Terrorism charges against 14 Somalis in US reflect 'disturbing trend'

Terrorism charges against 14 Somalis in US reflect 'disturbing trend' - CSMonitor.com

The Justice Department charged 14 people Thursday with funneling recruits and otherwise supporting an Al Qaeda ally in Somalia.

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The indictments, involving mostly US citizens in Alabama, California, and Minnesota, were handed down just as the Obama administration was issuing an annual terrorism report citing home-grown Islamic militants as a growing terrorism threat.

The indictments involve what the government described as a “deadly pipeline” of money and militants to the organization Al Shabab, a Somali insurgent group whose leaders have pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda.

US Attorney General Eric Holder said at a news conference that the indictments suggest “a very disturbing trend” of support for radical ideologies among some small subgroups of the youth population. He said the country “must prevent this kind of captivation from taking hold.”

The indictments focused on the Somali-American community, but Mr. Holder was explicit in praising the community’s leadership for assistance to federal authorities in their investigation of activities cited in the indictments.

The indictments provided the latest evidence of radicalization within the Somali-American community, a phenomenon that has been on the radar of federal law-enforcement agencies for the past few years. Some experts cite difficulties in assimilating for some members of the community’s youth population as one reason for the “captivation” with extremism.

That same argument is cited in the State Department’s annual terrorism report as a reason Islamist radicalism is likely to continue rising in Western centers of large immigrant populations, particularly in Western Europe.

The State Department also highlights the rise in the US of what are sometimes called “home-grown jihadis” – generally young US residents and citizens who become radicalized in their support for extremist Islamist ideologies – in its congressionally mandated annual assessment of trends in international terrorism.

The State Department report notes recent cases in which young Americans traveled to Pakistan and Somalia, reportedly to join the Islamist resistance groups. It also takes up the rise of a few Americans to leadership positions in militant groups.

The most famous example is that of Anwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen who has become an influential leader within Al Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in Yemen. Mr. Awlaki has become a prominent English-speaking voice of radical Islam on the Internet, and is now perhaps the only US citizen on the government’s “capture or kill” list.

“Not only have there been more cases of Americans becoming operatives for foreign terrorist organizations, we have also seen US citizens rise in prominence as proponents of violent extremism,” the report says.

Another such case is that of Omar Hammani, also known as Abu Mansour al-Amriki, an Al Shabab leader who pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda in a May 2009 video. Mr. Hammani, a former Alabama resident and Al Shabab propagandist, has become one of the most prominent online voices of radical Islam.

State Department coordinator for counterterrorism Daniel Benjamin said that as disturbing as the rise in cases of home-grown Islamist radicalization may be, it is also a trend that was to be expected.

“At one point it was bound to happen that we would find greater radicalization” at home as radical Islamist ideology spread, he said. He cited, for example, Ethiopia’s invasion of Somalia beginning in 2006 as the source of “a great deal of anger” and the kind of event that could foment radical support.

Mr. Benjamin said he did not mean to suggest that domestic radicalization was somehow preordained, only that “in any large group, there is a probability that some small fraction of people will be attracted to any particular ideology over time.”

Benjamin also defended the government’s placement of Awlaki, a US citizen, on its "hit list."

"It's important for people to understand that [Awlaki] is not just a rabble-rouser … but he is involved quite directly in terrorist activity," he said. "There is no question he is a particularly dangerous individual.”

Officials Say Terrorist Recruitment Effort in US On Rise

Officials Say Terrorist Recruitment Effort in US On Rise | USA | English

Photo: AP

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder (file)

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• US Charges 14 With Aiding Somalia's al-Shabab
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A series of arrests in the United States this week sheds light on a growing concern of law enforcement officials. Foreign terrorist organizations like al-Shabab in Somalia are receiving assistance from U.S. citizens. In some cases, those citizens are traveling abroad for terrorist training and are joining armed insurgencies. Experts say many of these citizens are ideal targets for terror recruitment.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested 26-year-old Shaker Masri in Chicago on Tuesday, only hours before he was scheduled to board a flight for Somalia. He had told an FBI informant that he planned to travel to Somalia or Afghanistan to join an armed insurgency.

One day after Masri's arrest, the FBI charged 14 naturalized U.S. citizens from Minnesota, California and Alabama with providing material support to al-Shabab, a group the U.S. government has designated as a terrorist organization.

The U.S. Justice Department says two of the people indicted are already fighting for al-Shabab in Somalia, and that they appear in online videos for the group.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said these latest arrests signal a dangerous and growing trend in the United States.

"We are seeing an increasing number of individuals, including U.S. citizens, who have become captivated by extremist ideology and have taken steps to carry out terrorist objectives, either at home or abroad," he said.

Thomas Mockaitis, a terrorism expert at DePaul University, says that although it is a relatively recent development in the United States, other countries have been dealing with domestic terrorists for some time.

"It's not exactly as new as you might think," he said. "It's very similar to what happened in Britain in the 1980s and '90s."

Mockaitis says that during that time, many young men from Afghanistan and Pakistan living in Britain returned to fight the Soviet occupation in Afghanistan.

Now, he says, Somalia is the destination of choice for those seeking to carry out a holy war.

"Somalia has become what Afghanistan was in the 1980s," said Mockaitis. "It is a failed state and it's a hotbed for [not only] conflict, but also the training and export of extremist activity."

Through methods that include recruiting in U.S. Somali communities and creating Internet videos promoting their cause, Mockaitis says al-Shabab is able to reach young men who might never have traveled to Somalia.

"Many of these people are in fact the children of refugees. They were probably born in Somalia or born soon after they [i.e., their mothers] came to the United States," he said. "And they are not particularly in touch with their parents. And yet, neither are they particularly attracted to or accepted by mainstream American culture. So there is this kind of double alienation that makes them particularly prone to recruitment."

Although some analysts say this might provide some insight into the motivations of those recruited in the large Somali community in Minnesota, for example, they say it does not explain what might have motivated terrorism suspect Shaker Masri, who was born in Alabama, lived in Chicago, and who has family in Jordan.

Masri was arrested after several conversations with an FBI informant.

Although authorities say Masri acted alone, terrorism analyst Thomas Mockaitis says most terrorism recruits find solidarity in a community of like-minded individuals.

"I'm not persuaded, and actually there is some research to suggest that people are not prone to self-radicalization, as we imagine," he said. "They don't just log on the Internet and suddenly become a jihadist. They often are persuaded by somebody they know - a family member, a friend, whatever the case may be."

Speaking to reporters at the Justice Department, Attorney General Eric Holder said he wanted to send a message to those arrested this week and others who might be charting a similar course.

"While our investigations are ongoing around the country, these arrests and charges should serve as an unmistakable warning to others considering joining or supporting terrorist groups like al-Shabab," he said. "If you choose this route, you can expect to find yourself in a U.S. jail cell or a casualty on the battlefield in Somalia."

As many as six suspected militants from Minnesota have already died in the fighting in Somalia.

Al-Shabab 3 of 3

Al-Shabab 2 of 3

Al-Shabab 1 of 3

Somalia's History Summerized in Eight Minutes (English)

YouTube - Somalia's History Summerized in Eight Minutes (English)



 Somali A Paradise DESTROYED 1
 Somali A Paradise DESTROYED 2
Somalia A Paradise DESTROYED 3

Somali

Somalia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Somalia (pronounced /soʊˈmɑːliə/ soh-MAH-lee-ə; Somali: Soomaaliya; Arabic: الصومال‎ aṣ-Ṣūmāl), officially the Republic of Somalia (Somali: Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliya, Arabic: جمهورية الصومال‎ Jumhūriyyat aṣ-Ṣūmāl) and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under communist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa.

Republic of Somalia Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliya جمهورية الصومال‎ Jumhūriyyat as-Sūmāl‎
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Soomaaliyeey Toosoow Somalia, Wake Up
Capital (and largest city)		Mogadishu 2°02′N 45°21′E / 2.033°N 45.35°E / 2.033; 45.35
Official language(s)		Somali, Arabic[1][2]
Ethnic groups		Somalis (85%), Benadiri, Bantus and other non-Somalis (15%)[2]
Demonym		Somali
Government		Coalition government
-	President	Sharif Ahmed
-	Prime Minister	Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke
-	Speaker of the Parliament	Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden
Formation
-	Warsangali Sultanate	13th century
-	Adal Sultanate	14th century
-	Ajuuraan Empire	15th century
-	Gobroon Dynasty	18th century
-	Sultanate of Hobyo	19th century
-	Dervish State	20th century
-	Union of protectorate and trust territory	1 July 1960
Area
-	Total	637,657 km2 (43rd) 246,200 sq mi
Population
-	2009 estimate	10,112,453[2] (82nd)
GDP (PPP)		2009 estimate
-	Total	$5.731 billion[2] (155th)
-	Per capita	$600[2] (224th)
HDI (2009)		N/A (Not ranked)
Currency		Somali shilling (SOS)
Time zone		EAT (UTC+3)
-	Summer (DST)	not observed (UTC+3)
Drives on the		right
Internet TLD		.so
Calling code		252
1	Transitional Federal Charter of the Somali Republic

Afghanistan’s Karzai to visit Iran

tehran times : Afghanistan’s Karzai to visit Iran

TEHRAN – Afghan President Hamid Karzai would pay an official visit to Iran to attend the tripartite summit, Afghan presidential spokesman Waheed Omar said on Tuesday.

""The president is going to Iran in near future possibly in a few days and will take part in a trilateral summit among Afghanistan, Iran and Tajikistan,"" Omar told a regular weekly press conference in Kabul, Xinhua reported.

Without giving more details, he said that a high ranking delegation will also accompany the president in his tour to Iran

The Associated Press: Iran wants cooperation with Afghans, Tajikistan

U.S. indicts 14 on charges of supporting Somali terror group

U.S. indicts 14 on charges of supporting Somali terror group - latimes.com

WASHINGTON – Fourteen people are accused of providing support to the Somali terrorist group al-Shabab in indictments unsealed Thursday that shed light on "a deadly pipeline" of funding and fighters to the group from cities across the United States, Attorney General Eric Holder said.
Most of those charged were U.S. citizens of Somali descent. It has long been known that disaffected Somali-Americans were leaving their homes in Minnesota and other states to join al-Shabab, an Islamist army whose several thousand fighters are battling Somalia's weak government. The indictments show that the U.S. government is directing significant investigative resources at the problem.
Al-Shabab, which routinely beheads its enemies, has been branded a terrorist group by the U.S. and other nations, and in turn has declared war on the United Nations and humanitarian organizations in Somalia. The group claimed responsibility for a bombing last month that killed 76 people, including an American aid worker, who were watching a World Cup soccer match in Uganda's capital. It is not known to be responsible for an attack on U.S. soil.
Some of those charged already were in custody, but earlier Thursday, FBI agents arrested two women, Amina Farah Ali, 33, and Hawo Mohamed Hassan, 63, both naturalized U.S. citizens from Somalia and residents of Rochester, Minn. Each is charged with one count of conspiracy to provide material support to al-Shabab from September 2008 through last month. Ali is also charged with 12 counts of providing material support to al-Shabab, while Hassan is charged with three counts of making false statements.

"As demonstrated by the charges unsealed today, we are seeing an increasing number of individuals – including U.S. citizens – who have become captivated by extremist ideology and have taken steps to carry out terrorist objectives, either at home or abroad," Holder said at a news conference.
A report in May by the Rand Corp. documented 14 domestic terror plots by U.S.-based Muslim extremists in 2009 and 46 since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The list includes the case of Najibullah Zazi, a permanent U.S. resident from Afghanistan who pleaded guilty in February to planning a suicide attack in New York, possibly on the subway; and that of Nidal Malik Hasan, a U.S. Army major charged with opening fire in November on fellow soldiers at Ft. Hood, Texas, killing 13.
Other plots emerged this year, including that of "Jihad Jane," the suburban Philadelphia native accused of supporting terrorism, and Faisal Shahzad, the Connecticut resident suspected in the Times Square bombing attempt.
The indictment accuses Ali and Hassan of raising money to support al-Shabab through door-to-door solicitations and teleconferences in Somali communities in Minneapolis, Rochester, and elsewhere, in some cases "under the false pretense that they would be used to aid the poor and the needy."
Ali made 12 money transfers to al-Shabab in 2008 and 2009 totaling $8,608, the indictment said.
On July 14, 2009, the day after the FBI executed a search warrant at her home, Ali allegedly told another conspirator, "I was questioned by the enemy here ... they took all my stuff and are investigating it . . . do not accept calls from anyone."
The U.S. government designated al-Shabab a foreign terrorist organization in March 2008, and said it has ties to al-Qaida.
The indictments allege illegal conduct in Minnesota, Alabama and California.
The Minnesota investigation has been unfolding for some time. Roughly 20 men — all but one of Somali descent — left Minnesota from December 2007 through October 2009 to join al-Shabab, which seeks to establish an Islamic state in Somalia with an ideology akin to the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Two indictments unsealed in Minnesota on Thursday added five new names to a list of people charged in the investigation in that state, bringing the total charged there to 19. Nine have been arrested in the U.S. or overseas, five of whom pleaded guilty, Holder said. Ten are at large, believed to be overseas.
Al-Shabab members began pledging allegiance to al-Qaida last year. One of its most famous members is known as Abu Mansour al-Amriki, or "the American," an Alabama native who speaks English with an American accent. He appeared in a jihadist video in May 2009.
In another unrelated case, a 26-year-old Chicago man was charged Wednesday with plotting to go to Somalia to become a suicide bomber for al-Qaida and al-Shabab.
Prosecutors told a judge that the Chicago man, Shaker Masri, attempted to provide support through the use of a weapon of mass destruction outside the United States.
In other terrorism-related developments Thursday, the State Department released its annual country report on terrorism. Among the report's findings were that there were more suicide bombings in Pakistan and Afghanistan last year than in Iraq, a sign of how the threat has shifted.

Inside Al Shabab: How the Somalia militant group rules through fear

Inside Al Shabab: How the Somalia militant group rules through fear - CSMonitor.com

On Oct. 27, 2008, Ali Abdullahi Egal saw the Al Qaeda-linked militant group Al Shabab stone to death a 13-year-old girl, Aisha Duhulow, under the charge of adultery. The act was not only brutal, but also, in his view, un-Islamic.

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• Full Somalia coverage.

The girl had apparently been raped, was not given the right to a legal advocate, and Al Shabab didn’t even bother to produce four eyewitnesses before declaring her guilty.
When Mr. Egal, a human rights activist, reported this event to local and international news organizations two days later, it produced an outcry, and helped set in stone Al Shabab’s image as a cruel and totalitarian regime in control of large portions of southern Somalia. Within a day, Egal received his first death threat, and then his second.
“They called me on the telephone and threatened me,” says Egal, now living in a variety of safe houses in neighboring Kenya. “They said, ‘You are working with the kaffir [unbelievers], you work for the CIA and Israeli intelligence.’ ”
Later, when he reached Kenya, he received a chilling e-mail:
“We have noted that you escaped from us and fled from Kismayo. After that we realized that your family also moved from the village in order to run off from us but you are being awaited in any of the refugee camps in Kenya and you will not survive. Even if you reach Nairobi, it will not help you as you were sentenced to death. Therefore, the Islamic fighters will retaliate against you and you will not know which date it is.”
The e-mail was signed by the senior Al Shabab leader of Kismayo, Sheikh A.G.Y. Abu Hamza.
After two years, Al Shabab’s hold over the port city of Kismayo and much of southern Somalia has only strengthened, and its threat to the Western-backed Somali government in Mogadishu is matched only by its brutal treatment to those Somalis it sees as enemies.
Some of the heaviest fighting of the year erupted last week in Mogadishu as militants advanced on government-held territory, killing more than 50 people and sending hundreds fleeing. Some 3.7 million Somalis – nearly half of the population – already need aid. Fighting continued into this week, with the government struggling to hold the capital with the help of more than 6,000 African Union peacekeepers.
Since 2007, at least nine Somali journalists have been killed by Al Shabab, while dozens of others have fled Al Shabab-controlled areas after repeated death threats. Harsh sentences for criminals – amputation for thieves, stoning for adulterers, decapitation for various other enemies – have become public events in football stadiums, scenes reminiscent of when the Taliban controlled Afghanistan.

Nato admits Afghan civilian deaths

Nato admits Afghan civilian deaths - CENTRAL/S. ASIA - Al Jazeera English

Violence in Afghanistan is currently at its worst since the Taliban was overthrown in 2001 [AFP] Nato has admitted that it killed Afghan civilians when battling the Taliban in the east of the country. The undetermined number of deaths occurred on Thursday in the Shirzad district of Nangarhar province. Nato's International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) promised in a statement that the families of the victims would be compensated. "Following information received from provincial and local Nangarhar officials, it appears that between four and a dozen or more civilians were killed," the statement said. Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan's president, has ordered a probe into the death of at least 12 civilians after a district chief said a total of 26 people had been killed in two separate incidents in the area. Al Jazeera's James Bays, reporting from Kabul, the capital, said that the deaths were caused by an air raid. "There have been civilians that were killed in what Isaf is admitting is an air strike carried out by their aircraft. They say they are investigating the incident." Uncertain casualties Bays said that Nato had called in air support for operations to attack three locations in the area. IN DEPTH Inside Story: Is 'Afghanistan' possible? Focus: Afghanistan's governance problem Focus: Making room for the Taliban Focus: To win over Afghans, US must listen Timeline: Afghanistan in crisis He added that some locals have said that up to 32 people in total were killed, including two children. "The number of fatalities is not clear but locals at the scene are telling us that ... people were killed as they were taking away the bodies from an earlier attack. "But there has been no word from the Taliban ... about this incident." Separately, Afghan officials said that at least seven police officers were killed in northern Afghanistan after a suicide car bomber struck a joint Afghan-Nato convoy. Six other officers were injured along with five Afghan civilians in the attack, which occurred while the convoy was on patrol in the Imam Sahib district of Kunduz province. "The bomber was in a car and struck the convoy. Six police and one pro-government guard were killed," Abdul Rahman, a senior provincial police officer, told the Reuters news agency. Major Michael Johnson, a spokesman for Nato forces, said there were no Nato troops killed in the bombing. Violence peak Violence in Afghanistan is at its worst since US-led and Afghan armed groups overthrew the Taliban in 2001. The Taliban, who are largely active in the south and east, have stepped up their attacks in recent months in some areas of the north, which had previously been considered relatively safe. Despite a record number of foreign forces in Afghanistan - standing at some 140,000, backed by thousands of Afghan forces - the Taliban has managed to spread its campaign out of its traditional powerbases and into the north of the country. June was the bloodiest month for foreign forces in the nine-year-war, with more than 100 troops killed. Hundreds of Afghan civilians have also been killed this year as they become increasingly caught up in the crossfire. Kunduz has taken the brunt of the Taliban attacks in the north and the fighters are increasingly using it as a base to launch attacks elsewhere in the region.

Iraq war wasn't worth the cost

Iraq war wasn't worth the cost - CNN.com

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• President Obama says withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq is on track
• Obama's view is that the war was not worth the loss of lives, money, says Fareed Zakaria
• Zakaria says costs outweighed the benefits of ousting Saddam Hussein
• He says Iraq hasn't yet had a genuine national reconciliation between key parties

Editor's note: Fareed Zakaria is an author and foreign affairs analyst who hosts "Fareed Zakaria GPS" on CNN U.S. on Sundays at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET and CNN International at 2 and 10 p.m. Central European Time/5 p.m. Abu Dhabi/9 p.m. Hong Kong.

New York (CNN) -- President Obama's decision to follow through on plans to reduce the American troop level in Iraq to 50,000 and shift away from combat missions is a sign that he believes America's energy and resources can better be used elsewhere, says analyst Fareed Zakaria.
Obama said Tuesday the U.S. is on track with the troop withdrawal and mission change to take effect at the end of this month. The president is proceeding while Iraq's key political forces remain deadlocked over the makeup of the government.






"I think he views it as fundamentally a place where we have to reduce our profile, reduce our impact," Zakaria said, "because ultimately this was an act of hubris that needs to be reined in."
In Zakaria's view, the efforts the U.S. has put into overturning the Saddam Hussein regime and stabilizing Iraq have not been worth the cost. "In the long run, if Iraq does stabilize and becomes a workable, even a flawed democracy, then I do think that perhaps that judgment will change in the long view of history. But right now, if one were being honest, one would have to say it wasn't worth it."

The author and host of CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" spoke to CNN on Wednesday. Here is an edited transcript:
CNN: President Obama says that he's fulfilling a promise by drawing down forces from Iraq to 50,000 by the end of this month. What's the significance of that?
Fareed Zakaria: I think the greater significance than the troop numbers is that he said that American forces next month will stop doing combat missions. That is really a crucial change -- it's the culmination of a process, it's not abrupt -- but it really means the US military is out of the business of war fighting, of street fighting, the business of tackling militias and basically exists as a training force to help the Iraqi military to stabilize the Iraqi government.
That gets the American military more into the role it has played in places like South Korea and Okinawa, than in the intense war-fighting, counter insurgency mold it's been in in Iraq. I do think it's an important turning point.
CNN: What's the state of the Iraqi regime now?
Zakaria: Iraq remains very troubled. You cannot pretend otherwise. The simplest indication of this is 2 to 2.5 million people fled Iraq in the years after the invasion, mostly in 2004, 2005, 2006, and from all accounts there is just a trickle of people returning.
Most of the people who left were middle class, most were Sunni -- the managerial administrative elite of the country. The fact that they haven't returned tells you that they still don't see much of a future for themselves in Iraq and until the Iraqi government is able to be genuinely pluralistic and genuinely open, genuinely a broad coalition, I think you will have the problems of instability.
It's caused by, on the one hand, Sunni extremist organizations that see the government as Shiite tyranny and, on the other hand, Shiite militias that try to combat those Sunni extremists. That's where we remain -- it's all at a much lower level, but the fundamental problem hasn't gone away.
The fundamental political problem has never been solved; there has never been a genuine national reconciliation with a government that is trying to open itself to all segments of Iraqi society. The dysfunction that you see, the paralysis, is just the symptom. The deeper problem is the political divide.
CNN: In light of that conflict, why is Obama proceeding with the withdrawal?
Zakaria: Obama believes this is a war we should never have gotten involved in, that it has been a waste of American resources -- most importantly American lives but also treasure -- and that his job is to minimize the exposure of the United States to this and reduce our commitments so that he can focus America's energy and efforts in other places. And he's been very disciplined about this, very unsentimental about it.
When you say is it still unstable, I think the answer is yes, but I don't think Obama is waiting for this place to become like Italy or France, a developed democracy, before he reduces the commitment to a significantly smaller number.
CNN: Which way could this go -- toward further healing or the possibility of renewed civil war?
Zakaria: Renewed civil war seems highly unlikely. An adviser to General Petraeus once put it this way -- he said Iraq will stabilize once the Sunnis realize that they have lost, and the Shias realize they have won.
And I think that fundamentally has happened. The Sunnis realize they can't overturn this government militarily. Of course there are some insurgent groups and some militia activity but basically it's sporadic and represents a small element of the population. The rest of them are dissatisfied, but they're not going to take up arms. And I think the Shias realize they have more to gain by staying in the system, which they dominate, than by trying to overturn it.
So I don't see civil war, but I think Iraq is going to remain very unsatisfying to outside observers. It does not seem on trajectory to become a happy liberal democracy...
I think the United States should have been playing a much stronger role in pushing the Iraqi government to accommodate all segments of society and create a genuine national coalition. Under the Bush administration, we focused all our attention on the military elements of the problem until very late when General Petraeus came in. Even then the civilian side has not pushed hard to create these compromises and coalitions. And under the Obama administration, there has been a very weak ambassador who has also had a kind of hands-off role.
American influence is diminishing but it's still considerable, and it's surprising to me that we didn't use it to try to create a more stable governing coalition...
CNN: Stepping back, at this point what is the likely verdict of history on the US involvement in Iraq?
Zakaria: So far at this point it's very difficult to make the case that the benefits have overridden the costs. As I said, you have 2.5 million Iraqis who fled, thousands, maybe tens of thousands who were killed, thousands of Americans who were killed, enormous expenditure, and there's not much to show for it.
It is absolutely true that Saddam Hussein's rule was an evil regime, significantly more evil than your run of the mill dictatorship, this was more like a totalitarian regime, but it's been replaced by a very dysfunctional polity. And to the average Iraqi, it's been a really, really difficult, unstable seven years, which has been plagued by violence, the collapse of their living standards, constant interruptions in their normal daily life from things like power outages.
CNN: Are there lessons here for what the U.S. is doing in Afghanistan?
Zakaria: I think the main lesson I would say is to be modest about what you can achieve and work hard on the political compromises, because those are the key.
You can achieve a certain level of stability by using the military, but the underlying problem doesn't go away. And in the Afghan case, the issue is: Can you find a way to get the Pashtuns reconciled to the Karzai government without alienating the other ethnic groups in Afghanistan?

We tend not to think in those terms in the United States. We tend to think of good guys and bad guys, but the truth is that the ethnic divisions are real and lasting, and they just have to be accommodated. There has to be a way to share power.

U.S. Military BANNED From Viewing WikiLeaks

U.S. Military BANNED From Viewing WikiLeaks

The Pentagon has banned the U.S. military from viewing anything related to WikiLeaks, the website for whistleblowers which controversially

 released thousands of classified government documents detailing the war in Afghanistan.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told the Washington Times that all four services -- the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard -- have told their staff that the site is off-limits.
In a memo obtained by the Times, the Navy told its employees: "There has been rumor that the information is no longer classified since it resides in the public domain. This is NOT true."
Meanwhile at the Air Warriors forum, a member by the name of "heyjoe" circulated an email on July 27 that allegedly came from an official military channel:

Yesterday, the media released information regarding a large number of documents containing U.S. national security information posted on a publicly available website called WikiLeaks...Personnel are reminded not to confirm nor deny information contained on the website. In addition, personnel should not access the WikiLeaks website on government owned systems, in order to avoid a proliferation of potential electronic spillages (ES).

The ban appears to include public and personal usage. In a memo circulated yesterday via another forum, the Marines Corps released this warning:
USMC Personnel (Marines/Civilians/Contractors) are hereby cautioned and directed to NOT access the WIKILEAKS website from a personally owned, publically owned or US Government computer system.
By willingly accessing the WIKILEAKS website for the purpose of viewing the posted classified material - these actions constitute the unauthorized processing, disclosure, viewing, and downloading of classified information onto an UNAUTHORIZED computer system not approved to store classified information. Meaning they have WILLINGLY committed a SECURITY VIOLATION.

Holder: Arrests Linked to Terrorism in Somalia