fact it is a group called Indian Mujaheddin. This group has been active in the past few years, and it has killed about 250 people.»


  «... This particular group is a home grown group, meaning it is an Indian group, but certainly it is inspired by the ideology of Al Qaeda and the method of Al Qaeda.
Al-Qaeda's method is to do mass fatality, mass casualty, multiple targets, so complex attacks.»

[AusBC/7:30]

Such 'talking heads' almost invariably sing from some CIA-inspired song-sheet.

One of the 'subliminal' points in the above report is that the alleged terrorists are attacking, as well as 'western targets,' their own people (see: 'a home grown group') - not so subtly implying, what utter animals they must be! (If the story we're getting is actually true; a mighty big "IF!")

Keywords: Al Qaeda, jihad, hajj (the latter especially for US 'grunts' to murder); (extremist!) Muslims, a desired (world-wide!) caliphate, Islamofascism... On an on it goes; the simultaneous propagandising and dumbing-down of the sheople® whilst conjuring a target for the vile US M/I/C-plex. To keep the world cowering under the 'terror' spell, all the better to rip us (we the sheople) off. How could we ever know if this latest outrage is a black-flag psyop, as the bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra is thought to have been? The US is known to have deployed the 'El Salvador option' in South America, and known to have considered it for Iraq. And if they've considered it, they've most likely deployed it; they do not shrink from murder in any guise.

Most of the CIA song-sheets contain filthy lies; all the more disgusting then, when a publicly-funded broadcaster gushes those lies at us. Boo! Hiss!

Damian Lataan said...

Hi Orana and Phil. Regardless of who these people are or who they represent they have clearly been trained by professionals which can only mean they have come from Pakistan where they were more than likely trained by the Pakistani intelligence organisation the ISI. The big question is; who backed and funded it? Whose pocket are these particular ISI people living out of? Elements of ISI are known to support the Taliban, however, others are quite happy to accept US and Israeli money.

I don't know if this will be used as a casus belli for 'intervention' but it will certainly be used as part of the build up to one.

Many thanks for your input - it is all welcome. I'll be away over the weekend but back on Sunday to put up any further comments as you think of them.

Cheers, Damian.

Anonymous said...

FYI: Hindu militants false flag muslims attacks.
================

India uncovers Hindu terror group that carried out bombings blamed on Islamists
At least 10 people, including monk and army officer, held

By Andrew Buncombe in Delhi
Sunday, 23 November 2008

India is in something of a state of shock after learning from official sources that its first Hindu terror cell may have carried out a series of deadly bombings that were initially blamed on militant Muslims. The revelation is forcing the country to consider some difficult questions. At least 10 people have been arrested in connection with several bomb blasts in the Muslim-dominated town of Malegaon in the western state of Maharashtra in September, which left six people dead. But reports suggest that police believe the cell may also have carried out a number of previous attacks, including last year's notorious bombing of a cross-border train en route to Pakistan, which killed 68 people. Among the alleged members of the cell are a serving army officer and a Hindu monk. Bomb attacks are not uncommon in India – there has been a flurry in recent months – but police usually blame them on Muslim extremists, often said to have links to militant groups based in either Pakistan or Bangladesh. As a result, the recent cracking of the alleged Hindu cell has forced India to face some difficult issues. A country that prides itself on purported religious and cultural toleration – an ambition that in reality often falls short – has been made to ask itself how this cell could operate for so long. India's military, which prides itself on its professionalism, has been forced to order an embarrassing inquiry. The near-daily drip of revelations from police has also caused red faces for India's main political opposition, the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), ahead of state polls and a general election scheduled for early next year. The BJP and its prime ministerial candidate, Lal Krishna Advani, have long accused the Congress Party-led government of being soft on terrorism that involved Muslims. However, the BJP has refused to call for a clampdown on Hindu groups, and last week Mr Advani even criticised the police over the way they questioned one of the alleged cell members, a woman called Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur. The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, phoned his rival to ask him not to politicise the issue or the investigation. "There is a strong case so let the police do their job," he told Mr Advani. While some commentators have expressed surprise about the discovery of the alleged cell, others have pointed out that there has been growing concern about the possible threat from Hindu extremists. In the summer, two members of a right-wing Hindu group were killed while putting together a bomb, and two other suspected members of the same group died in similar circumstances in 2006. Meanwhile, senior right-wing leaders have made no secret of their wish that Hindus should form suicide squads to protect themselves against Muslim extremists. Bal Thackeray, leader of a group called the Shiv Sena, which has been responsible for communal and regional violence in Mumbai, wrote recently in the party's magazine: "The threat of Islamic terror in India is rising. It is time to counter the same with Hindu terror. Hindu suicide squads should be readied to ensure the existence of Hindu society and to protect the nation." Observers say the fact that the police have arrested the alleged cell members amid considerable political pressure suggests the growing professionalism of its security forces. "It's the first Hindu cell and it's the first time Hindus have been shackled and taken to jail," said Professor Dipankar Gupta, a sociologist at Delhi's Jawarlahal Nehru University. "I'm quite pleased with the way the police have done their jobs." http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/india-uncovers-hindu-terror-group-that-carried-out-bombings-blamed-on-islamists-14076306.html


Brian

vlad said...

"What is clear, however, is that these attacks were not carried out by al Qaeda or the Taliban; they were far too sophisticated for that".

Mr Lataan, i for one am stunned at your very short memory.
How anyone could forget the story of 19 of Al Ciaduh's finest, out on the piss with hookers till 1 in the morn, getting up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 5am to pull off the greatest covert op in the history of the universe is beyond belief!
Please, a little respect for our mainstream media, its not us if they would lie to us!

Anonymous said...

My goodness ...... don't say it's so.

Damian, you're going to apply another crazy conspiracy theory again! As we see first hand, the terrorists' faces, those witnesses who saw, demands made ...

Tell me this is a joke.

Damian, seriously, if you're writing this blog as a crazy joke, you've done agood job. You've probably shocked most people in the past with the 9/11 theories. But now, today, when the bodies of the victims are still yet to be identified, let alone buried... you're prepared to let their killers escape the spolight through some mad scheme.

Damian, I ask you in all seriousness, have you no compassion? Have you no heart?!?!

If you're into practical jokes and deliberately winding people up, you've done it well. But you should seek to mischeviously ruffle feathers away from such life-or-death topics.

It's just plain cruel.