Stories from 2002-05-12

"The releases left 1,500 Afghans and 600 Pakistanis still at Shibergan, which is known for its atrocious conditions. Prisoners who have been released have told of beatings, starvation rations, and cells so tightly packed that the inmates couldn't all lie down at once. The International Red Cross recently started an emergency feeding program because some inmates were on the verge of starvation." [more]

"British officials are privately criticising what they consider a lack of understanding by the US administration of the need to engage in social and economic reconstruction in Afghanistan. 'The Americans seem to be operating like Swat squads, with one thought in their heads: "Let's go in and kill those 'ragheads'", as they call the enemy,' one UK military source said. The sources say official UK and US briefings have understated the civilian deaths caused by US bombing as well as the human rights violations committed by Afghans claiming the support of the US." [more]

" 'If there's any sensitivity to what's going on between Israelis and Palestinians now, moving on Iraq at this stage would be tremendous instability in the area and one that I don't think the Arab world could handle,' the king said on NBC's Meet the Press." [more]

"The Pakistani government's reluctance to go after pockets of al-Qaeda fighters on its territory would be the first major disagreement in the US-Pakistan alliance against terrorism since the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States." [more]

"The presence of the U.S. troops is controversial in this former American colony, and an extension of their stay could arouse criticism." [more]

"What would happen if Israel were to become isolated internationally while the Palestinians gradually build up their military strengthójust as China did at the outset of the Sino-Japanese War of 1937óand if they gained military support from neighboring countries?" [more]

"The meeting affirms to both the United States and Israel that the Arab world holds a unified position. 'The meeting in itself is very important, because every time Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria come together and coordinate their position, this is generally perceived as a very positive step. It means the Arab system is not about to collapse, the coordination is going ahead, and you do not have to expect a fragmentation of the Arab position.' " [more]

"[S]peaking privately, Pakistani officials disclosed the military leaders concluded that no operation would be launched in the volatile border region ó known as the Tribal Areas ó without more specific intelligence that the Pakistani government deemed credible. Even then, they decided, U.S. military involvement in the area should be kept to a minimum. A small number of U.S. Special Forces are already operating along the Pakistani side of the border, and covert U.S. patrols have crossed into Pakistan from Afghanistan." [more]