Somalia, Iran, Charles Taylor, Afghanistan and NK News

I sure do wish there were more than 24 hours in a day. It is difficult (for me, lol) to cover everything I'd like in this short amount of time. Especially when it comes to the weekend, because most people are out with their families. These articles are of utmost import, so please take a moment and consider them.

The title has the original article, and the 'continue reading' has a copy of the article. I do this because I'm tired of losing articles. Make no mistake, however, that these articles are the property of the authors and press they belong to. Thank you.

SOMALIA: Regional body imposes sanctions against "warlords" by AlertNet.org

NAIROBI, 14 June (IRIN) - East African states have agreed to isolate leaders of armed factions in Somalia by imposing a regional travel ban on them and freezing their assets in a bid to help the nation's fledgling transitional federal government restore stability.

Kenya took the lead last week, imposing sanctions against Somalia's so-called "warlords" after they and their militia were driven out of Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, by forces loyal to the city's Islamic courts. The faction leaders were accused of being the main stumbling block in efforts to re-establish a government in Somalia, where anarchy has reigned since the overthrow in 1991 of the administration led by Muhammad Siyad Barre. [continue reading]

We Are Playing With Fire, and Radiation, in Iran by Jay D. Homnick, Posted Jun 16, 2006.

...Nor do I relish here the role of skeptic. I am as enamored as the next guy with the image of 'our team' running rhetorical circles around the primitive hooligans who run Iran. We could get them to agree not to nuke Manhattan Island, and all it will cost us is $24 worth of trinkets. Show those guys once and for all that the Great Satan can pitch you anything with forked tongue and make you like it. Worse comes to worst, we might have to throw in a boatload of free burqas as an incentive, complete with ILGWU labels. [continue reading]

UK pressed to jail Charles Taylor By Norman Smith, BBC News, Freetown.

Sierra Leone's leader says it would be "very helpful" if the UK were to jail ex-Liberian President Charles Taylor if he were convicted of war crimes.

He faces the charges in the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone, which requested his trial be transferred to The Hague for security reasons.

But the Dutch government said it would only accept this if any ensuing jail term was served in another country. [continue reading here and here.]

Afghan, Coalition Forces Kill 45 Militants By TINI TRAN, ABC News International.

KABUL, Afghanistan Jun 17, 2006 (AP)— Coalition forces pressed forward with a major offensive in southern Afghanistan, killing an estimated 45 insurgents in attacks on two Taliban militant camps, military officials said Saturday.

Most died when Afghan and coalition forces surprised militants as they gathered at a "known enemy camp" in Khod Valley, part of the Shaheed Hasas district of Uruzgan province, the military said in a statement. [continue reading]

Reports: NKorea to test fire missile. by Canoe Network (cnews.canoe.ca)

TOKYO (AP) - The United States and Japan urged North Korea not to proceed with reported plans to test-fire a long-range missile that could reach the U.S. mainland, saying Saturday that a launch would be dangerous and provocative.

But North Korean officials later denied such preparations, the Kyodo News agency reported, citing a South Korean official it did not identify. [continue reading]

I hope these articles keep informed as to what America is facing in these perilous times. There is an author I like to follow who writes several articles about Charles Taylor, terrorism, et al. His name is Douglas Farah. I encourage you to visit his site.

He also writes for The Counter Terrorism Blog. Bill Roggio, known to many of us through his older blog, "The Fourth Rail," also writes for this site. At this moment, he is in Afghanistan covering the events in real time. We may not receive all the information, which is proper, but he is doing a fantastic job! Thank you, and have a great day. (Don't forget, tomorrow is Father's Day!)

Category: Somalia, Lybia, United Kingdom, Iran, Afghanistan, (Military) News, North Korea and Terrorism.