New York Jewish Times On-Line

A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter provides aerial security in Afghanistan.

Photo by Johnny R. Aragon / U.S. Army Photo

Security Forces Cooperate Along Afghanistan-Pakistan Border
NANGAHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan -- As part of their ongoing effort to enhance communication and cooperation, Afghan and Pakistani border security forces at Torkham Gate met with the 173rd Airborne Brigade’s Special Troops Battalion commander to address security and communication issues and the upcoming opening of the Khyber Border Coordination Center.
Preventing insurgent operations in the border area requires constant communication between the Afghan and Pakistan border forces, said Army Lt. Col. Jeffrey Milhorn, the battalion commander. He said he hopes to improve the chances of catching insurgents by supplying the Afghan and Pakistani border police with radio equipment so they can speak directly with each other. (Full Story)

Iran Shells Kurdish Villages in Northern Iraq
(VOA) Iraqi officials say the Iranian military has fired artillery at several villages in northern Iraq where Iran believes Kurdish rebels are based. Iraqi Kurdish officials say Iranian forces shelled the villages in Iraq's Sulaimaniyah province near the Iranian border Sunday and Saturday.
No casualties were reported, but the government of northern Iraq's Kurdish region says Iranian shelling has caused serious concern among residents. It strongly condemned the bombardment and demanded that it stop immediately. (Full Story)

North Korean Official’s Visit to Namibia Stirs Controversy
(VOA) Namibia’s National Society for Human Rights says it is strongly opposed to the official visit to Namibia of the speaker of North Korea’s national assembly. Kim Yong-Nam will hold talks Friday with Namibia’s President Hifikepunye Pohamba and former President Sam Nujoma. He will also open Namibia's new North Korean-built presidential residence. The Human Rights group contends that the visit could potentially undermine Namibia’s hard won reputation in the international community, especially because of North Korea’s poor human rights record.
Officials of Namibia’s government were not immediately available for comment. (Full Story)

Russia, Egypt to Sign Nuclear Energy Deal
CAIRO (RIA Novosti) -- Russia and Egypt will sign an agreement on cooperation in the civilian nuclear energy sector next week, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said. The document will be signed during a forthcoming visit by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to Moscow on March 24-25, Gheit said.
"This agreement will enable Egypt to use Russia's extensive experience in the peaceful use of nuclear energy," Gheit said.
A source in Egypt's electricity and energy ministry earlier said the document will lay the foundation for nuclear energy cooperation between Egypt and Russia and will strengthen relations between Russian companies and Egypt. (Full Story)

Coalition Forces in Iraq Kill 25 Terrorists, Detain Dozens
(AFPS) Coalition forces in Iraq killed 12 terrorists today during an operation east of Baqouba targeting members of a suicide bombing network, military officials said. The ground force was attacked with small-arms fire as it approached the targeted building. Responding to the hostile threat, coalition forces engaged five armed men, killing them, officials said.
The ground forces ordered the occupants to come out of the building. Some complied with the order, but others remained inside, according to officials. Coalition forces entered the building and were fired upon by several armed men. Seven more terrorists were killed in the engagement, and coalition forces detained five suspects on the scene. (Full Story)

Counterinsurgency Efforts Leave Al Qaeda 'Off Balance' in Iraq
Al Qaeda terrorists and other Iraqi insurgents are "off balance" in Iraq, an Army counterinsurgency expert said. In a teleconference with online journalists and bloggers, Army Col. Daniel S. Roper, director of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., said he welcomed the opportunity to explain that counterinsurgency isn't just a military strategy.
"It is not just done by soldiers and Marines," he said. "Counterinsurgency is part of a broader effort and, therefore, we think it's extremely important to have opportunities like this to discuss counterinsurgency, so maybe we reach some audiences that may believe this is just a military operation." (Full Story)

The USS Benfold.

U.S. Navy Photo

Passing Secrets at Sea... To Terrorists, No Less
(FBI) As a bevy of U.S. battleships steamed towards the Middle East in the spring of 2001 on a mission to patrol the Persian Gulf, a sailor aboard one of those vessels was pursuing an entirely different mission.
His name was Hassan Abu-Jihaad, and he was serving as a signalman aboard the USS Benfold. Little did anyone know at the time, he was also a homegrown radical who was secretly in touch with al Qaeda financiers, sharing classified details about the vulnerabilities and movements of the battleships just six months after al Qaeda operatives had killed 17 Americans aboard the USS Cole in the port of Yemen. (Full Story)

NATO Progress in Afghanistan Significant, General Says
Despite the task NATO faced when it arrived in Afghanistan in 2003, the alliance has made significant progress in the country, the deputy chairman of the alliance’s military committee said.
“NATO’s done a remarkable job … in expanding their operations, from what began just in the Kabul area, throughout the entire country by late 2006,” U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Karl W. Eikenberry told the Pentagon Channel. “Today, NATO does have the responsibility for the maintenance of security throughout the entire country of Afghanistan.” (Full Story)

Detained Terrorists Reveal Al Qaeda Recruiting Process
Information culled from 48 foreign fighters in custody of Multinational Force Iraq yields a profile for al Qaeda foreign terrorists, a senior military official said.
When analyzed, officials found that foreign terrorists had comparable recruitment stories, including why they joined al Qaeda and what they did once they were smuggled into Iraq, said Air Force Col. Donald Bacon, chief of special operations and intelligence information for Multinational Force Iraq. Bacon spoke with online journalists and “bloggers” during a conference call. (Full Story)

Russia's MiG-29K Fighter Makes Maiden Flight
MOSCOW (RIA Novosti) -- Russia has flight-tested a MiG-29K/KUB carrier fighter, a spokesperson for the MiG aircraft building corporation said on Wednesday.
She said the 42-minute flight was observed by a delegation of the Indian Navy, due to take delivery of the first MiG-29K/ KUB Russian fighter jets for the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier in May.
The contract, signed on January 20, 2004, stipulates the delivery of 12 single-seat MiG-29K and 4 two-seat MiG-29KUB by 2009, to be later deployed on the Admiral Gorshkov, currently being retrofitted in Russia for the Indian Navy. (Full Story)

RIA Novosti Photo

NATO Fighters Scramble Again to Intercept Russian Bear Bombers
MOSCOW (RIA Novosti) -- NATO fighters scrambled to accompany Russian Tu-95 Bear strategic bombers on a regular patrol over the Atlantic on Wednesday, a Russian Air Force spokesman said.
Two Bear bombers conducted a 16-hour patrol mission Wednesday over the Atlantic Ocean and performed aerial refueling while flying over neutral waters near Norway en route to their home bases.
"During the flight, the Russian bombers were accompanied by NATO's F-16 and Tornado fighters," Colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky said. (Full Story)

Captured Foreign Fighters Provide Insight into Enemy Facing Iraq
Information gleaned from 48 foreign fighters detained in Iraq offers insight into al Qaeda’s methods, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman told reporters during a briefing today in Baghdad.
“The foreign detainees told similar stories about what happened to them once they were smuggled into Iraq,” said Navy Rear Adm. Greg Smith, director of Multinational Force Iraq’s communication division.
“These 48 men told us they were lured here with the promise they would be killing Americans … but they were disappointed that most of the violence they saw was directed at the Iraqi people … fellow Muslims,” Smith said. (Full Story)

Defense Department Takes Custody of High-Value Al Qaeda Operative
The Defense Department has taken custody of a “high-value” al Qaeda operative, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said today. Whitman said that Muhammad Rahim is now in custody at the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Rahim is a high-level member of al Qaeda and a close associate of Osama bin Laden. “Prior to his arrival in Guantanamo, he has been held in CIA custody,” Whitman said.
Rahim is from Afghanistan’s Nangahar province and had close ties to al Qaeda organizations throughout the Middle East. “He is one of (bin Laden’s) most trusted facilitators and procurement specialists,” Whitman said. (Full Story)

Flash 90

Israeli Vice PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs
Tzipi Livni Addresses a Special Session of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
"The same extreme ideology and manipulation of religion that was behind the horrific attacks on the twin towers in New York, also threatens to spoil the peace that Israel, the United States, and many moderates throughout the region, so much desire." Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni
(IFM) Mr. Speaker, thank you for your warm introduction, and even more for your generous invitation to come to this House, and to address the members of this extraordinary Legislature. (Full Address)

Forces Capture Terrorism Suspects, Seize Weapons Caches in Iraq
(AFPS) Coalition forces captured suspected terrorists and seized weapons caches throughout Iraq over the past two days.
In Baghdad today, troops captured an alleged associate of an al Qaeda in Iraq senior leader responsible for terrorist propaganda. The suspect is also believed to be involved in propaganda activities and connected to various other associates of the terrorist network in Baghdad. Troops detained seven suspected other suspected terrorists at the same time location. (Full Story)

This graphic depicts a cross-section of the Saturnian moon Titan.

Image: NASA/JPL

Cassini Spacecraft Finds Ocean May Exist Beneath Titan's Crust
(NASA/JPL) NASA's Cassini spacecraft has discovered evidence that points to the existence of an underground ocean of water and ammonia on Saturn's moon Titan. The findings, made using radar measurements of Titan's rotation, will appear in the March 21 issue of the journal Science.
"With its organic dunes, lakes, channels and mountains, Titan has one of the most varied, active and Earth-like surfaces in the solar system," said Ralph Lorenz, lead author of the paper and Cassini radar scientist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., "Now we see changes in the way Titan rotates, giving us a window into Titan's interior beneath the surface." (Full Story)

Palestinian terrorist attack on Mercaz Harav rabbinical seminary leaves blood splattered on every surface including the holy books and Bibles in the yeshiva library.

Zaka Photo

Terrorist Attack at Rabbinical Seminary in Jerusalem Kills 8 Students, Wounds 11
Terror in Yeshiva Library
(IFM) A Palestinian terrorist infiltrated the Mercaz Harav rabbinical seminary on Thursday evening and opened fire on a crowded library and study hall, killing eight people and wounding 11 others. The yeshiva, located in the Kiryat Moshe neighborhood near the entrance to Jerusalem, is home to several hundred students, most aged 18-30.
On Thursday evening, the yeshiva students - mostly teenagers - had returned from prayers at the Western Wall. They were about to begin a party celebrating the beginning of the month of Adar - a month of joy marked by the Purim holiday. Many of the students had gathered in the yeshiva library before the party when the terrorist opened fire. (Full Story)

Afghan Forces Inflict Losses, Detain Local Taliban Leader
(AFPS) Afghan national security forces, advised by coalition forces, killed several insurgents after a failed Taliban ambush 30 kilometers northeast of Gareshk district in Helmand province, military officials reported.
The combined force was conducting a reconnaissance patrol when a group of insurgents engaged them with small-arms fire, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar fire. The combined force immediately returned accurate small-arms and machine-gun fire. The large group of insurgents attempted to outmaneuver the combined force and moved into a trench line. (Full Story)

Chavez Threatens to Cut Venezuela's Trade Ties With Colombia
(VOA) Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is threatening to end his country's trade ties with Colombia, in response to last week's Colombian military raid on a leftist rebel outpost in Ecuador.
Mr. Chavez made the threat Wednesday in Caracas during a joint news conference with Ecuador's president, Rafael Correa.
The two heads of state have condemned the cross-border attack last Saturday that killed more than 20 Colombian FARC rebels, including FARC commander Raul Reyes. Mr. Chavez sent thousands of Venezuelan troops to Colombia's border, but said he is not seeking an armed conflict. (Full Story)

Egypt Starts Building New Wall on Gaza Border
CAIRO (RIA Novosti) -- Egypt has begun the construction of a new wall along its border with the Gaza Strip, local media said on Thursday.
An Egyptian security official told the Al-Ahram newspaper that the new three-meter-high (10-foot-high) concrete wall was a "preventive measure" aimed at strengthening the country's national security, as well as fulfilling international commitments.
In January, thousands of Palestinians entered Egypt after militants blew up parts of the wall dividing Egypt and the Gaza town of Rafah. (Full Story)

This photograph of an aurora was taken in Wisconsin.

Photo by Jeffrey R. Hapeman of Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin / NASA/JPL Photo

Spring Marks Aurora Season as Northern Skies Glow with Light
(NASA/JPL) What are the signs of spring? They are as familiar as a blooming daffodil, a songbird at dawn, a surprising shaft of warmth from the afternoon sun. And, oh yes, don’t forget the aurora borealis. Spring is aurora season. For reasons not fully understood by scientists, the weeks around the vernal equinox are prone to Northern Lights. Canadians walking their dogs after dinner, Scandinavians popping out to the sauna, Alaskan Huskies on the Iditarod trail -- all they have to do is look up and behold, green curtains of light dancing across the night sky. Spring has arrived!
This is a bit of a puzzle. Auroras are caused by solar activity, but the sun doesn’t know what season it is on Earth. So how could one season yield more auroras than another? (Full Story)

Putin Hopes for Political Solution to South American Crisis
MOSCOW (RIA Novosti) -- President Vladimir Putin told Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in a phone conversation that he hoped the current conflict in South America would be resolved by political and diplomatic means, the Kremlin press service said on Thursday.
Russia on Tuesday urged Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela to avoid escalating tensions after Colombian forces crossed into Ecuador and killed a senior rebel commander. (Full Story)

Successful Operations Target Two Top Taliban Leaders
KABUL, Afghanistan (ISAF) – ISAF soldiers in support of Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan conducted successful operations that killed two Taliban leaders, Mullah Abdul Matin and his associate Mullah Karim Agha in Helmand Province.
"As a result of this successful attack, the Taliban’s networks have suffered another severe setback," said Brig. Gen. Carlos Branco, ISAF spokesperson. "Each successful operation ensures insurgent disruption that gives way for stability operations to take place." (Full Story)

ILS launches its heavy Proton-M carrier rockets from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan.

RIA Novosti Photo

Russian-U.S. Venture Signs New Proton-M Launch Deal
MOSCOW (RIA Novosti) - Russian-American joint venture International Launch Services (ILS) has signed a contract to launch two U.S. commercial satellites, the Khrunichev State Research and Production Center said.
ILS, owned by the Khrunichev Center, RSC Energia, and U.S. firm Space Transport Inc. provides spacecraft launch services on board Proton-M carrier rockets. The company received $1.5 billion in new launch orders in 2007.
"The contract is for the launch of two satellites for the SIRIUS Satellite Radio constellation," a Khrunichev spokesman said. (Full Story)

International War Game Explores Seabasing Concept
More than 200 representatives from militaries and other agencies from around the world came to Maryland this week to discuss the U.S. military’s seabasing concept and how it can be developed as a joint, multinational means of rendering aid and military support.
The group came together for the annual Expeditionary Warrior '08 wargaming program held at the William F. Bolger Leadership Facility in Potomac, Md. The Marine Corps commandant chooses a topic for the war game each year related to organizing, training and equipping Marines. (Full Story)

U.S. Pleased With OAS Resolution on Colombia-Ecuador Crisis
(VOA) The United State Thursday welcomed the Organization of American States' resolution on the Colombia-Ecuador crisis, which calls for an OAS commission to investigate the matter. U.S. officials say efforts by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to exploit the situation have no support in the region.
The Bush administration has strongly backed Colombia in its struggle with leftwing FARC rebels, and officials here are pleased the OAS resolution fell short of an outright condemnation of Colombia for its cross-border raid last Saturday on a FARC encampment in Ecuador. (Full Story)

Israel's Vice PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni Address the Diplomatic Corps
JERUSALEM (IFM) -- FM LIVNI: Welcome. I know that some of you may be hearing something from the other side in a similar meeting with the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah. It's a pity that I use the words "the other side" because I believe that Israel and the legitimate Palestinian government in Ramallah are on the same side. So I believe that what I will share with you today represents the interests of Israel as well as Palestinian society, moderate Palestinians, and the international community. We are trying to share the situation with you because I believe that there is a role of the international community, and we need to understand where we are all headed. (Full Story)

RIA Novosti Photo

Iranian Navy Receives Stealth-capable Submarine
TEHRAN (RIA Novosti) -- Iran's Navy commissioned a domestically designed and produced light submarine featuring extended stealth capability and strong firepower, state television reported.
The submarine, dubbed Ghadir, is reportedly fitted with noise-reduction features and is capable of firing missiles and torpedoes simultaneously.
"This submarine is equipped with advanced weapons and electronics systems. It has been developed in the last decade by [Iranian] scientists and engineers," a TV program quoted Navy commander, Admiral Habib Sayyari, as saying. (Full Story)

Man from Ecuador Killed by Palestinian Sniper
(IFM) Carlos Andrés Mosquera Chávez, a 20-year-old volunteer from Ecuador, was killed by a Palestinian sniper from the Gaza Strip as he was working in the fields of Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha. The Hamas Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for the shooting.
Carlos Chávez, a volunteer from Quito, Ecuador, was working in the potato fields of Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha, near the central Gaza Strip, about 100 meters from the perimeter fence. He and his compatriot, David Lanas, had stopped for a snack when the firing began. They ran for cover, but Carlos was struck by a bullet in the back. He managed to say... (Full Story)

Syria Money Transmitting Charges, Man Pleads Guilty
Defendant admits to sending over 4.8 million dollars to Syria through intermediary countries including Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, and China.
SAN FRANCISCO (FBI) -- United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello announced that Hesham Badawi pleaded guilty to operating an illegal money transmitting business. Mr. Badawi admitted that he illegally sent close to five million dollars to Syria through his business. This guilty plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (Full Story)

Afghan Villagers Receive Winter Supplies
The Bagram Provincial Reconstruction Kapisa Team delivered winter coats and shoes to a village in the Nijrab district of Afghanistan’s Kapisa province.
“Humanitarian assistance drops spread goodwill and provide basic needs, like clothing, to places where people can’t provide for themselves,” said Air Force Capt. Erick Saks, Bagram PRT representative.
Bagram PRT works with government officials to decide where people need humanitarian assistance. The PRT, with the help of Shoki’s village elders, handed out winter clothing and shoes for adults and children, which were donated from charities in the United States and purchased with civil affairs funds. (Full Story)

Statements to the Security Council: The Situation in Gaza and Sderot
UNITED NATIONS, New York (IFM) -- The Security Council convened an emergency meeting, in the form of an open debate, to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip.
Israel's Statement by Counsellor Gilad Cohen, Chargé d’Affaires, a.i.
Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations
"Situation in the Middle East including the Palestinian question"
Mr. President,
The situation in the region today did not develop overnight. It is the consequence of many choices, repeatedly the wrong choices, made by the Palestinians, to adopt terrorism and violence over peace and negotiations with Israel. (Full Story)

IDF Cracks Down on Terror in Judea and Samaria
(IFM) In the past week, IDF forces continued to operate against terrorist organizations in the Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley in order to prevent terrorist attacks in the Israeli home front and in the Judea and Samaria region.
At night, two terrorists infiltrated into the yeshiva of Kibutz Kfar Etzion and stabbed two Israeli civilians. The two counselors were lightly-moderately injured, and were transferred to the Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital in Jerusalem. Other counselors present on the scene came to their defense, overpowered the terrorists and killed them. At the same time in a different location, Palestinian gunmen opened fire at... (Full Story)

Terror in Gaza Escalates, Israeli Civilians Targeted
Terror emanating from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip sharply escalated - with both a significant increase in rocket fire and the use of a snipers' rifle to kill civilians.
(IFM) On January 15th, terror emanating from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip sharply escalated. Over the next 24 hours, more than 100 rockets and mortars were fired from Gaza on the Israeli cities of Sderot and Ashkelon, a city of one hundred thousand residents. Not only did the Palestinian's indiscriminate fire rain down on Israeli civilians harder than ever before, the Palestinian terrorists now began to single out civilian targets with precision weapons. (Full Story)

Israel Plans to Resume Fuel Supplies to Gaza
TEL AVIV (RIA Novosti) - Israel said on Sunday it would resume fuel supplies to Gaza halted last week to counter rocket attacks.
      Israeli government officials announced the decision at a Supreme Court hearing held to consider a petition by Palestinian human rights groups against the blockade.
      The blockade of fuel and goods to Gaza began on January 18, when Israel halted fuel supplies and shut all border crossings with the Palestinian enclave in response to ongoing insurgent rocket attacks from the territory, controlled by Islamist group Hamas.
      Thousands of Palestinians made their way from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip into Egypt on Wednesday after militants partially destroyed a wall on the Gaza-Egypt border.

Canadian Al Qaeda Member Sentenced to Life
for Conspiring to Bomb U.S. Embassies
NEW YORK, New York (FBI) -- Michael Garcia, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Mark Mershon, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced that Mohammed Mansour Jabarah, a/k/a "Abu Hafs al Kuwaiti," a/k/a "Sammy," was sentenced in Manhattan federal court to life in prison on multiple terrorism conspiracy charges. On July 30, 2002, Jabarah, an admitted member of al Qaeda, pleaded guilty to charges stemming from his participation in a plot to bomb United States Embassies in Singapore and the Philippines. (Full Story)

Iraqi PM Vows Offensive Against Al-Qaida
(VOA) Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki gestures as he announces during a press conference in Karbala, Iraq that the government is sending troops to Mosul. Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says Iraqi forces will mount a major offensive against al-Qaida elements in the northern city of Mosul.
He says the fight there will be "decisive," with the help of Mosul's population. An Interior Ministry spokesman says an extra 3,000 police are being sent to the city. Bombings in Mosul this week killed nearly 40 people and wounded more than 200. (Full Story)

General Shares Successes and Challenges of Afghan Air Corps
The Afghan army air corps is going through rapid growth, but it will take eight years for the force to be self-sustaining and independent, the commander of the Combined Air Power Transition Force said from his headquarters in the Afghan capital of Kabul.
Air Force Brig. Gen. Jay H. Lindell told Pentagon reporters via video-teleconference that the air corps has doubled its capability since October and that he expects it to double again in the next six months. (Full Story)

U.S. Army Improves Life for Soldier, Family
Joining the Army more than four years ago helped Sgt. Dominic Garza achieve some of his personal goals and improve life for his new family.
Before Garza joined the Army, he didn’t have a high school diploma, was working two jobs, and he and his wife had just welcomed a new daughter into the world. He knew it was time for a change, he said, and all it took was a little convincing from his aunt, who had recently joined the Army.
“I figured it was time to do something quick and something that I know provides structure and gives me focus back into the key aspects of life,” Garza said.