“If these commanders surrender to ICC, they will not be tortured or killed. All their human rights will be protected and the case against them will be in accordance with accepted international human rights standards. They will face a fair, impartial and public justice that respects all their rights, including the right to be represented by a lawyer of their choice, and to present evidence in their defence. If convicted they will not be sentenced to death: The ICC does not impose the death penalty,” said ICC in the message.

ICC said the fugitives are being actively searched for by military forces from many parts of the world, and are likely to get injured in the process. Surrendering will be the best option, ICC release said.

The charges include murder, enslavement, sexual enslavement, rape attack against civilian population, pillage, forced enlistment of children, other inhumane acts.

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“The Afghanistan-Pakistan review led by the president has provided me with a clear military mission and the resources to accomplish our task,” Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal said in a published statement. “The clarity, commitment and resolve outlined in the president’s address are critical steps toward bringing security to Afghanistan and eliminating terrorist safe havens that threaten regional and global security.”

The 30,000 troops and equipment are expected to be in Afghanistan in the first half of 2010, Obama said. White House officials speaking on background earlier today said this will entail at least two or three Army brigade combat teams, and many soldiers and Marines to train the Afghan security forces. Air Force and Navy personnel also will be called on to support this effort.

The added troops will bring the total number of U.S. forces to nearly 100,000, in addition to a complement of roughly 42,000 allied troops. McChrystal said the 42 other nations contributing forces will benefit from a strengthened U.S. commitment.

A military counterinsurgency effort aimed at protecting the Afghan people is only one part of the strategy, the president said. The second is a civilian surge that reinforces positive actions, and the third is an effective partnership with Pakistan.

Obama is also expected to ask for international military contributions. Some nations – Britain and Australia for example – already have provided additional troops, and he expects more nations will come forward soon.

Obama used the experiences in Iraq as a yardstick. Just as in Iraq, additional forces will provide the time and security needed to train local forces, thus accelerating a handover of security responsibility to Afghan forces beginning in July 2011.

“Just as we have done in Iraq, we will execute this transition responsibly, taking into account conditions on the ground,” he said.

The civilian strategy will entail working with allies, international agencies and the Afghan people “to pursue a more effective civilian strategy, so that the government can take advantage of improved security,’ he said.

Aid to Afghanistan must be based on performance, the president said. “The days of providing a blank check are over,” he said.

Obama said Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s inauguration speech sent the right message. The United States will support Afghan ministries, governors and local leaders that combat corruption and deliver for the people, he added.

“We expect those who are ineffective or corrupt to be held accountable,” he said. “And we will also focus our assistance in areas – such as agriculture – that can make an immediate impact in the lives of the Afghan people.”

Obama stressed that the United States is not interested in occupying Afghanistan or subjugating its people.

“We will seek a partnership with Afghanistan grounded in mutual respect – to isolate those who destroy; to strengthen those who build; to hasten the day when our troops will leave; and to forge a lasting friendship in which America is your partner, and never your patron,” he said.

Obama stressed that the United States will not run out on Pakistan. “We are in Afghanistan to prevent a cancer from once again spreading through that country,” he said. “But this same cancer has also taken root in the border region of Pakistan. That is why we need a strategy that works on both sides of the border.”

“Moving forward, we are committed to a partnership with Pakistan that is built on a foundation of mutual interests, mutual respect and mutual trust,” Obama said. “We will strengthen Pakistan’s capacity to target those groups that threaten our countries, and have made it clear that we cannot tolerate a safe haven for terrorists whose location is known, and whose intentions are clear.” The United States also will provide resources to support Pakistan’s democracy and development.

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The vessel was conducting routine operations 170 miles off the coast of China when two Chinese fishing vessels approached, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said.

“This was an incident where a couple of Chinese fishing vessels maneuvered close to the Victorious in what was an unsafe manner,” Whitman said.

The Victorious took defensive measures as the vessels got close. The Victorious crew sounded the ship’s danger alarms and manned fire hoses. They sprayed water at the Chinese vessels, but did not hit them, officials said.

The Victorious requested the assistance of a nearby Chinese government vessel, at which time the fishing vessels departed, Whitman said.

He did not comment on the motive of the Chinese vessels. “That requires you to get inside the heads of the mariners out there,” he said. “What is clear is that it is unsafe and dangerous behavior, and it needs to be addressed. We do not want the mariners of any of the vessels out there in jeopardy.”

One Chinese vessel approached within 30 yards of the Victorious, officials said. “They are clearly demonstrating unsafe seamanship,” Whitman said. “As we have in previous incidents, we’ll be developing a way forward to deal with this diplomatically.”

On March 8, five Chinese vessels surrounded the USNS Impeccable as it was conducting operations 80 nautical miles off Hainan Island. There have been other incidents where Chinese vessels operated in an unsafe manner around U.S. ocean surveillance ships.

“It’s in everybody’s interest to ensure that safe procedures on the seas are followed,” Whitman said. “This was clearly well into international waters.”

Military vessels are not subject to coastal state jurisdiction and do not require the prior consent of the coastal state for activity in the exclusive economic zone.

(Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service)

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Under-Secretary-General for Field Support Susana Malcorra is expected to attend the meeting in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, which will examine ways to facilitate and expedite deployment of the AU-UN peacekeeping operation in the region.

The hybrid force was set up by the Security Council to protect civilians in Darfur, where an estimated 300,000 people have been killed and another 2.7 million have been forced from their homes since fighting erupted in 2003, pitting rebels against Government forces and allied Janjaweed militiamen.

More than one year on from transferring the task of suppressing the violence to UNAMID from the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS), well over 12,000 of the 19,555 military personnel authorized by the Security Council are now in place across Darfur.

In related news, UNAMID reported that an investigation team was dispatched to a fire that broke out last night at the Al Riyad camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs), near El Geneina in West Darfur. As well as leaving a large number of people homeless, the blaze caused heavy damage to about 35 shelters and the loss of many animals.

This follows last week’s arson attack in the West Darfur Abu Zar camp for IDPs in which two people were killed and three were rushed to hospital in El Geneina with serious injuries.

Meanwhile, the hybrid peacekeeping force characterized the security situation in Darfur for the past 72 hours as relatively calm apart from a few incidents of banditry and carjacking in both North and West Darfur. In the past few weeks, UNAMID has reported a rise in attacks on peacekeeping staff and harassment of civilians in the region.

There has also been concern recently over the safety of humanitarian workers, many of whom have been ordered to leave the region following the indictment earlier this month of Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur.

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“I’ve been engaged from the standpoint of understanding what’s going on there, and I know that their people are concerned that this could degenerate into a situation that could very possibly generate a crisis, which may cause actions to be taken on the part of the military,” Mullen said.

The possibility that the Pakistani military will move is remote right now, but it has taken a hand in politics before, Mullen noted. Former President Pervez Musharraf was a Pakistani army chief who took control of the country.

Mullen has met with his Pakistani counterpart, Army Gen. Ashfaq Kiyani, 10 times since the chairman took office in October 2007.

“He is committed to a civilian government; he is committed to the democracy that’s there,” Mullen told Rose. “And in my view, the last thing in the world he wants to do … is takeover as President Musharraf did.”

The Pakistani military wants to stay out of politics, and Kiyani wants to do what is right, but is in a tough spot, Mullen said. “I’m just hopeful that doesn’t turn into another crisis in Pakistan,” he said.

At the heart of the security uncertainty in Pakistan is the Taliban, which is using the country’s western border to rest and refit for combat against NATO forces in Afghanistan. The Taliban also are exerting control in the Swat Valley — formerly a tourist spot some 70 miles from Islamabad.

Kiyani “recognizes that he has an extremist threat in Pakistan,” Mullen said. “They’ve lost many, many citizens. He recognizes there’s a serious extremist, terrorist threat inside his country and, in fact, his forces have fought very hard this year up in Bajaur, and Mohman, up on the western border.”

The terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, in November further complicated the situation, Mullen said. Terrorists are believed to have planned the attack in India’s financial capital from Pakistan, and the small-group attack chilled relations between the two nuclear-armed countries. Following the attack, Kiyani had to turn his attention to his country’s border with India.

“He’s a chief that’s got threats coming from both directions,” Mullen said. In the U.S. perspective, diplomacy is needed for relations with India, and more troops are needed for the actions against the Taliban.

Mullen said that many people around the world are worried about ties between Pakistan’s intelligence agency and the extremists.

“They have been very attached to many of these extremist organizations, and it’s my belief that in the long run, they have got to completely cut ties with those in order to really move in the right direction,” the chairman said.

Kiyani has appointed a new intelligence chief with the mission to bring the agency under control. Mullen said he is encouraged, but change will take time.

The Taliban and al-Qaida safe havens in Pakistan are the most difficult problems facing the region, Mullen said.

“We have this safe haven in a sovereign country that is threatening, plotting against Americans and other Western countries, and it must be eliminated,” Mullen said. “Ideally, that would come through the pressure that the Pakistanis bring to eliminate that threat.”

But if the terrorists manage to launch an attack on the United States or its allies, that would change the equation. America and its allies would be forced to respond.

“What we’re working hard on is trying to make sure that doesn’t happen,” the chairman said.

By Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service

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Each aircraft carried about 30 tons of cargo. In all, the Air Force will transport more than 150 tons of equipment and supplies, including nine oversized vehicles, water purification systems, water trailers, tents and spare parts.

Rwanda has four battalions of peacekeepers in Darfur, totaling 2,566 personnel, with a goal of increasing the peacekeeping force to 3,200, Ruteramara said. The Rwandan peacekeepers are assigned to the hybrid United Nations-African Union mission in Darfur, known as UNAMID.

President George W. Bush announced the decision to airlift the equipment Jan. 5 as part of the U.S. government’s ongoing support for international peacekeeping efforts in Darfur.

Since 2003, conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan has displaced an estimated 2.5 million people and led to an estimated 300,000 deaths, according to United Nations statistics. Since 2004, the United States has spent more than $15 million to airlift 11,400 peacekeepers and their equipment to and from Darfur and has provided more than $100 million to train and equip those forces, according to a White House fact sheet. Much of this support is coordinated through the State Department.

“I have provided a waiver to the State Department so they can begin to move 240 containers worth of heavy equipment into Darfur, and that the Defense Department will be flying Rwandan equipment into Darfur to help facilitate the peacekeeping missions there,” Bush said. The State Department is transporting the 240 containers under a separate contract.

The military portion of the airlift is the first major mission planned by Air Forces Africa, U.S. Africa Command’s air component. Air Forces Africa also is U.S. Air Forces in Europe’s 17th Air Force, with headquarters at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

Air Forces Africa’s 722nd Expeditionary Air Base Squadron was responsible for working with the Rwandan Defense Forces to prepare the vehicles and equipment for the deployment, conducting airfield operations focusing on cargo movement as well as ironing out the logistical details associated with the mission. The squadron includes specialists from the 615th Contingency Response Wing based at Travis, and U.S. Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany.

The airlift was provided by aircraft and crews from the active-duty 60th Air Mobility Wing and the Air Force Reserve’s 349th Air Mobility Wing from Travis.

The mission also represents the first large-scale peacekeeper support mission for U.S. Africa Command since it was formally activated Oct. 1. Previous support missions in support of peacekeeping in Darfur were conducted under the direction of U.S. European Command, which had responsibility for Africa prior to Africom’s activation.

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Israel began Operation “Cast Lead” with air operations against Hamas command centers and terror infrastructure, with the purpose of deterring further attacks against Israeli citizens. Yet, one week later – after Hamas continued firing against Israeli citizens, launching about 450 rockets and mortars (including more than 60 of the more lethal Grad Kaytusha rockets) – Israel had to take further action. Consequently, on Saturday, 3 January 2009, Israel expanded its operations in Gaza to include ground forces. Their primary mission is to take control of key rocket launching sites in the Gaza Strip and to combat the terrorist forces operating there.

This upgrading of military activity was necessary to achieve the goals of Operation “Cast Lead” – to deal the Hamas terror machine a crippling blow and to enhance long-term security for Israel’s southern population.

It cannot be emphasized enough that Israel has no intention of reassuming control of the Gaza Strip. Israel says that the expansion of the operation is intended solely to achieve its aforementioned goals.

During the first week of Operation “Cast Lead”, the capabilities of Hamas to continue its terror campaign were greatly weakened – hundreds of commanders and terrorists were killed, its senior leadership fled to underground bunkers, ammunition storehouses were demolished, its weapons production facilities were damaged, and many of the tunnels used for arms smuggling from Egypt were destroyed.

Yet at the same time, the Iranian-backed Hamas continue to fire Kassam and Grad rockets at the civilian population living in southern Israel . The Hamas military wing has acted to harden its terrorist deployment. Many terrorists, including Iranian-trained commanders and operators, have been deployed to reinforced combat positions, including underground tunnels and bunkers. Some of the terrorist infrastructure remain intact, while increasingly lethal weapons and longer-range rockets are being used.

Not only does Hamas retain the means to continue its attacks on Israeli civilians, it still has the will to do so. Dozens of Kassam and Grad rockets are being fired daily at an ever-expanding range of towns and cities in southern Israel . Almost a million Israeli civilians are living within the range of these rockets, approximately 15% of Israel ‘s total population has become the constant target of deadly weapons being shot at their homes, schools and businesses.

Israel says that it would have preferred that the situation not develop in this way. Israel only embarked on Operation “Cast Lead” after it had exhausted every other possibility. For years, in the face of constant terror attacks from Gaza , Israel acted with restraint and made every attempt to avoid a confrontation. Israel agreed to the “state of calm,” even as Hamas exploited the arrangement to build up its forces, rearm and fire hundreds of rockets and missiles at Israel .

Eventually, Hamas terminated the calm, launching up to 80 rockets at Israel a day. By this time, Israel no longer had a choice. The daily situation of the residents of southern Israel had become unbearable and Israel had to exercise its right of self-defense.

Israel has made it very clear that its target is Hamas, an extremist Jihadist group recognized as a terrorist organization by not only the United States, but also the European Union, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and Japan as well.

While determined to confront Hamas terrorism. Israel says that it has no desire to harm Palestinian civilians living in Gaza . Israel is making every effort to avoid a humanitarian calamity in Gaza, and currently there is no crisis – international aid groups have even asked that Israel briefly suspend shipments since there is no more room in their Gaza warehouses. Israel will continue to transfer to Gaza all humanitarian aid that is sent, in coordination with aid organizations. During the first week of the operation, 400 trucks with humanitarian supplies, including food and medical equipment, as well as 10 ambulances entered the Gaza Strip from Israel .

Similarly, on the operational level, Israel is doing everything possible to avoid harming uninvolved Palestinians. These actions include issuing warnings prior to attacks, giving Palestinian civilians time to leave the affected area, despite the damage to the element of surprise and the added risk to Israeli forces.

Although every innocent casualty is a tragedy, statistics indicate that Israeli operational methods have had a large measure of success. The Palestinian-reported ratio of casualties among uninvolved Palestinian civilians vs. Hamas members stands at about 12% (50 out of 400 killed). This is much lower than any similar past event, including NATO’s bombing in Kosovo and Afghanistan , despite the more difficult conditions in Gaza , given the location of the terror infrastructure in the midst of the civilian Palestinian population and the documented Hamas use of civilians as human shields. Indeed, the IDF operation in Gaza has revealed that private homes, mosques and public institutions are being used by Hamas as bases of operation and as storage and manufacturing sites for arms and ammunition. Hamas alone is responsible for the suffering of the civilian populations on both sides of the fence, and bears full responsibility for any harm to Palestinian civilians as a result of attacks on legitimate Hamas military targets purposely located in populated areas.

The Hamas represents the extremists of the region, those bent on never-ending Jihad and destruction. Together with its allies and sponsors, such as Iran and Hizbullah, Hamas wishes not only Israel ’s destruction, but the destruction of all pragmatic forces in the region – those who would seek a negotiated settlement to outstanding issues and a compromise two-state solution to the Palestinian question. It is Israel ’s hope that Operation “Cast Lead” will be concluded quickly, will weaken the influence of Hamas and its ideology, and will bring a new security reality to both Israelis and Palestinians alike.

The Ministerial Committee on National Security Affairs (the Security Cabinet) met yesterday (Friday), 2 January 2009, in order to discuss the continuation of IDF operations in the Gaza Strip.

In continuation of the Ministerial Committee’s 24 December 2008 decision, in the framework of which approval was given to the operational methods that were recommended by the IDF and security establishment vis-a-vis action against Hamas and the other terrorist organizations in the Gaza, the Committee decided to instruct the IDF to continue operations and proceed to the stage that includes a ground entry into the Gaza Strip.

The goal of the operation is to continue advancing the goals that the Government has set for the operation as a whole, including striking hard at Hamas’s terrorism infrastructure and changing the security reality for residents of the south. IDF forces plan – inter alia – to take control of the launch areas from which most of the missiles that have hit Sderot, Ashkelon and Ashdod in recent weeks and months have been fired from.

The Committee decided that the timing of the plan’s implementation would be determined by the security establishment in accordance with its operational judgment; this was determined for Saturday evening, 3 January 2009.

The Ministerial Committee further instructed the IDF to prepare for additional stages of the operation and to maintain alert in other areas, and, to these ends, to mobilize the necessary reserve forces – tens of thousands of soldiers.

The IDF Spokesperson emphasized that this stage of the operation will further the goals of Operation Cast Lead as communicated till now: To strike a direct and hard blow against the Hamas while increasing the deterrent strength of the IDF, in order to bring about an improved and more stable security situation for residents of Southern Israel over the long term.

Large numbers of forces are taking part in this stage of the operation including infantry, tanks, engineering forces, artillery and intelligence with the support of the Israel Air Force, Israel navy, Israel Security Agency and other security agencies.

The forces participating in the operation have been highly trained and were prepared for the mission over the long period that the operation was planned. The Commander of the operation is Maj. Gen. Yoav Galant, GOC Southern Command.

The IDF and the Homefront Command have taken the necessary steps to protect the civilian population. All residents of Southern Israel are requested to follow the directives of the Homefront command as communicated via the media.

The IDF Spokesperson reiterated that the residents of Gaza are not the target of the operation. Those who use civilians, the elderly, women and children as “human shields” are responsible for any and all injury to the civilian population. Anyone who hides a terrorist or weapons in his house is considered a terrorist.

On the basis of a situation analysis, The IDF is taking steps to raise the level of alert for its forces in other areas of the country.

Reserve troops drafted

As part of Operation Cast Lead the IDF has begun to draft numerous reserve units, in order to allow the expansion of the operation.

The majority of the reservists called up belong to combat units, some form part of the Home Front Command and the remainder belong to various other military units.

The reserve units are being drafted in accordance with the law and will be reporting for duty after having undergone extensive training over the past two years. At a number of the recruitment centers the IDF is already implementing a project that is designed to replenish and renew emergency stores and military equipment. A special emphasis is also being placed on logistic support for the reserve units.

IDF enforces naval blockade on Gaza

IDF has begun enforcing a naval blockade for 20 nautical miles from the Gaza Strip. The length of Gaza ‘s shore is used by the Hamas terror organization, and the presence of its operatives on the shoreline and in the open sea constitutes a threat against the citizens of southern Israel .

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OIC claims that “(these) attacks are a grave violation of International Humanitarian Law in particular the 4th Geneva Convention applicable in the Occupied Palestinian Territory especially with regard to collective punishment and targeting of civilians, as well as of international human rights standards. Israel must be held accountable for these violations and crimes.’

OIC is also silent about the Hamas passed a radical Islamic bill ushering whipping, dismembering and execution as standard punitive action into the Gaza penal code, as reported by the London-based Arabic-language newspaper al-Hayat on Wednesday.

OIC release said ‘we strongly condemn the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people launched on 27 December 2008 and which has thus far resulted in the death of more than 300 people and over 1400 injured. Most of the victims are civilians, women and children.”

OIC did not voice its concern on the terrorism attack on Mumbai in which upward of 195 innocent people who were killed who were mostly civilians, women and children.

The Expanded Executive Committee of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is scheduled to hold on Saturday, January 3rd, 2009, an emergency meeting at the ministerial level at the OIC headquarters.

A meeting at the OIC ambassadorial level will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, December 31st, 2008, at the OIC headquarters in the lead up to the ministerial meeting.

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“The role of Iran in the training and buildup of the Hamas arsenal has been regrettably overlooked by the world’s media and many of its political leaders,” said Tom Neumann, executive director of the Institute.

“Hamas’s rocket attacks have become longer range and more lethal as a result of Iranian assistance and training,” he said.

No country can remain on the sidelines while its towns and villages are subject to daily barrages of rockets, Neumann said. “Israel’s military response to the attacks came only after it had exhausted all other means.”

Neumann noted that Iran, a non-Arab country, has already established a Mediterranean foothold in Lebanon and Syria and aims to do the same in Gaza. “This should be intolerable to the Arab states as well as to Russia, the European leadership and all who genuinely seek peace in the region.”

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The US condemned the repeated rocket and mortar attacks against Israel and held Hamas responsible for breaking the ceasefire and for the renewal of violence in Gaza.

Since Hamas decided to end the calm on 19 December, there has been a marked deterioration of the situation in southern Israel. Palestinian terrorists fired over 20 Kassam rockets and mortars into Israel on Sunday (21 Dec).

60-80 rockets and mortar bombs were fired at southern Israel from the Gaza Strip between Tuesday night and Wednesday (23-24 Dec), including 7 rockets at Ashkelon , among them Grad-type missiles, and 5 at Netivot – one exploding outside a local community center which was full of children enjoying Hanukkah activities.

The 200 plus death in Gaza is ironic as earlier terrorist killed at least 195 people in Mumbai, India.

Since 11:30 Saturday morning, the IDF attacked dozens of targets affiliated with the Hamas terror organization in the Gaza Strip. The targets included command centers, training camps, various Hamas installations, rocket manufacturing facilities and storage warehouses. The vast majority of the casualties are terror operatives, most of whom were wearing uniform and working on behalf of terror organizations.

The Air Force activity came as a result of the continuation of terror activity by Hamas terror organization from the Gaza Strip, and the duration of rocket launching and targeting Israeli civilians.

The targets that were attacked were located by intelligence gathered during the last months and include Hamas terror operatives that operated from the organization’s headquarters, training camps and weaponry storage warehouses.

The Hamas government leaders and operatives, which activate terror from within civilian population centers, are the sole bearers of responsibility for Israel ‘s military response.

The IDF Spokesperson emphasized that anyone sponsoring terror, hosting terror in his house, housing terror in his basement and sending his wives and children to serve as human shields- is considered a terrorist.

IAF aircraft struck a number of terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip, including a mosque in the Rimal neighborhood in Gaza city, from which many terrorist operations emanated. The mosque served as a base for terrorist activities. The IDF will continue to strike at any target that serves as a base for the terrorist activity against Israeli citizens. Those who are responsible for the attacks against residents of the south will not find refuge in any facility.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak convened a press conference on Saturday afternoon to formally announce the beginning of the IDF’s operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Barak laid out the three objectives of the offensive: dealing Hamas a forceful blow, fundamentally changing the situation in Gaza , and bringing to the cessation of rocket attacks against Israeli citizens.

FM Livni briefing to foreign press said “This is the translation of our basic right to self defense. Hamas cynically abuses its own civilian population and their suffering for propaganda purposes. The responsibility for harm to civilians lies with Hamas. Israel expects the support and understanding of the international community, as it confronts terror.”

At a noon press conference broadcast on Egyptian television Egyptian FM Gheit harshly censured Hamas, placing responsibility for the current situation on Hamas.

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