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First Post
a day ago
- Politics
- First Post
'Pakistan has long played double game': Ex-US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad warns Trump about Munir
After US President Donald Trump met Pakistan's army chief Field Marshall Asim Munir at the White House, Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US Special Envoy for Afghanistan, flagged Pakistan's long history of double game and warned Trump that Munir could not be trusted. read more Zalmay Khalilzad, the former top US diplomat for Afghanistan, has warned US President Donald Trump about Pakistan's long history of double game. The warning came shortly after Trump had a working lunch with Pakistan's army chief Field Marshall Asim Munir at the White House on Wednesday. Trump said that he was 'honoured' to meet Munir and described him as a 'smart' man. Khalilzad told Trump how Pakistan played the United States during the War on Terror era. He noted that, after a decade of search, Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was found in Pakistan. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'During the years of our military presence in Afghanistan, Pakistan took our assistance and at the same time provided support and sanctuary to those who were killing our forces. Similarly, during the war on terror after 9/11, the Pakistani military selectively helped both us and the Al-Qaida terrorists. Where did we find Bin Laden? All cozy in Pakistan near one of Pakistan's military facilities. And Pakistan still holds Dr. Afidi who helped us find and eliminate Bin Laden. Bottom line: Gen Asim Munir cannot be trusted,' said Khalilzad in a post on X. It is a great gift and honor that @Potus is bestowing on Pakistan's General Asim Munir by hosting him for lunch. Besides Indo-Pakistan relations, the General is likely to have the following on his agenda: 1. Get US investment in Pakistan's minerals via military-owned companies,… — Zalmay Khalilzad (@realZalmayMK) June 18, 2025 Trump's embrace of Pakistan in his second term has coincided with actions that have turned the relationship with India sour. Since assuming office, Trump has undermined the Indian positions on Operation Sindoor and the Kashmir issue, sought unfair terms in trade talks, and formed an alliance with jihadists in West Asia . On the other hand, he has sought a reset in US-Pakistan ties that had hit a low under the previous Joe Biden administration — Biden notably never spoke to his Pakistani counterpart in four years. Khalilzad explains what Munir wants from Trump Munir told Trump that Munir, the de facto ruler of Pakistan, was appeasing Trump to secure his interests and those of the Pakistani Army. Khalilzad said that even though he has got himself promoted to field marshall and has found some popularity lately, he continues to face widespread opposition in Pakistan over the incarceration of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and the crackdown on his party Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI). ALSO READ: Trump wants military bases from Munir, offers security-trade deals in US-Pak reset: Report STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Khalilzad listed four objectives that Munir has with his dealings with Trump: Get US investment in Pakistan's minerals via military-owned companies Get Trump to outsource the protection of US interests in Afghanistan, including on terrorism, to the Pakistani military. In return, Munir would offer to be a medium in communication with China. Secure greater legitimacy and to create the impression that Trump endorses his de facto status as Pakistan's ruler-for-life. Considering the relationship between Pakistan's army and terrorists in Afghanistan, outsourcing the protection of US interests in Afghanistan would be a 'formula for utter disaster', according to Khalilzad.
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Israel will spread nuclear arms everywhere
Listen to article When ISIS started around 2014, many people opined that this terrorist group was created by the United States in order to further its interests in the Middle East. While that was not true, the United States actually created the conditions, which created the terror group. The US invaded Iraq and captured and tortured some of the men who had nothing to do with Al-Qaeda. Some of those men went on to create ISIS as a result of the humiliation they had faced at the hands of American occupiers. Similarly, the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty has been successful in preventing most of the states around the world from acquiring nuclear weapons not because the Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer, who was accused of selling the formula for nuclear bomb to US-designated rogue states, was confined but because most states did not feel the need to go nuclear. Nation states strongly believed that international laws, international bodies, and especially the United States would do the moral thing if these states ever faced aggression from other countries. That may have changed for good now if not before. Libya was one of those states that gave up its nuclear programme in exchange for benefits and guarantees from the United States. Gaddafi faced the result of that bad calculation and Libya is no longer there as we knew it. North Korea showed defiance in the face of similar pressure to give up its nuclear programme and while it is very poor, it has survived the American onslaughts and shenanigans. Pakistan is a vivid example as well. Iran signed the NPT. It allowed international inspectors on its soil to satisfy the needs of the world that it was not making a nuclear bomb. The result was that Iran was always accused of cheating and planning to rush toward making a bomb. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the world that Iran would become a nuclear armed state within 3 to 5 years. He first said that in 1992 and then in 1995. He said it in 2015 and before and after that as well. None of it was true. Every time an American president opened his mouth about Iran, he issued a threat against it. Obama said, "I don't bluff" and "all options are on the table" including the "military component". After the 1979 revolution in Iran, America has worked against Iran at every step. It provided chemical weapons to Iraq to be used against Iran. It has imposed sanctions on Iraq and deterred other countries from buying Iranian oil. All despite Iran choosing not to go nuclear or maybe because of it. The truth is Iran never wanted to make a bomb. But that may have just changed. Their calculus, if they have people who can do so much as add and subtract, would only come to one conclusion: Iran must have nuclear weapons in order to deter the world from acting against it. Israel and its unconditional supporter America criticise and impose sanctions on nations that are capable of fighting and defending their sovereignty. Bloody wars are waged against countries that are defenseless, that are not nuclear armed states. Israel would have never ever dared of attacking Iran, had Iran been a nuclear armed state. More importantly, Iran playing the nice guy and being the norms following player have not yielded any defence benefits for it. It has rather weakened its defence. And this is not just playing inside the mind of Iran but rather inside the mind of every nation state. Being in the good books of the US by giving up the thought of nuclear weapons isn't a currency strong enough to be banked upon to ensure defence should a US ally attack you. Israel is creating the desire for states to want to go nuclear. Despite the habit of the world to tap itself on the shoulder for being civilised, in the end survival comes down to brute power. Not values, not education, not anything else.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Nine killed in Niger jihadist attack: local sources
Suspected jihadists have killed nine travellers, including a teacher, in an attack in southwestern Niger, near the border with Burkina Faso, local sources said on Sunday (June 16, 2025). "A terrorist attack targeted passenger vehicles on Friday June 13, killing nine civilians," a teachers' union said in a statement. One of its members had been among the dead, it added. The union said the attack happened around 10:00 a.m. (0900 GMT) on the road linking Makalondi and Torodi near the border with Burkina Faso. A second teacher was wounded and evacuated to Niamey for treatment, said the union, denouncing the attack as a "despicable act". A Torodi resident confirmed the incident, saying there had been "civilian casualties". Torodi and Makalondi lie less than 100 kilometres (60 miles) from Niamey, where the army says it is dealing with "persistent terrorist threats" including "improvised explosive devices" on roads. The towns fall within Tillaberi region's "three borders" zone -- shared by Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali -- a hotspot for attacks by Islamic State and Al-Qaeda affiliates. Niger's Army said Saturday evening it had "neutralised (killed) 13 terrorists" between June 8 and 14 during operations at illegal gold mining sites in Teguey, a commune in the Tillaberi region. It also said it had killed around 30 members of "criminal cells in training" in the Dosso area (southwest), near the Nigerian border. Like its neighbours Burkina Faso and Mali, Niger is ruled by a military junta and faces escalating jihadist attacks. The three countries have formed a confederation called the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). Earlier this year they announced the creation of a joint 5,000-strong force, joint military operations.
New York Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Convicted terrorist who conspired to kill Americans has a new job at an NYC mosque
A convicted Al-Qaeda sympathizer who conspired to kill Americans in shopping malls and traveled to the Mideast to train with the terror group is now teaching kids at a muslim community center on Staten Island. For the past five months, Tarek Mehanna — who prosecutors say once vowed to wage armed jihad against Americans both here and abroad — has been teaching Arabic and the Quran to children as young as 4 at the Muslim Community Center of Staten Island in West Brighton. Mohamed Bahi, a former senior advisor to Mayor Adams and the Muslim Community Center of Staten Island's founder, announced Mehanna's hiring in a since-deleted Facebook post, promoting the MCC's Jan. 11 grand opening. Advertisement Adams has visited the MCC in Brooklyn in the past. 8 Tarek Mehanna, right, was released from federal prison in August. Mohammad Elshinawy/ Instagram Mehanna, 43, teaches four days a week, four hours per day. Advertisement 'I'm all for second chances — but not when it comes to convicted terrorists teaching kids. That's not rehabilitation — that's insanity,' said City Councilman Frank Morano (R-Staten Island). The Sept. 11 attacks inspired the terror teacher and galvanized his radicalization, according to federal prosecutors. Mehanna and his unnamed co-conspirators were undeterred when denied entry into Afghanistan at the Pakistan border in 2002, and 'agreed to explore ways in which they, too, could kill Americans.' When the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, Mehanna discussed purchasing automatic guns with his co-conspirators to murder US citizens inside shopping malls, 'but [they] ultimately dismissed them as impractical,' according to prosecutors. Their focus then shifted towards killing American soldiers, whom Mehanna called 'infidels,' according to court records. Advertisement 8 The Post visited the Muslim Community Center of Long Island, and was told Mehanna was not a member. Leonardo Munoz 'They discussed many options,' reads the government's 2012 sentencing memoradum, which asked a judge to send Mehanna away for life. Ultimately, they decided in 2004 to 'seek training in Yemen, sought guidance on how to obtain it, received contacts, equipped and readied themselves for the journey, and made arrangements to sneak out of Massachusetts.' After days criss-crossing Yemen's hostile landscape, 'braving brigands and once facing down an AK-47,' the group failed to 'find a suitable training camp' and 'Mehanna returned to the United States disappointed but no less determined to provide support to America's enemies.' 8 Mohamed Bahi, right, a former advisor to Mayor Eric Adams, left, founded the MCC of Staten Island. Mohamed Bahe Advertisement The one-time pharmacist worked in an upscale Boston suburb. He attended an Al-Qaeda training camp in Pakistan later in 2004, where he received 'paramilitary training so that he could eventually join Al-Qaeda in Iraq in fighting and killing American soldiers,' prosecutors said. Mehanna spent the last 14 years at the federal pen in Florence, CO, after being convicted in 2011 of providing material support to terrorists, conspiracy to commit murder, and making false statements to the FBI. Mehanna lied about his Yemeni trip when questioned by federal agents, and later translated jihadist propaganda and distributed it online, along with Al-Qaeda recruitment videos, officials said. 8 Mehanna showed beheading videos to pals on 'movie nights' he regularly hosted. AP Prosecutors further stated Mehanna, whose best friend was Islamist extremist Daniel Joseph Maldonado, 'enjoyed viewing' and immersing himself in footage of the beheadings of Pennsylvania contractor Nick Berg, New Jersey contractor Paul Johnson, and Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. He showed the horrific videos during 'movie nights' he hosted, according to prosecutors, who said Mehanna idolized Iraqi terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who killed Berg. 'He prolifically distributed a video of the mutilation of American soldiers in Iraq, described how one could see the internal organs and ribs, and then said, 'Texas BBQ is the way to go,'' prosecutors said. 8 Mehanna had worked at a Boston-area pharmacy prior to his arrest. REUTERS Advertisement 'This is the role model that kids should be looking up to?' seethed former Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind. 'This is a role model? Someone desperate to become a terrorist? It's a model of terrorism. 'We know what he stands for and what he's about — what is he teaching these children?' asked Hikind, the founder of Americans Against Antisemitism. While in federal custody, a treatise attributed to Mehanna was posted to a Facebook page calling for his release. In the post, he likened the entire Muslim world to the human body, and compared America to AIDS. 'Jihad is its immune system,' Mehanna wrote. Advertisement 8 On Facebook, Mehanna ridiculed a US soldier's death in one comment. Obtained by the New York Post Following his release in late August, Mehanna mocked the deaths of Israeli soldiers on Facebook, writing 'Poor baby' above videos he shared in both October and November. He also ridiculed Sgt. Quandarius Davon Stanley, 23, who was killed May 23, 2024, while delivering aid to Gaza on President Biden's failed floating pier. 'Another poor baby,' Mehanna wrote on Facebook. Advertisement 8 The MCC has been promoting Mehanna's involvement. MCC Staten Island/ Facebook In December, Mehanna translated a speech by Abdullah Azzam, one of Osama bin Laden's mentors, and shared the lecture — about Marwan Hadid, a leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria — in a now-deleted Facebook post. The MCC of Staten Island, affiliated with the Muslim Community Center in Brooklyn, has only been open since mid-January, and only just filed its not-for-profit incorporation documents with the Department of State's Division of Corporations on June 5. Advertisement The MCC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 'It's clear he still harbors the same anti-American hatred he held before his sentence,' blasted City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov (R-Brooklyn). 'The 'education' these children are receiving is being administered on American soil and should reflect the values and interests of our nation.' 8 Mehanna, right, is seen embracing author and teacher Mohammad Elshinawy. Mohammad Elshinawy/ Instagram Vernikov wants him removed from any position where he'll have 'any opportunity to mold young minds.' Asked Vernikov: 'Do any of us really believe that someone who was convicted for colluding with Al Qaeda — a terrorist organization that's committed terrorist acts on American soil and shed American blood — is truly 'reformed' and won't continue to collude with other terrorists, and won't indoctrinate the children in his care into a radical jihadist ideology?'
Eyewitness News
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Mali cabinet backs bill to extend junta leader's term
BAMAKO - Mali's cabinet has adopted a bill that could pave the way for the ruling junta's leader to remain in power for at least five more years without an election. The measure next heads to the National Transitional Council, which was established by the military government after it seized power in back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021. Last month, General Assimi Goita ordered the dissolution of all political parties in the west African country, despite having pledged last year to return power to civilians. The bill proposes granting "the head of state a renewable five-year mandate from 2025", the council of ministers, appointed by the president, said in a statement Wednesday. In April, a national assembly called by the junta recommended proclaiming Goita president without a vote for a five-year renewable term, which would keep him in power until at least 2030. The same assembly had also recommended the liquidation of the political parties. The ongoing squeeze on Mali's civic space comes against a backdrop of clamour by authorities for the country to unite behind the military. Since 2012, Mali has been mired in violence carried out by jihadist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, as well as other criminal organisations. Over the past week and a half, military installations in the country have come under a string of attacks.
